Once Upon A Child

I do not recommend shopping at this store. I agree with other commenters that the staff is not friendly, and not focused on customer service. I walked in and was barely greeted. There were about 15 young women standing near the register at the front not really doing anything. I wanted to drop off some items to sell. I was told it would take some ridiculous amount of time to look through them (30 or 45 min.) and to come back. So I dropped off the items and decided to return.
When I got back, the same employees were still standing around the same register area. No one had looked at my items. When one of the girls recognized who I was, she quickly went through my basket and told me they couldn’t or wouldn’t accept anything but one item. And the difference between what they wanted to sell it for and what I would get was not worth it.
Won’t consign there, won’t shop there. I don’t understand how this chain of shops stays in business.

This location has gotten more cluttered and disorganized. Clothes of different sizes are in the wrong areas while they price some garments extremely too high for them to 1. Be used and 2. Be in a worn out condition. The clothing selections for 4T and 5T is very limited, but if u peruse hard enough, you’ll likely find a few good items. The money they give for trade in items is a joke and you’d be better off selling it to someone on your own to make a higher profit.

I am writing as a seller and wish I could give 0 stars. I have waiting to write this review for a couple of weeks to calm myself before I would write this. I’ve sold items at this location many times and it seems like the more things you bring to sell the less they take and give you in return. I brought in what they were asking for and when I came back they took pairs of clothes that I personally paired up and separated everything calming they were not a set. I brought brand new items with tags on, mind you these where items they said they needed, I even put the sets together in a bin and labeled the sets. The girl had the nerve to tell me that it wasn’t a set and it was in poor condition. How is a brand new outfit in poor condition. I also brought in a stroller, right out of the box and said they were going to give me 10.00 for a 250 stroller. Also, the girls there are horrible with customer service as well as knowing brands, if they are an original set, and condition of clothing and items. I had one girl refuse a shirt (brand new) and she start stretching out the fabric to say it was not up to the condition standard. I asked her not to do pull the fabric paint on a brand new shirt. They also took my outfits I paired and took the pants and not the shirt. How am I supposed to either give it away or sell at a later time? I asked for those items back but the girl said she couldn’t give items back that were already sold. I was also told that my Vitamin brand (sold at Von Maur), or Ralph Lauren items were not the latest season. My child is 2 years old and got a ton of clothes this past summer that she can’t wear. How is that last season?
I am very disappointed in there definitely not what it used to be. It seems like the owner cannot hire decent girls that know how to treat a customer, let alone know what they are doing. I will take my business to the other Once upon a Child’s where they aren’t’ rude and actually will try and pair things up to sell.
Advice to the owner, please train your girls on proper customer service and taking in items properly. If you ask that we have clean clothes folded and brought in, then I expect the same when I pick up the items that I brought in.

Would give 0 stars if I could.
The staff there is just very rude! They don’t greet their customers or explaining when you there to sell for the first time. They do talk to each other more instead of working. Great company philosophy
Will definitely not return to this location.
They should teach them chicks the meaning of customer service.

Today is the second and the last time I will have the Once Upon a Child in Oak Brook store pick through my carefully and thoughtfully chosen items to sell (I have sold used items in various settings and understand the state in which second hand items are to be sold and carefully consider that when choosing items for resale). I am not sure of who decides what is or is not accepted over there, but they seem to hardly accept anything. Their reasons do not make sense either. They were telling me there were stains on my items. I asked them to show me where and they could not. Then the grumpy sales girl tries to back track and then tells me that they are over stocked on some items. Be truthful up front and don’t waste my time if you don’t have room — but don’t lie about it. Additionally, as I pursued their store as they looked through my items I was shocked at the condition of several items on the sales racks, especially the shoe section. I had quality, very good, clean condition stride rite shoes they would not accept, yet I saw many off brands that were filthy, stained, very worn looking, some even falling apart in their bins. Again, inconsistent quality control — and customer service. Their standards are unreasonable. The clothes I was going to sell were in excellent condition and many great brands. This place is an insult to anyone who legitimately has something of value to sell. Perhaps it is different for larger ticket items. They say to save yourself the time/​hassle of a garage sale. I would rather go through the work of a garage sale and I would probably make more of a profit compared to what they offer. Complete waste of my time. This happened to me about two years ago as well. Thought I would give them another shot. Done, lesson learned. Don’t waste your time. Find another resale venue.

omg gheettttttto, super chez and not worth the trip. shit hole times ten. don’t deal with this place

Only reason this place gets a two star is because the clothing is priced well. Other than that «customer service» is a joke! I don’t even think this place knows what customer service means. On top of that I tried bring my bouncer in and they wouldn’t take it said there was a stain on it. This was a bouncer that my son never used, he was in it once and didn’t like it. I said show me the stain, they pointed and said that area there. I told them to go to the eye doctor.
Needless to say the people that work here don’t have any business working in retail because catering to the customer means nothing. This place will not get my business again.

I have been a loyal shopper to this location since it opened. I love the concept and the items aren’t bad at all. I always sell my items here and though I wish them would take more, I am happy they do take a good portion of my items.
The biggest complaint I have about this store is the LACK of customer service. When they first opened there were nothing but smiling faces and there was always a hand to help. Now… You get rolled eyes, grunts and no respect. I’ve walked into this store 3 times already to get the same nasty service. I do not get greeted, I don’t feel welcome, they ignored me for a long while, and they make you feel like a bother! I believe the one that is the worst the actually a manager. I think her name is Ashley… She is horrible! The last time I went in she was complaining about always getting yelled at by the owner and how she can careless about the place itself… Like why do you work there then?! The employees were just laughing about what she was saying and none of them cared to help me with my items. I really hope the owner snaps out of it and sees what these poor group of employees are doing to her business.
Word of advice to shoppers: go to the store, but don’t expect any help or recognition that you are there. You won’t get either.

Today will be the last time I come to this store. They hardly accept anything. Their standards are ridiculous. The clothes I was going to drop off were in excellent condition and many great brands. They advertise that they want to save you the hassle of a garage sale, but I can sell these items to my mom’s groups a couple items at a time, people buy them, and pay more for them than this store. This place is an absolute joke for a seller. That is more convenient than this absurd process. For big ticket purchases like bouncers etc, you can get some good deals, but I will never be back to sell here again. I noticed the franchise is for sale — maybe I should go in and offer them $ 6.95 for their business.

The fact that they call themselves a thrift store is nothing but a joke.
All of their items are overpriced. For instance, I went in looking for a used high chair, but later decided to buy one NEW at Walmart for exactly the same price. And don’t bother buying baby clothes here. Go to Savers, where they are much better priced.
They tell you that they will buy back any baby/​child items that you don’t need. Yeah, for about $ 0.05. You’d think that they’d lower their prices, knowing that they give you next to nothing for the items you bring in. Someone is pocketing a LOT of money. You’re better off selling your stuff on eBay.
Customer service: You can keep your service. The people who work here are unhelpful, arrogant and rude. They act as though they don’t need anyone’s business.
FINE. You just lost mine. I am never shopping there again.

I am writing this review as a seller. My experience as a seller here is very similar to the others listed here — spent more in time and gas then I received for my items. I brought in about 5 Rubbermaid containers with high-​end boys clothes (RL, Talbots, Gap, Nautica) and everything was returned to me except 1 sweater and a pair of shoes for a grand total of $ 6.55. I have no idea what they are looking for from sellers, but if a RL polo for an 18 month old in perfect condition is not it, then I am at a loss. What a waste of my morning! My advice mirrors others here — save your time, gas money, and the aggravation and just take everything to Good Will and get the tax deduction. Much less stressful.

I really wanted to like this place but the last time I went really convinced me never to return.
First off the customer service is not good. I’ve been to a different Once Upon A Child and as soon as a customer walks in they are greeted with a hello or just a friendly smile. At this location I feel as if I’m a bother! I’ve been here a total of 3 – 4 times and I drive from Chicago. So I always leave this store with a $ 150+ purchase to make my trip worth-​while. Same for the other location. At both locations I’ve purchased some large items like a high chair, walker, jumpers, big toys, ect. At the other location I’ve been offered help to the door with the large items. At this location the employees just look at you struggling to the door.
The DEAL BREAKER for me was a pair of Toms I purchased for my daughter. I had bought them under the impression that they were a size 6. I didn’t bother keeping the receipt as I never expected to buy ONE SHOE that was a SIZE 6 and the other shoe a SIZE 7! I never noticed the sizes because one size inside the shoe was covered with the store sticker with the bar code. I also never noticed the size difference just by looking at them because I didn’t expect it. It should be the employees JOB to inspect the items since that’s what this store is all about. They tell the consumers that they INSPECT every item before selling. I was LIVID when I was about to put them on my toddler. So now what am I supposed to do with these shoes. It’s so unfair!
I added a picture.

i am really disappointed with this store. yes, they have very nice clothes that are cheap and affordable for your kids but when it comes to selling i am very dissatisfied with them. i brought in over 20 items and all they took out of those items was 9 and gave me $ 4.60.i honestly think that they rip people off because i am sure that sell each one of those items for around $ 4 each. they rip people off to make a profit. not a good store to sell items at but a great store to get super cheap baby items.

I am typically a seller at Once Upon a Child; however, I do occasionally purchase clothing or toy items (the toys are packaged nicely and there is A LOT to choose from).
I feel that they give fair prices for your items. It’s a great way to grab some extra cash or to «trade-​in for items» in the store.
Before you go to sell, call the store to see what items they are taking. If you bring in the seasonal items THEY request, you will get cash on the spot. If you bring in «off-​season» items, you will get a store credit.
Great place to get things that are a one-​time purchase, ie. halloween costumes, tux, formal dress, etc. — Also worth mentioning, they have a lot of Melissa and Doug merchandise that is new in the package.

Great selection and prices. Store is set up well. Staff are friendly. I drive from the city at least once every 1 – 2 months to shop here for my 7-​month-​old. It’s the only store that gets me out to Oakbrook!

This should be your first place to shop for Baby and Toddler clothing. Nicely organized, best Value, friendly service.
Name brands and great quality!

I shop here a lot. The selection is much better than a yard sale but the prices are not quite as affordable. I buy lots of toys, shoes, halloween costumes, and gear here. I have gotten really cute «dress up» winter coats for about 10 dollars, and for the number of times my kids dress up, that’s all I want to pay. I do not bring my kids with me because of the cramped conditions. I have enjoyed my interactions with the employees. Maybe they should move the registers to the front of the employee area so there would be more room to line up? Don’t expect this place to be Hanna Andersson, but you’re not paying Hanna Andersson prices, either!

Staff was not very friendly even though there was about 6 of them working. They seemed very confused and overwhelmed about what they were doing. The store was a disaster of tightly packed racks with unorganized clothing and piles of toys and random items scattered on the floor. I brought a bag of clothing and a walker to sell, after about 45 minutes they informed me my buy was complete. They took a few things and offered me $ 6 which was fine, I don’t ever argue or even ask for an explanation as to why they don’t take most of my stuff. The lady did say that they specifically like sets of clothes to which I nodded my head, but also thought to myself «the majority of what I brought WAS sets.» I get home to discover that they took a pair of shorts from a set but left the top, so I don’t really know what they are doing and it doesn’t seem that they really have a good handle on what their trying to do either. The selection of things to buy are all pretty worn, so I’m not sure how they decide what to buy and what not to. Overall this store is more like a Goodwill. Behind the counter they just have piles and stacks of bags and bins laying around and the staff are all doing random things, when they try to communicate with each other there seemed to be a lot of confusion and animosity over how things needed to be done. They didn’t even know what bag was mine to give me, they asked me to point it out, so basically I could have pointed out anything and just taken someone else’s stuff. They need to get a better system of how to do things. I’ve been to many other Once Upon a Child stores and have never witnessed such disarray and unprofessionalism.

I’ve bought items from here before and I thought the prices were okay – better than retail prices, but I would rather go to a consignment type event to buy a full wardrobe.
Anyhow, this review is specifically on my selling experience. I would normally never sell to this store because I know how they low-​ball you, but I was moving out-​of-​state and needed to dump stuff that I didn’t want to move. I dropped off my items and was told it would take about 20 minutes. We decided to come back as I had a few errands to run. We came back a few hours later and they bought about 10% of my stuff and I got $ 10 for it. Really not sure why my other stuff was not bought and the worker said she didn’t go thru my items so she wasn’t sure of the reason either. I can’t believe I drove 30 minutes to get to this store for just $ 10? Big disappointment!
There are so many other ways to sell your kids’ stuff that net more $ like twice-​yearly consignment events that many communities run. Wish I was going to be around for one of those events because I know I would have gotten way more $ for my items.

I went for the first time the other day. I wish I’d known about this place before my daughter was born! This place has baby and kids’ clothes, toys, high chairs, strollers, bounders, books, and just about anything else you’d need for your new baby. Of course I only learned this when she was 9 months old. But no matter — still a great resource! I really don’t buy ANYTHING for my daughter new anymore — it’s just a waste of money!
The store itself is well-​maintained and the staff was reasonably friendly. My one complaint was that it is pretty crowded and the shelves are stuffed pretty tightly. One the one hand, it’s nice to have so much stuff to choose from, but sometimes it’s overwhelming and a bit claustrophobic. I’ll definitely be back many times!
I haven’t yet sold things here, but I probably will have a lot of things to sell when we decide we’re done having kids. :)