Sunshine Thrift Stores, Inc.

I discovered this gem a few weeks ago. I’ve scored four very nice blazers, two dress shIrts and a tie in two visits. I’ve paid a grand total of $ 38…WINNING!

I visited this store yesterday. Very clean store, well organized and great finds! They didn’t have exactly what I was looking for, however, the stuff i wasn’t looking for was good enough to buy anyways!

A good-​sized store that is kept neat and orderly. Prices are low and good variety of clothes. Not much on furniture. Benefits St. Joe’s Children’s Foundation and Metro Ministries and can send a truck for pickup.

Sunshine used to be one of my all-​time favorite thrift stores (~1−2 years ago). While some positives (good variety and mostly reasonable prices) are still true, there have also been a lot of unpleasant changes of late.
The store staff is always grumpy (I would probably be annoyed by most shoppers too) but is it necessary to loudly gossip about coworkers and unpleasant customers while putting out wares?
The checkout staff is a HUGE stickler about the email club. I get it — they want subscribers. But perhaps don’t be rude to customers whose phones died, or who couldn’t pull up the email fast enough for the checkout team to yank it out of their hand? Nobody is trying to cheat you out of 5 extra dollars of used clothing. If you’re dealing with the sheer chaos of the 50% off day, you’re there because you have the coupon.
Trying on a $ 3 plastic bracelet from behind the jewelry counter gets you scrutinized as though you’re about to steal the royal jewels. Plus, knockoffs labeled as «imitation Tiffany», «imitation Rolex», etc are priced at $ 40+ (PS to management — you do realize that selling ANY designer replica is blatantly illegal, right?).
The worst bit? Having a snooty sales associate try to sell me a piece of plastic as an $ 80 «18 karat gold» necklace. I’m no jeweler, sure, but I know enough to tell that something that’s peeling and turning green at the clasp, has no .750 hallmark stamp, and weighs about as much as a paper clip is absolutely not a piece of fine jewelry. How many customers end up falling for Sunshine’s deceptive labeling practices for not knowing better?

My first visit to this Thrifty store. This place is HUGE! They have a great selection of clothing and shoes. I found a 2 piece suit for only $ 5.45, Unfortunately, it was a little too big for me. The staff was friendly and the place was clean and neatly organized.
I ended up leaving with a blazer, a pair of slacks and a long sleeve blouse all for $ 9.42. So how’s that for a savings?

I love this place. The inventory is huge and the turn over is high. There is always something new to see. The price point is good and they have regular sales if u sign up for their emails. I have a lot of experience and this is the Best thrift in Tampa!

Lots of clothes. Lots and lots of them. Some household items, dishes, décor. Some furniture but not much. Prices (for clothes, the only things I shopped) were okay, better if they had the color tags that were 50% off. You can sign up via text to get weekly discount coupons. Plentiful parking. Not the best and not the worst.

Nice store with a great selection, I was quite surprised at how good of shape the clothing was in.
They have signs posted at the front of the store letting you know that they can’t sell an item that doesn’t have a tag. I found a shirt that I really liked and, of course, it was missing a tag. I took it up to the checkout hoping that a manager could look at it and figure out how much it costs or give it another tag so I could buy it.
Our cashier (Dawn, I believe) told me I wouldn’t be able to buy the shirt since it didn’t have a tag, going as far as to say that it was a real shame since the shirt was so nice. I said I saw the signs and understood, but was wondering if there was a manager who could look at the shirt and give it another tag or figure out another way to sell it to me, to which she replied «No.» and then went on to once again say that it’s a shame because the shirt is very nice, rubbing it in once wasn’t enough I guess.
In short, despite the great selection, I will not be returning to this store because of the poor customer service. I know for a fact that there are several Goodwill stores in the bay area that provide better service than I was given here.

I innocently and unaware started a theme party motif among my friends. It all began way back in July when a friend kindly suggested he would teach my two monkeys how to make Puerto Rican pasteles. Of course, I would not bother with this whole-​day, exhausting, very messy project unless another lunatic came up with the absurdity and hosted it. Pasteles are our very different version of Mexican Tamales and normally limited, God-​only-​knows-​why, to the Christmas season, which in the island, runs from the day after thanksgiving to the end of January-​first week of February; because we must celebrate and keep our decorations almost until Valentine’s day. I suggested we all dressed like Minga and Petraca (google and laugh) and other New Yorican fashionismo. Pictures were taken, distributed, gossip started, texting happened, angry uninvited friends rallied. The result? Costume party galore.
So I had to come up with 80’s outfits for one party and 1950’s outfits for a Rum Diaries themed one. Of course I enjoy the freedom to be creative and wear a lot of accessories that normally I wouldn’t dare no matter, in all humility, how fabulous I look in everything. I hate to buy new clothes and perhaps deconstruct and ruin them in the process. My glue gun is an extension of my hand… but I have discovered just recently how wonderful the world of Thrift stores really is. So I discovered (by accident) a thrift store for children. I almost got pregnant on the spot out of cheer glee when I got in and saw all the cuteness.
Sunshine Thrift Store drove me wild. I spent about four hours going around and picking accessories and dresses. Sita, the kind woman who helped me, egged me on. I was smiling the whole time and other shoppers made fun of my joy. I would just be sillier than I normally can be when I find a bargain. The store is big. It has books, VCR tapes, jewelry, lots of hats, belts, shoes, purses, and rows and rows and rows of clothes sorted by types. I have read that some people do not find it as cheap, but for me, the prices were an insanity. I bought some Michael Kors animal print shoes for $ 14.99! and a BCBG/​Max Azria silk dress for… wait for it… wait for it… $ 6.99 in mint condition. No, of course those had zero to do with the 1950’s or the 80’s or the batita (old woman night gown) I needed for the parties… but they were there, on my way, wanting to be found… the universe wanted me to have them too.
After trying over ten dresses, some fit and others didn’t because I can be voluptuous that way… but I found the perfect two dresses and the most incredible hat (for $ 2.95). I also found a pair of earrings that are two papier maché red cherries with their stem and leaves. Adorable. I bought some red patent leather peek-​a-​boo shoes that are hot. Enough said. Sita made me promise that I would return each week because there is always new merchandise coming in and now she knows what I like (not really, because I do not normally go out wearing 1950’s outfits… but I like her so much that I will pretend just for fun… or undergo a big fashionista transformation out of love.)
Everybody was helpful and friendly. I did hear that during the weekends it gets crowded and the aisles are not big enough for two people so I guess I will return during the mornings and during the weekdays so that I could carefully search and find and delight in my new treasures.

I’m not sure how to give a thrift store 5 stars but when I go, I always have great luck finding what I need. I had a friend that recommended this place to me I reside in St Pete but I’ll make the trip up here to go shopping.

Large, somewhat underwhelming, but has potential. This place was huge, had a large selection but everything seemed kind of picked over. The biggest downfall imo is that nothing is sized at all, and it is so large youd really have to dig to find stuff that you like AND that’s in your size. My sister found a nice dress from Pac Sun for $ 9 and we also found a brand new dress with tags sold on Nasty Gal for $ 9 so I imagine if you have the time you can really find some great stuff.

Haven’t been in yet. Doesn’t actually open until 11. Not 9 as Unilocal states. Looks to be lots of stuff, though!

I was really excited to check this place out on my visit and I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. The organization by gender and type was the ONLY organization with clothing, besides the jeans which are done by size. Nothing else is sorted by size or color and I found quite a few pieces that were ripped or it looked like someone had altered it badly. There were a few decent shirts and dresses, but overall the selection wasn’t as great as I expected. The one good thing is the prices. Most of the shirts I bought were under 3 dollars. They also seem to have a good supply of swimwear. They had some really nice men’s shoes as well, but the women’s shoe section was lacking. I felt like I had to really search for the good stuff, so I wouldn’t go here if you’re in a hurry. I work in retail so I totally understand, but I always end my conversation when a customer comes to check out. I also try to say excuse me when moving past someone in an aisle, but different people had different ideas of what’s polite and what’s not. Overall, I think I’d come back here as a last resort, but it’s not my first choice.

Certain salespeople are very rude and are not helpful at all. This place should at least show a little customer support but I am blown away in how certain individuals treat customers. This place is supposed to be for a good cause but really? There are other thrift shops around who treat customers right and have a good cause

I went here for the first time the other day, on their half off sale day. I knew it was the half off sale but didn’t know that I need a coupon to get the discount. I told the cashier that I would pay full price and would sign up for the mailing list to get the next coupon. She was awesome and gave me half price on everything.
I got about 12 items for $ 40. All of the items were Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, INC in great condition (though it took me over an hour to find those items). They have a pretty large selection of clothing priced anywhere from $ 2-​$ 11 (from what I saw). I got a beautiful brand new London Times dress, new with tags attached, for $ 5. Like most thrift stores some of the items are in great condition, some look like they need to be thrown away. I got two new with tag items.
Personally I wouldn’t come here unless the sale is going on (then again I buy to resell, so obviously I need to maximize my profit). Next week is the St. Pete stores sale and I can’t wait to go see that one to see how it compares to the Tampa location. I’ll definitely be visiting Sunshine Thrift on their sale days.
If you do go on a sale day just remember that it will be crowded, parking is fairly limited, and some people are kind of pushy, though some are really nice.

One of the better thrift shops in town. I used to go here to look around at least once a month back when I lived in The SOG, but no so much these days. I can almost always find something, whether it’s a record or a t-​shirt.

You know you’ve found a great thrift store when they offer daily sales, deals, you can buy popcorn, and they have to remodel to thwart theft. It is very well organized and the clothes doesn’t smell, so that’s really all I ask with these types of places. I found a dress from brand new chic store Charming Charlie-​most of which just opened in Tampa within the last couple months– with tags on it reading 39.99. I happily took it up front to buy thinking I could no longer try it on because they had closed the back dressing rooms down due to theft. Upon walking up I was told the front rooms were open, and also that the dress was on sale for half off. They accept credit/​debit as well. Four dollars later I was off to a Unilocal event in the same plaza happy as could be!

Pretty decent thrift store, lots and lots of stuff here. It was also pretty busy but I didn’t find myself really wow-​ed by much of the stuff. I do, however, want to give the place a second chance, so there may be an update here in the near future!

This thrift store has a very large selection of both regular women’s and plus-​sized women’s clothing. They frequently have specials and they have so much foot traffic that their stock is frequently turned over.
The Con: The parking lot is shared with other businesses and it can be challenging to find a spot.
Tip: Buy a couple of burgers at Krystal next door and park there!

I am never in the area of where Sunshine Thrift Stores was located. I just happened to be this past Sunday. The place is pretty organized for a thrift store. They have their bins of specific stuff all in the same area. You go through the clothes and some are really good prices, some are really pricey. You just have to know which ones to pick, and what price you want to spend. I notice they have orange and yellow tags on that day that are ½ off. That’s an added price saver there. I would definitely be back if I am in the area.