The Salvation Army Family Store

Complete disappointment.
I like thrift stores as much as anyone else, but this is NOT a thrift store. Echoed in other reviews, this is more of a dirty, run-​down warehouse. Definitely not even comparable to any store. There is a front room and a back room. Both are packed to the brim with all *JUNK*. Literally. This is NOTHING worth purchasing here! The store is old, dusty and dirty, with purely all junk.
Will not be returning. The guy working was friendly and asked if I needed help, but was WAY too loud with a megaphone to make an «announcement». Yikes.
Still wishing the Norwood Salvation Army still existed…

Best thrifting in the area — though I am disappointed at how jacked up the prices can be on certain items now. They are clearly checking prices online before tagging brand-​name items now.
I find a lot of great stuff here both for personal use and re-​selling. This location has improved so much since my last reviews. Much cleaner and more organized than ever before. I will say that a lot of great furniture moves through here. Decent selection of records, though most of the time lately you will find the bulk of it is much older, pre 70s. I’m upgrading to 5 stars because it’s clearly the best option in the area still and has cleaned up and improved organization and displays a lot.
I also want to give a shout-​out to the staff. The woman who is often working the counter now is very helpful and sweet.

I would have given this place 4 or 5 stars last year. Last year, I thought they were being helpful by supporting reuse and providing the choice of cheap, quality clothing for people in need. Last year, However, things have changed since then. Prices have tripled. On Wed,. the half price day, there are employees that stand around with brooms or chatting which makes it a challenge to get around with my cart. They have added charges to my purchases that I did not buy or get an item for. Tags have fallen off the clothes and then they want to charge full price. The prices are stapled to the tags so I can’t read the size or material content. The housewares selection is poor these days. There is only one fitting room. They’ve reorganized the store, but it’s only made it twice as hard to find my size. The employees used to greet me and give my child a lollipop. Not so anymore.
I also wonder where the profits go to. I asked at Christmas time about gifts for the poor and they didn’t know what I was talking about. They don’t have any chart or description of all the poor people they are feeding, homing, and clothing. Is my money spent there supporting the Christian movement to revoke women’s health care and discriminate against people with different beliefs?

Just dropped some stuff off. Really nice staff and they help you unload your car.

I visit once a week while waiting for my husband to have his doctor’s appt. at Lahey.
It’s always a Wednesday which is half price day. You’ve gotta love that. I find it less picked over than the Saugus store and the prices seem better too. It’s all donated so why is Saugus so expensive? I find much better buys and clothes at yard sales!
Anyway I have found some awesome things in and about the dated ugly stuff.
Housewares — not so much. They seem to send the junky furniture and housewares to this store.
I agree with others that the lighting is AWFUL! I sometimes bring something over to the front windows to look it over. The place needs a total rehaul and cleanup for sure.
I still have fun though and that’s my goal.

I love this place – almost always find something. I think the help is just fine – never experienced rudeness, they are friendly. I got a Calvin Klein pea coat for $ 7…many other very nice items for very little $$…just wished they organized pants by size, too many to look through, I don’t wear an average size.

Clothes is the name of the game here, although they did seem to have a much more varied mix of stuff strewn about then what a typical store like this would have. I even found a plastic bin with old games in it! **woot** I fully plan on coming back here before the summer is through and seeing if there’s any further treasures to be had.

The emphasis here is definitely on clothes. I’m not much of a thrift shop clothes shopper, so maybe that’s why I’m not too thrilled. I go more for housewares, crafty type toys, books, and jewelry.
The front room is full of clothes. The back room wasn’t as dark and dirty as other reviews had led me to believe. Maybe they cleaned it up, or maybe I’m just not picky.
Anyway, I didn’t find much in the back. I needed a salt shaker and found one for 75 cents. So, I got what I needed, but I don’t think I’ll be back unless I’m going to the place across the street. Maybe I’d duck in to see if anything had changed.

* It’s Not That Bad *
This is the closest Salvation Army store to me, so I stop by once in a while to see if I could strike gold.
So far, I have only purchased a few kids toys and a 6-​foot enclosed cabinet that I used to build my smokehouse.
It is a small place up front, selling kitchenware, clothes, toys, etc. The rear of the store is a big, dark, messy/​disorganized warehouse of furniture, multimedia stuff, more clothes, electronics, and anything else they are selling that day. (Hey, most of the thrift shops I visit look disorganized. But, that warehouse definitely needs more lighting.) They would be so much better if they relocated to one of the nearby, large lots and increased the size of the store.
* Bottom Line *
Make a quick stop by if you’re in the area, but head to the bigger store in Saugus (north of Boston) or Norwood (south of Boston) for better finds.

Great items but the place is kinda gross (and Im willing to suffer a little to get a deal but the back room needs some tlc…).
When you first step in there’s a big room then to the back left, you enter a warehouse size room full of clothes, housewares, books, furniture, appliances etc.
Didn’t score anything but on another day it may have been possible as the prices were great.
But, be forewarned by me (and/​or just read S.R.‘s review…) that the back warehouse room is kinda gross.

Probably my favorite thrift shop in the greater Boston area. I nearly always find something to buy. Donations appear to come from surrounding affluent suburbs so the quality of clothing is pretty high. Just last month I scored a like new Banana Republic button up shirt for $ 2.99 and a silk blouse from Macy’s for $ 1.99. Housewares are hit and miss (mostly miss), but they are priced reasonably. What is not well priced are coats and jackets. Be it leather, fur, polyester, vinyl, cotton… $ 25 or more. That’s great if you find a genuine leather trench coat, not so great for a cute vinyl jacket that probably didn’t cost that much new.
Everyday they have specials such as $ 1 or all white tags or half off all pink tags. Furniture is nearly always half off and some of the stuff is really nice!
Minus a star for presentation. It’s a shame this building is so run down and the interior so dirty. I can see how someone would be turned off by shopping here. There are great deals to be found but the dark, garage-​like atmosphere takes some getting used to.

This place is a mess. I sometimes am in the area and pop in expecting it be cleaned up… and it never is. It’s well worth the drive to go to a Salvation Army that is a little further away, instead of wasting time here.

This is a place for rock stars and crackheads. i go here twice a year with samantha p. and julia p. to stock up on the latest lowell area fashions. always great music playing and plenty of parking. there is specials several days of the week. i always find bosox and celtics gear along with great velour tracksuits, fetish clothing and furniture. worth the trip out to wilmington.