I stopped by the AmVets thrift store on 3441 Sutherland St in San Diego and had a great experience. Everything in the bins is $3 per item, which is a solid deal I especially liked that they use half-size bins instead of deep bins -- it makes shopping easier, less overwhelming, and way more enjoyable. You can actually see what's in front of you without having to dig forever. I walked out with a large bag of finds, and the overall setup felt organized and efficient. For bins shopping, this location is absolutely worth checking out. Would definitely recommend and will be back read more

Amvets Thrift Store - Scored - Thrift Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

it sucks, this used to be my favorite thrift store in sd and now it's awful. there used to be racks of clothes and shelves of so many household items, now it's just blue bins with literal junk. prices are great, but as they should be. i miss the old layout :( read more

This used to be one of my favorite thrift stores to check out and see if I can score a cool find, but upon entering the store I noticed they completely changed the whole set up. I was told the new management thought it was a good idea to replace the racks with these fugly blue bins. The bins make it harder to look through the clothes and they are all jumbled up and not organized in anyway. You'll have dresses, jeans, sweaters, shirts in one bin when it used to be neatly organized by color and type of clothing. It does not make a pleasant shopping experience at all. Hate it! I would also like to add that there is less stock and the quality of clothing has gone down significantly! It's too bad this place was such a gem! read more

Amvets Thrift Store - Thrift Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Beyond disappointed in management's decision to take everything off the clothing racks and toss it into bins. I used to love this thrift store due to its size and organization. It was a good place to find a hidden gem, with reasonable prices to boot. Now all the clothes are tangled into massive balls that are difficult to sort through, and last time I was there I really didn't see anything worth all that effort. What I really don't understand is why the clothing couldn't be at least binned according to category, if even very broadly. Service is still friendly, but I don't anticipate returning to Amvets Thrift Store. read more

Laziest thrift store I have ever been to. Everything is thrown into big blue bins that you have to sort through. Which makes it impossible to do it your disabled like me. Incredibly disappointing. Unless you have hours to sort through bins, not worth the trip. read more

AS OF MAY 1st 2025 this store is now a "clearance center" the cashier said out of the 4 amvets stores in their SoCal district they chose the midway location to experiment & see how it would do like the "bin stores" that goodwill does. the prices are better but the selection is much much worse. this is no longer a place to search for good finds but more so where to go when you've got time to kill and want to dive through bins. read more

See all

I'm so sad to see that this store is putting clothing in bins now. It's really difficult to look through and not worth the time to do so. Based on some other reviews, I see that clothing will be sold at a set price and this will be a clearance center. So sad how much it's changed. I miss the furniture and household goods they used to sell too. We lost another good thrift store. read more

Amvets Thrift Store - Everything is in bins and hard to look through now. Update: photo from 5/2025. The bins are only a 1/4 of the way full now. - Thrift Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

This location is a shell of what it used to be. It now houses the things that didn't sell from other locations, just dumped into bins. Still great deals, just not much selection. read more

So very sad. This place used to be the best thrift store. Everything was organized and hung up by color /style/ men's/women's/children's. Walked in there today and there were big blue tubs with random stuff in each . Selection horrible, no organization or very little . Walked in and walked back out . They need to spend the money to pay workers to organize it like before . I will not return read more

This used to be one of my favorite spots to find kids clothing and other finds. Walked in today to find d the whole place changed. Now it's just a big room full of bins that you have to sift through. This idea is horrible and so disorganized. The bins hold various items that don't belong in the same category. Crossing this place off list of great thrift stores in the area. Very dissatisfied and will not return. read more

Amvets Thrift Store - No more organized clothing racks, just bins full of mismatched items. They aren't even that full so very low stock of items to choose from. - Thrift Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

This used to be my favourite thrift store in the county-until today. I don't want to give it even one star. The new "management " had all the racks for clothes and shelves for household items taken down and put it all in separate bins for patrons to go through and the employees would put more inventory in the bins hourly. Evidently the manager doesn't want to make the money this particular store always had. What idiot decided that clothes didn't look neat and orderly on clothes racks? The money Amvets makes IS FOR AMERICAN VETERANS. The federal government has given our vets double middle fingers, must the thrift store for American Veterans give a middle finger to the vets, too by killing the successful business model that brought in buckets of money from shoppers in the past?! SHAME ON THE MORONIC "NEW MANAGEMENT!!!! read more

This place used to be my favorite thrift store. Their selection was great and so well organized. I'm not sure who had the "brilliant" idea to toss everything in huge blue bins but it made for a horrible experience. I can safely say I'll never be back. read more

Love this location and the employees are super sweet. I dont mind digging for a treasure at a really good price!

This used to be a favorite stop for thrifting, they used to have so much in selection, for both clothing and housewares. My latest visit found me saddened by the all the bins. I'm not the only one, a couple of fellow shoppers felt the same way. Not even worth it to pick through, 5 mins I'll never get back resulted in a mix of kids clothes, dated dresses 3 sizes too big, and mens pants just all piled together, just junk. Won't be coming back, and from the conversation with a couple of fellow shoppers. I'm not the only one feeling this way. Sad. read more

Amvets Thrift Store - Bins, and only half full bins at that. - Thrift Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

This was one of the last decent thrift stores in San Diego but since they changed it to the bins it's awful now. I have no idea why they would do this knowing so many people don't have time to search through every bin for something their style and size. Not to mention the bins are so much dirtier than when they had racks, covered in bugs and weird substances. I used to be able to go straight to the women's section when I didn't have a lot of time and find stuff in my size but now I have to search for an hour in dirty bins !? I won't be going back anymore there's nothing of value here. read more

This use to be my favorite thrifting spot. They've changed everything to Blue Bins like the goodwill downtown. They did lower the prices of cloths to $3 an article but the inventory is lower and you have to rummaging to find anything. Maybe the more disappointed customers they'll change it back to racks? read more

This place must be going out of business. Been coming here for 30 years, today I find almost all the merchandise is gone, all the fixtures are stripped off the walls, and theres a bunch of mostly empty wheeled "clearance bins" in the middle of the building. If they lost their lease for another apt building to go here I guess it is what it is. However if not and management decided this would be a good idea to slash jobs and not have to organize and stock retail displays because that was too much trouble, well job well done. Soon it will be too much trouble to open the doors for the customers that arent coming, and you can stay in bed all day. read more

This was one of my favorite thrift stores, but they have changed it to be a discount outlet store. They got rid of all the clothing racks, and instead dump clothes into blue bins that you have to dig through. Most of the racks for knic knacks are gone. So sad! read more

Bins to rummage through, prices low, not the same as before. Staff friendly, well organized

A very solid option for thrifting in San Diego. Large selection of womens clothing and prices were the best compared to all the other thrift stores I visited on my trip to San Diego. I found lots of new with tags items and great plus size stuff too. Items are grouped by style and color ... not by size, so prepare to hunt for the treasures in your size. My only complaint is that some of the price tags are stapled right onto the clothing collar. You have to carefully remove them, and some still left a hole ... which is kind of a bummer. Staff is friendly, but there was a line to check out and only one clerk ringing people up. Parking lot is tight, but there is plenty of space to park on Pacific Highway frontage road. Neighborhood is pretty much industrial-ish/transitional and there is an unhoused encampment near by under an overpass by but I didn't have any issues coming and going. read more

All of their clothes are in plastic tubs now. Nothing is hanging or organized. It all looks like trash. This used to be one of my favorite thrifting stores. So sad. read more

Whoa, didn't think I was gonna be swept off my feet by AmVets but here we are! It looks a little sketch from the outside but this place was a treasure chest for clothes! Tons of selection of women's, mens and kids along with trinkets and books a plenty. I found great brands like J. Crew, Loft, Banana, Torrid and more at reasonable prices plus they had a tag of the day for 50%. We went about an hour before they closed so no issues checking out and not a lot of people there either. read more

Amvets Thrift Store - Thrift Stores Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

This used to be one of my favorite thrift stores in the area, but no longer. Apparently, the powers that be, who direct this organization, decided that turning this location into a clearance bin store would be a fiscally positive move. Personally, I am definitely not a fan of this setup, and judging from the most recent reviews, neither are most of their customers. Maybe I'm wrong, but this seems like the type of bad decision to throw this location into a death spiral. Time will tell. read more

Slow check out. You'll be in line a while. Only a couple people in queue & took forever. Bring your patience when ready to pay. Staff was nice. read more

See all

This store used to be absolutely filled to the brim with very well organized clothes. What a great selection it had. Now there are simply bins of clothes that are poorly organized. It's kind of depressing, I so miss the old layout. read more

Love the new clearance center of Amvets. First in San Diego Area. Great prices Employees are very friendly. They rotate those bins every 45 minutes or else. read more

Please bring back the racks and organizing of clothes as before loved this store so much before

Parking is terrible. Got a $100 parking ticket within 20 minutes. Crappy part of town and can't believe cops even patrol there. Inside, nothing organized by size, so browsing is a real chore., quite annoying. read more

This was once a wonderful source for adorable clothing and fun random things, the new format using large blue plastic tubs to throw items in for display is dehumanizing and depressing. Expect broken and damaged items if you venture into this store going forward. Truly a sad and unfortunate loss of a once vibrant and valued asset. Don't waste your time here. read more

I have been coming to this Amvets location for 15 years. I've gone to other Amvets in Southern California, but the Sutherland location always had the best selection. For the first time in those 15 years, there were parking spots available in the tiny parking lot AND on the street right out front. I don't think I've ever seen one of those spots open. Once I walked, I found out why. The racks had been replaced with bins. The selection has been drastically decreased and little organization. I am so disappointed. I really hope they decide that this clearance center is a failure and go back to normal. I'd much rather park down the block and have to fight others to rummage through racks than the pathetic store it has turned into into. read more

I struggle to even give this place one star, but it is the lowest possible rating that I can give. This used to be a great thrift store to browse through, with a lot of nice clothing and household items. The store has changed its sales model recently, and honestly it is a mess. All of the clothing that used to be on racks are now dumped in bins for shoppers to dig through. The quantity and quality are horrible now and the ease of shopping and browsing no longer exists. I would now say this this store ranks at the bottom of the barrel. read more

I used to love this place, keywords "used to". They must be under new management because the prices have skyrocketed. They're trying to price like goodwill while being dirty, disorganized, and selling clothes that are 85% stained or severely damaged. Best part? There's no changing rooms and precisely ONE mirror in the whole store. For example, books here used to be 85 cents- they're now at least 3.99. I haven't seen a dress worth purchasing in weeks that was under $10. Dirty shoes that are cracking and heavily worn? Easy $7. Not to mention all of the "good items" are behind the front area where you have to wait to be helped and can't even see what they are. Higher prices do not equate to more profit, it leads your customers to buying less and giving up on your store altogether- and that's exactly my recommendation. Do not shop here, it's no longer with it to sort the all the dirty, damaged items to find an (overpriced, likely damaged) gem. read more

I predict this store will close, for good, within the next few months, if not sooner. Big disappointment to find all displays and shelving gone and all merchandise thrown into giant bins. No thanks. There isn't enough sanitizer in the world to make me paw through all that stuff, just to find a tee shirt or whatever. Nothing interesting in this place anymore. And the books...good grief...why doesn't ANYONE understand how to care for, properly display, and ultimately SELL books? You can't just throw them all together in a watermelon crate and expect people to dig down three feet to look at them. Won't be back to this place. So sad. read more

Why the bins???? Please go back to hanging stuff up. I don't want to feel like I'm dumpster diving

OH NO. They have put everything in bins. No colour sorting , no hangers . Dreadful. Apparently they are going to sell clothes by the pound!!! So sad read more

As with most thrift stores, it's hit or miss. However, it's an anchor in my hunt for funky items, so I visit frequently. Therefore, please only purchase boring, generic items here and leave the odd, funky items for me. read more

like all the other reviews are saying, this place used to be great and now is just crappy bins, unorganized and still the same prices as a normal thrift store. definitely should go back to the way it was before. read more

Great, unique thrift finds for such a good price!!! You will literally get lost in there!

Decent selection of stuff especially women's clothing. Priced a little on the high side if you do not get it at 50% off. Parking sucks expect to pay the meter . My number one complaint is they have all the better electronics behind the registered and not well displayed at all. Good luck finding a employee to show you any of it. It's so not visible behind the counter it's difficult to tell what things are or even read the box labels . I collect cameras and it's really annoying that the cameras are not well displayed but they have in display in glass cases cheap jewelry and sunglasses . Pros Opens at 8am Good selection of stuff 50% off certain colored tags everyday. Cons Not having the good electronics on a better display . Not having employees to show you the electronics that are behind the counter Parking sucks At night when the place is closed the homeless kids jump the fence and steal a lot of the better donations and clothing that did not get brought in . read more

possibly my favorite thrift store in San Diego. They have daily deals, and I always find something I like. They're pretty organized even despite the huge inventory. Great selection for vintage finds and basics! read more