The Salvation Army

Location: 3 – 5 Griswold St. (Do NOT confuse with the soup kitchen on Washington Street)
Accessible by bus from Binghamton University: No, you’re going to want a friend to drive you to this rather colorful part of town.
Best find: A black waterproof anorak jacket for $ 4; Halloween costume materials; adequately-​working electronic junk, the list goes on…
This is the thrift store of all thrift stores. It’s huge and brightly lit, with racks beyond racks of dirt-​cheap clothing. Here you will find your perfect grunge army jacket with some cool sewn patches that are nearly falling off. The Salvation Armani, as I like to call it, never lets down those who are willing to spend several hours of their life in a trove that doesn’t necessarily present its treasures immediately. Be warned.
Bonus: They have a working bathroom that customers are allowed to used!

Walked in and there was instantly bad looks from the cashiers who weren’t helpful at all or even welcoming. The cashiers would not even let my (potty training) toddler use the restroom and were quite rude

This was my first salvation army thrift store I have been to and it was absolutely amazing. I felt like I stumbled into a gold mine. I went there with an intention only to check it out and I ended up purchasing so many things. This place is HUGE and pretty tidy. The racks are color coded and separated into different sections such as coats, sweaters, blouses, etc. I got a couple of large vintage looking sweaters that I can’t wait to rock with leggings and combat boots. I also got a really cute handbag for only 5 bucks. This place would be great for you if you’re interested in vintage or odd style clothes. GO ON WEDNESDAYS BECAUSE IT’S A FAMILY DAY AND THAT’S WHEN THINGS ARE HALF OFF. I definitely plan on coming back her for many Wednesdays to come.

If you like thrift stores, this one is great. I have seen better selections of furniture at other thrift stores but their clothing selection is pretty great. It’s true that they organize their clothes by color, which is odd but sometimes helpful. Every day they have a sale on a ticket color.

The Salv is one of my best secrets. I found years worth of wardrobes, couches, records, and many little playthings here.
This is the biggest salvation army I have ever been to. The clothes are arranged by color (hmm) and there are aisles and aisles reaching 75 ft long. On the east side you will find all you can ever need for furniture. One time we bought a huge couch for 50 dollars. It was soo comfortable. You can find it in BTV actually, in the basement of the old union. its a beautiful brown.
Don’t be afraid to head to the back room. It took me 6 months to realize that this is not off limits. This room can be categorized as the area with nothing you actually need. There are suitcases, bowling balls, skis, records, toys, and electronics (few of which actually work).
You can actually haggle prices with the people there, it’s totally acceptable to.
I found many jackets, polos, records there. I still wear some of the jackets today. I got this awesome old school old navy pullover ski jacket. oh its so cool…
It’s an honor to be the first to review the Salvation Army of Binghamton. It was a big part of my college career and I hope it continues to bring fun and duds to the kids SUNY has to offer. Keep looking for that elusive find. AND Remember, ALWAYS SAY YES! I still regret saying no to that organ… oh man