For those of you not familiar with Plato's Closet, it's a store that buys and sells gently used, brand name, clothing and accessories. Basically... you can clean out your closet and make some $$$. Cool, right? Hell-to-the-NO!
Yesterday, when I walked into their Minnetonka store, I never imagined that I would leave feeling hurt and offended. Out of everything that I handed them, they offered me a mere $12.11 for about 7 different items that initially cost me a total of more than $100. They "rejected" everything else, much of which had tags still on it. Not to mention- the lady at the counter (whom, BTW, was in her mid-40s, had a bad dye-job, and was not wearing a bra) handed the rest of the clothing back to me saying that they didn't "want" it in their store.
I am NEVER doing this again. Style is very personal to a woman. It seriously felt like a direct criticism.. as if they were saying, "We don't need you, or your clothes"... "You are not good enough for us".... "Your style sucks"..... "You and your things are worthless". Maybe I'm being a bit too sensitive, however, a business such as Plato's Closet would really benefit from a little more tact.... and AIR FRESHENER! I'm serious. I applied hand sanitizer 3x after I walked out of the store. It smelled like a wet dog in there... or a grimy, old penny covered in dog poo. Does anyone else notice the STINK in second-hand clothing stores????
Be right back while I go take another shower.
XOXO, Dylan
Ahh Platos Closet. I hate that place. I went there once and brought in brand new shoes that costed over 25 dollars and they gave me 3 dollars for them. Never agian will i sell my stuff to them. Though I have gotten some cheap jeans there that i do love. This post made me laugh. I loved it.
ReplyDeleteThank you! And i agree about their jeans! That store is alright if you're on the buying end... but forget about going back to sell them anything. What a terrible experience. Oh! And I was meeting a guy for a dinner date right after my trip to the store, and it was hard to snap out of that defensive mood I was in. Haha
ReplyDeleteI have been consignment store shopping for years...it's certainly not something you do for the aesthetic experience. But if you're patient and have a good eye, you can find some fantastic stuff, and save a lot of money! I personally love all the second-hand stores in Seattle. Something to consider: most of the really popular consignment stores choose clothing based on the season. For example, they're probably not going to accept a summery tube dress in December. That might explain your experience a little bit. That said...I HATE Plato's closet. Bad customer service, and bad selection (from my experiences at least).
ReplyDeleteFl has nice platos closets. Gotta love thirfting
DeleteGreat points! And I feel like good consignment stores can be hard to come by sometimes. Like a gem, they take some digging to find. And THANK YOU for understanding what I meant about Plato's Closet. I'm glad somebody gets it!
ReplyDeletehi.
ReplyDeletei just wanted to give a little insight into the secret world of why you dont get that much for your clothes.... i work at a platos closet where i try to be as friendly as possible, and i would never say we dont want something of yours in the store. that being said there are really specific guidelines to what we can and cant buy, including things that you purchased more than a year or two years ago. and yes, yous clothes do have date tags in them. of course the lady there was still really rude, but don't be personally offended if we don't take your stuff, if i buy something that i shouldn't have then my boss gets mad and her boss gets mad and the cycle of bureaucracy begins....sorry you had such a bad experience....
You have to understand that even if you plan on donating a pair of shoes that cost 25$, you shouldn't expect to get very much back because Plato's is going to sell the shoes for so much less because that is what they do. They do have guidelines as to what they accept for clothing and other things. It doesn't matter how nice you think your clothes are, if they don't reach the standards than don't get all angry. It's not their fault it is their job. It is better on the buying end when you just go in and shop because they have some great stuff in their and those clothes reach the standards, that is why they are such nice quality. You don't know the standards so you can't tell them that your clothes are good enough because they probably aren't based on the guidelines. You're over reacting and because of your anger you are insulting the store even worse than you would, if you even would if you had a good experience.
ReplyDeleteThey suck and eventually they will go out of business when enough customers that pay their paychecks stop coming because of their snooty attitudes.
ReplyDeleteThey suck and eventually they will go out of business they keep treating the consumer which keeps them paid like crap and giving them $2 for a pair of jeans then they sell them for $25. No one is saying that they should give 100 for a pair of jeans that was brought for 100 dollars but giving them 2 dollars does not make since either. I will take my clothes to another consignment shop that buys fairly and has better customer service. Because many of the girls at Plato's attitudes stink.
ReplyDeletethey stink
ReplyDeletePlato's closet is the most disgraceful place in the world. All of the people that work there judge you as soon as you walk in the door. Their eyes glare at you as you roam the isles. It is by far the most shady place I have ever been, they are rude and it makes me sick. I hate Plato's closet. DO NOT go there.
ReplyDeleteI just had similar experience. I was going to sell a small coach purse and a small Tommy purse. I am not an average sized person. I am somewhat overweight but I am stylish and dress well. When I walked in they glared me up and down and gave me dirty looks. One girl even whispered to the other about "not carrying my sizes and fat" I am a human being. When they looked at my purses (both authentic BTW) they tried to tell me they were fake. I know because I bought them at Dillards. The lady proceeded to say I needed the certificate for the Coach which I had and then still argued about it. I said screw this, I am selling them on EBAY now. As I was walking out they snickered. This place is trash. I would NEVER let anyone shop there!
ReplyDeleteYou Are SO Right, Plato's Closet Is A RIP OFF... It Smells Like Donkey S*** In There, And The Employes Are Rude. Some Of The Clothes There Looked So Bad That Even Goodwill Wouldn't Accept Them For Free. They Say That They Have The Top Name Brands But I Tried To Sell My Hollister, American Eagle, PacSun, Abercrombie & Fitch, & Miss Me Jeans And Cloths, Half Of It They Wouldn't Accept. I Paid About $300 In Total For What I Brought In And They Only Offered Me $25 For It I Was So Offened That I Asked For My Clothes Back And They Wouldn't Even Give Them Back. I Just Took The Money And The Rest Of My Clothes And Walked Away And Told My Friends Never To Go There In Your Life. And The Funny Thin About It Was That The People That Where In From Of Me Had Dirty Aeropostle And Target Clothes And They Took All Of There Stuff And Gave Them About $50 Dollars For It.
ReplyDeleteI own a Care deeply closet and I agree that was rude of the employee and def could have handled the situation more appropriatly. Im sorry you had a.negative experience however one location doesnt speak for them all. Im in NC and make it my #1 priority to satisfy my customers by putting myself in their shoes. Ive always lived by treating others the way I want to be treated. Southern hospitality I guess..every time someone from HQ in MN visits my store they are always so rude, and im the owner. So with thay being said I understand your frustration but try a different location. As I mentioned they are all independently owned and I think you would be pleasantly surprised..esp if you came to my NC location. Thanka for your input, its valiable information that I may in fact be able to contact someone who can reevaulate that location. Remember, keep an open mind..and who knows, it may be different the next time you go in if you decide to do so. Just a word of advice if I may..for expensive items you want a lot for, you would be better off consigning or putting on eBay, our system doesnt allow us to pay big bucks for designer items. Thats just how our business operates and how we are able to sell items at such low prices. Fyi I really like your site, Im only 25 so Im obsessed with Pinterest and found it by clicking on a picture I loved! Thanks for the valuable input, I will def see how I can inform HQ of some changes to look into(: good luck!
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