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The Salvation Army
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Neighborhood: DePaul2258 N Clybourn Ave
(between Bosworth Ave & Greenview Ave)
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 477-1771
16 reviews for The Salvation Army
I haven't had a chance to fully rummage through the clothing selection here yet, but I have gone for furniture and was very pleased...
I needed a side table for my bedroom...I found one at Brown Elephant but it was in a state of disrepair and was still priced at $25, a little too pricey for my pocketbook. I came to Salvation, found almost the exact same table but rectangular (which I preferred) instead of round, and in much better condition. It was an awesome table, had 2 levels and a drawer...but no price. So I go in to ask the guy how much it is, he comes out, looks at it and says "Oh, $10." Yes, that's right, better condition, better shape, better size, and $15 cheaper. This is why I love this place!
Ok, I've never shopped here but while I was out running errands last weekend with the ZipCar I decided to drop off the 4 bags of clothes that had been sitting in my hallway for god knows how long.
I initially pulled into the wrong place (they should really put some signs up) - but so had another woman, and a nice lady pointed us in the right direction. After finding the drop off area, I got out of my car and a nice man came over with a grocery cart to take my items from me so I didn't even have to walk over to the drop off area. Score! I was literally in and out of there in about 30 seconds.
And as I left, the nice older woman who had gotten lost with me waved goodbye to me with a huge smile like she was saying goodbye to her BFF. Yeah, I know she doesn't work for the Salvation Army but it made me smile, and if more people like her go to this place then perhaps I'll be back...
I've donated to this joke of an agency called the Salvation Army of Chicago before. After calling around to 5 other non Salvation Army places to donate children's clothes, toys, dressers, and a slightly used couch.
Most other agencies do not have the staff for donations (which seems weird since they are getting them for free) I ended up contacting the Salvation Army of Chicago again. I called (773) 477-1594 for a pickup for a donation and to schedule a pickup. My pickup with Salvation Army was scheduled for July 6th and after asking what time the pickup would happen Salvation Army said I would need to call back the pickup day.
I was taken back by this but after dealing with Comcast in Chicago I am used to getting terrible customer service, so at 9 am on July 6th I called Salvation Army of Chicago at (773) 477-1594 over 10 times without anyone picking up the phone.
Frustrated with the situation, I Googled "Salvation Army Chicago" and found another number, (773) 477-1771 and spoke with Charles. Charles at Salvation Army of Chicago was very nice but told me that dispatch (pickups) were not scheduled today.
After waiting nearly 1 1/2 weeks for this pickup, I am ready just to rent a truck and take all the items to the dump. Never go to or donate to Salvation Army of Chicago.
The key here: come in with a plan.
I could easily spend 2, 3, or 4 hours here. I often come through and just look through the incoming clothes and the books, which can take 45 minutes on its own. Tip: the just-donated clothes are in racks lined up along the side of the womens' clothes section. None of these will be half price, but you're likely to find more brand names if you don't want to dig through the aisles.
My only beef with this Salvation Army (and all of the chicago stores) is how they tag the clothes. For most items, they could put the price tag on the size/care tag, they just don't. Be careful about buying items that are a delicate material, because the staples may have forever ruined them. The salvation army stores in the other cities I've lived in make a much better effort to not ruin the clothes when putting on the price tag. So, just keep it in mind when you're picking out what to buy.
I've outfitted a couple of friends for new jobs here. Our plan? Bring three or four people, know what size(s) you're looking for, come in EARLY on saturday morning, and divide and conquer. Nobody gets too tired, and you make it through all the sections of the store. Last weekend my friend got 4 skirts, several shirts, 3 pairs of pants, and couple of blouses for just over $50. Yeah, we were there for three hours, but we had a good time.
We also scored a dresser for $20 and a cute, asian-style lamp with shelves for $15.
Plus, you can head over to Wild Ginger at Clybourn and Webster to fuel up after all that hunting through the wilds of Salvation Army. Get the ginger tea, it's a fabulous pick me up.
Enjoy!
I'm torn with the numbers of stars to give this place. It really depends on the day. I was there last week, and I found nothing and felt homicidal after about a half hour. But, in past trips I've found silk Banana Republic cardigans with the tags still on and JCrew dress pants for next to nothing.
The neighborhood that the donated stuff comes from is nice, so (most of) the stuff is nice. Five stars.
But, the place is an absolute hellhole. It is claustrophobic, the people (both staff and customers) act like they would not hesitate to cut you over a set of drinking glasses, and there is next to no organization. Prepare to spend hours here if you really want to hard-core thrift. The flatware is just dumped into a blue rubbermaid tub after being donated, so good luck finding a set, and pots/lids are never matched. One star.
So, we'll call it even and go with three.
Just go here. Start here. then go down the street to the other. Are there no brickabrackas in this city or what?
everything is here.
I have to admit it...I am a thrift store junkie! Just don't tell my boyfriend that you know this about me. It kills him.
That said, this is one of my favorite and most frequently visited thrift stores. I usually try to give myself at least two hours to shop for the best results. I have found designer clothing with the tags still on and others that were hardly used. You have to search for the really good stuff, but isn't that thrift store code?
The clothes are pretty well organized according to color and style. Organization upstairs is lacking. Items are piled on top of each other in mountains. Beware if you are bringing your young children.
A few complaints...The jewelry is hidden behind the counter and not displayed on racks that can be brought to the counter for customers to look through. The display cases are not utilized for the jewelry as they should be, if you could even get in there to see anything anyway. In the past few months, I have noticed that the prices for these peices is extremely overpriced anyway. I have no idea how they sell any of that jewelry.
Make sure you are well nourished before you arrive (so you don't get hungry and have to leave before you are done, like I do so often) and shop on!!
Lots of great finds at this location. You're getting items donated by locals so their salvage items could be your diamonds in the rough.
I picked up a butcher block kitchen island from Crate & Barrell for $40 this weekend. It was in excellent condition.
It's a great place to donate items that sit around your house. The Salvation Army is a great organization, and this location is centrally located, so just say no to the green cult drop boxes and give your items to a great organization.
However this place got 4.5 stars is beyond me. You can find some great stuff here, but you better be prepared to fight for it and stay at least a few hours. Its more like social experiment gone wrong than anything. Most of the people that work there are cranky, and will do anything not to help you. Beware of broken glass, its everywhere. Shower vigurously when you get home also, this is where disease begins.
My favorite salvation army store. It's of course hit or miss, but good finds are indeed possible. People make tons of donations here (usually at least one or two cars waiting to unload "junk" in the parking lot) so the stockpile of available goods changes often.
There's quite a bit of furniture, mostly old but some new, and if restoration is your thing, it's a good place to check out. Don't forget about the upstairs, as it usually has the best furniture finds.
The mess in here I could do without. However, I went in today and they had re-evaluated the layout of the first floor. No vast improvements, but a few nice touches here and there.
It's two floors. They have a lot of shit... everywhere. But, it's a good cause and I was more than happy to help my friend clean out her closets and take 12 bags to donate. The man collecting the donations was sketchy, but friendly and I would say the same goes for the inside. Sketchy, but friendly people. It's the Salvation Army. I'm not a thrift store junkie and have nothing more to say. Oh, except for the fact they had brand new Kohler sinks in the Housewares Dept. on the second floor. I was kind of surprised to see that. They were even in the boxes.
I love it. It is by far the best second hand store I have ever been to. It's all those wealthy Lincoln park yuppies who don't want their year old prada clothes and their armani shirts... it's a free for all of quality stuff. I have no problem wearing used things, but if you do, I wouldn't shop here. I can't stand paying 30 bucks for a fucking shirt at the gap or at any other bullshit store out there... Americans have been brainwashed by retailers into thinking that paying too much for clothes is the norm... WELL IT'S NOT!!! Go to the Salvarmy if you're down with saving money and getting good stuff.
This isn't one of my regular thrifts but it's good on occasion. I've found some great stuff like the sunglasses in my profile pic ($1) and my favorite animatronic T. Rex. The clothes can be hit or miss but I've made a few good finds there as well. The housewares area is pretty trashed most of the time, and I hate that they close the upstairs early, sometimes up to 45 minutes before the posted closing time. I've been chased out of the shoe section more than once. 3.5 but I'm rounding up.
always good stuff. http://yes.cheap and great and plentiful.
As Salvation Army stores go, I have to say this one is probably one of the best. It is centrally located in the city. They have a good amount of parking. The staff is fairly helpful and of course they have the Salvation Army deals. One of my friends bought a pull out sofa for under $100...in very, very good condition!
This location takes in a LOT of the donated items, so they often have some good stuff. However, it is also often crowded and messy. Another inconvenience is that it is on 2 floors, and the stairs to the second floor are very steep - kind of hard if you're carrying a child or another item.
