The Salvation Army

I’ve stopped here every day during the shutdown and it is no longer open. :-( — unless it was effected by the shutdown, which I highly doubt. :super sad panda:

I don’t think this location is open anymore…

HUGE selection, very affordable! :-)
Some items can be a bit smelly.

If you’re not thrifting, you’re wasting money. Granted, not all things are advisible to purchase from every thrift store, but there are always bargains to be found. I love hitting up the Salvation Army on H Street a few times a year. The clothing selection isn’t amazing, but some of their furniture, household goods, books, and even sports equipment are in great condition and priced really well.
As an English teacher, I’m always scouring for more teen-​interest books to fuel my students’ love of reading, and so I buy a LOT of books each year. Second-​hand is definitely the way to go. Books here range from $ 1 – 3 dollar, paperback and hardcover, and they are all in great condition. I bought eight books here yesterday — some of which looked like they had never been cracked open once — and the check-​out man gave me a teacher discount which brought my grand total to $ 5 and change. Amazing.
A few years back, my husband and I also bought a large wooden mid-​century secretaire type piece and converted it to a free-​standing pantry for our kitchen. If I’m remembering correctly the piece was about $ 30, and over the 2+ years we’ve had it, it has served us extremely well.
They get new shipments daily so check back frequently!

Love this store! The staff is surely and negative but for 99 cent t-​shirts I can deal with it. An absolute gem of a find on the H street corridor.

I stopped in here yesterday to check out some home goods for my new apartment. Prices seemed very high, especially when you consider most of the furniture was broken. $ 9.99 for an ironing board that doesn’t stand up? Really? $ 40 for a bookshelf that was falling apart? I didn’t check out the clothes, so I can’t speak to the quality/​price there. The store was small and dirty, with everything piled up and broken glass on the floor. Also, there was music blasting from EVERY TV they had there — so loud I couldn’t get out of there quickly enough.
I’m an avid thrift shopper and this store was a disappointment. Try another store.

This place is scary. Very.

Staff. Attitude. Adjustment.
Imagine a place where the staff are mind-​numbingly slow, intentionally rude, and so blindingly unreasonable that you feel like you’re talking to a tantrum-​throwing 5 year old? Can’t imagine it? Visit the H St. Salvation Army and you can just… experience it. Here’ s a little sample for you:
«Hi, how are you? Just this please.»
(No response. Ringing up begins.)
«There’s no price on this belt.»
«Oh, it must have fallen off. Looks like every belt is $ 3.99.»
«I can’t sell it if it don’t have a price tag.»
«Oh, but actually, there are 60 belts there and every one of them is $ 3.99.»
«I said, I can’t sell it if it don’t have a price tag.»
«Wait — really? Because they are all the same-​«
“I SAID, I CAN’T SELL IT IF IT DON’T HAVE NO PRICE.»
«Right. Is there a supervisor around?»
…
«We can’t sell it if there’s no price tag.»
«Okay… why? Every belt is $ 3.99…»
«It might be green tagged, it might be half price… we can’t…»
«How about I just pay the highest price belts ever are and then it’s no trouble?»
«We can’t sell it if it doesn’t have a price tag.»
«Riiiiight.»
Sure, clothes are cheap, and there’s a better selection than the thrift shop a couple blocks down, but come on Salvation Army — really? I used to donate hundreds of dollars of stuff to this place each year. I’m done with that until there’s a staff change.

I was hoping to find a solid thrift store in my neighborhood, but the pricing here is out of control. A set of 3 kitschy 70s-​era coffee mugs for $ 16? I would expect these prices from a well curated vintage boutique, not a below-​average SA where I have to do the rummaging. The extra star is for a good furniture selection, although I didn’t see any real steals. Maybe there were some hidden gems I missed, but I think I’ll come back in a few months and hope the market’s invisible hand has done its work…

Salvation Army, you rock. Where else can I buy $ 1.99 shirts and $ 3.99 pants? This past weekend, I bought five pairs of jeans, a dress, and three shirts, and I only paid $ 30! Amazing! I don’t really have anything to complain about, except the air conditioning doesn’t reach the dressing room, so I was sweating pretty badly when I was trying the clothes on– but it was also 90 degrees outside!
Thank you!

I agree with Matthew M., — the furniture here is the saving grace of my wallet. One of my roommates recently moved out and took a lot of her furniture with her. That paired with my already under furnished house, need for something to put my undergarments and unmentionables in, and small budget for furniture — all has resulted in a few great finds at this thrift store.
I picked up a cute chest of drawers for $ 25 and a bookshelf for $ 10.
My tolerance level for thrift shops is pretty low, I can’t spend too much time inside before I start to get stir crazy and feel a little weird. I don’t do thrift clothes or anything else really, so I can’t judge this Salvation Army location on that point. They also have a pretty huge kitchen section, household accessories (lamps, vases, paintings), shoes, toys, etc.

The strong suit at this Salvation Army seems to be on home furnishings. On that note, we found a simple wooden dining table and four chairs for just $ 25, and easily painted them into something bolder and grander. They also have lovely Pyrex dishes, tea pots, and other kitchen stuff.
Clothing seems to be hit-​or-​miss (at least on the men’s side). Though, accessories are more promising; I got a very nice pair of buttoned suspenders for a costume for something like $ 3. I’ll return every now and then to see if they have other such gems.