Visiting Nurses Thrift Store

I am a frequent thrifter. I enjoy a good bargain and finding an unexpected treasure. I live in the area and I’ve been shopping at both locations for four years. My first purchase was a mid-​century dresser. I don’t like shopping there as much as I once did. At the Chehalis location I was overcharged; though I did receive a refund when I told the clerk about it. On another occasion, recently, I wandered into the dressing room at the Centralia location to try on some tops and I was pursued by a clerk who thought I was shoplifting. I’ve stopped in regularly at least three times a month for four years and enjoyed supporting their charitable organization. It would never occur to me to steal. Needless to say I was embarrassed by the confrontation especially as I was half dressed when the person accosted me. I imagine that theft is problem for them; I would only hope that staff could differentiate between regulars and others. As a consequence of these experiences I don’t shop there as often or buy as much. For the sake of the people that they support I would hope that they review their service guidelines and strive for courtesy at all times.

I have shopped at this store for over 3 years. I have really noticed within the last year and a half that the items put out in the store are not nearly as good as they used to be. For a while they were checking items on ebay and selling them for what you’d expect to pay online – the prices were absolutely outrageous for a thrift store, especially since these items have been donated. In my opinion it went from a very nice thrift store filled with interesting vintage items, to an absolute junk store. Same old over priced stuff. I’m assuming the nicer items are pulled out by staff and sold on ebay. I absolutely would not recommend this store to anyone I know.

I am fiercely possessive of my favorite thrift stores and was hemming and hawing over whether to bring this one to Unilocal’s attention. Visiting Nurses for a long time was my ideal:
— Tucked into an unassuming part of a seldom visited (on my part, any way) town whose large location I imagined to require a Thrift Store Treasure Map
— Stocked with an exciting assortment of vintage items not automatically marked up to here, with the ladies’ clothes hanging in an enchanted closet so that you feel like you’ve wandered into a fancy old lady’s bedroom
— Visiting Nurses! I imagine nurses in capes with red crosses embroidered on the lapels wearing the pointy caps my mum wore in the sixties, gathering in tight bunches in the parking lot
I find my greatest thrift store windfalls have taken place my first time in a store, so it feels all magical – my heart races and I kind of start panting. I KNOW. But we’re talking treasure! Shift dresses and needlepoint samplers and shoes for my huge feet and beautiful drapes. Provided to me by VISITING NURSES. The first time I went I had to sit down.
So it has become my Seattle trek tradition, since it just happens to be roughly at the halfway point and they’re open on Sundays and sometimes you just have to stick your nose in a fancy old lady’s closet and breathe in all that flower-​print polyester.
Sadly, the only reason I’m sharing all this is because the Visiting Nurses haven’t lavished their usual love and generosity on me the last few times I’ve been. And they’ve taken out the fancy old lady’s closet and placed the somewhat dwindling vintage stuff on rounders, ruining my fancy old lady fantasy. There are lots of treasures still here, mind, but I think personally my luck has dried out. But maybe you could go! And the visiting nurses will wink at you and bestow their magic! Let me know if you need directions. Thrift Store Treasure Map provided on request.