Stuff Etc

I have tried for 9 months to drop my items off there and they won’t take them. First they didn’t have appointments available then when they weren’t requiring appointments they told me I had to have all my stuff in their very small mesh bags (which they charge $ 5 for). I don’t know why I’m even trying to do business with them again because last time I brought 2 garbage bags full of clothes in (3 pairs of jeans still with $ 50 price tags on them) I got $ 10 for the whole thing. They aren’t even worth the 1 star in this review.

i hate garage sales. I hate shopping them, I hate having them. so where do you go when you have stuff you don’t have room for anymore? this store is the perfect answer. in waterloo it was either goodwill or st Vincent. stuff, etc. is like an answer to a prayer.
I don’t shop the clothes much, but I like the constant variety of the housewares and seasonal depts. my husband, the bike nut, got a GREAT deal on a recumbent bike. the book dept can’t be beat, with the price of books these days. I can walk out with the lastest best sellers for a tenth of the price of a new book.
the staff is very nice, everyone is eager to help you. overall, its just a nice store to visit and who doesn’t love a bargain?

I have been a shopper at Stuff Etc almost since it first opened its Waterloo location. Though there have been some ups and downs in the staff and the prices, the items have always been fairly clean, nice, and very well organized. I could almost always find what I needed, when I needed it, and pay a low price for it. My favorite sections would be the DVDs, clothing, and books, due to the vast selections and awesome prices they offer for these sections. Anytime I have a movie, shirt, or book I want, I always check Stuff Etc first because of their awesome deals!
As a consignor, I love selling my extra items. The money is nice, especially when you can use it as store credit! Sometimes, I am able to spend no money out of pocket when buying items, which saves a little bit more for me! I love using the Stuff black bag the most, because I can take it in almost any day and pick it up a few days later, almost like clock work! With the bag, I also love the deals I can get through out the week!
I love shopping here, because I can not only save a lot of money, but I can also make some too!

I really love this store. I have completely stopped shopping traditional retail. My kids love that they can still have the same great name brands as their friends. The staff is very friendly, lots of «hello’s» & smiles. The cashier even remembered my first name the last time I stopped. The book section is by far our favorite. Books are so so so expensive in any retail store, except Stuff Etc! We used to go to the library but most times there is a waiting list. Most times you go to Stuff, you can find the latest books, no waiting list & they are yours to take home for a very low price. The last time they didn’t have the Harry Potter book we were looking for, they took down our name & called us when it came in. how awesome is that?!

Stuff etc has truly been a bright spot in my regular shopping routine. The store is very clean and well organized, with all the racks and aisles correctly labeled and displayed, and even color coordinated! The staff is also extremely warm and friendly and very approachable every time I meander through! They also just added a furniture store that provides are really unique atmosphere where you can see all of the furniture displayed and even enjoy some mid shop rests trying each unique piece out!
Beyond shopping, I also use Stuff to make a plethora of extra spending money by consigning things that I no longer need. The drop of process is efficient and easy along with most items being accurately and reasonably priced! The saying «one persons junk is another ones treasure» would apply here, except everything about this wonderful store, is a treasure!

Short version: Stuff Etc. is a decent enough consignment store, and I’d love it if the prices were reasonable. Unfortunately, since everything is second-​hand (or third-​hand, etc.), the prices here are pretty high — sometimes more expensive or within a few dollars of what you could get it at a big box store. I love how clean they have things, and I like their huge space (that allows for a large selection), but I find that I have to be super careful about prices here.
Long version:
My love of consignment stores comes from being able to browse shelves and find awesome items for cheaper than I would be able to buy them new. In some cases, I might have to buff or clean the item because of its used status, but usually the large price break is worth the extra work. For example, I bought an end table at a consignment store in town for $ 5, and some gentle cleaning, and it was ready for home deocration!
Now, this is the problem with Stuff Etc. Despite being a consignment store, the prices are extraordinarily high. To give them credit, they do a good job of cleaning/​dusting any items that are put out (which is something other stores or thrift stores may not do), but at a certain point, you might as well go shop at a big box retailer instead of buying second-​hand for the price. The prom dresses I browsed, which didn’t seem to be any type of brand name or anything, were between $ 150 to $ 200. For a secondhand store, that’s pretty pricey. Oh well. I was hoping to strike it nice in the furniture department. Oh. $ 100 bookshelves. Apparently not. Even the chairs were over $ 100. Purses started at $ 20 for non-​brand-​name items.
(As a note, they do offer delivery for furniture!)
The salvation seemed to come in the housewares, trinkets, and books sections. I wasn’t expecting magic after the rest of the store, but these sections are priced pretty reasonably (maybe a bit high, but still reasonable). Books tend to be between $ 3 – 6 each. A lot of the bowls/​plates/​cups were $ 3+. I ended up buying a set of plain white ceramic plates for $ 7 — which, while not great, is probably a couple dollars savings than what I could have gotten at a big box store.
The employees seemed friendly enough — though the check-​out process was slow. The only cashier on duty ended up calling up a second cashier, and things went a bit more quickly, but their registers don’t seem particularly streamlined to the check-​out process. It probably doesn’t help that people end up purchasing a lot of clothing here, so that stuff can be hard to checkout.
In terms of the building, it’s actually pretty large, and there’s a pretty huge selection here compared to other consignment or thrift stores in the area. The items are relatively well-​organized, and it’s pretty easy to find what you’re looking for. Items are clearly marked, and everything I purchased rang up correctly at the register. While the place isn’t sparkling clean, there doesn’t seem to be any dust or clutter (aside from the front-​ish area where they do their take-​in for consignment items).

I LOVE the idea of this place but man I almost can’t step foot in there anymore it is SO messy. They have piles and piles of stuff at the front that I can go in one day and come back two weeks later and the stuff is still sitting in the carts. Some of the stuff they accept is just plain dumb. I am not sure if they need new people behind the counter excepting the items or what its almost worse quality then Goodwill on some of the clothing. It used to be really really good but latley the past year and half or so it’s been awful. I do sell stuff and make decent money but man do something. Why in the world is the back filled with metal desks and chairs when on the website it says you dont take them. It usually does have a good selection of household items. the prices are getting out of hand however. A lot of times I know I can buy that thing new at Kohls for a dollar more or Hobby Lobby for the same price with a coupon. I hope this place figures it out I’d hate to see them close but if they keep going downhill like they have been I see it happening.