Savers

I generally abhor shopping for clothes. Usually, the stores are crowded (with shoppers or with merchandise packed too close together) don’t have much in my size (5’10″, 170 lbs) and have crazy-​high prices at the register, especially name-​brand jeans.
Savers is the polar opposite of that experience: the aisles are plenty wide enough (I never feel crowded even with lots of other shoppers milling about), the mix of sizes is well balanced (including plenty in my size) and there’s no sticker shock at the register — usually the opposite. Note: this is true for used, used-​like-​new, AND new merchandise. In a couple of hours, I bought enough jeans for the next two years, for less than $ 80. One of them was lined with quarter inch of fleece from the hip to the ankle. I didn’t even know you could GET jeans like that! On the fourth of July watching fireworks at the Berkeley Marina, I was the only one in the group not complaining about the cold. ;-)
The pricing gets even better if you donate merchandise from time to time. The courteous staff at the donation bay outside will stamp your donor card with each donation, enabling up to 30% off the already low prices inside. This deal is so good to me that I happily donate all but the most valuable items I would normally sell on eBay or Craigslist because I know I’ll get that value back at the register. On top of that, I save time I would spend prepping an online sale AND the time I would spend picking up items from the seller or waiting for shipment.

I just want to thank the tall gentleman/​manager wearing all black for taking such good care of us. We had to purchase gift certificates and he was so polite. As we were checking out there was a lady who yelled at him and cursed at him for no apparent reason other then the line was long. He handled himself very well and professional. She then came back to yell at him and curse again. She was way out of line and he kept composure in a very busy store. I will definitely be back to this location because he was great. Thanks so much for the help.

Once upon a time, I stumbled across a Savers slightly southwest of downtown San Jose. It is a no-​frills place with a fantastic selection of what I was looking for: back-​to-​school clothes for my girl. Many other finds, too. A few days ago, I went to the Savers in Berkeley, and quickly saw that one Savers is not necessarily representative of others.
The Savers on University is also no-​frills and clean. Lots of clothes. But the goods are definitely a step below what can be found in San Jose. Probably because of the clientele, who drops things off. Some good clothes, kitchenware, toys, records (they have records!); some quite dated. Nothing I saw was in bad condition, though, and that included the books and records. The hunny was with me this time, and again we were seeing what would be good for our girl. We were disappointed with the selection («these look like boys’ pants in the girls section»).
Prices are good, though. All the clothing I saw was under $ 10. So if shopping for yourself or someone else, you may find something, but you may not. Typical of thrift stores, it all depends on what they get donated to them. A portion of the profits go to the Epilepsy Foundation.
Savers worth a stop in, but hopefully you have other places to check out too.

You should know that this place is kinda nasty.
I walked in and was hit by a fume of sweaty smells. That was really off-​putting. Had to go through a bunch of clothing aisles to get to the back where they have kitchen and home décor stuff.
I liked a lot of it. Generally pretty old but useable. $ 1.99 to $ 5.99 on average for mugs, picture frames, plates, pots, and other junk. I like looking at things I probably wouldn’t buy brand new (electric whisks, coffee machines, glassware). I fell in love with this metal jewelry box that unfortunately cost $ 16, kinda steep for a second-​hand product but I needed to have it. Would come back.
Also, not really educated on this kinda stuff so I might be wrong but I was surprised that they charge sales tax when I never have to pay that at Goodwill.

Love love love you Savers.
Went in to find pieces for my upcoming Halloween costume (era-​100 years ago) and literally found every single thing I needed, including fabric (an Ikea curtain) to make a couple of the pieces. They merchandised the store for Halloween by pulling «like» pieces for potential costumes, and also created a Halloween shop with new items… mostly accessories. Their clothing is so well organized that it’s super easy to walk the aisles and see exactly what they have. If you can’t find what you need, you can ask anyone, but especially ask the person with the giant button that says «ask me about costume help» or something along those lines. This lovely woman knew EXACTLY where to find hidden items. She was awesome.
This visit was just my latest. When they first opened, I found a Turbo Convection Oven… one of those small counter cookers… which I’d been searching for high and low, as I pair it with a previously found Stir Crazy popcorn popper base to roast my own coffee. But that’s a a whole other story.
Plus a parking lot! A parking lot in Berkeley!!! Come on people — there’s no reason not to come to this fabulous establishment.

No more Savers for me, thanks! I thrift all the time, at lots of different stores– I buy for myself and my family. I’ve been working customer service jobs my entire life, and am generally a polite person, but full disclosure– I have NO tolerance for rude people working in customer service jobs. Most of the the staff at the Berkeley Saver’s is rude, dismissive, unprofessional, and have no idea how to engage people on the most basic level. They yell across the store to one another, don’t say «excuse me» as they walk right in front of you, and give attitude if you ask them something as basic as «is this the right price?» It’s like a daycare full of children running the place, there seems to be not a manager in sight. I’ve NEVER shopped at ANY thrift store where the staff is as rude as they are at Saver’s.
They have tons of children’s books and SHOCKER! very little turnover in their supply of them. They charge prices that no «thrift store» has any business charging. I had a clerk yesterday get an attitude with me for daring to question a price she was about to charge me for some flimsy, thin, paperback «beginning reader» books for my daughter. Their pricing is deceptive– based on the cover price, they set a tiered price scale for all books. The cheapest are 49 cents. I told her I thought they were .49, but she was rude with me (after no acknowledgment or eye contact on her part as I came to the register), and quipped that they were children’s chapter books (to define them as such is a major stretch!) and that they sell for 1.49. I said that they sell new for $ 3 – 4 each, why are they 1.49 here? But she just repeated what she had already told me, like a rude robot. I have no wish to argue with some ignorant B**** working behind the counter at Saver’s, I like to think I’m better than that– so I said «fine, I’m not taking them.» She laughs, clucks her tongue, and sets them aside. Then she asks if I want the others (same price apparently) to which I say «no» and she again, laughs, clucks her tongue, and dismissively rings me up for the rest of my overpriced but more needed purchases. *Let it be known– I don’t need to have my ass kissed my anyone, just because I’m a customer. A simple, polite, «hello» goes a long way. Getting treated badly as I’m handing over my hard-​earned money is not something I’ll tolerate. I can go to Thrift Town and buy children’s paperback books for .29 each, or 6 in a bag for a dollar elsewhere. I mean, the whole point of parents buying books for their kids is to foster a love of reading, right? And the whole point of buying them at a thrift store is to save money, right? We’re not talking about a family heirloom or first edition masterpiece, I’m just trying to buy one of a dozen «Cam Jansen» books to encourage my Autistic daughter to read age-​level books with characters that she enjoys. I think Saver’s hasn’t been «hipped» to the fact that there is next to ZERO resale value for these sorts of books, they seem to treat them as some kind of gold mine!
I used to donate exclusively to Saver’s, because they offer a coupon which sometimes helps level out their over-​priced inventory. But Saver’s can take their weak-​ass coupon and shove it. I vote with my dollars, as do we all. I’ll be damned if I’m going to donate to them anymore. They don’t deserve it– when you consider the fact that the profits from your donations pay the wages of the crap employees they have working there, it feels ugly. They claim to benefit The Epilepsy Foundation, but their % that they donate is probably somewhere around 20%, at best. Kinda weak when you think about the fact that for 1.49 book, .30 of that actually goes to some good and the rest reinforces a shitty business with even shittier staff. And more importantly– if yesterday was simply an isolated event, I wouldn’t bother writing about it on Unilocal.But it’s not isolated, this is a pattern that repeats. Skip Saver’s and donate somewhere where they actually appreciate your donations AND your business!

It’s a basic thrift store. A little too organized. I like to search big piles of stuff, for that diamond in the rough. Didn’t find any here. Maybe next time.

I absolutely love going to Savers. It is the most organized thrift store I’ve ever been to. I always find lots of treasures when I go in.

This savers is pretty great! The prices are a little high for donated goods but over all a great place to look for bed sheets. I love it here :) happy thrifting.

Great thrift store. You can get a Club card that gives you extra savings or take advantage of the senior citizens discount of 30% every Tuesday. Nice selection that varies daily. I found two barely used bike racks there for $ 10 each. One was by Yakima and one by Rhode Gear.

This is the best place to find some cool vintage clothing! AND some designer, if you love modern expensive labels. I like this location because it is never too crowded. I actually came here during the grand opening, and the staff was sooooo friendly and kind. But this was about a year ago. NOW, there is a new manager that is not too kind and a couple sour apples that like to scream at you if you bring your cart into the dressing room, although they do allow urine to stand in there. Yes, I went when someone urinated in a dressing room. But what can you expect for a thrift store in Berkeley? They also have no clue on how to price their items, so I tend to find Versace secondhand for about 2 bucks, yet Forever 21 for about 15 bucks, hahaha,

the workers are very friendly. I found 3 pairs of Levi’s here and spent less than $ 10 bc of the sale

As a single mom with two fashion loving girls — this store is a treasure trove. Well organized, nice staff, and easy to navigate.
Granted– it requires a lot of picking through — and we sometimes run into things we have donated on the racks — but its clean, accessible, and we almost always get something that is high quality and chic.
Also love the kids’ book deal of a free book with every four purchased.

Very clean thrift store! Buuuut there staff looked very… depressed. Not one «hello» or «can I help you»… My cashier who rang me up, was very brash, and aggressively rang my items as if I interrupted her life. Ton of employees outside on break in the front entrance of the store. Was a real awkward vibe. I did however find a cute gap skirt, summer dress and a really dope knit top. I wouldn’t return only bc the vibe Sucked, but try them out for yourself :)

We stopped by here to look for some specific items we are always looking for in Thrift Stores. The guy I am seeing is really into antiquing and any chance we get we stop at one. This store though left much to be desired. We didn’t find hardly anything and to be honest after being to so many other Thrift stores Savers seems pretty overpriced in comparison.

I love this store! I only discovered this store back in October but has shopped here many times since and have also donated. Some things are pretty cheap, especially if you buy the stuff with the 50% off tags (50% off color tags varies every day). Wish I discovered this store sooner!
It’s a huge store, lots of variety of items. You can get some great bargains and find some hidden gems here. The first 4 – 5 times I walked out with BAGS of stuff. The last two times nothing, so you never know what you’ll find or walk out with.

This is a great place! It evidently opened 6 months ago.
What neat stuff too! We found childrens’ clothes, toys, and womens’ clothes for my daughter in law.
Staff are great!
You can sign up for discounts.
If you donate then the nonprofits local to Berkeley will benefit.
We will be back often as these grandchildren grow!

Best way to describe this place: the department store of thrift shops.
When walking it I’m reminded of a Ross. it’s pretty clean and well organized for a thrift store. Clean fitting rooms and the clothes are organized neatly by category then size. My first visit was on some holiday (can’t remember which now) and all clothes and accessories were 50% off, picked up some sweaters and tshirts.
Service is okay and the staff all seem pretty nice. There’s a private parking lot that gets filled up pretty quickly but you can find street parking fairly easily. The location is good too! Right on the corner of a busy street, probably brings in a lot of business.
I’ve been here a couple times and I’ve never left empty handed. A lot of people say it’s overpriced (which it may be when there isn’t a sale going on) but I think cleanliness and organization count for a lot.

I’m giving this Savers 4 stars, because they take pretty much all donations that you bring and don’t give you a hard time.
I’ve been here twice this month and I donated a mint condition professional keyboard a large office printer all in good working order. On my second drop off I donated organizational cubical that I bought from Target and an Ikea clothing rack that I only had for 5 months.
I’ve donated at Savers before in another state and never had any problems, but when I tried to donate the above items at Goodwill I was turned down.
I like Savers because not only do they take your donations, but they are very friendly and helpful. The guys at the donation area actually greet you and come out with a smile and help you take things out of your car unlike Goodwill.
Overall I’m very pleased and if your needing a charity to donate to make it a point to go to Savers! They’re Awesome!!!

$ 33 for 2 pairs of jeans, 1 faux leather jacket, 2 collared shirts, a necklace, and a hoodie. Come on now, that is an amazing deal. They’re still setting up shop, but Savers has always been my favorite thrift store. The way they set up clothes just makes it easy to find what you need and in your size. It’s even easier than Ross (which apparently tries to make shopping like a treasure hunt). And, their selection will only get better as more folks frequent the store.
Support Savers! Let other people’s waste become your provision!