AbleLight Thrift Shop — Local services in Valparaiso

I will no longer purchase from nor donate to this thrift store. I have had 2 extremely negative experiences.

While I was holding my 11 month old baby, the employee at the front register asked me in front of a long line of patrons, when my baby was due. Clearly, I was not pregnant. When I told her that I was not expecting, she stammered a bit but made no effort to apologize for her insanely rude question.

My 5 year old daughter and I were at the end of the aisle by the toys and she had moved a very small toy from the toy shelf to right in front of the game shelf, and then she wandered away from the toy as all 5 year olds do. An employee (Juliane) then burst out of the back room and asked my daughter 3 times if she had finished with the toy. Juliane was very hostile and demanding with my 5 year old. When I realized that the hostility was directed toward my daughter, I told the employee that yes she was finished with the toy. Then Juliane said, "well let's put our toys back where they belong" in a very cynical tone.

I then spoke with another employee about the incident and asked her to let the owner know what had just happened. However, that employee went to the back room and told Juliane instead of the owner. So, Juliane again burst out of the back room in a very confrontational manner. When I explained that I did not appreciate her speaking to me or my daughter with such rudeness, she immediately became defensive and told me that she was trying to keep the area safe and that the kids weren't supposed to touch the toys. I am surprised that with all of the issues that the store has, that one of their major priorities is policing their toy rack. My daughter hadn't done anything wrong except mistakenly moved a toy from point A to point B. This very defensive employee told me that she wasn't being rude and that she talks to her own kids that way. Obviously, Juliane and I do not share the same parenting values by any stretch of the imagination.

So, the moral of the story is I guess that this store exists for single or married people who do not have children with them, and who have also never been pregnant with a child or postpartum.

I hope this store can come forth with a better value system in regard to how they treat parents and children.

Fortunately, there are many of thrift stores to choose from in the Valparaiso area so that we do not have to give Abel Light...

Going to echo the same sentiment I've seen on here: When this shop was formerly Bethesda, the prices were good, the selection was better, it was for a good cause, and the reputation around town was better. It was a nice place to shop for people who aren't made of money and you didn't have to spend much. I have gone in here and seen a peeling pleather jacket from Walmart going for $20 or so, but because it's "vintage" from 2008, they justify the price. There is a jacket in their store RIGHT NOW that is literally $100!!! Yes one hundred!!! I have been in here and had conversations with other shoppers about how high the prices are on items that can be bought new for less!!! I'm not sure who owns the shop now, but a few years ago after they were no longer Bethesda, the woman who ran it at that time (an older blonde woman) literally told me and my mom she sells the "better stuff" online. No I am not kidding, that is what she said. They get all these items for FREE as donations as a "non profit" that is supposed to help the disabled thru a church...yet they GREATLY overcharge for items they get, once again, for FREE!!! I and MANY others around town are fed up with this shop and how they manage things. By and large most of us miss -Bethesda-. I wish I knew who owned it then so I could beg them...

I will not come back to this store! I witness a sales associate with a bright red sweater on today bully a child into putting an item back that she had set next to their mom. I've never seen anybody talk to a child like that before! Lucky for her that wasn't my child! This poor mother had two other kids there her and a handful of things to purchase. This toy her child had brought over she said they could buy as well. This employee was so rude to this child! When the mother stepped in this red sweater employee was downright confrontational and actually seemed to get more aggressive. It was horrible. Several people commented and told the employee she was out of line. She was rude, belligerent and obnoxious. That poor mother put their stuff down and left. We did the same. Paul used to be in charge of this place as a needs to know about it because they lost at least two customers and two families with donations. This place is not what...