Assistance League of San Diego County

This thrift shop is one of the nicest shops I have ever been to. All of their items are donated and resold to benefit local children who can’t afford to pay for school clothes. They have high end clothing like St. John, chicos and other great brands if you can find them. Also, what sets this place apart is that none of the staff is paid, they are all volunteers.

This is always a must-​stop when I’m in the area. Really nice quality items and good prices. and, their cause (school uniforms and supplies for kids who can’t afford them) is one I can get behind. My only complaint is that nearly every time I shop, the volunteer clerks (bless their kind hearts) have trouble entering the transaction in the cash register. (I use the same cash register at work, and it’s just not that complicated! I’ve even offered the manager to give these volunteers a tutorial.)

The women who work at the Assistance League are doing great things for the San Diego community. They take clothing donations and then resell them to purchase brand new uniforms for children in need. Excellent organization! I’d give them 10 stars if I could.

I stopped by here based on some positive things I heard about this thrift store. The items were well organized, neat & clean. Jewelry & scarf selections were nice and volunteer ladies were very attentive. Overall, I enjoyed browsing through the store and glad I had chance to visit.

This thrift store is wonderful! The staff are all volunteers and they work very hard to keep everything neat and attractive. The items are upscale from what you would normally find in a thrift shop. I especially like the jewelry. I find some treasure almost every time I am there.

Love this thrift store! Always find neat items at great prices! A real gem!

Just randomly found myself in this thrift store one day. There cashiers were these two cute older ladies. This was one of the cleaner thrift stores that I’ve been too. I was able to find a record for $ 1. Several great thrift stores in Hillcrest!

You know when something is so convenient you end up there a bit more than you really need to? That’s pretty much the AL for me. Since they are at the end of my block, I go there first, before walking further down University for everything from books to shoes to toys. It doesn’t suck for me as colossally as it seems to for everyone else. I like the jewelry selection best. They’ve come through for me in a pinch many, many times. Everything is very clean. Volunteer staff is as friendly as old women should be expected to be. I’m grateful they are there and will continue shopping there.

I used to love this place. They used to be packed with goodies at great prices. What happened? I hadn’t been in awhile but was in the area with a friend and wanted to show him. We got there five minutes to closing and the employee was standing outside with keys in the door saying they were closed. What? I just wanted to show my friend the place, maybe see if we should come back. Nope. Too bad so sad, Left a bad taste in my mouth but I gave them another try. $ 20 jackets and $ 7 scarves? Seriously? Yet another greedy thrift shop turns into a wanna be boutique. What a shame. I won’t be back. I suspect they’ll close with such poor attitudes.

Awful hours. Incompetent staff. Mostly useless stuff. Don’t waste your time.

I’ve found great, absolutely new clothes at the Bargain Box (it seems they have a deal with some upscale chains), durable used clothes for my boys, and every now and then a diamond in the rough clothing/​jewelry/​home purchase. All $ goes toward clothes and shoes for poor children in the area (no % to administration, salaries, etc.) so it’s all good.

I’m not sure who this thrift store is for. It’s small and weirdly empty. Crap no one wants is placed on it’s own shelf in a display case. I’m all about thrift stores having crap no one wants (because sometimes I DO want that stuff), but it should be all crammed together on a shelf. The things they do have are pretty random and overpriced. It’s close to my house, but I can’t imagine ever coming here again.

The Bargain Box is what you would imagine if you thought of a «thrift store» — not a «resale shop» or «boutique» of any kind. It is quite small, and not packed with incredible finds.
It is also quite difficult to make donations, as their open hours are very limited. All in all, it is a clean, local spot to donate, but I’ve never been tempted to buy.

The following is a brief note from your Aunt Lavinia:
My dears:
Went shopping at the «Bargain Box» resale shop in Hillcrest. This store has simply no cachet, oh, the volunteers are perfectly charming but my dear, could we have a little more style? Not suggesting that they employ dominatrices, clad in black leather to whip up a few more sales but to be in Hillcrest one wants a little more razzle dazzle. Their web site states that the «Bargain Box» is the heart of the Assistance League and if this is the truth, then they need a pacemaker. The store is clean, presentable and unimaginative. Was hoping for a quaint little boutique but got a run of the mill thrift store. I felt absolutely defrauded who knew that their website description was incorrect. Dashed inconvenient, if you ask me.
The women’s clothing appears to have been donated by the entire WASP congregation of some local church. I shudder at the scads of polyesters on the racks, simply dehumanizing. The League blithely asserts that the «Bargain Box» is an upscale resale store but there was not much in the way of designer clothing, major brand names or anything that could be found in a decent antique store. I wonder if Sarah Palin drops off her baby and toddler clothing here, for they have an abundance. Sarah has the most snazziest Kazuo Kawasaki frames for her glasses so her taste in children’s clothing is tolerable. I am told that they periodically have furniture sales with furniture of a conservative line. Can you say solid but well crafted, sort like one of your uncles who shall remain nameless. The only bargains to be had at the «Bargain Box» is the parking, everyone knows that parking in Hillcrest can be so fatiguing, so the lot in the back is convenient and the 25 cent paperback books are a great price.
Anyone who believes that this is an «upscale boutique» (see Discovery Shop review) is in De-​Nile. Meaning they have fallen in the river, they can’t get out of the deep end and they are all wet. If I had the opportunity I would snap a towel (like we use to do at my good ol Alma Mater gym) at them and give them a good smack because this store needs saving! Assistance League does good things — teddy bears for traumatized kids and school clothing for needy kids but this store, properly handled, could make so much more moolah for their causes.
Now, I know that after reading this review some may call me just a plain old witch but I will have you know that they just can’t spell.
Flourishes and hugs to all… Lavinia