In a viral TikTok video, a Salvation Army customer called out the second-hand retailer for what she considered to be exorbitant pricing on fake luxury items.
In the video, user @msfili is seen filming inside of her local Salvation Army. She’s holding up a black belt that she says is wildly overpriced.
“Salvation Army has the audacity to be charging $250 for a fake Louis Vuitton belt. There’s not even any label, there’s no marking, there’s nothing. Disgusting,” @msfili says in the clip.
A worker is seen standing in the background, obviously within earshot of the TikToker’s pricing complaint.
Her video has garnered nearly 400,000 views and about 220 comments as of Tuesday morning.
“How is Salvation Army charging $250 for a fake louis vuitton belt?” the caption read.
@msfili How is Salvation Army charging $250 for a fake louis vuitton belt? #thriftstore #thrift #fyp #thrifted #thriftfinds #foryoupage #summermashup #luxury #gamingskills ♬ The Lost Soul Down – TT – NBSPLV
This is not the first time thrift stores have come under fire for their pricing. In recent years, popular secondhand shops like Goodwill and the Salvation Army have been criticized for upping their prices to the point that the very people that most need to shop there are now being priced out of what was intended to be cheap and affordable clothes, shoes, books, and home items.
Yahoo Finance recently reported that there might be several factors influencing the noted rise in cost, including rising operations costs and an increase in thrifting’s popularity, especially among environmentally conscious people, driving prices up alongside the demand.
The Daily Dot previously covered another thrift store shopper who called out Goodwill for their pricing, pointing out that they were selling used men’s pajama pants that “some man’s balls” and “farts” have already been in for $8. She added that items are donated for free, so it’s unfair for the retailer to place such a markup on the items.
In another video, the chain was called out for charging $500 for a fur coat.
Commenters agreed that thrift store pricing has gotten too expensive.
“They should have someone or the government regulating the prices they are out of control,” a top comment read.
“I saw a dress priced at $25 still with original tags that was $20,” a person shared.
“I would just take it without paying,” another wrote.
In a comment reply, @msfili said she doesn’t even point out the issues to employees anymore. “Honestly don’t give an eff I’ve let them know multiple times and they get an attitude,” she wrote.
The Daily Dot reached out to @msfili and Salvation Army for comment via email.
