The Salvation Army

place sucks. the administrator there greg howard is a racist no good human. sorry but it’s the truth. treats his employees like crap!!! don’t donate here or shop here. trust me i tell you the truth. go to any other charity organization. these people are not doing or following william booths vision. i will stand in front of them and tell them who they are what they do. greg howard destroyed the sm. arc. and tarnished the name of salvation army.

Seems like most of these reviews are for the pick up service. This review is for shopping at the store. I love this Salvation Army. I have never seen so many unique pieces of furniture. Everyone here is so nice and helpful. Trust me! this is the place for vintage, classic, great pieces from the old money of beverly hills /​montana ave. Best place to take your coffee on a saturday! Remember they are always closed on sundays!

Like others before me who reviewed this place, they absolutely wasted my time. I had a 9:30 — 12:30pm window for arrival of the truck and they didn’t come until almost 1pm and wouldn’t ever update their arrival time.
If you really want to see how terrible and cruel they can be I googled complaints for Salvation Army and found this site
and thought what happened to me was nothing. Why they allow the drivers who are in «rehablitation» to have the power to decide about donations is not worth the revenue loss they are experiencing. I talked with the 800 number dispatch and was told they take TV’s even if they are not working. I made sure as I have a 55 inch LG in great shape which I am sure can be repaired and I had a SONY Triniton floor model.
They guy walks in after being 40 minutes late and tells me he is not taking either of them. Walks out while I am trying to call a supervisor. I also had collected several bags of clothing within the neighborhood and my own (18 large trash bags) and some other items and he just walked out.
He was nasty, bully like and arrogant. It seems like this is the temperament of their drivers. I will now find someone else to donate the great clothes to and never give to the red kettles. I suggest that we all share the url above with others and make if they have a drop in their donations they might think it better to deal with getting rid of things they don’t want than not getting donations at all!
On strike to the Red Kettles!

Never liked this place. The big room is full of junk not worth putting in the small room. The small room is full of expensive stuff you could probably get online for cheaper. There’s a plethora of «help» outside taking up all of the parking in their trucks. The port-​o-​potty for the men with the trucks creates an unbearable stench.
Plus if you give your money to the Salvation Army you will in turn be funding lobbying against gay rights, equal labor practices as well as women’s rights!

I love this place and the staff.

Scheduled a pick up and informed Salvation Army ahead of time that I lived on the second floor of an apartment building. I listed a dining set and kitchen cabinet and bags of clothes as what needed to pick up. 3 men came inside and the man who seemed to be the boss said he would take the dining set and when I went to go show him some bedroom drawers that needed to be given away he said no we don’t carry heavy things down stairs and then decided he changed his mind about the dining set as well. Three grown, able bodied men decided it was too much work for them to carry anything that required an ounce of effort. So they just took some bags of clothes, a empty suitcase, and a stereo set. The dining set, kitchen cabinet, and drawers were in great condition ESPECIALLY the dining set. Just don’t set a pick up for furniture because they won’t do it period and it’s a waste of everyone’s time.

I almost don’t want to review cuz I don’t want anyone knowing that there are some real gems to be found here, but if you are thrifting, you may already know that. My main issue is that they are usually way over-​priced for a thrift store, but since it is on the westside, it is to be expected I guess? And the parking lot is tiny, so go early, or snag a metered spot. Either way, it is good to shop here and support a worthy org and even if it is a little «expensive» for a thrift store, still beats shopping retail. And treasure hunting is fun ;)

I’ve visited both stores on a few occasions and with the exception of 1 older white guy, EVERYONE has been very friendly and accommodating. There is an Asian and Hispanic lady who work on the smaller side who went out of their way to help me furnish my new house.
On the larger side, it’s obvious the managers aren’t lazy and understand that people who visit the stores are usually in need of a little help. The staff is caring and even gave me a little discount after seeing I’d literally emptied my pockets to make my purchase. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to see me finally get a couch and dresser I so desperately needed, almost as if they’re were pulling for the customers.
The guy with the Tattoo on his face and the Hispanic manager are really good dudes. I truly appreciate everything they do.

Totally agree with the Prima Donna attitude on pick-​up of donated items.
I will never donate (or attempt to) again.
And here’s my 2 cents: I’ve been in many Salvation Army locations and have seen the AWFUL (broken, stained, chipped, wobbly, etc) furniture they’ve tried to sell. Which is why I’m so appalled that when the Crips and Bloods show up at my door and refused my furniture with such arrogance and laziness. My furniture was perfectly in-​tact and clean. In fact, we had them cleaned just for the pick-​up! I tried to explain the «dark spots» he was seeing was from the fabric being brushed (you can see it change when you brush your hand over it — the fabric goes from light to dark and back again). He wouldn’t hear of it.
But it was his attitude that really turned me off about the Salvation Army. I would get less priss from a sommelier at a beer festival. Ew.

I had scheduled a pick up, but did not realize that they will not take items from homes with cats. Do not bother to donate if you have a cat. The driver mentioned they had litigation issues and so they just trash any item they find out has been in a home with pets anyways.

Asked for discount on damaged merchandise. Irish guy was jerk. Not to mention rude. Asian lady at counter started haggling me when some guy wouldn’t stop talking to me. Left with my money. The best thing I did. I used to work for the Salvation Army and these people give this store a bad reputation.

I ALLLLLWAYSSSS come in here. about 2 – 4 times a week.
I think a new manager runs it, because theres a new guy and will always knock off prices on things hes getting rid of. He offered me huge markdowns on TV’s, and that was cool.
BUT.
the other day there was a projector with an EBAY listing for 200 bucks taped to it, with a pricetag that said 189. I looked it up right away, and noticed it was «trending at 80» mostly 50 bucks or so, and ONE listing that stuck out for 200 bucks.
everything that was in a closed or sold auction was for 50 – 80 bucks.
I offered him 80, and he said he couldnt do it. I told him everything about the ebay thing, and blah blah, and he said «Thats not how we figure out prices.»
Well…obviously it is, if the MOST EXPENSIVE ebay listing is TAPED to the product, and the price just doesnt. make. sense.
Im really disappointed, because this was my go-​to place, but this guy really kills the mood.

I’ve been to bigger, far better thrifts before in regards to atmosphere. Went ~ 7pm to linger around for some cheap active wear and other gems that might pop up. The boutique store is better than the store next to it which is mainly why this place gets four stars. As for the other store, it’s very dirty and unregulated, the workers stare you down half the time as you shop, not too comfortable I have to admit there are lots of hidden gems between the two stores, just make sure to come in prepared for the craziness :-)

The staff are responsive, the items are always interesting, the shirts are practically free, and there are movers waiting outside to help you move something for a decent price.
They also have a holding policy, allowing you to wait a day pick up your larger items after purchase.
I see some people here are having issues with the movers, but these people don’t seem to understand how great it is to have transporters like this that are not only helpful and affordable, but also don’t try to cheat you by taking long routes and charging extra (a huge plus in LA).
These guys are just honest, hard working average joes.

I called the Salvation Army toll free number to arrange a pick up of a sofa bed. We are moving out of state & didn’t need it. The lady who arranged delivery was polite & professional. They rang my door bell & my two Poms started barking. I had them sequestered so they wouldn’t get in the way. While on my porch, the older man in a very nasty tone asked if I had dogs. When I said yes, he said in a rude manner that if the sofa was filthy & covered with dog hair, they wouldn’t take it! I asked him to come in to see that I am a very neat person & the sofa had not been used. The plastic was still on the mattress! Then, he told me again in a nasty tone that they weren’t supposed to accept sofa beds. The young man that was with him was very nice & I believe embarrassed by the other mans behavior. I will never again call The Salvation Army. There are too many other charities!

I had some time to kill and decided to kick it in the Salvation Army. It’s always fun to see what people donate and what treasures are to be found! Although I didn’t buy anything to weare, I did take a look at their used CD section, which was about 500+ CDs. I purchased some Best of Hits from Kenney G, Violin and Piano classical music, Schuman symphony music, and a few others. Luckily there was buy one get one free $ 2.99 a CD.
Hint: Be sure to check inside the CD case to ensure that there is actually a CD inside!

Holy crap over priced even for Sally Ann’s! 12 dollars for a TIN ring. WTF?! Everything here is WAY WAY WAY over priced. There was mutpile items price at or above the selling point they would be brand new!!!

Wow. there’s now a sign on the door warning resellers that basically FIGHTS won’t be tolerated. That’s how you know they have good stuff. And also that you know it’s real in these LA suburb streets. Guard your grill and get your bargains.

The first misconception about the Salvation Army I want to correct is that it’s not an active «Army,» nor is it a recruiting station for the Army. The guys that work there tell me that people stop by all the time thinking that it is run by the US Army and they want to thank the soldiers for service to the country, discuss enlisting, or ask about the safe handling of ordinates.
Salvation Army is a great place to donate or purchase donations or make a $$ contribution to the cause. And one of the causes is rehabilitation of individuals that have been addicted to substances. Our government spends a fortune – billions on drug enforcement and the legal prosecution infrastructure – but pennies on rehabilitation. As a result many languish too long addicted, and have to seek out the Salvation Army to get their lives together.
By statistics – the Santa Monica Salvation Army is at the top of the most successful SA operations in the United States in helping people get off drugs and back to a productive life – many of those work at the Salvation Army until they are able to move out into other jobs.
The guys that I have met at the donation receiving area of the store (You drive around back and they help you if needed get stuff out of your vehicle and give you a receipt.) are very nice and helpful. They really want to earn your business and are more welcoming and gracious than most retail store employees and operators in non-​thrift in Los Angeles. Some retail stores in LA can learn a lot about customer service from the attitude of the employees at the Salvation Army.
I have never shopped here, but I have donated many many times over the years. They are not picky about what they accept, but I would make sure it’s clean or working if electronics before giving it away. And they told me that they don’t accept pets, unwanted children, or corpses if you are trying to avoid burial expenses. In the thrift world you never know what is vintage and what people will pay for. One person’s old shirt can be another person’s treasure.
Save your receipts for tax time.

Parking seems to be a problem — I actually had to park two streets over with meter. Oh well. The store looked great cuz of its size and busyness. The prices are above many other thrift stores — which is not justified. When I was there, I found very few brand items.
I noticed that a lot of furniture shuffling was going on. Maybe a reason to go back in the morning to see what they got?

I just had a very bad experience at this place and I would not recommend the place to anyone. People running this store are just not serious and they violate their own rules. Let me tell you what happened.
Each and every piece of furniture has a price tag on it with a barcode. I asked the cashier how was I supposed to buy a piece of furniture and she told me to take off the price tag and bring it to her. At the cashier they also have a big sign that says something like «We are sorry but items without price tag can’t be sold». This is most likely also because you can buy items and then come to pick them up within three days. In summary, the presence of the price tag tells you whether an item has been already sold. Taking the price tag off means that you want to buy that item.
I looked around and I took off price tags from three items I wanted to buy. I went back to the cashier to pay for them and, surprise surprise, with a smile on her face the cashier told me that she could not sell me one of the items because she just sold the same item to a lady that was going out of the store with that item in that specific moment. That lady must have decided to get the furniture after I got the price tag and while I was still browsing other piece of furniture to buy.
I was shocked and I told her that I got the price tag, the item was mine, and that she was not supposed to sell anything without a price tag. She smile, like if she was having fun, and she told me: «You are right, I messed up». So I replied: «OK but now go to that lady and tell her that she was not able to buy that furniture without price tag» and she just replied: «I can’t, she already bought it». I had the feeling I was living in the Twilight Zone.
While I was arguing with this cashier, the lady was there, taking her (my!) furniture out of the store. I told the cashier I wanted to talk to the manager and she replied: «I am the manager», so I told her how could she do this kind of error, why do they have these rules about price tag and they then violate their own rules and she kept on saying «You are right, I messed up» without doing anything.
After a little bit of pressure, she confessed that she was not the manager and she gave me the name of the manager, who was not there at the moment.
I am going back today to talk to the manager but you should be alerted. Even if you get your price tag and I assume even if you buy something, don’t be assured that your item will still be there when you come to pick it up, given that they sell stuff to anyone anytime, even if this items is allegedly already sold.