Gentle reader, One thing you should understand about me: thrifting is in my DNA. The drive to reduce/reuse/recycle and the love of a great bargain were instilled in me at a very young age. Understanding this, of course I made a hard right into the parking lot of Community Aid when I was driving past. I had time. It looked decent. I am me. Parking was plentiful and free in their large shared lot. I headed in, got a cart, and surveyed the space. First impression: Well organized. Clean. Easy to navigate. Cool. Devin impression: good quality thrift at very good prices. Generally they understand what they have and generally I saw them loving their mission to aid the local community. How? Well, not pricing a donated item stupid high. Prices were very fair. I found a few lovely things, my favorite being a circa late 80s Anne Klein belt that I am almost certain is identical to one I loved as a teen. Yay! Staff were friendly and accessible. I would totally go back again next time I'm in the area. read more

CommunityAid - Racks of clothes - Thrift Stores Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Huge selection of second hand clothing, housewares, and other useful accessories. Also a great place to donate your unwanted items. Excellent way to recycle everything. read more

Love coming g home and checking community aid out. I havent found decently priced thrift stores in VA sonits always nice to stop by here when I visit. Can always find a cool bad shirt or something here. read more

CommunityAid - Thrift Stores Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

A nice, large selection of thrifted items. The men's section was a decent size, which is uncommon in my experience. I found about 4 items for $13. Not bad. It is still cheaper than shopping for brand new clothing, and don't forget, better for the environment. The pricing - from what I saw - was also cheaper than Philly Goodwill locations. I will definitely return! read more

CommunityAid - Thrift Stores Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Don't shop here if you have facial piercings or tattoos. They imminently deem you a "low life." Heard it discussed straight from management. SHAME. read more

I was so happy walking into this thrift store. I felt like a kid in a candy store! It's huge, clean, and very well organized. The staff is friendly and helpful. You may notice a long line while your there, but don't be discouraged because it moves very quickly. To assist the cashiers they like you to take your hangers off and hang them on the racks provided while your in line waiting. This is a great idea because it cuts down on your time spent in line. When I go thrifting I also either look at the signage or ask the cashier what sales do they have this week or day. Community Aid has 50% off ( everything accept white tags) for students and teachers with id and all yellow tags were $1! Yaasss! My daughter and I found so many wonderful spring and summer things for toddler girls and they had a wonderful plus size section which were able to pick up several items for someone in need. If you are into Zara clothing they have a huge selection of Zara brand new with tags to include jewelry. FYI, Zara items are never on sale, but the prices are good from $9.99 to $39.99. If you are familiar with Zara you know these prices are great. As I was looking at the Zara items I notice some of them are damaged. This could include broken zippers, small tears, or holes. Make sure you thoroughly look at each item you plan on purchasing. If I were you I would try it on to make sure everything is good. Some imperfections you may be willing to work with or repair, while others may not be worth your time. Overall most of the items I saw were in good condition. When in Lancaster I will definitely be back to visit Community Aid. Don't sleep on this place if you're a thrifter. read more

CommunityAid - Great values - Thrift Stores Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Great place for thrift shopping. It is massive yet neat and organized. Very easy flow around their store. Plus in buying from them, you know your dollars are going to support others. They have higher label items displayed behind the counter as well as in glass display cabinets- just ask and they are more then happy to allow you to view them personally. Wonderful customer service! read more

The best part of this store is it's mission to help the community by providing affordable shopping, creating jobs and supporting local non-profit organizations. Shopping here gives you a sense of happiness, in that you're supporting those around you. This location, like all that I have visited, is very large and well organized. The employees are approachable and friendly. Today, I was only dropping off my donations at the drive through, along with many others. The line moved expeditiously and the employee assigned to the outside was able to multitask yet make you feel as if you were priority number one. The only downside is that with the pandemic, the bins have been removed necessitating a trip to the store. Completely understandable and still easy and convenient. read more

Hands down the BEST, largest and cleanest most organized thrift store around! Something for everyone. Prices are cheaper than Goodwill! The pants are hung in a most convenient way as you'll see in the pictures...hung so you can easily see the label information. Good vibes in this place. read more

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Love this thrift store! Well organized, decent prices, always a good find every time i go, whether it's clothes, home decor, small appliances. Their color coded deals throughout the week are great too! Wednesdays half off everything is such a steal. read more

The Community Aid Thrift Store has served notice to the Goodwill Stores of Lancaster County: they have stated loudly and clearly, "Citizens of Lancaster, there is another thrift store in town. This is the way you should do thrift!" So, my wife is a Goodwill connoisseur, so we know thrift stores. We know where to find the hidden stains, where the employees are going to be grouchy, and when the floors will be mopped. She did 12 Goodwill stores in one day to celebrate her 40th birthday, for Pete's sake...so yes, we do thrift...often, and well. Consider her the official Goodwill Fashionista...swathed in yesterday's styles at bargain prices! To boot, Community Aid is the real deal, and the Goodwill 200 yards away had better up their game. I will employ the nearly- nationalized standardized rating system for thrift stores for your benefit: 1. Selection: A-. I can't vouch for the women's selection, as I am a man who wears men's clothes, but suffice it to say that, in a store that rivals a K-Mart in square footage, 80% of this store is women's clothes. Yes, women, there is selection. I am more qualified to speak to the men's selection, which was exceptional in some areas, poor in others. Shorts were hurting; athletic wear was hurting; pants were adequate; long sleeve dress shirts and t-shirts were dizzying. Kid's selection was adequate as well. Housewares and small furniture were present and decent as well. The forte of this store, however, is clearly the woman's clothing. 2. Quality: B. Decent name brands present. This category obviously improves with the affluence of the area, and Lancaster seems to be on par. Wife scored names like Lands End and Banana Republic today. 3. Organization: A-. Pants were arranged by size- thank you- and secondly by color. Shirts were organized by color; men's dress shorts were also arranged by LS solids on one rack and LS patterns on another. Overall, pretty easy to locate what you are seeking. Good use of dividers and signage, as well as tags on each piece of clothing which indicates the size. 4. Store Condition: A. Wow, impressive size. The store is very well lit; nothing like getting home from a dingy store and discovering fluid stains hidden by poor lighting! The floors are clean, and not a piece of clothing was on the floor, draped over the rack, or in the wrong place. There are 8 or so changing rooms, which should be enough for most times throughout the week.Though a thrift store, this is clearly not a thrift building! 5. Employee Aura: A Employees were working, and seemed to be glad to be working. Refreshing to not see two employees hidden behind the men's underwear rack, complaining with angered scowls about when the manager scheduled them to work next. All employees were industrious, and the cashiers were affable as well. 6. Muzak: B. Lots of '80's hits, with a few annoying more modern songs as well. Worst of all was the "Community Aid Glee Choir" jingle, which was the absolute worst. I can't find it to post a link, but it is awful...we're talking Brady Bunch "sha nah nah-nah nah nah nah, sha-nah na nah nahh" merged with happy messages about community helping community. Clearly the most bizarre part about today's visit. The best part of this store is indeed it's mission, to help the community. Wednesday is family day; everything is 50% off. From what I understand, it is complete chaos, and the changing rooms are closed (according to a friend)...not sure if this is true or not. Monday is "hero" day; any community workers (fire, police, teachers, military) recieve 50% off with ID; Friday night is student night with college ID's, and there is a senior night as well, but I'm not sure when that is. This is an admirable mission...truly helping to outfit the community! Additional Community Aid stores are located in Hanover, Selingsgrove, and one other location. My wife, I'm sure, will have me at all of them within 6 months. This is one of those places I hate to rave about on yelp, for fear it won't be so great when it's less of a secret. But in the meantime, this is a wonderful establishment that will give the Goodwills in town a run for their thrift dollar! read more

Disregard everything you think you know about thrift stores, well except for the exceptional prices. This is one of the cleanest, most organized thrift stores I've ever been to - and I've been to a lot! Whether you are a seasoned thrift shopper or someone just checking it out you are sure to leave with a bag of bargains. They run specials almost every day. Wednesday is half off everything in the store (except for the announced color) and it gets packed! But they are very efficient and have extra employees on hand so the line moves quickly. In fact there's staff everywhere. I dare you to find something out of place. The isles are wide and organized by size/category/color. It's easy to find exactly what you're looking for. While other stores may group all pants together for example they break it down - jeans (separated by size) leggings, sweatpants, dress pants, and the like. Each clothing catalog is like that and the selection is fantastic! I have yet to find anything stained or ripped as they must have a very good sorting process behind the scenes. Dressing rooms are plentiful, clean, and attended - a huge plus especially on half price days as they ensure the lines move quickly. The only negative is their furniture selection is very small as they limit their donations to small furniture pieces only. With that being said the linen and household departments have ample inventory. I totally furnished my rv with everything I needed from this one store over a period of 2 weeks for less than $75 for everything! A must visit for anyone starting out, redecorating, trying to cloth a family on a budget, or switching careers (they have a good selection of business attire and nursing uniforms). A ++++ read more

Every time I visit Lancaster I like to go thrifting because the stores a much calmer here and Community Aid is one of my go-to stores. It is well organized and the dressing room facilities are clean and bright. They also have big sales depending on the day of the week! read more

This is definitely the biggest thrift in the area, so it's a must-visit if you're into thrifting for good deals. That being said, the prices vary from ridiculously amazing to a bit steep for a thrift store. Hardcover books are a buck each - which is a great price. But then DVDs are about $4 each, which makes no sense for an outdated technology. I've seen similar looking bookshelves listed from $10 to $40 for no rhyme nor reason. The men's clothing seems to be fairly priced, but I'm unsure how well priced the ladies options are. Overall, you can find some seriously good deals here, and I would recommend going. read more

Love how clean and organized this store is. This is how all thrift stores should be! The staff is always very nice and helpful. Shopping here has the added bonus of helping your community. read more

You can easy spend a lot of hours in this place, it's huge. There are tons of options in every department and the options are mostly good. It's very organized and tidy so you'll easily find what you are looking for. They run specials during the week so it's best to check if you fall into any of the categories before you go so you can get things at a discount rate. Either way you won't break the bank. I've never had an issue with customer service but I can say the wait in line is usually long. I usually pass the time by browsing the dvds and cds next to the line. One thing I will mention is while the clothing is sorted by color it is not sorted by size so you will have to take time to check the tag or label. I haven't found a sweet time of day or I'd give that to you. Just plan to spend some time and not be in a rush and you'll be a.ok! read more

Decent amount of women's clothing to choose from, organized conveniently. Great deals for each day of the week.

Slightly above average. This isn't a bad thing, but this place is definitely not 5 stars. Clothes are slightly more expensive than Goodwill or Salvation Army, but they seem to be (for the most part) i'm better conditions. The above average rating is mostly for the cleanliness. Lighting is great, floors are clean, and dressing rooms are neat. The shoe racks are nicely set out and racks (for the most part) are not over crowded. read more

this is probably our 100th time here lol, we always find great deals today my wife got a cool pocket book/purse and I bought two huge picture frames a total of $11.99. read more

So remember, it's a thrift store. You aren't going to get a Rodeo Dr shopping experience and if you go on Wednesday, be prepared for long lines. So why 5 stars? I've gotten like new Vans for $4, cast iron Lodge skillet for $5, and enough American Eagle, Hollister, and Nike t-shirts at $2.00 each to dress a teenage boy for an entire school year. Yes, you have to look things over, but that's part of being a thrift store shopper. FYI.. This review works for the Mechanisburg and the Hanover stores as well. Of the three, Hanover is my favorite. read more

Great, clean thrift shop with big selection + all sizes! Prices are fantastic, seems they have discount days every day for certain groups of people so my dad (former navy) got 50% off all clothes for heroes day Monday! Only reason for 4 stars not 5 was because of the music... definitely a personal preference but it was loud Christian pop which drove me a little insane especially after spending about an hour looking through everything. If you're in the area this is definitely worth the visit! read more

GREAT prices and love going on Wednesdays for their 50% off deals! Their organization is top notch. I love the environment in this store - clean, uplifting and encouraging music, nice staff, etc. They really do a great job at having nice clothing and items. read more

Best thrift store EVER!!! Well organized, outstanding staff, and all monies go to local charities.

I had an unpleasant experience today because I really wanted an item, but they would not sell it to me. The item was not priced so it had to go back to the warehouse. I would have gladly paid whatever they asked. The supervisor was at lunch so nothing could be done. Poor management!! read more