The Salvation Army Family Store

I love that they have moved closer to me!!! Very organized, very nice people! :)
I especially appreciate when they have KLove playing!!! :)

Holy cow, this place was huge! I didn’t know mega-​thrift outlets such as this existed in the suburbs! Places this big (like Village Discount Outlet or Unique Thrift) are pretty popular in the city, It was pretty cool to see such a huge thrift store so popular in the burbs. While I didn’t make a purchase, I found a few things that I was interested in, but didn’t fit.
Good to know I have a new «go to» spot while visiting my parents in the burbs!

This Salvation Army is one of the best organized thrift stores I’ve ever set foot in. Normally I’m not a huge fan of these discount places, as they often are extremely messy with mismatched sizes, ravished racks and general disorder being the tone of the day. At some point, your time has to be worth something, and lot of thrift stores rob you of your time before you *might* land a bargain. Thankfully, this is not the case at SA on Barrington.
The word seems to be out on this place, as it is often packed, even in the middle of the week. Consider it a sign of the current economy, but business is booming here! I’ve snagged some huge deals here including a magnificent genuine leather jacket made in England for only $ 15. It perfectly matches a bag I bought at the Fossil store in Woodfield it only cost a fraction of what I would have paid if purchased elsewhere.
There’s only one gripe I have with the store, that is that they require a minimum of $ 20 be spent on any credit card purchases. This is a small bone of contention and I understand with interchange fees being what they are why they would require it with so many low-​priced items. Fantastic deals can be had here if you drop on by. Just don’t take all of the cool leather jackets! Add in the fact that you are helping a non-​profit and this is a no-​brainier to shop here.

One time I went here to drop off stuff, and out of curiosity went inside– good decision. This place is huge, I picked up some toys for the kids– some still brand new. It has everything. Worth a trip if you are in the neighborhood.

Store Review:
A breath of nostalgia. This is a review of the store only and I did not intend to buy anything. I have always wondered what is in a thrift store. Well let me tell you, a blast from the past. Basically there is anything you can imagine from electronics to clothes to toys. It is everything that people donate. I understand that people like shopping here, but wearing or using something from someone else just makes me nervous… It was really cool seeing old toys from my childhood and the ancient VCR I donated months ago sitting on the shelf waiting for a second life.
Pros– cheap second hand items
Cons– difficult for me to get over the concept of using used items…
Hidden deals– your purchases help charity :)

Oh my God is this place amazing. Came in looking for a ridiculous Hawaiian shirt for an office party and found a pair of Miu Miu heels for $ 5 and a beautiful red, vintage Neiman Marcus coat in perfect condition for $ 8.50. I judge most thrift stores by the assortment of coats, dresses and sweaters, and i definitely was not disappointed. Lots of stuff that veer between really old and really recent, tends towards the larger sizes for men and women. Perfect for everyday shopping or for special stuff; the digging is so much fun, and there are really some treasures!

This is one of the best Salvation Armys, let alone thrift stores, I have ever been to! It’s HUGE and keeps going and going. You can easily spend a few hours here — we spent around 3 hours and could have shopped longer had we not been starving. Check the front for which tags are 50% off!
There are racks and racks of clothes. As with all thrift stores, you need to hunt. I found this particular Salvation Army didn’t have as many brand new with tag items from Target — which was nice. They had a decent selection of brand name/​department store items as well. Everything was in decent condition.
Right when you walk in in the front is their nicer furniture, like bed sets, couches, lamps and lots of book cases. They organize it nicely so it looks like an actual bedroom or living room.
The housewares and brick a brack all along the back of the store. It’s your standard thrift store crap, but they had a lot of it. Their book selection was also pretty expansive, with separate areas for childrens books closer to the children’s clothing area.
It’s in a strip mall so it’s easy to get to with easy parking. There are also a few fast food and chain restaurants in the area, so make a day of it!

While driving back through Stream wooooood, up to no good… stumbled upon this place and it’s the shiat! This is how thrift stores should be when it comes to pricing.
Some of the thrift stores I’ve been to lately are trying to be all Targetized with the flashy little end caps and displays and might I add Target prices for the misfit items, but this store is cheap how a thrift store should be priced.
Most of the time I don’t look for clothes at thrift stores, but I got bored waiting and decided to look through the miles of pants all sorted according to color. I found a ton of cute, practically new casual dress pants for work. I was pleasantly surprised at the condition and price and array of brand names to choose from. I ended up walking away with 5 pairs of pants all for under $ 17.00 and practically brand new. It’s rare that I ever find anything at thrift stores, but this was a gold mine and cheap!
Store in general has that universal cheap thrift smell and some questionable items being sold, but pants wise, I can’t complain.