Society of St. Vincent de Paul Los Angeles Thrift Store

6 months ago Visited around 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, November 9th, hoping to make a small purchase and a donation — and left angry, disappointed, and frankly, disillusioned. The clerk almost seemed pleased to tell me, “Oh, no tag? Can’t sell it!” The manager followed up with a condescending “We just send it to the back for repricing.” No interest in helping, no curiosity, just pure dismissal. For a place supposedly rooted in charity and compassion, there wasn’t an ounce of either on display. I even filled out the feedback form on their website afterward — and surprise, no one ever replied. Which tells me the problem runs much deeper than a single bad experience. What stings most is that I took a chance on supporting an institution that, historically, hasn’t exactly stood with people like me. I wanted to believe this place might be different — inclusive, human, redeeming. Instead, it just reinforced every reason I stopped trusting these kinds of organizations in the first place. A donation-based store that can’t manage to sell to willing customers — or treat them with basic respect — doesn’t need my support. And it won’t get it again.