If you are in Edmonton and looking for a new thrift store, then Plato’s Closet might be a place that you want to try. It is good news that the city has a second thrift store from the Alberta franchise. The second-hand store is located in Strathcona Town Center. There have been Plato’s Closet reviews from others that tempted us to visit the store. Finally, we set a date to experience the store, and guess what? Can’t resist saying that it was actually a worthy try.
The store is open all seven days a week. The store hours are from 10 in the morning to 9 in the evening, except on Sundays. The store opens at 11 in the morning and closes at 6 in the evening on Sundays.
Plato’s Closet is known for maintaining the cycle of sustainable fashion. The second-hand product store has more than 5,000 outlets in the United States of America at various locations.
What Is Plato’s Closet?
Plato’s Closet is basically a thrift store that buys and sells gently used clothes, shoes, and other accessories. This is a two-way bridge, as the thrifters can have great products and the other party can recycle the items that they no longer need, wear, or use and get paid for giving them to Plato’s.
In order to sell your used products to Plato’s, a pre-booked appointment is not necessary. This could be done every single day of every single month according to the giver’s choice, time, and comfort.
The store accepts and buys all styles of clothes and other mentioned products throughout the year without regard to seasons or trends. Plato’s Closet is a potentially growing name in the particular area, and the location of every single store is separately owned by different individuals and is run by business owners from the locality itself.
This is assumed to serve both the givers and the users, as they get a good feeling about shopping small.
The products are categorized into sections for easier selection. The products in each particular section are further ordered according to their size.
The store as a whole is budget friendly and includes budget-friendly aisles to satisfy the needs of the buyer. There are sections devoted to men and women, as well as unisex sections.
Plato’s Closet: Selection and Pricing Of The Items
Kinds Of Products And Brands Available
Plato’s Closet has body suits, dresses, jeans, long sleeves, pants, rompers, short sleeves, shorts, skirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, tanks, and t-shirts in the clothing section. In the accessories section, there is a range of belts, bracelets, clutches, handbags, hats, necklaces, rings, scarves, and sunglasses.
The footwear section, it has athletic shoes, boots, casual wear, flats, flip-flops, heels, sandals, and wedges. It has heavy winter coats, jackets, winter coats, winter accessories, and winter scarves in the section that is dedicated to outerwear.
The thrift store has an exclusive section for men named the “guys’ section,” and it features products such as athletic wear, t-shirts, tanks, sweatshirts, sweaters, shorts, short sleeves, long sleeves, pants, jeans, jackets, coats, casual shoes, athletic shoes, and accessories such as hats, caps, sunglasses, waist wrap bags, and fanny packs for men.
There is an entire section dedicated to satisfying athletic and workout needs. The section going by the name “athletic wear” has a wide range of leggings, jackets, joggers, long sleeves, short sleeves, shorts, sports bras, sweatshirts, tanks, yoga pants, running tracks, and workout clothes.
The usual pattern that we follow at a thrift store is to start the hunt in the clothing section, pick out the clothes that go on the try-on list, then move on to the shoe section, pick matching shoes that go with the dress, and then directly aim at the fitting room to try them together.
The popular brands include Adidas, Nike, Levi’s, H&M, Jordans, Converse, American Eagle, Pink by Victoria’s Secret, and Urban Outfitters. The other brands are
Abercrombie & Fitch, Asos Curve, BDG, Billabong, Birkenstock, Bke, Brandy Melville, Champion, Cach,
Dr. Martens, Fabletics, Forever 21, Free People, Guess, Gym Shark, Hollister, La Hearts, Lululemon, Obey, PacSun, Patagonia, Rebecca Minkoff, Sperrys, Top Shop, Torrid, Tory Burch, Uggs, Under Armour, Vans, Wild Fable, and Wilfred.
Product Pricing
Many Plato’s Closet reviews online say that the prices for used clothes at the store are high, but from what we’ve seen, the store has a huge selection of trendy designer styles as well as everyday basics for 70% less than the prices at the mall. The teens who visit the store to thrift shop seem extremely happy as they can get products for a much cheaper rate.
An approximation could be: costing around $17.60 for 4 items, including long sleeve t-shirts, tank tops, shirts, and pants.
Customer Service
A difference that we were able to experience at Plato’s was that the sales staff takes an extra step to be more helpful to the customer.
The sales staff are friendly, plus they will gather your chosen items and arrange them in a fitting room, and meanwhile, you can still shop.
One mandatory rule that is put into practice at the store is in the fitting room. It is actively demonstrated by employing separate fitting room attendants who make sure that all customers are allowed to try only six items at a time.
Also Read: Famous Footwear Credit Card Review
When there is a situation to try more than six items, a customer would have to select six items first, then get out of the fitting room, then go in again with their next item, even if they have only seven items.
Another difference that we noticed while at the store was that, compared to usual thrift stores, the sales staff at Plato’s do a kind of sorting process. The result of this was that the wallets and brand name bags were placed behind the counter, and in addition, they were organized by label.
This is generally an activity that the thrifter gets ready their mind for when they enter the store. This could be viewed as an impressive gesture from the store’s side by some shoppers while some others might find it as killing the impulse of the chase.
The store owner said that they would accept women’s and men’s clothing, shoes, and accessories, although they do not take watches, sunglasses, or any undergarments.
Athletic bras are an exception. There are assigned aisles for workout gear and hoodies with multiple choices. This could be advantageous to gym rats and workout freaks. Blazers were scarcely present.
The products and items that don’t get purchased would end up as a contribution to the community. Such products would be assigned for donation to the Youth Emergency Shelter and the Bissell Center.
As we mentioned earlier in this Plato’s Closet Review, Plato’s was perfectly organized, with racks and shelves of sorted merchandise. The buyer doesn’t have to waste time in this process. Aisles of unorganized products are a nightmare for die-hard thrifters. The thrift store might be especially good for beginner thrifters or those who hate thrifting and might find the idea of thrifting as uninteresting and tedious as sniffing through the racks for endless and low-quality products. The products are not stained, faded, or worn out.
The store could be described as a one-stop shop to keep updated with the current fashion drip.
The sales associates are highly friendly and ready to assist any customer. Their practice of carrying the chosen products to the fitting room while we selected other products was so impressive. The sorting procedure that they employ has its own pluses and minuses but is worth mentioning.
The staff also makes sure that the buyers only come across clean and gently used dresses and other products.
Both high and low brands are available in the store. Copies, including the first, second, and others, could be obtained from the store.
What Makes Plato’s Closet Unique From Other Thrift Stores?
One thing by which Plato’s Closet stands apart from other stores is that when you are in other stores and if you are following a dress first, shoes next pattern, then you gotta have hawk eyes to pick out the shoes.
But in Plato’s Closet, these two sections are interwoven in such a way that they are two in one. The clothes are hung on hangers in separate rows according to the type of dress, and the shoes are placed above each respective row in the order of their sizes.
This tends to be easy for those who have limited time to spend at thrift stores. Also, at the same time, there can be people who might prefer a section-wise shopping experience that has exclusive sections for each item.
Many of the clothes are refundable. An exception to this category is swimwear.
Another feature that distinguished the store in Plato’s Closet Review was that there was a separate section for free-size clothes. Thrift stores usually do not get along on good or friendly terms with people who can only fit into XL or XXL (extra large or extra large) sized clothes.
This section does not have much selection and is still waiting for people to bring in more clothes. Plus-sized clothing in a thrift store could really be a point adding merit.
Plato’s Closet Pros And Cons
Pros
The products displayed at the thrifting store are items that were in a show at the malls in the recent 12 – 18 months of time. Plato offers an inventory that constantly brings in the latest items and ever-changing assortments.
Plato’s Closet has sales going on every month, and there are also seasonal sales that observe the climate as well as celebrate holidays.
The location of the stores mentioned in Plato’s Closet Reviews is easy to drive to and arrive at as they have proper name tags and addresses that could be tracked with the global positioning system of your device or simply with Google Maps or any other mapping platform.
There is 2-hour street parking for the customers. There are also lots to pay for and park your private vehicles up the road. There was a good selection of men’s clothing for the same youth demographic.
The thrifter experience that you get at Plato’s Closet is made rich by the eye-cooling ambiance, the incredible displays, and the modest seller culture.
Cons
Plato’s Closet is not a spot where you can find vintage and antique pieces, but it is definitely a place to find ordinary and satisfying brands.
The selection seemed to have a tilt toward the choices of the youth. Although the thrift store does not have any sections or aisles for juniors. The absence of a kids-only section can be draining for parents and guardians who have toddlers.
The reason for this is that kids would not find anything interesting and entertaining and might start arguing and crying. How many of us can tolerate or put up with noisy kids when we are in the middle of a product hunt?
Plato’s Closet has a variety of consumer ratings that range from 1.95 stars to 85 reviews, indicating that many customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Consumers in their complaints about Plato’s Closet, consumers frequently mention the condition of products, customer service, and name-brand problems.
Shopper Choices
If you carry a shopping bag with you, you can opt out of getting the post-purchase shopping bag. This choice would make you eligible for another discount and would be an add-on to your already existing points.
In this Plato’s Closet Review, we would like to suggest that on visiting the store the first time you can feed in your contact number. So that the next time when you are in the store, after purchase you can type in your number when you are checking out at the register.
This would help you see how many points you have and to apply these points to your purchase to get a nice discount.
Final Take
After going through the review, what do you think?
Does this serve as a wake-up call for the shop freak in you?! Or do you think it does not have anything in particular?
There are multiple features that make the store stand out from others. Although it has reported downsides when it comes to kids, a few quality issues, and product comparisons, We suggest that Plato’s Closet is definitely a thrift store that you should try. Nothing can go wrong when visiting the store.
