Is Value Village – or Savers in the U.S. – owned by Walmart?!!
Fabulously Thrifty
I was minding my own house-cleaning business today with the radio on in the background, CBC to be exact (which Canadians will understand), when I heard a factoid that stopped me in my tracks.
Value Village is owned by Walmart?
WTF?
It was just a throw-away mention so I had to get to the bottom of this. I started snooping around on the net. That’s when I learned that Value Village is the Canadian division of the second-hand American retail chain Savers. Uh oh, this is sounding bad.
For as long as I can remember, Value Village has held a special place in the hearts and minds of Canadians as a great thrift shop where you can get good deals on stuff other people no longer want. I imagine Americans think the same of Savers stores across the country.
And I thought it was a non-profit organization. I was wrong. As it turns out, I’m not alone.
Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter John Ewoldt conducted his own unscientific poll in the parking lots of Savers stores three years ago and found 80% assumed that the store was a charity.
But nope, that is definitely not the case. Those aisles and aisles of second-hand clothing, cheap toys and housewares all turn a profit for – wait for it – the private equity investment firm of Freeman Spogli and Company which is now the owner of Savers, having purchased it in mid-2005 for $US 550 million.
Investment banking and hand-me-downs? You got to know there’s a profit to be made when financiers get a whiff and smell something good.
But I still couldn’t find a connection to Walmart. I did, however, find a connection to George W. Bush.
It turns out Ronald P. Spogli, a Los Angeles-based investment banker, was one of the former president’s most prolific donors. And he served as the United States Ambassador to Italy and San Marino from 2005 to February 2009 after being nominated by Bush.
So what does any of this have to do with Value Village or Savers? Well, to some it may mean nothing. A deal is a deal.
But for me, I’d rather that genuine charities like Good Will and the Salvation Army get the benefit of second-hand shopping dollars. With so many now hurting, it’s nice to know the dollars spent get passed along in a way they can have the most value.
Now to be fair, Savers and Value Village do purchase a lot of the goods on their shelves from charities that collect unwanted goods from donors, organizations that don’t have storefront operations. So there is some indirect benefit to the charity world.
On the other hand, thousands of people ‘donate’ directly to the stores, believing they are indeed giving to a cause. Instead, it becomes free product for a for-profit company able to make a great mark-up.
On the Savers website, they even use the word “donate” in a pitch for their loyalty program. Just get your card stamped “every time you spend $5 or make a donation”.
As to the Walmart connection? I still don’t know for sure. I tend to believe a lot I hear on CBC. But I couldn’t confirm this one. If anyone knows, share!
For an update — and the final answer to the question — see here.
Anne-Marie said:
Apr 19, 09 at 6:15 amI couldn’t believe it either when I heard that little factoid on CBC yesterday. I was stunned. However, I have started refraining from going to Value Village (Village des Valeurs here in Quebec) because I was already aware that it was an american for-profit organization.
I have shopped on a few occasions at Savers in massachussetts.
I can’t find a link with Walmart either, but regardless, they operate with similar corporate mindsets.
A deal is a deal, I suppose Value Village can be a “next best” when charity thrift shops didn’t fulfill required finds. Despite it’s corporate practices second-hand merchandise remains a green choice.
I’ll write to CBC, perhaps they know!?
ffn said:
Apr 19, 09 at 7:29 amAnne-Marie — let us know if you find anything out from your inquiries to CBC. I’m interested in what they have to say. Thanks :))
Karol said:
Apr 19, 09 at 12:48 pmThat is terrible! People give because they think it goes to a non-profit organization when it doesn’t. I remember years ago when I was younger and living in Canada, and my first job was The Goodwill. People donated things they no longer wanted or needed. I can’t tell you what an impact it left on me. Sorry, not in a good way. I was young back then but I worked there two weeks when I quit. What I saw was some really nice things coming in, expensive things. What I thought would be donated to the stores, let me tell you, wasn’t. Employees that had been there quite some time, got first dibs on things. They scurried through furniture, clothing, jewlery, etc. and whatever they could cary to their cars or trucks they did! When I questioned such things, I was told that people wouldn’t appreciate it anyway. I was stunned and mortified about it. When people donate, it is to go to people who actually could use these things. People whose homes were burnt down, and clothing for children. I am not surprised in today’s economy companies are out to make a profit, and I am horrified that big businesses do this sort of thing. How sad it is that we shouldn’t have to scout out who we donate to and who owns the company before we actually do donate for a good cause. Just goes to show that greed is ruling the world and we little people are being taken for stupid or worse yet, our money and time.
ffn said:
Apr 19, 09 at 3:18 pmWow Karol — it’s even more disturbing learning that the charities themselves are undermining the efforts of those wanting to donate and benefit those in need. Thanks for sharing this.
Karol said:
Apr 20, 09 at 1:59 pmLike I said, it left an impact on me. I was shocked and over the years, I have seen this time and time again. People think they are donating for a good cause but what they do not realize is what goes on behind our backs. Unfortunately, if people do not check these things out, no one knows what goes on and it is hard to comprehend. I donated thousand of things to several charities here. Local shelters and the children’s Hospital, as well. At least I do know that people will be getting what I gave. I urge people to donate. It is a worthy cause but if you have time to check out and investigate, ask questions, and kind of look in the back of store rooms when people make deliveries to such places, watch the people and observe. I was shocked by what I found. Also places like Goodwill and such, if they have stores, check out the prices. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, they charge as much as a store or a couple of dollars less. It was surprising when I walked into some of the places where I live and saw this sort of thing. If you must give, go to your local churches, ask questions as to where your donated items will be distributed, and how often. Local fire departments sometimes take donations for burn out victims, and if you have movies, books and toys, donate to the hospitals for the children. You will be glad you did. I am not saying that most places are crooked but I would highly recomment that you do your paperwork and observe before you give to organizations.
Josherz said:
Apr 20, 09 at 10:40 pmThis is a bit disturbing.
But I’d encourage everyone to continue to donate to charities,having worked as a direct marketer for two top notch “charities” aka non-profit organizations, I can tell you it’s people who donate of time and especially money that make what they do possible, and that is the bottom line truth of it. Not just a cute saying.
Oh, and good NPOs will let you know how they’re spending your “charity” check out organizations like Save The Children (savechildren.org) and the American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org) as examples.
cheers
Lisa said:
Apr 21, 09 at 6:26 amI work at Value Village (for the last 10 years) and I hear this rumor all the time and it really frustrates me. You can’t believe everything you hear on CBC.
** Value Village/Savers has no affiliation whatsoever with Walmart! …never has.**
What I can confirm is that all Value Village stores do with work with charities. Each store works with a charity which has involvement in that community. The charity gets credit for ALL donations which are either dropped off at the store or picked up by the charity(whether sell-able or not).
ffn said:
Apr 21, 09 at 7:27 amThanks for clarifying Lisa. I couldn’t find any connection with Walmart.
Still, while it’s good to hear that Value Village does work with charities, I do think it’s misleading to call the direct drop-offs that people make to Value Village “donations”. The word donation implies you’re contributing to a charity or non-profit organization. If I give Value Village my cast-aways, I’m really contributing to Value Village’s bottom line. Now, if Value Village contributes to charities with that bottom line, great, but it’s no different than any other for-profit business being a corporate donor and having good corporate community involvement.
Required said:
Apr 23, 09 at 1:14 amHeh, interesting…
I had heard that bitty on CBC a few days ago as well and it too quite startled me - as much as for what it was as for the fact that I was quite surprised that I was previously unaware of a fact of this nature, since I avoid WalMart and all subsidiaries as much as I can.
Similarly (though just today, hence I’m here now) I have sought to corroborate it via the net and had no success.
False/hoax is my own conclusion. (Nothing on snopes.com to be found on the matter.)
I think this ‘fact’ mentioned on CBC is quite incorrect, and IMO is rather a blemish on CBC because most expect higher standards of fact-checking from august ole CBC than this incident evinces.
Though IIRC it was divulged during their early afternoon show (’The Point’ et al, but not incl, esp, “Ontario Today”) which are simply low-grade fill … so I don’t give anything novel that they reveal all that much credit unless I’ve corroborated it elsewhere.
BTW, ffn, you might wish to be a little skeptical of people claiming to have worked for, or be a rep of, any given company (unless you did other verification of ‘Lisa’ that we readers are not privvy to) - i.e. believe half of what you see, none of what you hear, and less from the internet. Though what Lisa said concurs with what both you and I seem to have concluded it’s dangerous to accept anything as factual, from just a comment (unless perhaps you know of Lisa via a credible history of comments?).
PS: My name’s not “Required”, that’s not my real email address, but those are my real thoughts
Be a critical consumer of information!
Good post.
ffn said:
Apr 23, 09 at 3:54 amThanks Required — good points. I did write “The Debaters” asking them to verify the Walmart ownership, but I’ve heard nothing back. I may follow up by phone — I’ll post again if I learn anything.
Jeff Smail said:
Apr 24, 09 at 10:45 amGreetings ffn:
As the Regional Director for Value Village, Inc., I am responding to your post, as it raises several excellent points we are often asked, that I feel need further clarification.
1. Value Village is not owned or affiliated with Walmart. This rumor continues to follow us and we do not know where it started or why. Any details you can provide as to the show/day/time you heard this, would be helpful. We are working to stop the rumor.
2. Value Village formally operates as Value Village, Inc, incorporated in New Brunswick in 1980 . We have provided our customers with an incredible selection of merchandise at value prices to local residents, and employ more than 6,000 Canadian team members. As a Canadian company, we pay provincial and national taxes, and profit dollars are set aside to fund our store growth specifically in Canada. Yes, we are owned by Savers, Inc., a US-based corporation. In today’s global business place, it is common practice for a company to operate in multiple countries, while each subsidiary adheres to local and national business regulations and invests profits back into its own operations.
3. Yes, we are a for-profit company. We do not hide this fact and are proud of our unique business model that intrinsically supports non-profits. As a for-profit company, we are also able to provide things expected of any corporate citizen. This includes promising career tracks, health care benefits to employees, investing funds back into our local communities, and, among others, investing profits toward industry research to create best practices, such as developing new channels to properly recycle secondhand goods that don’t sell. For example, we have developed a progressive Recycling Program, through both reselling and recycling, that keeps more than 500 million pounds of goods out of landfills annually.
4. Yes, Freeman Spogli retained half of Savers, Inc. This took place in 2007, and replaced a former investment partner. The remaining half is privately owned by the family who founded the business in 1954 when they opened their first store in California called Value Village. Any connection between Mr. Ronald Spogli and former President Bush is irrelevant to our business operations.
5. In terms of how we work with non-profits, we pay them for all household goods they collect from the community, AND all items dropped off directly to our stores. We do not receive “free product” and resell it. We have many non-profit alliances in Canada, whom we pay more than $60 million dollars annually to help fund their vital programs directly in the communities where our stores operate. These funds are a direct benefit, and for many of our partners, the lifeblood of their operations. We also invest profits back into our non-profit partners by providing them with research and resources to better maximize their collections process, and therefore, receive more funds from our stores. Again, we are very proud and open about having a business model where a for-profit and a non-profit symbiotically benefit and rely on one another.
6. In the comment section, the question was raised about donations benefitting individuals through its original use (i.e. a donated coat goes to someone who needs a coat). For the non-profits we align with, they do not need unwanted household items and clothing. They need money to support their programs and operations, and this is what we provide them. If donors wish their items to benefit non-profits in the original form, we encourage them to research and seek out charities that can use them as such.
7. Lastly, we respect your view on whether or not to call items brought to our stores “donations.” Because we pay the non-profits for these items, it therefore directly benefits them, and this is commonly called a “donation.” In fact, many or our partners actively encourage their supporters to bring their donations direct to the store, as it streamlines the collection process and reduces overhead.
It may interest you to know that this year we are also embarking on a new initiative in which we will set up “Community Donation Centers” on behalf of our non-profit partners in each of our stores. Our first such center launches next week in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in alliance with the local affiliate of the Canadian Diabetes Association. Similar centers will be in all stores by the end of the year.
Thank you for raising some excellent points, and for the opportunity to respond with clarification.
Respectfully,
Jeff Smail
Regional Director
Value Village, Inc.
ffn said:
Apr 24, 09 at 11:54 amJeff –thank you for clarifying the confusion created by the CBC broadcast. As you can see in today’s post, I did received a reply to my query to CBC explaining this was a mistake and have posted it.
There’s one thing I’d just ask you to clarify.
You write: “In terms of how we work with non-profits, we pay them for all household goods they collect from the community, AND all items dropped off directly to our stores. We do not receive “free product” and resell it.”
Are you saying, if, as an individual, I go directly to a Value Village store, and drop off items I no longer need for you to resell, a charity gets paid for that? I’m not sure I understand how a charity would be credited for something I dropped off as a ‘donation’.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment,
ffn
Jeff Smail said:
Apr 24, 09 at 3:08 pmWhen people bring items to the store and drop them off, those items are collected, weighed and based on the volume, we pay the non profit per our agreement. The non profits also collect (usually via home pick up, bins or attended donation stations) directly from the community and they bring those items to our stores as well, and in the same process we weigh them and based on the volume, pay them per our agreement. In addition to this, when our business allows, we support their community events. Fundraisers, golf or bowling events, sponsorships are all part of Value Village corporate giving, similar to other companies you referred to in your earlier post. We also have many team members who support our non profit partners personally and contribute their time as well as their donations. Hopefully this provides clarification of our model to you and for further information, please visit http://www.valuevillage.ca for more details on the specific non profit partners that benefit.
Respectfully,
Jeff Smail
Regional Director
Value Village Inc.
Jeff Smail said:
Apr 24, 09 at 3:14 pmWhen people bring items to the store and drop them off, those items are collected, weighed and based on the volume, we pay the non profit per our agreement. The non profits also collect (usually via home pick up, bins or attended donation stations) directly from the community and they bring those items to our stores as well, and in the same process we weigh them and based on the volume, pay them per our agreement. In addition to this, when our business allows, we support their community events. Fundraisers, golf or bowling events, sponsorships are all part of Value Village corporate giving, similar to other companies you referred to in your earlier post. We also have many team members who support our non profit partners personally and contribute their time as well as their donations. Hopefully this provides clarification of our model to you and for further information, please visit valuevillage.ca for more details on the specific non profit partners that benefit.
Respectfully,
Jeff Smail
Regional Director
Value Village Inc.
ffn said:
Apr 24, 09 at 3:15 pmJeff, not to belabour this, however, I think it’s helpful for people to understand fully.
You say, “When people bring items to the store and drop them off, those items are collected, weighed and based on the volume, we pay the non profit per our agreement.”
In the region I live in, your website lists 4 different non-profit organizations you work with. So if I bring in items to your store, who do you pay exactly per your agreement?
Gill said:
Apr 26, 09 at 9:42 pmI am shocked that Value Village is a for profit company. I am even more shocked that they are owned by Walmart. They have to be the sleaziest and most unethical retailers in this world. It’s terrible for a company to make profit while disguising itself as a charitable organization. I’m all for profit but at least be honest about it.
ffn said:
Apr 27, 09 at 4:45 amHi Gill - thanks for posting. Just a heads-up. Value Village is not owned by Walmart. You may have skimmed my post and missed where I said I couldn’t turn up any connection between the two. And then CBC responded to my query explaining it was a mistake. Here’s the post explaining: http://www.firedfornow.com/uncategorized/value-village-not-owned-by-walmart-not-savers/
john burke said:
May 05, 09 at 8:04 amFor the charities its a fund raising activity. If they went out to raise money some marketing firm would take a high percentage of your donation. Those marketing firms make a profit. This isn’t any different. The Value Village stores serve a community purpose and support charities. Its a good idea, though I wish there was a little more transparency on the financial side. In hard times stores like thewse fill a valuable role.
Daniel said:
May 23, 09 at 9:54 pmFrom what I’ve been told from employees I’ve known, they pay a small pittance to United Way, etc. based on the weight of the donations, but I was told they put the stuff straight out to the floor and sell it, donating 5% or something to charity, and weight what remains…
…also likely a minimum wage employee might misinterpret the system.
It is a complicated issue. I still purchase what I can from Salvation Army and another local thrift store (Goodwill closed when VV moved in), but I hit Value Village on my rounds and sometimes find what I need. The prices are substantially higher, but sometimes it is worthwhile.
Overall I definitely have a sour taste in my mouth over the fact people are being mislead (and CEO’s are growing fat), but that’s so common now, you really have to pick your battles, and VV is if nothing else a good alternative to buying new merchandise.
Bill said:
Jun 12, 09 at 10:13 amI’m the Donation Center Manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada. We have a relationship with SAVERS here in Reno and Sparks Nevada… they have two stores here which we deliver to and share with another non-profit; Friends of Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
From a charity’s standpoint, the relationship we have with SAVERS is incredibly valuable and definitely worthwhile.
When I hear people compare SAVERS/Value Village to Goodwill and they think Goodwill is somehow more legitimately serving the community than SAVERS; I think that’s just NUTS!
Goodwill is a non-profit BUSINESS who’s mission is to provide jobs… that’s basically it. It’s a grand mission, but it’s not one that Goodwill has exclusive rights to. In fact; SAVERS provides just about the same number of jobs (store for store) as Goodwill.
Plus each of their non-profit partners provide jobs in their Donation Centers which (by supplying SAVERS with our donated goods) also produces substantial, much needed revenue that goes directly to support our mission; to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with measurable impact.
The revenue we earn through our relationship with SAVERS has allowed us to increase the number of children we serve in Northern Nevada and we thank God for their support.
Janky said:
Jun 26, 09 at 3:37 pmIn my Opinion, although Value Village and Savers do not “hide” the fact the they a a for-profit privately owned company, it’s not exactly clear to most consumers that this is so. Has the company always been this way or was it originally designed as a non-profit/ charity organization?
As well, I’ve known family members and friends who’ve worked in value village locations and I’ve heard some distrubing local, possibly corporate practices that take place in Value Village Stores.
First, they’re known for hiring immigrant workers and teenagers who have facial piercings or looked at as “outcasts” who probably wouldn’t be able to get jobs elsewhere because of language barriers and their appearance. This is done because workers like these just “want a job” and don’t care about the corporate practices of the company. Workers who are more likely to revolt against some of the corporate practices or voice their opinions are not wanted in stores like Value village. a friend of mine was actually told she could either quit or leave because she did not agree with the practices of the company.
this brings me to my next point. they’re whole “weight and donate” campaign they have going on is sort of sketchy. My friend was specifically told not to weight furniture, tvs, or any other “heavy” items and to only weight clothes. in addition, she was told NOT to weigh 3 bins a day just so they wouldn’t have to pay as much to the charities they have affiliations with.
I’ve also heard multiple experiences of abuse and poor work conditions from people that I know personally who’ve worked there. In fact, as I write this message a former Value Village associate is sitting beside me.
Overall, I don’t think this is a very well ran company and Jeff, you’re pathetic attempt to back them up isn’t really working. I’m going to have to refrain from shopping @ value village and stick to second hand stores that are actually charitable and don’t just “front” like they are.
Oh, I almost forgot. Another thing that value village has done recently is raise their prices. Why you might ask? well since thrift shopping has become popular amongst higher class individuals, value just figures that they can capitalize on that. Now, as very business minded person I understand why value village would run their establishment this way but they obviuosly have forgotten that their customer avatar is not the middle class sophmore, it’s the lower class single mother with multiple children on welfare.
Anyways, these are just my opinions, some are second hand facts from former value village employees but, even if they lied or exaggerated about those stories, the lie had to stem from some sort of truth which obviously wasn’t good.
Fay said:
Jul 18, 09 at 8:26 amI am appalled. I was wondering why the managers were acting like the bottom lined mattered, so I came on the web to find out if Value Village was for a non-profit organization. This needs to get out. Alot of people are donating thinking they are doing a good deed for the poor thru a non-profit organization. People are shopping there, thinking that they are not only getting a good deal but that their money is going to a good charity. Value Village is taking buisness away from the real organizations like Salvation Army, and MAKING MONEY FOR SOME INVESTMENT BANKER IN THE U.S. This is a case for the Fifth Estate to expose to all of Canada!
faxless payday advance said:
Aug 17, 09 at 8:39 amI am not a huge lover of the saver marts at all. I guess it makes me feel weird to buy clothing that use to be someone elses. I understand people sometimes cant afford nice new clothes which is fine, but those places are just not for me.
Mega said:
Aug 19, 09 at 1:07 pmI was about to donate some clothes after cleaning up my closet at home, and decided to do a little research against the wal-mart claims. I was neither surprised nor shocked to learn that the claim was bogus, however it isn’t news to me that VV is for profit. Look at the place. Look at the prices. Use your heads…
It’s just another giant corporation trying to make riches off the poor.
Gloria said:
Aug 21, 09 at 8:03 pmI had heard this about the VV I Never shop there unless a must. Salvation Army gives all donation money to Alcoholic Rehabilitation as far as I know and also to its many , many , outreaches in the communities. As the above people stated, check out who and what your giving to. I heard not totally sure but when different organizations call for example, diabetic ass. etc and ask if you would leave boxes of clothes or donations out and they will pick them up, they sale your donations to these sort of organizations. Good stuff to know …lets not make corporations rich any longer
LeoN said:
Aug 22, 09 at 3:29 amI’m not surprised that VV is for profit. It’s easier for the small charity groups to have an outlet for their donations. Some of the SPCA thrift stores are privately owned too and a percentage is paid to them each year. Apparently they don’t want to bother with running their own store.
Jeff Smails brought up the transparency issue and I think some numbers would give us a better idea of how our donations work. How much $ do non-profits get for each weight unit of clothing? How much do they get for heavy items such as furniture? A previous post mentioned that furniture was not weighed. If this is the case, how many % of the sale price is given to charity?
Jan said:
Aug 23, 09 at 1:04 amI use to be a regular shopper at the Value Village in my town. I am friends with several of the girls that work there. I tried to get a job there due to loss of mine. I was told by the manager that due to the fact i spend money there they would rather not hire me. I also was told since I used to have an ebay account I cant work there either.
After some digging and asking questions, here is what I found. Most of the heavy furniture items are not weighed ..so no money goes anywhere form them. They hired a jeweler to price the jewelry and it is almost as much as new. Alot of the items are price so high they cost more then they did new.
I also found out that the manager of the store and of each department get LARGE! and bonuses 3x a year based on how much in sales they do.
Last week my son applied, him and his wife both looking for work and expecting a baby soon. One question was..is he my son. Guess what..he didnt get hired.
I will never shop there again. Money grabbing company. Goodwill will take the profits and train people for jobs, help people in need and not give their employees huge bonuses.
I have also been told that the major holders of the store are the Pepsi Company and several other large companies.
This is dont know about but someone somewhere is pocketing alot of money for self use.
Greed Village is the name they call it here now and loss of business is showing now.
Henderson NV said:
Aug 23, 09 at 8:53 pmBig corporations are big government. It’s that simple. They have special accounting rules that apply only to them. They pay little tax. So it should come as no suprise that they are fronts for charity. Most charity ends up in the hands of the administrators. It’s a sad reality. The best way to be charitible is not to give money, but to give of yourself in your local community where you can see the people actually benefit. One example. I know of a Childrens Hospital that solicits money for “the children”. Sounds like a great cause doesn’t it? Sure does. Except they also pay their retired CEO 5 million a year to not work.
Ashland MA Real Estate said:
Aug 30, 09 at 2:00 pmThe worst part of this story is the fact that most are oblivious to the fact that they are donating to a “for profit” when in fact they think they are donating to a charity. I am sure if more people knew this there would be a lot less goods being dropped off.
JD said:
Sep 12, 09 at 1:51 pmI see the VV dude has not responded to the FINAL question asked of him, LOL.
Jamie Larkin said:
Sep 14, 09 at 2:37 pmOh My Gosh! That is awful! I too thought Value Village was a not for profit organization like Salvation Army or something like that. The fact that they are taking these goods and selling them for a profit, and leading people to believe they are doing a good thing by giving their clothes and belongs to these people. Or wait, how does value village get their clothes? Are they donated or do they purchase them from people? If they are being donated then this scandel is big news because this store is getting merchandise for free that could have been donated to the Salvation Army or Goodwill and used to help people in need. Truly Appalling! That’s the last time I do any shopping at value village. It’s goodwill and salvation army for me from now on!
Jamie
Shopping Deals
fvvshopper said:
Sep 19, 09 at 12:47 amI too was shocked to learn that VV isn’t a non-for-profit store, I always thought it was. I used to go there all the time to purchase my bed linens for the entire household. I could buy single twin sheets for $1.99, pillowcases for .49 cents, and comforters for around $5.00 Great deals I thought. Just recently I dropped in to have a browse, and was utterly shocked at the price increases! Now those same sheets are priced at 4.99 each, pillowcases at $2.00-$3.00 each, and the real jaw dropper, comforters starting now at $24.99, and folks these are all used items, not new and in packaging. My dollars and donations are now going to the local Sally Ann stores, and other non-profit thrift stores. Shame on you Value Village!
Ben T said:
Sep 19, 09 at 6:47 pmHi, I am an employee and I am shocked at the claims leveled against the company, to say the least.
all of your items you donate are tracked, weighed and the charity is credited for. We do not weigh furniture. For one, it is impractical. How would you weigh a couch, a piano? These items are tracked separately, so the charity is still credited for them.
All of your clothes books, housewares etc, are all weighed, so the charity can be credited. Claiming that supervisors purposely instruct their employees to not weigh items is dishonest and I have never been instructed to do so.
As for the claim of purposely hiring degenerates, that is an extremely unfair claim. Everybody has to go through the same training process, and the same levels of expectations are expected of all team members, regardless.
If any of you actually have questions about how your local store is run, who your local stores support, simply ask the Store manager at your location. They would be happy to answer your questions.
Now as for this whole Fifth Estate needs to expose them.
What needs to be exposed? You can walk into any store, pick up an information pamphlet that outlines the companies core values. Last year alone, Savers/Value Village paid $117 million to local not for profit agencies. It is no secret the company is for profit.
One more thing, I highly doubt any Value Village or Savers store keeps a jeweler on staff, from a cost standpoint as well as it is typically done by a supervisor or a trained team member.
J Cooper said:
Oct 02, 09 at 9:43 pmI would bet that Jeff Smail did not clear his posting with the company’s VP of Marketing or the CEO, as he thinks he is big time.
Jeff Smail is a Director wannabe. He is actually at Regional manager level, however because he manages in Canada, they let he and his counterpart Sean Minnick utilize the Director title. In meetings he is in the Regional Manager group. He is pudgy, bald, buys his clothes at Value Village, and no one likes him, they only tolerate him. Even the CEO would like to replace him, but cannot locate a good prospect.
That being said, think of a regional manager at this 225 store company to be the equivalent of a district manager at Target.
Small time operation that wants to act big. Full of second string players, VP of HR is former Jo Ann Fabrics Regional Manager, Controller is formerly with bankrupt Wizard Stores. Think about that, their Controller was involved in a Bankrupt company.
Their latest marketing scheme is to label their drop off centers as “Community Donation Centers”, to make people think that it is not associated with the store, or at least more about the charity. They want to grow drop offs as opposed to charities doing the pick ups, because while they do pay the charities, they pay them much less per unit of measure.
Savers/TVI Inc/Value Village mission is honorable enough. Where they are less than ethical is within their own walls. The company is Private and 40% owned by Tom Ellison son of the founder Bill Ellison, and 40% owned by Freeman Spogli. The CEO is Ken Alterman. A former Pepsi Exec in the Northwest. Ken came on in 2003 and has made him and Tom a load of money at the first Event. An Event is where the last investors sell to the next - in this case Freeman Spogli.
This is where it gets iffy. Many of the promises made to Freeman Spogli is all smoke and mirrors. Assumptions that are not possible and when brought to certain people’s attention, let’s just say they are no longer there. As a Private company in an At Will State, it is easy to get rid of anyone who might upset the apple cart.
As a Private Company they do not have to follow Sarbanes Oxley Act and are very Anti-Union. There are many unethical things that they do, but in this world, with the banking crisis, foreclosures, health insurance company denials, they are more of the same, just at a smaller scale. The damage that they do is effects many fewer people and goes largely unnoticed.
Now that I have found this site I will publish truths about this company and many others as they are revealed.
Your community would be better served supporitng your local Goodwill or Salvation Army.
Aaron said:
Oct 19, 09 at 7:02 pmJcooper said, “They want to grow drop offs as opposed to charities doing the pick ups, because while they do pay the charities, they pay them much less per unit of measure.”
YOU DON’T HAVE THE ACCURATE TRUTH. Yes, the company pays less per pound for items brought to the store, rather than dropped off by the Charity. HOWEVER, THIS IS MORE BENEFICIAL FOR THE CHARITY.
HERE’s WHY: Charities have to pay their employees, pay for gas, pay for their own donation bins, pay for trucks, pay for advertising pamphlets, just so they can get donations to bring to the store. By the time all these costs are factored in, the company is making the same amount as the store pays them for the store dropped-off goods.
These items that the store gets directly is free money to the Charities. They don’t have to lift a finger for it! Both the Charity and Savers are working together to grow IN STORE drop offs so that the charity doesn’t have to spend as much time, if any, driving around, picking up donations, calling people, etc. Think how great it would be if the charities just collected money from Savers for nothing more than partnering with them! Then they could save all their overhead for the programs they run helping the community.
Furthermore, so much is resold that would have ended up in landfills.
Futhermore, things that can’t be sold are sent to overseas communities that need the items that they themselved cannot produce or procure. It is sold to the for PENNIES on the dollar.
Furthermore, there is NO SECRET about SAVERS being for profit. They don’t claim to be non profit, and all their literature says exactly what they are.
They are NOT owned by Wallmart, and have NO affiliations with ANY corporations such as Pepsi, or anyone.
Please, shop where you want to shop. But don’t sheepishly spread rumors. Don’t state things unless you know the facts. Thats how rumors start. The company is extremely beneficial towards the community, more so than Goodwill.
Many stores give a % of their PROFITS to a charity. SAVERS pays the charity BEFORE they sell the items. THIS MEANS THE CHARITY GETS PAID EVEN IF THE ITEMS DON’T SELL!
Don’t hesitate to email SAVERS or VALUE VILLAGE if you have any concerns, questions or confusion.
Just please don’t spread rumors.
Also, they hire many people, not just “pierced folk or immigrants”
I’ve seen stores with a myriad of employees, every race, color and genre.
Happy shopping!
Buy UGG Boots said:
Oct 31, 09 at 10:06 pmI’ve seen stores with a myriad of employees, every race, color and genre.
Happy shopping!
Antsygrl said:
Nov 06, 09 at 11:36 pmI work for one of the stores in the US and have for 12 years. I have a new District Manager who had an interesting comment the other day about our unique business model. He basically said, “We tell the charities pick up any and all stuff you can get, we will pay you for it sight unseen, then we will throw away anything not recyclable and pay the garbage bill, recycle half of what you give us, put the rest that we think is sellable on the floor, then take half of it back off when it doesn’t sell (we average a 50% sell-thru of our product) and recycle that.”
My particular store employs about 50 people (probably 90% are Full-Time with benefits like vacation, sick leave, medical, 401K, unheard of in Non-Profit thrift except for their supervisors and above). ALL TEAM MEMBERS are elegible for bonuses after a month and profit sharing after a year of service. We pay rent and have garbage and light bills like every other business. We send out a cargo-size container of recyclables each week to our recycling wharehouse. We sort through almost 10,000 pounds of cloth and 2,000 pounds of hard goods each weekday. Again, the charity gets paid irregardless of whether the stuff goes in the trash, gets recycled, or goes to the floor. AND the charities have contracts with us where they NEGOTIATE the payment for the product by weight, we don’t just tell them what we’ll pay them. We even employ several people found through our charity alliance at my store (it’s a charity for developmentally-delayed adults to assist them in being self-efficient).
I go to bed every night feeling good about the work I do and in knowing that we do benefit people in our community and the environment, irregardless that we are a for-profit business.
calvary chapel of monmouth county said:
Dec 13, 09 at 6:11 amDoes any one know how much per poung VV pays for clothing?
Thank You
calvary chapel of monmouth county said:
Dec 13, 09 at 6:12 amopps! I mean Does any one know how much PER POUND VV pays for clothing?
Marian said:
Dec 14, 09 at 3:53 pmI cannot believe that Value Village was a for profit Corp. I shop there quite often, and always thinking that is was supporting a local charity. I for one, and going to write to the editor of my town’s newspaper get the word out that all these donations of items (clothing,etc) that are free to the corporation is actually a profit making big bucks off the backs of what I thought was giving help to the poor. My God, we really do live in a country where the rich have their hands in everything.
Tina said:
Dec 17, 09 at 12:41 amI was a huge supporter of Value Village. Until I found out how they treat employees. My sister-in-law was an employee, was injured and now on long-term disability with the company. She has been waiting since Aug. 09 for them to straighten out her benefits so that she can get her medication. Now when she calls they either hang up or transfer her continuously or just leave her on hold for hours. She has submitted everything they’ve asked for, filled out every form they say they need etc..etc…Because it is an American company they use for employee benefits/healthcare, she feels powerless and at their mercy.
Hello Kitty store said:
Dec 19, 09 at 1:23 amInstead, it becomes free product for a for-profit company able to make a great mark-up.
zygor guide reviews said:
Dec 19, 09 at 1:35 amWith so many now hurting, it’s nice to know the dollars spent get passed along in a way they can have the most value.
Farmer Grover said:
Jan 14, 10 at 11:27 pmAs a former employee of a nonprofit that partnered with Savers/Value Village I can say that this particular nonprofit earned over $250,000 per year due to the model set up by Savers. Nonprofits’ greatest need is money, money which is turned into services for the community.
This organization would not be able to provide their services without these funds.
The Savers model is highly efficient and creates a true win win situation between the for profit and nonprofit world.
Jayson said:
Jan 18, 10 at 12:07 pmGoodwill makes millions of dollars each year as well. The safest bet that I know of is Salvation Army.
“In 2005, Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette (GICW), Goodwill’s Portland, Oregon branch, came under scrutiny due to executive compensation that the Oregon attorney general’s office concluded was “unreasonable”. President Michael Miller received $838,508 in pay and benefits for fiscal year 2004, which was reportedly out of line in comparison to other charity executives and placed him in the top one percent of American wage earners. After being confronted with the state’s findings, Miller agreed to a 24% reduction in pay, and GICW formed a new committee and policy for handling matters of employee compensation.” from Wikipedia
Former Savers Shopper said:
Jan 25, 10 at 10:01 amI’d be really interested to have them publish what those “negotiated rates per pound” they pay the non profits. I asked at a local charity and they said it was a few cents a pound. So, if you really want to make an impact with your donated used goods, go to Salvation Army and donate there. Also, savers really has jacked up their prices! Used Levis, with worn frayed bottoms for $15.99?? C’mon. You got this all for free! I wish someone would start a business model which accepted donations and the money went to charity, rather than to an investement firm.
Former Savers Shopper
Jon said:
Jan 26, 10 at 9:52 amJust a note about the comments left about Goodwill and their gobbling up the good stuff. While I cannot speak for the entire Goodwill organization as each district is completely seperate intity from each other, I can speak for my own northwest Washington district Goodwill. One of our most important policies is that employee’s are not allowed to purchase items that are donated until after thier shift is over, period. Not even on a break. No stashing or hiding anything is permitted. Our goal is simply to sell all donations to fund our job training and job placement side of the business. We don’t just provide jobs for retail workers, we provide jobs and job skills for people who would not be qualified to work anywhere else. The only reason we are in the retail business is to make money for the job placement and training side of the business. As a non-profit business, 100% of all money made after paying the rent, lights ect. goes directly to funding those programs.
Henderson NV Homes said:
Mar 03, 10 at 2:35 amWow, I never knew that. It’s actually amazing if you look at all the major corporations and look at what companies they own, you’ll be shocked by the darndest things. Actually I’m not surprised Wal-Mart doesn’t own more than that, but then again, why would they need to right?
Familys Forvacation said:
Mar 30, 10 at 12:13 amWell, obviously value village can not be owned by Walmart! Its got its own branches and i heard they are build up pretty fast too! they’ve got decent offers aswell. A great place to shop during this season thats for sure!
Barkos Collarso said:
Mar 30, 10 at 12:16 amValue village is definitely not owned by Wal-mart, I’m not really sure how people really got an idea like that! Wal-mart does not really own everything! I was wondering how Walmart could own value village previously.
milan said:
Apr 04, 10 at 9:52 pmI work at value village and it is most definitely not worth donating items and clothing there. I have heard that they pay 5 cents to the charities per pound of items donated from people straight to the stores and 7 cents per pound for the items from the charity itself. Its better to donate to the salvation army…
Nancy said:
Apr 25, 10 at 7:08 pmNow that an incorrect rumor about the Walmart connection is out there, it would be good to get all the facts together and not start new rumours.
For one: Value Village pays money to the charities regardless whether it is picked up at homes or is donated at the store.
This posting would have been more helpful if it had stated exactly what the charities receive for the goods they drop off. We can moan that it’s not much, but until we see the numbers, we don’t actually know. And we need to keep in mind that the charities are still driving those trucks around, so they must be earning some money from it, or they wouldn’t do it.
Personally, I don’t have a problem with a for-profit company running stores like this. For-profit doesn’t mean evil. As long as everything is fair, open, and reasonable, then I don’t care who is running the show.
Nonprofits are great, but they can be clunky and inefficient, and retail isn’t their strong suit.
Marnie said:
May 24, 10 at 3:09 pmI really do not care who owns/runs Value Village (VV). All that matters to me is that their product not be over priced. (A thrift store should be a place where a lower income person can afford things they can not buy in department stores.) A business is a business. They have always claimed that a portion is paid to charity. I always assumed that it was a small %. but shopped anyways,(because the prices matched my pocketbook)
When I started going to this store (when it first opened) I noticed things I needed/wanted at very reasonable prices.
What I have noticed over the years is: The prices have gone up to much. I have gone to the till to show a cashier that the VV sticker price is actually MORE than the original sticker price currently selling at a box store. YES! I wanted to buy a toy, the store price was $5.98 and VV had it priced at $7.99. The original sticker was hard to find but I found it. Another item, a Dolarama item. had a sticker on the bottom of a vase, this is before they became $1plus and VV’s price was $1.49. Or a womans XXL t-shirt is $7.99, well on sale new at Additionelle I got a new one for $9.99 minus all the stains and a rip. (Most shirts are not like new at all!)
Introduction of Non-used items. This has caused me to not shop there. Halloween is one thing, but now the store has more new stuff and I hate it. It is a thrift store, not a Wal*mart. Let me shop elsewhere for new.
I wish more people would donate to the goodwill or Sally Ann. At my Sally Ann I have noticed that there are a lot of persons with disabilities. I agree with everyone being able to work and encourage this. The prices are much more reasonable but there is less available due to people donating to VV thinking that it is for non-profit. My mom has diabetes and I feel great that VV helps them, but I would rather shop goodwill/Sally Ann.
It is sad that VV has to charge so much for their items. I don’t know who all they are helping, but when they had lower prices they WERE helping my family and myself. I can not afford to shop there anymore. This is NOT the meaning of THRIFT. — The characteristic of using a minimum of something (especially money).
Value village employee said:
Jun 08, 10 at 9:28 amYou guys have absolutely no idea whatsoever about what Value Village is all about. If it makes you feel better to sit around the campfire and tell little rumors and stupid ‘facts’ about a thrift store that I’ve been employed with for almost two years- then so be it. But I’ve read all these comments and only seen two things that were correct. As for the abuse parts, maybe you need to remember that ALL companies deal with this, not just ours. Get your heads out of your asses people.. really. I could go on however, I do have to leave for work in a few minutes… I now have the companies comedy for the day however, good imaginations children!
John the Baptist said:
Jun 09, 10 at 8:12 amThe VV dude answered some questions fairly directly. Kudos to him. He broke code as VV managers are instructed NOT to share information on the internet, with the public, etc. But the key question - how much goes to charities, how is it distributed, etc. remains UNANSWERED….
Frankly, its a pittance! You donate $300 worth of clothing to VV, the charity might see a buck or two. OK, Mr. Value Village Manager - PROVE ME WRONG!!!
Ant said:
Jun 09, 10 at 10:53 pmEveryone keeps asking the same questions, How much money does Value village pay the charities. I f this is so important to you, why dont you ask the charaties themselves. They will tell you they are very happy working with Value Village, and if it was not for them they would have to find other ways of finding money. Everyone has the wrong focus here, Why do charities sell the items to Value Village in the first place? Why, because they are not retailers and focus on whet they need to do, Their charity. People have a choice, if they want to shop at value village or not, just the same as if you want to support acharity or not. If people were to put there hands in there pockets and hand the money directly to the charity, they would not need to try and collect used items from people and sell them to alue village for money. Get real people,
Christina said:
Jun 20, 10 at 1:58 pmI also work for value Village in Canada and there are many happy people and charities that come into our store considering we pay so much per pound even if you get nothing but crap. I have sorted like 9000 pounds of goods where maybe less then half was bailed for recycling now VV dosnt get to see that item I think everyone has there own opion but I think that saying negetaive dosnt help anyone.,
mark5 said:
Jul 01, 10 at 3:49 pmDo not donate to Value Village!
It ‘basically’ works like this:
Canadian Diabetes (CDA) (CDA = non profit) collects donations. Donations and ’sold’ to Value Village (VV) (VV = for profit). It may be based on weight, I know at one point it was volume. And finally, Value Village sells donated items to consumer.
With me so far? You already figured that out? Well here’s something you didn’t know!:
CDA is owned and operated (o/o) by the same people that o/o VV. CDA collects the ‘donated money’ from VV, and puts it into legit & non-legit research / publications that benefit the shareholders. The organizations the do the research, publications, etc that receive the money from CDA are also o/o by the same people. Obviously, if you know how for-profit & non-profits operate, and you own 1 of each, and the operations of 1 affect the other, you can understand it is very easy to ‘fudge’ with the numbers, so the for-profit takes the losses, the non-profit makes the gains, and the investors get a ton of money and pay a fraction of the taxes they actually should be.
Its a scam for investors. Plain and simple. I tried to give you the ‘really short & simple’ version.
Obviously, besides CDA, some other local non-profits may get a few bucks thrown their way. It makes it a little less obvious, and gets them that much more of a tax break, so why not?
These people arent complete amatuers, so you wont find a solid paper trail, but google some names, and you’ll see the obvious connections. Many times people have friends, neighbours, etc help them out with inventing a dummy corp, so it’s hard to figure out. Or they’ll use an close cousin or in-law with a different last name, so it’s hard to figure out. But look at the owners and investors, see what else they ‘own’, look who’s on the board of directors at the places that receive research $ from CDA, and end up getting huge ‘administration fees’, and do a lot of ‘business-related travelling’ to Hawaii and Australia 10 times a year.
Donate to Salvation Army if you must, it’s the lesser evil.
And know this… IF YOU ARE DONATING ANYTHING OF VALUE, it will be the victim of ‘internal theft’. This is not condoned, encouraged, or accepted by VV. But it happens. A LOT! First off, the delivery drivers can go through anything they want in the back of the truck. If its small and looks valuable, it wont make it to the store. If it makes it to the store, the ‘pricers’ will take it, if it gets past them, any other associate might snag it.
But this isn’t some inside scam, it just happens, and like I said, happens A LOT!
Anyways, thats it for now, if anyone is thinking of tracking my IP and getting me for slander or something like that, here’s my disclaimer: non of what I have said is true, I made it up, I love making up BS and putting it on the interweb, it makes me feel like a big shot.
TOp Gear Rules said:
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Coimbrasoft said:
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Pillow Pets Promo Code said:
Jul 06, 10 at 4:02 pmI have shopped at Value Village and Walmart for years. I never thought of the possible link between the two. Thanks for doing my homework for me.
Joeand said:
Jul 28, 10 at 2:13 amValue Village or Savers depending on what location your in has been of of the best thrift stores to shop in for years now.. Other thrift store chains claim to help the community but simply place all their donated items on sites as ebay or amazon and pass the profits to the store managers. In the pacific NW going to a thrift store such as a goodwill or Salvation Army used to be a blast, now it is a rummage through garbage. Value Village has held great customer service and top notch product in their stores.. The company hires handicap people (my cousin is one of them) to help with job training skills and people relations. Goodwill aka Greedwill has lost their non-profit status, sells a majority of their DONATED items on ebay and amazon but still does nothing for the community, but is first to have their hand out. At least Value Village does give back to organizations in need. I do know people that have worked at goodwills, villages and st vincent’s and they all say hands down the villages are the way to go… just look up the president of the northwest goodwills last years take home was over a million dollars ?? There Strive program in this area is set up to teach people to work and geet people job skills.. 17 people completed the program last year but that is where all the money from the stores went to.. Red flags should be up with that one.. Salvation Army is a great name and has done great things for the community but the thrift store chains are a joke. They will get a donation in, and walk the item out to their car right in front of you with no care in the world.. Now St. Vincent was just given the ok to sell their items on the internet so guess what,, those stores now look like a baron waisteland.. People might not like that Value Village/Savers does make money off donations, but they do help the community and do not resell all their donated items on the internet which is why I will still shop and donate there..
Shkoder said:
Jul 30, 10 at 2:48 amFirst of all thank you for sharing your story with us!
I also used to work to one the goodwill stores, that year my father past a way, so I remember I donated his wheelchair, and they refuse to give me a donation form because I worked there, and I am prety sure so many customers did not got that form, and I believe that give the store manager opportunity to abduct money from the register, and not mention all those donations used to come in, she had a side room, where she will bring few bags at the time out, but she always used to stay at the room, and all the employees where wondering what she was doing there, I am pretty sure she was going through all those bags before they come out, and if you see her hands was full of golden rings, and her neck full of golden nickles. it must be nice to have all those thinks for free, where the rest of employees getting pay minimum wage, and we had to pay full price for any item we bought.
Welcome To Greedy world
The rich get richer
and the poor get poorer.
chris said:
Aug 27, 10 at 6:46 pmF*cking OBAMA, made a sh*tload off his book. He’s a greedy creep.