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September 2024 by Gerardine Montebon
I recently visited the Mariners Church Thrift Store with high expectations, but my experience was tainted by an unfortunate incident at the checkout. A customer ahead of me was wrongly accused of stealing, and the cashier, a blonde woman with a rather bossy demeanor, handled the situation poorly.
The customer’s payment hadn’t gone through, seemingly due to an honest mistake as she didn’t realize she had to enter her PIN. Instead of addressing the issue with kindness and understanding, the cashier loudly announced, “That lady didn’t pay,” repeatedly, which was completely unnecessary and humiliating for the customer. She also repeatedly stated, “She’s going to have to live with that,” further adding to the public shaming.
Another customer informed the lady that her payment hadn’t gone through, and she returned to the store to rectify the situation and pay for her purchase. It was clear she was still learning how to use Apple Pay correctly. Unfortunately, the cashier continued to be rude, complaining about having to cancel the previous transaction and ring it up again. She even told the customer that next time she needs to wait until the transaction is confirmed, instead of offering help or guidance in a supportive manner. The entire interaction felt unnecessarily condescending and unkind.
I regret not speaking up in the moment—I was too shocked and disappointed by what I was witnessing. For a place associated with a church that is supposed to embody the values of kindness, grace, and community, this behavior was deeply unsettling. Those representing the church should be more welcoming and practice what they preach, especially when interacting with the public. I hope that future interactions at the thrift store reflect the values of the community it represents.
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August 2024 by Robert Lee
Great place to fill my house
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March 2024 by Oliva Lozada
Terrible attention, the racist cashier snatched my clothes in such a rude way and said it wasn't the price when there were many products in the line with that same value. I never go back.
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March 2024 by Jackie Lee McClement
Attended Women's Bible Study & was SO enriched by the leader Heatherly! Eloquent, educated & VERY well versed in her presentation.
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November 2023 by Nora Ashley
i went today- they weren’t open and had a sign out back that said “no donations accepted at this time” with a ton of stuff behind it. in the past they have let me look through that stuff and take what I need because it’s extra - they don’t need it and don’t have space for it. But today someone came out and yelled at me for looking through… really shows how greedy they are. also if someone is looking through free stuff, it’s probably because they’re in need. with all of the recent renovations, it’s clear they have plenty of money and wouldn’t risk closing by being the least bit generous.
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October 2023 by Kimberly Wright
I have been a faithful customer to this store for over 5+ years. My elderly mother and I have come every week since it moved locations to the lower campus. Today, she was in the boutique section of the store and you are not allowed to bring in merchandise from the general area in there so she parked her shopping cart outside as everyone does when they enter the boutique section.While she was shopping, one of the workers went into her cart and started grabbing her selections and proclaiming that they were named brand and should have been priced higher and thus took the pieces out of the cart to reprice them. I was in complete shock. When I approached her about it, she said, " I don't know how you got these but they're worth more so they belong in here and I'll get another price for them." She then went to speak with a manager and came back tell me the children's $3 shoes were now $10.The embarrassment and offensiveness of the incident was abhorrent. In the pursuit of an additional $7, she was willing to humiliate 2 long time, regular customers and cause a scene like we had done something illegal. This is the epitome of stepping over dollars to pick up dimes.This is faith based ministry and I have been a Mariner's church parishioner for 13 years so it has always felt very fulfilling to spend money in the thrift store here as I know where the proceeds go and I enjoy supporting my home church. We regularly donate here and today was no exception. We had just dropped off a bag of donations after waiting 45 minutes in line to get in and this happened about 3 minutes subsequent to that.I have always loved my church and was particularly proud that we have a thrift store that generates an immense amount of revenue that is donated to multiple ministries worldwide. However after today, I cannot tolerate this type of treatment from any establishment. Can you imagine this happening at any retail store that an item is priced incorrectly so an employee would pick through your cart and reprice it in your face? This ludicrous behavior is unacceptable regardless of whether or not this person is a volunteer. There are SERIOUS training/ personnel issues that need to be addressed here and there are far too many other thrift shops and Christian churches in Orange County for me to ever subject my mother nor myself to this type of treatment. I hope the $7 was worth it to sever a long time relationship between my family, the church and the thousands of dollars I have spent and would have continued to spend at this store.
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July 2023 by Zackary Liu
The people who work there were GREAT. I was just shopping around getting some bread at the farmers market.I stopped by the thrift store and there was a kind old lady that works there offered me some free bread that was “freshly baked” she said that she saw me riding my electric scooter and gave me a reusable bag to go with it! What an awesome store the prices are more cheap than most thrift stores and this is the one I like the most. I live across the street and this store is a super relevant place to go thrifting. I would give it a 10\5 if I could.
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April 2023 by Psycho B.
Donations accepted with a warm smile and assistance with large or heavy items. Would recommend donating here - especially higher end items instead of dealing with the hassles of reselling online. Support your community!
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February 2023 by Vanessa P.
Clean and priced reasonably. All Bibles are free and Christian books under $2.00. They close early:/
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January 2023 by Gloria B.
For many years, Mariners Church Thrift Store used to stand by their items they sold. If something didn't work when you took it home, they would take it back. Last Saturday We bought a spice rack for $5 that we later found to be missing main pieces and made the item useless. We took it back today and they wouldn't accept it saying "all sales are final." The purchase is listed in their system on my phone number. The manager in charge insulted us saying "how do I know you bought it here." That's very trusting. We supported their center donating and purchasing from them. We were volunteer workers and used to make sure things worked and counted pieces To make sure the item was complete. What she could have done was give us a credit if they want to keep the $5. They can look up my number and see that we have supported them for over eight years. I would even bring my clients donations here. Not recommend but actually pick up and drop off for them. Don't buy anything that you'll have to take back (electronics, puzzles, pieces you have to assemble. It's too bad her attitude and insult lost a family that supported their center over a $5 item.
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January 2023 by Cathy H.
What a disappointment. A lot of crummy clothing and junk. Overcrowded with rude and pushy customers.
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January 2023 by Audrey H.
People truly do line up outside at 9 Very organized & the staff seems friendly enough. I wish they had longer hours. I recommend coming on Saturday, to hit the farmer's market
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October 2022 by Wassup V.
I was disappointed with the people in this shop, before I even entered I was discriminated and was told to leave, the lady "shooed" me away like a wild animal or a dog. I'm a construction worker, working in the area. I feel that I was kicked out due to racist discrimination! I would put 0 stars but that isn't an option.
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October 2022 by Nataliia Oliinyk
Nice store. Almost all volunteers are great! But most new collections come on Thursday, and every Thursday two people, when store just opens first two minutes take all new arrival shoes (10-20 pairs).It would be better to distribute goods equally every day , so that some people don't take advantage and the store is not as crowded as on Thursday. Thank you!
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October 2022 by Irene Y.
**September Visit: Saturday Morning**Not sure if this is the norm but everything was $5 unless marked (in the designer section). On this trip I scored some knee high black boots, a Emilio Pucci dress, belt, jean jacket and a soft long sleeve tee made from that sweat-proof athletic wear for $25. There wasn't a dressing room that I could see, but there were two floor length mirrors in the store if you wanted to put them over your clothes to try out. I think overall the quality of items are pretty good and depending on what you're looking for they have a pretty good medium sized selection. Enjoy!
