While browsing the goods at a Value Village store in Toronto, Evan Boyce spotted something he didn’t expect: A used vase for sale with a Value Village price tag of $8.99. Then he realized the original price tag was still on — and to buy it at a Dollarama store would have cost only $3.
“Three times what it would have cost brand new …It’s pretty ridiculous, right? Just kind of feels like a rip off to be honest,” said Boyce, a 30-year-old who works for a renewable energy company.
For years, many Canadians have relied on Value Village to buy used goods for cheaper than other retailers. It’s one of the biggest and most popular thrift store chains in the country. Now some customers are accusing the company of massive markups on their items.
The examples of questionable pricing at Value Village have been piling up for months. In Courtenay, B.C., one shopper found kids shoes priced at $6.49, while the original tag said $3. A used book at a store in Winnipeg was being sold for double what it would have cost at its previous retailer.
Every Value Village I’ve been to is either over priced or just picked over junk. There’s never anything worth buying. The overpriced stuff is all originally from Walmart or one of the Dollar stores and always priced well over the new retail price.
The same thing happens at Once Upon a Child. Kids clothes are all George (Walmart brand) and price at least 2x new.