As you know may or may not know, Clothes Mentor comes from the same parent company concept of Once…read moreUpon a Child, Plato's Closet, and New Uses. Customers can bring in new or gently used, brand name items (within for 2 to 3 years old) for a Clothes Mentor "Buyer" to evaluate whether they will accept the item and for the Clothes Mentor "Buyer" to provide a value they will offer you. The offer is "supposedly 30%" of what Clothes Mentor will turn around and sell the merchandise for. You have the option to accept or decline the full offer, or you may remove some items from your "buy" if you wish. In the end, the transaction is totally up to you.
As an avid consigner and donator, as well as adventuresome thrift shopper, estate sale shopper, and garage sell frequenter for the past 25 years, I fully appreciate what is offered at Clothes Mentor. In most instances, Clothes Mentor has made life easier for the owner of the items so you do not have to stand outside in the hot summer heat to have a garage sale and possibly sell your items for pennies on the dollar. Clothes Mentor has also eliminated the expenses associated with trying to sell your quality items on Ebay. And, Clothes Mentor has eliminated the concern of having to deal with strangers when selling items on Craigslist. On the other hand, Clothes Mentor has made things easier for the purchaser as well. Clothes Mentor has eliminated the average thrift, estate sale, and garage sale experience of feeling like you have spent all day sifting through "junk" in order to find one or two gems.
The major "Con" to the whole experience is as seller, you feel like Clothes Mentor is not truly giving you very much money for your very pricey, name-brand item(s). As the shopper, the major "Con" is you may feel like items are a little overpriced for "Resale."
Overall, I have loved stopping in Clothes Mentor whenever I drive past. It is a nice Women's Resale experience, in a clean and organized store. Items are separated by category and size. They even have a behind the counter display of designer catches, such as Ugg, Juicy Couture, Coach, Kate Spade, etc. You actually never know what you may find, and as with all other Resale or Thrift Stores, you really have to look over your items well to ensure there are no defects you will be unhappy with. There are women's jeans, tanks, short sleeve, and long sleeve shirts, as well as dress slacks, casual slacks, skirts, and jeans. Additionally, you can find accessories such as scarves, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings. Finally, there are designer and handbags and shoes. There is even a small maternity section.
There are typically reduced items, which have been marked with a colored sticker. You have to read the store signs or ask the sales associate for the color discounts at that time. And, every so often, there are special sale nights, as well as e-mail or text message promotions. So, it is a great idea to sign up for the notifications. Finally, there is a return policy for regular price clothing items (10 days), however you cannot return discounted items, any shoes or accessories.
Sales associates are typically very friendly and helpful. Many of the associates have learned names of the regular customers and they seem to present a "family atmosphere." There is great parking available, especially now that Plato's Closet moved to another location. Word of caution: There is no public restroom!