American Cancer Society Discovery Shop - Los Gatos, California

Madalyn

Lovely store, but prices could use some adjustment

I absolutely adore this store and the wonderful volunteers who dedicate their time here. However, I want to echo what other reviews have mentioned about the pricing being out of touch with the current resale market.

Here are a few examples:

• A Halston Heritage dress (designed for department stores like Dillard’s) was listed at $100, yet similar dresses are $40 at most on eBay.
• A three-piece St. John set priced at $500—not particularly special—while similar sets are around $150 at other Discovery Shops (e.g., Menlo Park and Palo Alto).
• Three 1980s Escada jackets were priced at $300 each. Even at 75% off ($75 each), this is still steep when compared to sold prices on platforms like The RealReal or eBay.
• A Bebe San Francisco metallic suit listed for $150 also felt high for its market value.

I deeply appreciate the shop, its donors, and the community it fosters. However, I feel that some pricing decisions might be based on nostalgic department store standards rather than today’s resale reality. For example, a boxy polyester Valentino dress from 1985, even new with tags, isn’t going to attract many buyers at $300—it’s still NWT on the rack 40 years later for a reason.

This feedback comes with much love and great admiration for the shop’s mission and efforts.

Warm regards,
Madalyn

Thang V.

Went thrift shopping today, started at Happy Dragon and had a wonderful experience, the staff was very friendly and helpful, decided to go to Discovery to hopefully find something nice and help support a good cause. I was confronted by a lady who immediately profiled me. I enter the store carrying a 5 inch man bag, I noticed immediately she was eyeing me which made me uncomfortable. I took it upon myself to confront her, I told her, she could hold my bag while I shopped if she was uncomfortable with me carrying my bag. Astonishingly she told me she was glad I acknowledged her discomfort with my bag, at which time she giggled and told me I could hold on to my bag and continue shopping as long as I behaved. I was left flabbergasted. The next thing she does is scream at a coworker that she needed help, at which time I had had enough and left.

R R.

I visited the Discovery shop for the first time today with my family and I was very disappointed and disheartened by the lack of customer service. The store is clean which is why I rated 2 stars and the prices were surprisingly high for items that shouldn’t have been for sale (Salvatore Ferragamo shoes for $70 that were very worn). There are other lovely treasures to find in wonderful condition.

The customer service is the sole reason why I’ll never return. I have always had wonderful shopping experiences in Los Gatos and this is the first time I’ve ever encountered such terrible customer service at any establishment in the city. Since it was my first visit, I walked around and was enjoying viewing all the products for sale and when I approached the back of the store, there was an open door. I was unsure if the items were extra donations so I looked around and saw a sign that said “happy” above the door so I was unsure if it was an area for children so I commented to my Mom, “hmmm, I wonder if there are extra goodies to look at in the back.” An associate (tall, slender, salt & pepper hair) immediately walked up quickly and said, “oh no you can’t cross the line here” while pointing at the floor. So I replied, “oh sorry I didn’t know I just saw the happy sign - no problem.” I turned around to continue shopping and suddenly I heard a loud slam & it was the associate who slammed the door. I was shocked. I didn’t believe my response was rude, I never entered the room, and since it was my first time shopping there I sincerely didn’t know that area wasn’t open to the public. There wasn’t one sign indicating you couldn’t enter except on the door which was wide open so I couldn’t see it when I initially saw the room. I approached the associate at the counter and she told me to wait & started speaking to another customer. Once she was ready I told her she didn’t have to be passive aggressive and slam the door, this was my first time at the store. This associate had the nerve to tell me, “well I don’t recall.” There is nothing more infuriating then to have someone blatantly lie. I told her I wasn’t seeking an apology I just wanted to let her know it wasn’t necessary. She was very snarky and I told her she didn’t have to speak to me that way and she proceeded to say, “well you don’t want me to apologize and you don’t want me to be sarcastic so I’ll just sit here.” I will never return to this store and it makes me so sad that anyone working at a store that supports such a wonderful cause would think that that behavior and attitude is ok. I may not be a millionaire who was ready and willing to buy out the store, but all people deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. If she no longer enjoys working/volunteering at that location, perhaps she should do something different with her time.

Jöne P.

I stumbled upon this shop by accident and found some amazing gems! Beautiful black dress that fit like a glove (fantastic sale price!), and some fun costume jewellery. I also had really welcoming and interesting conversations with the ladies in the store. Loved my experience here!

Patrice W.

I think this Discovery shop is wonderful and has a great selection of clothes, art, and various nice things for the home. Sometimes the prices are high but overall I think you can find some great catches. I have always found the people friendly and the manager Rita is a gem and gives me honest feedback which I appreciate. go and check it out and support a great cause

C

Most of the stuff there is kind of dated and overpriced but there are occasionally good finds

TheTruthOfLies

I am writing this review as a reminder of life and the nature of this business. I lost my mother in October and due to good reason was only able to go through her clothing and belongings as of today to have it donated. We called ahead many times informing them of the situation (as this is tough to do).

We had a lot of stuff to donate, it was about 9 trash bags full of NICE clothing. Michael Koors, Calvin Klein and many other great brands for quality clothing. But on the outside, it looks like 9 trash bags of stuff.

In the store, I heard customers/management joking that someone must have died for all this stuff to be donated. I would also have expected better attitudes from the store workers as a few seemed bothered by the sheer volume.

Let me remind you, I could have gone through all of this and sold 1/4 and made some easy money for myself and family. We chose to have it donated to a good cause.

So the next time someone is donating a lot of stuff, think what might have caused them to be in this situation in the first place before assuming.

I’m writing this to be courteous enough to the store and it’s workers as a valuable life lesson. Most would write a 1 Star and not teach in the process.

Brendan L.

I came to donate some new and almost new clothes, and the reception I got was unfriendly and less than welcoming. I was asked if I had an appointment which I did not because I did not know one was necessary.
I will donate my clothes elsewhere, I was not looking in any way for gratitude, just a normal pleasant reception.