Value Village — Attraction in Richmond Hill

I've been trying to get to this location for awhile and was super excited when I found some extra time today to stop in.

Pros: well organized and very tidy - easy to shop, excellent selection -lots of gently used items, name brands galore, and tons of useful household items.

Cons (and the reason for the 1 star rating): poor customer service. I stood at the jewellery showcase for over 30 minutes, not 1 associate acknowledged my presence. I recognized that staffing was light and as a result was more than willing to patiently wait to take a closer look at a few items. There were 2 employees at the self check out which is located not too far from the jewellery counter, 1 appeared to be management. The self checkout was not busy so I was a little confused as to why 2 associates were assisting but either way I figured at some point I would be helped. At the 10 minute mark I was finally able to make eye contact with the "manager", gave her a smile, did a little wave and pointed to at the showcase. I know she saw me because our eyes locked, I thought ok good I'm sure she'll page someone to assist. Another 15 minutes goes by and still nothing, then the "manager" gestures to the associate to leave and directs her to clothing racks to tidy up - the manager looks at me again. Finally I was so frustrated I approached the "manager" and she basically ignored me until I spoke. No apology. All she said was that she didn't see me standing at the jewellery counter. Really?! 30+ minutes?! You are really going to pretend we didn't make eye contact?! I just left disappointed...

This is my local thrift store and the one I frequent most often about once a week because their selection is always so lovely and diverse. I’ll start off by saying that the employees here are truly very kind however, the managers here really like to hike the prices up unreasonably and after re-arranging the entire store a while ago I’ve noticed some unpleasant changes they’ve made:

I’ve noticed there seems to be a lot of items that are missing price tags. The issue here is that when you bring that item to the counter for the manager to price they awkwardly price it astronomically? If most mugs are priced $3.99 the manager will than decide that this untagged mug is $6.99 i’m unsure weather this is a deliberate sales tactic or if customers are removing tags in both case its just unfortunate.

I’ve also noticed that there seems to be a lot of items that are not selling and left on the racks or shelves because this thrift store is the most expensive one. A kind employee offered to check me out at the jewelry counter where I noticed they were keeping baggies of toys for $4.99 behind the counter which I just found was strange. Feels ingenuine and like they are hesitant to sell the items people are kindly (myself included) donating to them.

I do really enjoy this thrift and their selections just a few recent changes i’ve noted that I hope they...

Do NOT donate your items here. You will not be compensated fairly. After several very positive experiences with the Value Village in Newmarket, I thought I would receive the same treatment here. I did not. I ended up donating an ENTIRE BIN, overflowing with large bags of modern, clean clothing, and expensive household items (all in either brand new or excellent condition), and only receiving a Thank You in return. I had to stop the man from leaving, to ask for the punch cards, and then he only gave me ONE. When I objected, he sheepishly told me that they only give one punch per bag and no punches at all for the large items that don’t fit in a bag! I was actually angry at this treatment, and I already went there fully prepared to just give away two thousand dollars worth of items, in exchange for maybe 3 fully punched cards. But to be given nothing but a, “Thanks” and then have to wrestle a single card out of the guy?!! It was absolutely insulting! I’ll never be taken advantage of like this again. I’ll bring all future items to the Newmarket location - they treat you with appreciation, gratitude,...