Unique — Local services in Merrifield

I have been a Unique shopper for quite some time now. I have noticed how poor the quality of service has gotten over the years. Today, was the last straw. If you have been to Unique you are aware of the overall attempt at organization at the store. On the day where they have 50% off all items, which is normally on holidays, the store is very unorganized.

My experience today will never take me back to Unique again. If you don't know, if an item(any item) has no price tag or one visibly written on the item you wish to purchase, you are out of luck. They do not take the item & price it for you, which would take no time at all. That policy I have come to understand, but still see no significance for it. Now, today what happened was I had already been walking around for over an hour searching for clothing for my children. I found a maroon Under Armor, shirt sized M, for my son. The price on it was $12. Even for a used item, it seemed a bit much for me, but I felt it was reasonable with the 50%. I would have paid $6 for it. No problem! I am getting rung up & begin to have a talk with the cashier who is obviously not happy working for that company. She begins to tell me that Unique goes through owners on a yearly basis, the employees get little or no breaks, the usual gripes at a place like that I can only assume. She tells me that alot of the things are overpriced because the owners feel that it will bring more people in causing them to spend more, etc....I am listening to her & agreed. I told her that I'm sure alot of things are overpriced(which they are!) then I show her the shirt(under armor) and tell her "I don't mind paying for something like this, even though it is overpriced" She looks at it & says, "Oh, I know...hold on" and proceeds to call over a supervisor? Didn't know why....but then, the supervisor appears & speaks with the cashier & walks away with the shirt. Excuse me? Where is she going with the shirt I ask....Oh, she won't come back, says the cashier. What?? Well, I go to the lady who appears to be speaking to the manager on duty. I ask her if there is a problem with the shirt, she says she can't sell it because it has the wrong tag. I ask how so, if it is clearly marked. She completely ignores me & begins to walk away. I ask her to stop & please explain why they can't just re-tag the item to sell. She wouldn't answer & the supervisor rose his voice & said, "That is our policy, it has a wrong tag not from our store." I've been to Unique so many times, it was clearly a tag from the store. I was so irritated at this point that I said, the truth is you want to take it back to re-tag it with a higher price to sell. It has a tag from your store, sir. He tells me that any "professional" can tag a price...I believe he thought I re-tagged the shirt with a price I thought was acceptable, as if....

They proceeded to both walk away saying that was that, basically I had to accept it. I don't. It is unfair & if I may say so, fraud. You have employees saying as much. There has to be a way to do something. I for one plan on never stepping foot in there again. Unless there are drastic changes to that place, but will it really ever happen? I just ask that people read this & not be fooled by the prices in that place. Yes, you can get a deal but is the price really worth it? There are so many things wrong with that place that this one subject is where I wanted to begin....please share. Thanks for...

Major down-check after the store switched over to self-checkout. Normally, Tuesday is automatically a 30% discount for seniors' purchases. Guess what?! Even if you are a registered member and previously qualified without asking, for the discount, the self-checkout system is stupid and doesn't recognize senior status. Worse, when I brought it to the attention of one of the "assistants,"her response was "You have to tell us before you pay." What the heck? So I lost a10%discount because the system is faulty and the clerk doesn't want to bother with processing a refund Major negative marks for Unique!

Odd, big store with a huge variety of clothing, shoes, accessories, household goods, furniture, knick-knacks, electronics, even games and sporting goods. Take your time to look around.

But be careful. Remote controls are often missing from TVs, Stereos and other electronic devices. Also for some insane lack of reason, separated AC power supplies are frequently separated from their associated product. For example I found an Aerogarden hydroponic growing kit. Marked $19.99. what a bargain for a system that retails for about $130-150. Except.... No power supply! Thus no way to test to make certain that everything functions properly, and if you're lucky enough to find a replacement power supply (About $40-50) you stiil won't be able to return the unit if it doesn't work. Stupid, stupid, stupid. There's no other word for it.

I'm getting used to the self-help checkout system. I think it makes customers more likely to be careless about cashing out, if you understand my meaning. Too many of Unique's goods are junk, trash. They are missing parts or are partially or entirely non-functional. I would be inclined to avoid any electrical appliances or electronics unless you really know what to test for and go over the product very thoroughly. My pet peeve for TV and audio gear is that they separate the remote controls and external power supplies from the devices they're intended to operate. How incredibly stupid and inconsiderate of the customer. Yes sometime you can buy a replacement remote or accessory. But more often the stereo or TV it BluRay player you just bought is crippled and useless. At least the store could try to keep pieces and parts together.. (and yes, I know, there are crude, thoughtless customers who open a retail package and toss the components aside, separating them so the next customer gets inconvenienced. You know if you're one and should be ashamed!)

I have talked to a floor manager about selling defective merchandise and bit accepting their returns. His response was simple: he didn't care! What utter gall!

The most important thing to remember is to take advantage of discount days and coupons for donations. This company is FOR PROFIT. Who know how much the Special Olympics actually benefits. I've never seen any public disclosures, have you? So save your money and your frustration by not buying anything that you can't be absolutely certain is in working order.

One more observation. Their pricing scheme for the goods they sell appear to be completely random and without reason or rationale. My attached photographs show numerous glass flower vases, all essentially the same size and shape. Yet the prices range from $1.99 to $3.99, DOUBLE the reasonable lowest price. You'll find similar results in cookware (pots and pans) and even in small...

I used to love coming here to "treasure hunt," but over the last few years, Unique has deteriorated into a shadow of its former self. Everything is now laughably overpriced, the conditions are squalid, and the staff is, for the most part, extremely rude and patronizing.

First, the prices. It's not uncommon to see three of the exact same item, all in the exact same condition, with three different prices. Their pricing is arbitrary and wildly inconsistent. And the price gouging has gotten insane. Several times I've picked up something priced at eight or nine dollars, only to find a Dollar Tree or TJ Maxx clearance sticker on the bottom reading just one or two dollars.

There is also ZERO quality control. Boxes of shattered Christmas ornaments, toy cars missing wheels, clocks missing hands - you'll find it all priced and sitting out for sale. I saw an empty jar of Classico tomato sauce actually on the shelf, priced at four dollars. For $2.99, I can go to the supermarket and buy the same jar, except, you know, full of tomato sauce. These people will take anything, price it, and put it out for sale. A lot of what they're stocking is literal garbage.

On my last visit, there was broken glass all over the floor near to where two children were playing. It took me forever to find an employee, and when I finally did, I pointed out the glass and he just stared at me and did nothing. The only time you can easily find an employee is when you go to check out. Unique got rid of all its cashiers during the pandemic and replaced them with self-checkout kiosks. I guess they've had a problem with theft, because when you're scanning your items, someone will usually stand over your shoulder, waiting for you to make a mistake so they can berate you. It made me VERY uncomfortable.

I've been a loyal Unique customer for years (both donating and purchasing things), but it has gotten so bad that I don't plan on going back. There are much better choices out there like Clock Tower Thrift and Great Falls Thrift, where the prices are lower, the quality is better, and the people...