The Salvation Army Thrift Store in Canada is currently struggling with declining donations.
“The situation is critical as this is the first time we are experiencing a shortfall in donations at this time of year,” said Ted Troughton, Managing Director of The Salvation Army Thrift Store. “Our teams are having to be creative and modify the store layouts to accommodate the scarcity of products and prevent empty shelves.”
As the cost-of-living continues to rise, The Salvation Army Thrift Store has observed a concerning trend that is putting a strain on its ability to serve local communities across Canada. While more people are turning to their local Thrift store in search of affordable options, gently used donations of clothing and household items have seen a significant drop.
“Right now what we’re experiencing is an increase in sales, transactions. More and more people coming to the stores and trying to find a way to make their dollar go further based on a lot of reasons,” said Troughton.
“We’ve come out of COVID now we’ve gone into economic impact and rising prices. What’s happening is people are coming in and everything we need to do is we need donations to keep our stores full and fresh and ready to be shopped. That’s really what we’re seeing. We’re seeing that increased activity and the need for more donations.”
He said the Salvation Army is experiencing this right across the country in all of its stores.
“For most people, clothing is an easy one. It’s right there in your closet. It’s those household items, those small appliances, home decor, that stuff is maybe tucked a little bit away and those are the things we’re really seeing people are looking for,” added Troughton.
“And as we roll into the winter season, we’ve got season change coming up now we’re going to get into winter gear and back to school. Parents are going to be coming out shopping for their kids for clothes.”
The Salvation Army Thrift Store (National Recycling Operations) is a non-profit organization and the only national division of The Salvation Army. Through its 96 Thrift Stores across Canada, the organization offers savings on gently used clothing, textiles, and household items while generating funds to support local Salvation Army programs, services, and emergency relief efforts. As one of the country’s largest textile collectors and a leader in textile diversion in the charitable sector, The Salvation Army Thrift Store diverted over 87 million pounds of items from landfills from April 2022-23.
Troughton said one of the big contributors to the lack of donations is people taking the time to sell their items online.
“That is having an impact. We completely understand that there’s people who need those $5 and $10. They can add up and help themselves make it through to pay for more expensive gas, pay for the (increased) interest rates on their mortgages and their rents,” he said.
According to the 2023 PayPal’s Resale Renaissance Report, half of Canadians (50 per cent) say they have found reselling their unwanted items is a good supplement to their primary income.
Another factor is the amount of refugees coming into Canada from different parts of the world including Ukraine. Many of those refugees are recipients of clothing and household items directly from organizations assisting them such as churches.
“In these challenging times, we acknowledge the hardships many individuals face. However, it’s important to remember that when Canadians choose to donate to our Thrift Stores, they’re making a profound impact on the lives of our neighbors in need,” said Troughton.
Donations are the lifeblood of The Salvation Army Thrift Store, enabling the organization to provide essential items at affordable prices to individuals and families facing economic challenges while generating funds to support crucial Salvation Army programs and services including foodbanks, shelters for people experiencing homelessness, modern slavery and human trafficking prevention, addictions rehabilitation and emergency disaster services throughout the country.
The organization is urgently appealing for nationwide support from individuals, communities, and businesses to bridge the gap in much-needed donations. They are seeking both public donations and business inventory contributions, with a particular focus on everyday household items like kitchenware, home decor, housewares, ceramics, and small appliances.
“The Salvation Army Thrift Store remains steadfast in its commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of Canadians in need, but we cannot do it alone,” said Troughton. “If each Canadian household donated two bags or boxes of items they no longer need or want, it would definitely help us replenish our shelves and strengthen our ability to serve those who depend on us the most.”
Troughton said we’re going to continue to see the rise of new people coming into the stores for a few reasons – the cost of living overall for Canadians.
While other second hand stores (nonprofit,for profit and small business/locally owned thrift shops ) because we legitimately live in a consumer society full of fast fashion and trends…..people are still donating….just don’t think they are choosing to donate to Salvation Army.
It’s because of the hours. You don’t have standard business hours for donations compared to VV. People usually work until 5pm… Like I see alot of people donating to VV at 7-8 after they get off work probs go home and eat and than have time to drop stuff off
Think about when people are moving or cleaning and adjust to their schedule or have a donation box.
If homeless or low income people take some things from the box thats okay. It’s supposed to be going to help them anyways and you’ll still get the reminder to sell and it’s free
I have tried donating to my local Salvation Army but they are not accepting donations. I have been giving my donations to another organization because of this.
I was surprised that the Salvation Army prices were so high, for people that were in need.
Walmart had new clothes cheaper then what was on the S A racks.
I asked about bringing in some donations, and was informed to take pictures for them to see before I bring anything in.
If people were able to connect with the outcomes of their donations then donations would soar. The Salvation Army does a great job of helping those in need but an absolutely terrible job of being transparent with the public regarding their colaborative role in helping this to happen. In most retail organizations heads would be rolling and new managers hired. Inspiring people to donate to an organization that is so accountable for every penny and able to have such a profound impact on communities across Canada would be a dream job for any competent marketing company.
People are donating items for free to groups in their area. The chosen recipient picks up the item at a pre-arranged date & time.
I used to buy lots of clothing from the Thrift stores. Once you did away with the change rooms, I stopped shopping there.
I have a lot of stuff I want to get rid of but I don’t have a way of getting it to store. Are there pickup trucks?
This is really sad because the Salvation Army was always one of the best organizations to donate too. I will make it a point to gather up my old clothes and drop it off there this week and anything else that I can think to donate.
It would be great if Maple Ridge BC had a Salvation Army thrift store. We used to always have on Lougheed Hwy in Maple Ridge but it shut down years ago and never turned up anywhere else. It’s a shame because lots of people shopped in there.
I agree CB, no change rooms to try things on and then no refunds only store credit. I’d like to make sure they fit or be able to take my money and go elsewhere to find what I need. Sad cause I like supporting the SA.
It is harder to make donations to the Salvation Army here in Ottawa because they stopped their after-hours donation bins. So since I can no longer donate 24/7 to them, therefore I donate to organizations that do still have big collection bins. The issue here is access.
Hmmm I see the opposite in Nova Scotia, we had the trunk and backseat completely full of clothes and kids toys and tried to donate to Foodbank, salvation army, value village and actually drove over 150kms to find a foodbank that would take it but had to leave outside on ground because they were so full and would be a while for them to make room. I thought we were going to have to throw out perfectly good items.
I love shopping at salvation army but yes I have noticed prices are high . The clothing does go on sale after 4 weeks but then half price. Why not keep the items lower in price and have the items go out the door faster . Keep the inventory flowing. Once word gets out that prices are cheap more will shop and I bet more will donate because they will see salvation army is trying 💜