I've been a supporter of Habitat for Humanity for many years. I even spent a week helping to build a home in Mexico many years ago. I have shopped at all of the Habitat ReStores in Metro Denver at one time or another, but frequented the Wheat Ridge store, since it was close to my home. I was disappointed when it closed, but welcomed the new Arvada ReStore and began shopping there regularly as soon as it opened.
Unfortunately, each time I go, I end up leaving without buying anything, because the prices are higher than I think they should be. I totally understand that Habitat wants to maximize their profits from the ReStores so that they can put as much money as possible into the homes they build for their clientele. But what they fail to take into account is the fact that their ReStore shoppers are also their clientele.
I count on places like Habitat ReStores and Bud's Warehouse to offer home improvement materials at much lower prices than the big box stores. I could never afford to make necessary home improvements if I had to pay full price for materials. I don't mind purchasing lightly used items, or rummaging through piles of unorganized materials, or even running the risk that the item I buy may be missing a part, when I'm paying half price or even less.
Since inventory turns over so quickly, I often have to make a quick decision to buy something, or risk missing out if I take time to compare prices elsewhere. Until recently, I didn't mind having to make such a quick decision because I believed that everything the ReStores offer is priced much less than full retail. That was until a couple years ago when I purchased waterproof luxury vinyl plank flooring for my kitchen. I ended up spending over $500 thinking I was getting a great deal. But I soon discovered that I could have bought better quality name brand flooring at Lowe's for LESS than I paid at the Habitat ReStore! To say I was upset is an understatement. When I asked management about it, I was told that they price their flooring comparably to Lowe's and HD. So clearly, Habitat for Humanity does not consider ReStore customers to be part of the clientele that they serve.
I decided to let that one bad experience go, and continued to shop at the ReStores. But I also continued to notice that prices often don't reflect as much of a discount as they used to. My most recent experience left me more disappointed than ever. On Saturday the Arvada ReStore had two identical dishwashers for sale. Both of them were brand new with all the paperwork and protective covering intact. But one was priced $50 less than the other. I carefully inspected both of them looking for anything that would justify the price difference, but didn't find anything. I wanted to buy the cheaper one, but didn't have enough money at that time. I planned to come in the next day they were open (Tuesday), but couldn't make it in until Wednesday. Of course, someone beat me to it and bought the cheaper dishwasher.
I decided to ask if I could purchase the remaining dishwasher for the same price as the first one. I had photos of the first one to show that they were, in fact, the same model, and were both brand new. But the manager refused to sell the remaining dishwasher at the lower price.
Of course, he was under no obligation to sell it for less than the price listed, but considering my previous pricing experience, and the fact that I have been a regular customer and supporter for many years, I was very disappointed. I won't stop shopping here, but I'll definitely do so much less frequently. Habitat ReStore is a thrift store, and their merchandise should be priced accordingly. It's no longer worth the hastle if I can't be sure I'm paying much less than I would at the...
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