Plato's Closet El Cajon — Local services in El Cajon

I used to visit this Plato’s twice a month and now I visit maybe once every three or four months. They’re extremely picky about what they purchase from you. I purchased a Free People shirt from Plato’s for $14 and only had it for two months, deciding it didn’t look right on me. I brought it in to resell and they bought it for $2. I was expecting maybe $6 or so.... but not $2 😂

I’m a XS/ size 00-0 and yet its hard for me to find clothes in my size... not sure if they’re already sold out by the time I come shopping or if I just have a hard time finding clothes. They do have a wide selection of S/M though. But, I don’t think their selection is the greatest. I end up getting rid of whatever item I’ve bought from them roughly 6 months after purchase. When I’ve bought something from NC Plato’s, it lasts me years.

One thing that has bugged me- is the raising of prices. I went last week and purchased a thin jacket, two mens shirts for my husband (and their men’s selection is TINY omg), and a pair of leggings- it was like $60! If I made this same purchase back home in NC, it would’ve been maybe $30. The prices in San Diego are extremely high compared to the prices at Plato’s in North Carolina. Not to mention the sales tax at the end- over 8%. It kills me because NC is only 4%. Paying 8% tax on used clothes feels like I’ve been cheated!!

A pair of jeans are around $20-$30, a good sweater is $15-20, a tee is around $12-$15... with those prices, i might as well shop the new sale section of fashion stores or shop at TJ Maxx! I’m paying the same price for a damaged (most of the time), used item when i could get something new & better at a retail store. I hate going to Plato’s now just because of the dwindling quality of clothes and raising prices.

So, while you can find some good deals, it’s better just to stick with TJ Maxx or various retail stores. I am a big believer in “buy used, save the difference,” but I’m not paying for a used item when I can get a new (and cleaner) item for the same price. It just...

I feel compelled to write a new review. Most of the reviews I read before coming to Plato's were not accurate - at all. I'm so thankful I went tonight, regardless of how many negative reviews there are. I believe a few people had experiences they were not happy with but that the majority of people have a perfectly great experience. What I read in the reviews and my actual experience was completely different. If you're thinking about visiting Plato's, I would highly recommend going.

My son and I were in the store for about 45 minutes and this is what I observed:

The staff seemed completely fine to me. They all seemed pleasant, were working very hard and there was zero drama.

Great selection for everyone. Lots of everything (for men and women). Shirts, shorts, jeans, jackets, workout attire, shoes, jewelry, etc.

A few 70% off racks (great deal!).

Lots of brand new or lightly worn items. Nice quality and good brands. Lots of shoes that have never been worn (heels, flats, boots, sneakers).

Customers were all shopping peacefully and they seemed like a great group of people, having a more than pleasant experience.

Clothing is catered to a more hip crowd, which I loved. But also lots of basics, which was nice.

There were reviews complaining about how the staff did not buy their clothes or bought very few items. This place is packed with clothes. I understand why the staff is very selective with what they choose to buy. It's clear they only want to add good pieces to their inventory.

Great experience. Very busy place, I was impressed by how many people were shopping.

I would...

It’s such a shame that the customer service at this location is so bad, because their selection of clothing and organization is quite good. So good, that I keep going back and spending hundreds of dollars despite the absolute nightmare that is their staff. This doesn’t apply to all the staff members, but certain ones, specifically at the front working the register, are truly incompetent and straight up rude. Making simple math into rocket science, and trying to argue with my mother who LITERALLY has a degree in finance. If you would like to keep your brain cells, don’t argue with an employee named London. This location runs a lot of really cool promotions, but the issue is they don’t uphold them. They say spend x amount get x amount, but then screw up how much you get. Half of the cashiers forget to add points to the account. One experience in particular, I needed to return something that was within the 7 day timeframe with the tag on, and because THEIR system was down the employee told me to just go drive to the other location that’s an half an hour away. I offered multiple logical solutions, and because they lack all critical thinking and problem solving skills, they couldn’t come to any sort of compromise other than “Sorry, go return it at the other store and oh by the way that needs to happen before tomorrow.” Like what? Imagine you go to target with the receipt and they just say you can’t return it but you can go downtown and return it?? All of this to say, this location gets great product and their events are well run, but their employees and overall customer service needs some...