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Petition to Bring Back Change Rooms at Value Village

When Value Village closed its change rooms during the pandemic, it made sense. But it’s 2025, and they aren't ever coming back. 

The Problem

Value Village is a for-profit, secondhand retail chain with a no-returns policy*. So, no change rooms and no refunds? It’s not just inconvenient, it’s unfair. Especially when prices are creeping closer and closer to regular retail prices.

Why This Matters

Trying on clothes is a basic part of clothing shopping. When shoppers can’t try on clothes properly, it’s a barrier. And when there’s no real option for returns, it feels exploitative.

Value Village says they’re “Thrift Proud” and champions of reuse, but the reality is their actions are making thrifting less accessible. If they are serious about community impact and providing quality secondhand shopping experiences, then bringing back change rooms is ONE basic step in the right direction.

What We Want: Bring Back Change Rooms

We’re asking Value Village to bring back change rooms at all their locations. This is a basic, reasonable service that should be available from a for-profit clothing retailer, especially when prices continue to rise and returns are not an option.

Sign the Petition

Add your name if you agree that Value Village should reopen their change rooms. It’s time for them to meet the needs of their customers, not just their bottom line. Once this petition reaches its goal, we plan to deliver it directly to Value Village, along with a summary of the comments provided.

Thank you for your support,
A Frustrated Thrifter

* And no, same day exchanges aren’t a solution. Trading one item you couldn’t try on for another you can’t try on doesn’t fix the problem.
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Thrifters who have already signed

Catherine

More often than not clothing looks much better on the rack than it does on my body and I’ve. Got maybe an 8% success rate of keeping what I’ve tried on

Colt Shepard

I avoid buying clothes at VV because of this greed-driven change. I cannot blind buy pants and hope they flatter me, so I don’t buy them. Maybe I would put up with the jacked prices IF I could try the clothes on and buy something I’ll be happy with. Value Village do better.

sophie forward

i often thrift at Value and i find it hard to know if i want to buy a certain item if i cant try it on

Andrea Catlin-Drouillard

I need to know if something fits and if I am going to keep it (thus keeping it out of a landfill) BEFORE I purchase it. Not being able to get a refund or try an item on has kept me from shopping at V V for years.

Jane Haselgrove

I want to try on clothes before I buy them. I would shop and buy more if I knew I would be happy with what I was getting.

Jacob

Value village has gone downhill. No refunds, no change rooms, increasing prices close to MSRP. If you’re not going to reimburse us at least give us the opportunity to try the clothes on first.

Trena Tompkins

I’ve stopped shopping there because I was wasting way to much money not being able to try my clothes on before I buy them only to find out afterwards that they don’t fit and I can’t return them

Jane Clouston

I am thoroughly disgusted with the AMERICAN, FOR-PROFIT, “Value”? store posing as having something significant to do with charity in Canada and constantly raising for-profit prices. VV is shamelessly American! Why go there at all these days?

Christina Williams

If you’re not allowed to try on clothing in store – then FULL REFUNDS should be offered…not just exchanges. Time is money, also, and I don’t want to waste my time with these shenanigans. Especially when the prices are gearing away from actual ‘thrift store’ pricing.

Gail Faurschou

Buying clothes that don’t fit contributes to waste and loss of income for people trying to save money. It goes against the whole idea of “donating” for a good cause. I won’t donate clothes to V.V .if they persist in pushing profits over people

Mandy Thompson

I really hate finding out and item didn’t fit and only having an exchange option. I could have tried on another item in the changeroom and gone home quite happy. Instead, it’s another trip, and more time. It’s a grumpy visit.

Lisa Paige

We should be able to try on clothing before buying!

Christine Paige

COVID is over. I feel ripped off that my money is spent for good once I leave the store….at least with change rooms I could narrow my choices and keep perusing while I am there.

Kellie Steemers

I can’t buy anything without knowing if it fits. Women’s clothing sizes, especially, can vary wildly from brand to brand. I don’t have time to go to and from the store to exchange things until I find a fit.

Alexandra Gebarowski

I waste a lot of money buying clothes thinking they will fit I dont always have the time to exchange in 7 days or can find something else. The change rooms would actually make me buy more! Either get the fitting rooms back or provide full refund instead of exchanges.

Tara Kerr

Value village either needs fitting rooms or the ability to return for cash back

Samuel Robinson

Because shoppers deserve to get what they are looking for and walk out the store with clothes that fit and feel comfortable in especially if value village is going to keep increasing there prices on used items

Katie Pratt

I don’t shop at Value Village as much since the change rooms went away!

Andrew Farkas

You removed change rooms during Covid. We want them back.
In our Waterdown, Ontario Canada store, mirrors were installed at the ends of rack aisles and now we have women trying on clothes in front of the mirrors and when finished they leave the unwanted item hanging off the mirrors instead of returning them to where they got them. You can’t walk down the aisle without having to squeeze past while muttering “excuse me” past each mirror. Put the change rooms back!

Michelle Arnold

I stopped shopping there because I am not buying somthing you cant try on and return.

Jeff Evans-Todd

I feel like I’m being taken advantage of. And it is incredibly frustrating when something doesn’t fit AND I can’t get a refund.

Julia Atkinson

I am disabled, and it is super hard for me to kedge the size I am and can barely carry anything and it sucks when I get home and it doesn’t fit like I e xpected and I’m on a fixed income

Edwina Franco

clothes look different on each person. you cant make a good decision by just looking at it on the hanger. We need change rooms to try on the items.

M J

I believe that not having change rooms for a major clothing retailer/reseller is ridiculous, especially with a no return policy

Tina Sterling

I want change rooms back as a person with a disability i can only afford to shop second hand. Its nit far

Pamela Delisle

The policy of not having change rooms seems like a selfish money grab from Value Village. I’ll buy more, shop more and donate more from VV if I can try the clothes on first.

Jan Goss

I realize that where I live, we can exchange clothes for a week. However, there is no cash refund, and exchanging it only works if there is something available that I want in the store to do the exchange. There have been many times that I was interested in an article of clothing, but I didn’t buy it because I couldn’t try it on.

Jane Gibson

I was given misleading information from a staff member – I asked if I could try on at home and bring back if they didn’t fit – they said yes – I spent $129 worth of pants. (While they watched!) then 30 minutes later was told I had to exchange $60 worth that I brought back! What a scam!!!

Lauri Lintott

Either bring back change rooms or a money back guarantee on clothing.

Debbie Nelson

I went there today and you can’t even try on clothes in the washrooms. Well there is definitely something wrong there. I was mad.

Alyssa Powileit

I shop at value village frequently enough so even though I’m not made of money, I certainly am not going to the Eaton Centre and buying things brand new since I can’t afford it. Second hand shopping matters to me for sustainability reasons as well. Anyway

I am signing because it is bullshit they took away the change rooms and don’t even offer us a refund policy. I’m in-between sizes and have massive boobs, I need to try things on! Currently since there are no change rooms, I find out when I get home that items are awkward fit/don’t work with my body or straight up do not fit me at all. This is obviously after I have paid full price… If value village had a refund policy and I could get my money back for items I wouldn’t have purchased had I been able to try them on beforehand, that would be one thing. BUT THEY AREN’T GONNA DO THAT! The best vv is offering is a 2-week exchange.. which is fuck all for anyone who works full time.

It feels predatory
It feels like extortion
I understand the concern of shoplifting and change rooms may make it easier to do that but I ain’t no thief, so why am I being treated like one? And guess what, theft still happens anyway! Taking the change rooms away is not enough to stop the petty thieves! And at this point, it’s starting to look good on them considering the pricing on some of their items.

That’s all I can think of right now so I guess end rant…

Cheers,
Alyssa 🙂

Mary Kilner

It is a must to try on clothing if you cannot return them.
Makes 100% common sense.

Ripley Prenderghast

It is exploitative of those with low income to be unable to try on clothing before buying from the thrift chain with no reliable sizing chart. With no returns and no change rooms I might as well blindly grab off the shelf and hope it fits when I get home. Unrealistic and unfair. Especially as value village prices soar.

Shannon Munns

I want changing rooms and a return/exchange policy that actually works

Tonny Braden

I have been shopping thrift stores since 1965 but I WILL NOT shop at Value Village because this chain of stores does not provide services that retail stores normally provide e.g. fitting rooms.

Taylor Haiiiii

i grew up thrifting, i will always thrift, goodwill has changing rooms there hasn’t been a new covid outbreak. i think this is 100% a ploy to get people to buy the wrong clothes/come back for exchanges. its a complete waste of time for the community. some people spend their last dollars on the wrong size clothes. not cool not fair not happy.

Shelby Rims

If I can’t return the item , I want to be sure it fits before I spend my hard earned money in this terrible economy

Shannon Eikenberg

I have left many items of clothing behind not to be purchased simply because I wasn’t sure how they would fit…I am fortunate to have a vehicle, but thousands of people who shop there out of necessity do not. It is not reasonable to expect everyone to be able to go home, try clothing on and be able to return to the store to exchange.

Shelley Ferris

I have bought several tops and dresses, etc., and I’ve got them home and didn’t fit nice and I end up not able to wear them and wasting money

Suse Kernohan

I hesitate to buy items that might not fit when I know I can’t return them.

Jasmine Henry

I like changing rooms to try new things añd see if my items fit me correctly

Sherry Nash

I believe its a shoppers right to try before you buy!!

Lorie Magnan

This store being non profit is a joke… these prices you can mostly buy brand new. The have no change rooms and than complain that people are trying on items in the isles. Yes over their own clothes but still.

Robert Thompson

We need to be able to try clothes on to see if they fit. I want to shop second hand but not if I can’t try on clothing that varies in sizing

allen mat

i want to try out items before purchasing and VV has no return policy in exchange for cash

Tracy MacDonald

We need to be able to try on clothes. Not everyone is able to go and return things right away.

Marion Sulima

I am a senior and often times it is difficult to get back to the store in due time. Plus there are times when I am unable to find something appropriate when I return an item. Which leaves me taking something I don’t really want or I sometimes just give it away.. whatever the case,it is unfair.

Benjun Tuzon

I want to know the item I’m buying fits me before I bring it home.

Devon B

The issue of no changerooms makes no logical sense on why it’s not there. All your inventory is free, you shouldn’t have any money troubles, even if you are worried about theft.

Cam Lesco

It is ridiculous they don’t have changerooms!

Aaron Liscum

typically, people expect to be able to right-size their clothing.

Jannet Bartsch

I think it’s unfair that you cannot try on the
Clothing if there is no returns.

Jen Pep

We live an hour away from closest VV so returning/exchanging is NOT an option for us. I rarely shop there anymore because I’m tired of spending money on clothes that I try on at home & don’t fit. Complete waste of money -especially if family is low income.

Jo Danielson

My grandaughters love thrift shopping for clothes. Would be a plus for them to try on their selections.

Abby Kettner

The change rooms never should have gone away. So ridiculous to be expected to buy clothes you have never tried on, also the return policy is egregious.

Karen McLaughlin

I used to spend most of my thrifting dollars at Value Village back when they had change rooms. It’s completely ridiculous that they took them away. Most people need to try items on to ensure they fit properly. If I can’t try it on, I won’t buy it. I’ve resorted to wearing a tank top and leggings when I shop so I can try items on in store, but this is far from ideal (and I certainly can’t try on pants this way). Given that their major competitor in my city has ample changerooms and a washroom, it’s not surprising that I’ve taken most of my business there.

Jennifer White

Value village is exploiting low income individuals and families by removing change rooms and offering only 14 day exchanges with no store credit or refunds – a FOR PROFIT further exploiting their support for diabetes. Shame on them.

Esabella Strickland

I’m tired of having to try on clothes in the open (over my clothes I came in wearing). Then I proceed to get yelled at by the employees for TRYING ON CLOTHES that don’t fit. I have lost so much money from this processes.

Esabella Strickland

I’m tired of having to try on clothes in the open (over my clothes I came in wearing). Then I proceed to get yelled at by the employees for TRYING ON CLOTHES that don’t fit. I have lost so much money from this processes.

E H

A thrift store does not have different sizes of the same items, obviously. Meaning it also has hundreds-thousands of brand names, and every brands sizing differs greatly, and every item fits differently. Especially for women and children, but as well as many men’s clothing items. “But you could return it if it does not fit!” Right? Except that is an extra trip, extra time, extra gas, that so many people do not have, that turns one shopping trip into at least two. Few people will choose this over going somewhere that still has change rooms, many people I know have walked out after remembering they never re-instated the fitting rooms after COVID because they can’t afford to buy a bunch of things to TRY ON and then likely being back a good chunk of those items. Just like anyone does in a store with a fitting room. Very very disappointing and has cost many clientele even if Value Village doesn’t think it’s a costly choice due to theft being so high. There are many modern anti-theft implementations that many other stores have used to avoid that theft inside changing rooms. If they cannot afford enough anti-theft devices, but are also losing sales due to people unable to try things on, I sadly do not see them pushing through the economy compared to other thrift stores. Very unfortunate.

Mia Hoydes

I don’t want to waste money buying things that doesn’t fit me.

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