Ahhh Value Village. It’s no secret we’ve got a bit of a love/hate thing going on here. Once a staple for thrifters (myself included), it’s now more of a test of patience with overpriced goods, CBC Marketplace scandals, and, of course, the disappearance of change rooms. These days, I go because it’s the only thrift store in my area open after 5pm and sometimes convenience wins.
But, as always, nuance matters. We learn, we make informed choices, and when we do shop there, we do everything in our power to knock those prices down before handing over a dime.
Related: Thrift Stores in Canada: Are They Really Canadian?
No, Value Village is not a Canadian company. It is owned by Savers Value Village, a U.S.-based for-profit thrift retailer. While it operates in Canada and partners with local charities, its headquarters and ownership are in the U.S.. Want to shop a Canadian thrift chain? Try Talize.
Related: How thrifting supports buying Canadian
Tip: Because Value Village is a publicly traded stock anyone can own a tiny slice of Value Village! At just $7 a pop (at the time of writing) you too could profit off the price gouging of donated dollarama goods.
No, Value Village is not a non-profit. They purchase donated goods from community partners but operate as a for-profit organization.
It’s a bit of a roundabout structure. Value Village, does direct some funds to community partners. But rather than donating, it collects donations on behalf of a specific charity and then pays that charity for the donations per pound.
Hot take: Value Village doesn’t even *need* to donate to charity. Running a for-profit secondhand store? Fine. But if that’s the game, at least play fair. Maybe don’t be so blatantly exploitative. At the very least, price things according to their actual quality, have a return policy that isn’t a joke, and for the love of secondhand fashion, bring back the fitting rooms!!! Rant over. For now.
Unsold items and items deemed unsuitable to sell are sold in bails both domestically and to other countries. Some items are recycled. Some items are trashed.
Hey, Value Village execs, I have an idea for you. All that overpriced, unsold junk at Value Village gets one last chance at redemption. Think Goodwill Bins, but with even more chaos. Or better yet, a pay-what-you-can free-for-all. Imagine the absolute mayhem. Beautiful.
No, Value Village does not wash clothes before selling them. If you’ve ever thrifted, you probably already guessed that.
Value Village will take just about anything you have to donate. Some categories they won’t take include
When you donate to Value Village you receive a 20% off coupon to spend in-store. These have expiry dates so don’t stash them for too long.
Tip: Keep a few small bags of donateables handy so if there are no other relevant promos running you can get a 20% off coupon before heading in to shop.
Value Village no longer has change rooms. They shut them down during COVID (because germs) and then just… never brought them back. My theory? They hope you buy ill-fitting clothes and then never come back to exchange them. A theory based entirely on my own track record of forgetting to follow through on exchanges.
There is actually no return policy at Value Village. Just an exchange policy. You can exchange clothes or shoes within 14 days of purchase. You must use the value of the exchange on the same day. All other sales are final.
Tip: If you can’t find anything you like on the day of your exchange, just grab something—anything—to reset the 14-day clock. A little loophole for the thrifty and the forgetful.
Employees of Value Village get a 50% discount on clothing and a 30% discount on everything else. However, employees do not get first dibs on new items. They have to wait two days to be able to purchase items on the floor.
To get the most value at Value Village you definitely have to join their Super Savers Club. Is it amazing? No. But it’s the only way you’ll unlock seasonal or category-specific discounts. Here’s what you get:
Might as well sign up. If you’re shopping there anyway, you may as well get whatever discounts you can.
Join the Super Savers Club and keep an eye on your email to track discount days. Based on previous emails, these are some offers you might receive:
Say it with me: Full price at Value Village? Not in this economy.
This really depends on your specific store and city. At some stores, new stuff is put out just on weekdays until 3pm. At my local store they are always putting new stuff out on the floor.
From my own personal experience, weekends and Tuesdays are the worst time to shop. Weekends mean ransacked racks thanks to the thrift rush. Tuesdays? Seniors Day. And if your city has a big senior population, brace yourself—it gets busy.
Look, I would never endorse anything shady. But allegedly, these are the tricks some thrifters use to “even the playing field” at Value Village.
I do not recommend trying this. It’s illegal, unethical, and frankly, too much effort.
I tend to believe that any thrifting is better than no thrifting, especially if the alternative is handing your money over to a fast fashion brand that’s going to fall apart in six months. Sure, Value Village feels overpriced, but most of the time, it’s still cheaper than buying new. If you put in the time, you can find gems that somehow slipped through the cracks of their wild pricing system. And at the end of the day, you’re giving something a second shot instead of sending it to the landfill.
Would I rather my thrift dollars go to a smaller, less corporate store? Absolutely. I feel that way about a lot of purchases. But did I still score my new favourite pair of 100% cotton vintage jeans for under $20 at Value Village? Also yes.
