William Temple House Thrift Store — Local services in Portland

I am disappointed I have to leave such a negative review. most of the staff is friendly and accommodating, especially Marin at the front counter, she’s an absolute angel. However, all of the staffs kind gestures and willingness to help were overshadowed by the one person who had the final say.

in the week leading up to christmas i bought a beautiful grandfather clock at a great price. it reminded my brother and i of the one our grandmother had when we were growing up and i was most excited about taking it home. I was genuinely so excited to take it home. however, two days later i was in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. My car was totaled and i had to spend two days at the hospital. Even in the chaos I called the store twice (i have the call logs to prove it) to inform them of my situation and to let them know that the car i was going to use to transport said clock and myself were out of commission, but if they could make an exception and hold the clock a bit longer. “Not a problem” i was told. To make sure I called the second time and it sounded like i was speaking to the same person who told me not to worry, they understood the situation and it’d be no issue whatsoever.

I also learned that my sister had gone in to see the clock in order to line up possible transportation and she spoke to a guy behind the counter who also said “so sorry that happened - i’ll make a note of it, no issue.”

When i was finally able to limp my way into the store (wounds still visible mind you) to retrieve the clock i was informed it had been sold. I acknowledge that they have a policy in place. Had i of been told an exception couldn’t of been made even one of the times i would of been ok with it. I approached the situation calmly and kindly. but when it came time to speak to the woman who manages the place she was having none of it. She informed me that she was the one who put the clock back out for sale, said no one on the staff had made any type of not regarding the accident, and that was that. I wasn’t upset the clock was sold, I just wanted a refund. She wasn’t willing to do anything about it other than offer me a $25 gift certificate. I was shocked and accepted it - even though the clock was $100.

her staff had informed me it was not an issue and that they’d hold onto it three separate times. yet it all got lost in translation and she sent me limping out the door with a $25 gift certificate. even the staff that overheard it were stunned by her inability to put herself in my shoes and her quickness to dismiss me. very sad it happened like this.

again, i understand they have rules and policy in place - but when it’s been expressed to me that an extension could be given and it goes down the way it did i can’t help but to feel a bit of disdain.

i still wish them...

I really like this place. Their staff is always friendly and working hard. The store is always clean when I stop by. They also have a shopper’s points program & if you’re a regular shopper, it’s totally worth it!

Their items are often retail priced & not thrift store priced. As always, definitely do your “homework” on pricing your thrift items & make sure you’re not paying antique or retail store prices. There are several items in their “antique/vintage” case that are exceptionally overpriced; whomever is researching prices needs to keep UTD on how to properly appraise objects. Not all antiques are worth more $$ because they’re old. They currently have a vintage mesh purse. It’s a common purse, not tied to any manufacturer, & needs restoration - these purses are all over online pricing $9.00-35.00 or so, NOT the “over $200” the store associate tried to tell me. The antique salt & pepper shakers are cool items, but the salt shaker is damaged - the exact set in excellent condition can be found online for $40 (so the current price of the damaged shakers is laughable). They have a Pirates of the Caribbean script in terrible condition for its price & it’s not even in any type of protective covering. So sure, you can definitely find some fantastic used items here, but they are often overpriced for their condition. I’ve found some things priced moderately (not thrift priced) that I personally collect and/or use, so it’s up to each person to decide whether an item is worth what they want to pay. Buyer beware and all that. Too many thrift stores try to price things higher than they should because sometimes people find that “needle in the haystack” of exceptionally rare and/or...

In all honesty, this place has some good finds, mostly furniture. I used to enjoy going in all the time but lately it has just been bad experience after bad experience. To start off, I'm sorry if you have to interact with the staff... The manager woman who is always there pricing items and directing other employees always has an attitude. Also argues with customers about pricing tags that are already on an item, in front of everyone (embarrassing) and I've heard her several times talking out loud about how an item needs to more expensive because this or that "is vintage and selling elsewhere for more and everybody wants them" (some old furniture that they receive for free). Everything lately is about $50 and above, even for some beat up side table. Not to mention higher prices for clothing as well and you will rarely find the colored tags that are on sale for the day (you used to be able to all the time). I've had another employee, woman with black curly hair, give me attitude and be snarky even when just trying to check out! volunteers disturbing me in the dressing room asking who I was and who let me in (when I'm in the middle of changing) when another employee already had! Its a thrift store guys!! not high end retail! To finish this review I just want to say that I only would consider going in again because I support what William Temple does for the community, but customer service is just...