2nd Time Around

As a casual shopper, this place appears to have all the selection of a Goodwill. There might be a few (more expensive than they should be) pieces, but generally seems to be stuff that isn’t current.

I’ve been popping in this store every now and then for the past 7 years or so and I just have to say: it’s fine to have your biases on how you want your clientele to look or who you want them to be (not gonna go into specifics here; y’all know what I mean), but it’s the 21^st century and it’s time to either get over it or at least fake it.
I never felt compelled to leave a negative review all these years and just dismissed it all as a weird «vibe,» but I went in the other day and the degree of unequal treatment was just ridic: it was just me and another gal browsing the store. Store person was over-​the-​top friendly to other gal and and even pulled things off the rack for her… while not even acknowledging my presence the whole time (even after other gal left).
STA, you have the potential to be so much better, and I still believe in you to improve. Please rid your otherwise-​cool store of microaggressions. Thanks.

I walked in this store last year looking for something really basic and the girl working there was just so not welcoming and not willing to help at all: a very cold person!
I’m never going back.

My new favorite place to shop! I haven’t bought anything yet but their selection is great! Lots of j crew, Lilly Pulitzer, Lacoste, and even some vineyard vines! It’s a hidden gem. The ladies working the shop didn’t seem to greet anybody or ask if anyone wanted assistance which made me feel awkward… I’ll reconfigure the stars once I actually purchase something…

This used to be my very favorite consignment shop for women’s clothes, accessories, etc. What to this place. The selection has gotten smaller and shabbier. The staff is inconsistent. Oh well.

I think I stop consigning here although I have sold most of the items I have given to them. The girls are sooo unfriendly, I can’t believe it. At least some of them.
I made an appointment the other day in store. The girl said if I can’t make it, I should just call, no problem. I was running late with a work meeting, called and said I’d come half an hour later. The girl at the phone was pissed. SERIOUSLY? There was NO reason AT ALL for me not to come half an hour later with 5 items. Nobody was in the store. She behaved as if I had canceled a meeting with the president, not with a second hand store.
Of my five items they took 2. When I checked my account online, I realized that my designer boots were missing. I called there and asked what the matter was. After a while the girl (again, super unfriendly) figured that the heals were «all messed up» and hence they wouldn’t take them anymore. HEY, what about checking the items straight away? Or calling me, if you decide not to take my $ 500 boots that I have worn three times and that they actually TOOK a year ago, but I had to get them back because I was leaving the country for a year and didn’t want them to be donated in case they won’t sell.
Now I have to go back and pick up my boots. That’s the last time I’ll enter this place.

Consigned 8 items less than a month ago, tried to make an online account but it keeps saying there is no account associated with my phone number. I called them, they have no record of my consignment, at least not the «woman» I spoke to on the phone. So, what, you’re just stealing my items now???

Consigning here is a miserable experience. I have done it a couple times and I’m going back to just donating my clothes to Goodwill. I only consigned here because I had a bunch of designer stuff and just felt it would be a waste to donate it to Goodwill if there are other fashionistas out there who might make better use of them. But it’s not worth the trouble…
Agree with previous reviewers that the associates are very unprofessional, are completely erratic in what they pick (my old H&M dress is a yes, whereas my new Opening Ceremony dress is a no?!?), and the money you get back is just not worth the trouble of hauling your clothes out here.

DO NOT consign here.
Shopping here, I give it a 3, but given that I give it a –1 for consigning, I’m rounding out to a very low score — I’ve had multiple VERY bad experiences as a seller here. They have allowed expensive items (in the $ 250-​$ 550 range, some new with tags) to get «lost,» and have made NO effort to follow up with me or even apologize. Each time this happened, the manager would promise to call, multiple times, and I would follow up multiple times and get more empty promises. I understand that theft happens, but I’m tired of being lied to by the manager, and I’m tired of them putting good items where they can easily be «lost.»
I’ve also heard from a couple of friends that sometimes this location «loses» items, then finds them again and just sells them at full profit. I don’t go here enough to know if this has happened to me, but I find it suspicious that it is (every time) only my most expensive items that go missing. Yikes.

Unilocalers,
I thought I would update my previous review on STA!!! Where do I start??? This is the worst place ever!!! In the last couple of years it has gone down hill!!! I love the clothes that they have, but the attitudes and the customer service given by the young, rude, unprofessional 20 something year old associates sucks!!! I dread going in there!!! I have a lot of clothes and have to admitt love to shop! I had decided to do some cleaning and chose to cosign for the first and last time at STA!!! I explained to the somewhat friendly young associate that I would be interested in bringing in some clothes to see if I would make any $$$. She was helpful and I was able to make an appt last month. I was a little nervous, but decided to arrive early to ease my worries! I had a bag of 7 – 10 items of various clothing. To make a long story short the young sales associate took my bag of neatly folded/​cleaned clothes. She told me give her twenty minutes. I went shopping and came back to the registrar. She had thrown my clothes back into my shopping back, chose three items and handed me a yellow form of the clothes she chose. I was shocked and taken back!!! I couldn’t believe my first experience of consigning here!!! I day or two went back to have someone to explain to me how to set up an account for myself. The sales girl was not friendly and told me that I need to set up an account, chose a store location etc. I also should mention that I had made a phone call to find out how to set up an account. I was told that I hadn’t listed an email nor an email account. I today this day am still not able to view my clothing list, select the store where I consigned etc. This place SUCKS!!! The company should seriously look at getting new and mature associate sales/​professional girls and a better manager. One of the girls couldn’t calculate 20% off (accessories sales) and college ID (10%-all year round). So SAD!!! They are PATHETIC!!! I will probably just keep updating my reviews!

Someone said it’s a terrible place to sell — I agree. They are rude, their margin is outrageous, etc. It’s all true, and yet I consigned with them about five times (I live close by, it’s still convenient to make a little money selling cool stuff you don’t use yourself even if you have to endure the attitude), so I can offer some tips.
The first tip is that there are no rules. They are absolutely erratic in the way they decide to take or reject your clothes. I had an unused Armani jacket with a label rejected, because it contained wool and it was only early fall, but I had a Donna Karan summer skirt taken in the middle of the winter, because ‘designer clothes are always in season, ha ha’. They say that they only accept clothes bought in the last two years, but for some reason they always rejected the new stuff in favor of the older stuff. I’ve seen them accepting tons some generic Zara or Gap stuff, while endlessly deliberating over my barely used Prada sandals. Other times they just take designer labels, rejecting everything else. One time they decided (too bad no one told me before I got there) that they won’t be taking bags or shoes at all.
If you do have truly great clothes to sell and you don’t particularly like being treated like crap, try the Closet on Newbury: they are nice and grateful for doing business with them. The Closet, however, only accepts high end clothes, so if you’re planning on selling around the JCrew level, you’re stuck with STA.

UPDATE: Since Talida (is that her name???) took over, this place has rebounded. I just got a PERFECT pair of J brand jeans for $ 30, and a silk shell from Jcrew from this season. Love the J Crew wrack.
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I’m pretty much over this place. They’ll take any high end label, even if it’s ugly, old, and stained. There are some gems, but lately there’s also tons of really old Juicy and Gap stuff. Some stuff from J Crew that’s SO short and faded you can tell it’s at least 5 years old. A lot of it is over priced, too.

A great place to shop
For designer duds so cheap
Warning: may spend much.
–Haiku review

I don’t usually find much here, because the selection isn’t too great. Skip this and hit up the Newbury Street locations instead (there’s three, so it’s worth the trip).

I’m proud of myself for cleaning out my closet and consigning some of the nicer items. It takes a while to get your $, but you can check your account’s progress online, which is really exciting! They took 11 items of mine, and so far –2mos later– 8 have sold, which I think is pretty good. You can only get your check once a quarter, so likely you will have to get 2 checks for your haul, but it’s still a nice surprise.
Also, bonus this location has two floors, and they have pretty good taste, selecting cool items. Clearance items can get you a great deal! Just keep in mind, this isn’t Goodwill… A designer jacket on consignment may still be $ 50, but it’s a much better deal than the original price.

I can never find anything good. Got one pair of shoes here and after wearing them they dyed my food brownish black… And it didn’t come off for day (s). It’s also super cramped and dusty. Not good for dust allergies. Ew.
And good luck trying to sell them stuff, they have a waitlist. Ugh.

I have been buying mostly consignment clothing for the last 4 years.
It is crazy all the good stuff I have found at STA over the years, in Harvard Square and on Newbury St.
My favorite are the 70% events a couple of times a year.
I have also consigned a ton of stuff and the staff is very friendly.
STA is a weekly stop for me and I love it!

Cozy 2-​story Harvard Square location of this regional chain. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just swung through to see whether I could find anything worthwhile that I needed. The ground/​plus level floor had mostly new arrivals with some items that were marked down 25−30%. Most items were organized by size and then color. Some stuff was nice, others were just not for me. I saw a lot of Anthropologie brands (maybe because of the relatively new Harvard Square location of that chain?), decent selection of designer denim, and even a pair of nude mid-​heel Christian Louboutins definitely at a discount and in good condition. (Size 36.5, too big for me, which is why they might still be there today!)
The basement level had most of their 50−70% off stuff. I saw some cute silk sleeveless tops from mall brands, but I wasn’t feeling them. Good place to hunt around. I walked out with an Anthro vest marked down 30% that I use as a layering piece with a bunch of different outfits once we get out of this record heat. Would return to browse, but like any other secondhand store, I doubt you’ll always walk out with a home run.

I am a frequent STA shopper at all locations, but the Harvard Square staff are especially customer-​friendly. One person in particular, I believe she may be the manager, remembers me 6+ months after I went in to find a fun yet businesslike interview top (didn’t get the original job but my interviewer complimented me!)
I must counteract some of these negative reviews.
People seem to expect that secondhand clothing be in brand new condition. People. Its SECOND HAND. If you want to get something new, there are plenty of other stores in Harvard Square. If you want to go easy on your wallet and do better for the planet by purchasing secondhand, then this is the place.
Addressing the person complaining about the store’s return policy — 1. If you’re going to buy something, why not try it on at the store before you purchase? 2. Stores do not need to have their employees explicitly tell you the return policy. It is stated very clearly at the desk where you pay, it is your responsibility as a consumer to find out, especially if you think you may return it. (Sorry. I’ve been in retail a long time and it shows.)
I often find great steals here, and have run to STA HSq. more than once when I needed to pick up something extra before going out (a wrap to put over a dress, a new pair of shoes when the ones I bought broke). Not everything is my style, but that’s the risk you take when going to a secondhand store.

If I were playing mad libs and the subject was, «STA in Harvard Sq», i’d put «quaint» on the ________(adj) line! Like many thrift stores, this one’s a hit or miss. Sometimes you find some really great deals, othertimes– meh. But an overall, good experience. Few good things though:
Good lighting
Two floors (don’t forget to go upstairs!)
Clean!
Friendly staff
Just to brag… I got two jeans, a cool yellow ring, and a really awesome jacket from this location last week for 32 bucks! So there’s definitly findable stuff, here.