Value Village was founded in 1954 in San Francisco, California, by William Ellison. The company operates a chain of second hand/thrift stores that donate part of the profits collected to various charities.
Known as Value Village in the Pacific Northwest and Savers in other parts of the country and in Canada, the company has approximately 315 locations and had annual revenue in 2012 of $1 billion.
Value Village asks for donations from the public, as well as receiving items from non-profit charities for resale. The company is not a charity, however, it is a for-profit business that donates a small portion of their profits to charity. Some states believe that the company is misleading people into thinking that most of the money they receive goes to charities.
Both Washington and Minnesota states have filed lawsuits against the company stating that their aggressive ad campaigns have misled the public into thinking their donated items would end up with charities receiving money, when, in some cases, charities received nothing in return, while others received only 5% from the sale of donated items.
In October 2020, some state regulators were cracking down on misleading thrift store operations.
In March 2022, a person posted on Tik Tok that prices were out of control when they discovered used Mason canning jars for $10 and $15 each.
Savers and Value Village is owned by Berkshire Partners and TGP Capital. Headquarters for the company remain in Bellevue, Washington.
Value Village was founded in 1954 in San Francisco, California, by William Ellison. The company operates a chain of second hand/thrift stores that donate part of the profits collected to various charities.
Known as Value Village in the Pacific Northwest and Savers in other parts of the country and in Canada, the company has approximately 315 locations and had annual revenue in 2012 of $1 billion.
History
Value Village asks for donations from the public, as well as receiving items from non-profit charities for resale. The company is not a charity, however, it is a for-profit business that donates a small portion of their profits to charity. Some states believe that the company is misleading people into thinking that most of the money they receive goes to charities.
Both Washington and Minnesota states have filed lawsuits against the company stating that their aggressive ad campaigns have misled the public into thinking their donated items would end up with charities receiving money, when, in some cases, charities received nothing in return, while others received only 5% from the sale of donated items.
In October 2020, some state regulators were cracking down on misleading thrift store operations.
In March 2022, a person posted on Tik Tok that prices were out of control when they discovered used Mason canning jars for $10 and $15 each.
Savers and Value Village is owned by Berkshire Partners and TGP Capital. Headquarters for the company remain in Bellevue, Washington.