If you’re a seasoned Canadian thrifter, you’ve probably visited Value Village several times and spotted a Dollarama item or two on the shelves.
The secondhand chain has 300+ stores in the US and Canada, and for years, Canadians have found some great deals there. But lately, things aren’t looking as good as they once were.
In recent years, hundreds of shoppers have taken to the internet to discuss bizarre, gross, or overpriced items being sold at Value Village and share photos of their finds.
One shopper spotted a kitty litter storage box at Value Village with the contents of its former user’s bowels still inside. Another saw a dirty, unwashed set of plastic dishes selling for $10. Many have spoken out about half-used toiletries and unhygienic cosmetic products being sold at the thrift store for absurd prices.
Thrifters have created online communities, both local and national, on social media platforms to air their grievances. One such community is the 10,000-member Facebook group Value Village Ripoffs and Obscene Price Hikes.
A running theme across this Value Village group and many similar ones is shoppers finding used Dollarama items priced higher than new ones. The items often still have the Dollarama price tag, making things look even worse.
Last month, group member Andrea Chekmar, based in Kanata, Ontario, found a popular Dollarama plate selling for $7.99, more than double its original price.
This particular crockery line has become a recognizable item in the last few years, earning the nickname “ethnically ambiguous bowl from Dollarama” on the internet.
Andrea Chekmar/Facebook
“Despicable greed,” commenter Gayle Sherman wrote.
Ontarian Cindy Dulay, who was shopping at Value Village on Seniors Day earlier this month, shared photos of a Toronto Maple Leafs trash can “with rust inside.”
The can had a $2 Dollarama price tag, but the Value Village tag read “$4.99.”
Cindy Dulay/Facebook
Sadly, this wasn’t even the worst part of Dulay’s visit. She also located a non-Dollarama onion chopper with onions still inside it. We’ll spare you the visual in this post, but you can see it here.
Donna Pirie from Brandon, Manitoba, shared photos of a skincare product originally sold at Dollarama for $4. Value Village doubled that and tagged it as $7.99.
“Seriously pathetic,” she wrote. “[Value Village] doubles Dollarama price on a used item.”
Donna Pirie/Facebook
Gerry Wilkinson, a verified Value Village employee in the group who often answers people’s questions, commented on the post, saying the chain’s price-marking workers handle “about 3,000 items a day.”
“It’s fast-paced. I’ve missed stuff too, especially when the sticker like this is in a place you don’t expect it. It happens; we’re human,” he wrote.
Gillian Foster from Toronto also shared photos of Value Village charging $3.99 for a used $3 Dollarama cup.
He added that he and his friend play a game where the person who finds a Value Village item with a Dollarama sticker still on it wins.
“That’s the rules of the game,” he said. “Today, I won.”
Gillian Foster/Facebook
“How many ‘little mistakes’ can one company make?” Scott Somerville, who created the Value Village Ripoffs and Obscene Price Hikes groups, asked in the comments.
Wilkinson responded, “I can guarantee you that every single person in this group would miss a dollar-store item like this if you worked at the speed we do. You all are not as special as you think you are.”
Shoppers aren’t the only ones noticing and taking issue with this pricing.
Earlier in the summer, an anonymous post from someone claiming to be a current Value Village employee discussed the chain’s pricing practices.
“Value Village 100% does a horrible amount of price-gouging,” they wrote. “There have been MANY times when I’ve found items with a Dollarama price tag on them, and then the VV price was 2x or higher.”
Have you found any odd or marked-up items at your local Value Village? Let us know in the comments or email us at [email protected].