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January 2024 by Josh Guerrero
GENERAL MANAGER IS A BIGOT.I received a price for an item from general manager, Carlos Garcia, and paid for it at the register. I told the cashier how I was excited because my husband loves this type of antiques. I even took extra time to set up an account with them, entering my information into their system. Carlos was behind the register at the time and he immediately used his walkie talkie under the premise that they would take it to the back door for me to pick it up. He intervened as it was being loaded into my car to tell me that the item had been sold "two minutes" before I bought it. I parked again and went in. He refused to give me proof saying that "he" saw the other invoice and I should take his word for it. This was in front of cashier's..I asked them if they could reprint receipts and they said yes. He told me 3x he was trying to protect me? Being unwilling to show proof is the only reason I am writing this. It's not that he sold it but rather that he didn't want me to buy it. After reading other reviews, this is OBVIOUSLY not the first time he's done this. Bigot? Or someone who reserves furniture for his friends? You decide but either way it's disgusting and unethical.. I expected better from you, habitat for humanity.
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January 2024 by André Valderas
General manager, Carlos García , picks and chooses who he wants to sell furniture to. Literally paid for an item and Catlos claims someone paid for it before I did when his coworker charged me for it. He refused to let me see the receipts to show proof that the lady paid before me. Unethical business practices must be stopped. Hfh do better. Turning into the better business bureau and corporate so this can be investigated so this doesn't happen to others.Based on other reviews from Yelp/Google, my experience has happened to many customers. Could Carlos be illegally profiting , racially profiling or simply discriminating against customers with his pick or choose system. Well we are about to find out and so is corporate.
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November 2023 by Ben C.
Can't give this place a good review, unfortunately. I sent photos and information to them about a sleeper sofa in great condition. Instead of reading the detailed information about what it was (even including the type of mattress) and simply replying that they don't take sleeper sofas, they confirmed my pick up appointment and the drivers rejected it when they arrived. This caused me huge problems and was a waste of my time. I could have just given it away prior to the pickup date on any number of sites, like FB Marketplace or Craigslist.Just beware that the people doing this job on their end are not necessarily paying attention to the information you send and don't mind wasting your time.
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November 2023 by cowpunkability
Everyone is always in good mood at the 1st St. site. You can find great deals and yeah, sometimes prices can be high, so you just need to inspect stuff and remember what their mission is. And I’ve found that managers will make things work out with you if you chat with them and explain. But I’m not kidding, sometimes I just find an excuse to go there solely bc everyone puts me in a good mood. I’ve donated, bought and donated back again. Also of course, you do find that deal, like really really awesome deal, especially if it’s very heavy. And they get them don’t worry just don’t hesitate bc it really won’t be there the next day.
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November 2023 by aleman86
None of the items that I was interested in purchasing had a price tag. Walked out and didn't buy anything.
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October 2023 by David Fox
Tried to donate new drywall. Guy starts digging through my truck saying he wants the but not that. It was all quality building materials. None of it was bad. Most of it was brand new never used.
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October 2023 by Zy Terrill
Great place to get building and painting supplies, donate old material, and find some really interesting things
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October 2023 by Carly Mee
Love this place! Like how I can get name brand products which are mostly full at a fraction of the price and keeps the out of the land fill. Spray paint 100% full for less. As well as any other household item. Not just doors and nails here people check it out. Im sure you won't be disappointed and you WILL be back.UPDATE: Sept. 2023Sucks to read my review many years back and how this place has changed! I do not come here nearly as much mainly because the way the store is ran. Seems like you need to be a big contractor or be spending a good amount of money in here for anyone to even notice you or want to help you. Used to be friendly people always and you got a greeting when you walked in.What’s up with the prices? I understand the mission but not going to pay more for things I can get brand new, that’s just silly. Just today I was going to buy 6 basic light bulbs and the cashier didn’t know how much they were…seemed strange to me. They manager of the evening (I’m assuming) tells me $2 each. Really? I ask if they have all been tested. Nope but I can return them up to 7 days. I said $2 bucks each really? He says yep… told them I’m going to pass, I was hoping they were buck being that I don’t know if they work plus you have buckets and buckets full of them…manger jumps back over and with attitude says OK and swipes them off the counter. Never been done like that. Usually managers are willing to negotiate seen them do pretty much every time I’m here even has happened with one of my purchases in the past. I’m sure you get my point and we all have a point I get it! The place just is not the same and not a fun shopping experience anymore. I do appreciate the mission and will continue to support it, just not going to be taken advantage of and that’s what I felt like tonight.
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September 2023 by Michael B.
PROS:(1) Lots of used building materials. This stuff would go to the landfill otherwise.(2) Some really excellent deals on building materials. We scored big on an smooth electric cooktop and floor tile.(3) Some great deals on household items. They have like a mini-Goodwill inside the store. We got some shirts for $2 and $3, and a big box of hotel soap for $10. We haven't had to buy soap in seven years.(4) 20% discount for age 50+ on Tuesdays, even on the new items.CONS:(1) Lots of stuff doesn't have prices marked, and it's not always easy to find a staffer.(2) While many items are priced commensurate with the fact that they're used and maybe not pristine, many items are not. For some items they want way too much given their condition.(3) You're taking your chances with mechanical and electrical items. Let's say someone has a ceiling fan that squeaks or clicks. They donate it to Habitat, but don't bother to put a note on it as to what, if anything was wrong with it. Habitat certainly doesn't have the resources to test the fans that get donated, and you won't discover the problem until you buy the item, take it home, and install it. I doubt they take returns, but even if they did, it would be a huge hassle. So, if you're looking at mechanical and electrical items, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya punk?(4) They sell bags of tile mortar and grout, often opened. The problem is that this stuff has a short shelf life even in a sealed bag, and once you open it then it goes bad even quicker. The moisture in the ambient humidity kills it. It might not get hard, or might have poor adhesion, or might crumble, or some combination of the above. Really, they should not sell opened mortar and grout, or any sealed product that's beyond its shelf life.(5) They're increasingly selling lots of brand-new, cheap items, much of it from China. This includes small items like hand tools as well as bigger ones like off-brands of toilets you've never heard of. This doesn't seem to square with the original idea of the store being a recycle shop.
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July 2023 by Michael Gazda
I've reviewed the financials of Habitat for Humanity Austin, and it's hard to feel good about supporting them. These financials are publicly available. Just google. The CEO of Austin alone (they are an affiliate of the national org) is on over $200k and there are four more people on over $100k per year. In fact, total salaries amounted to $5,786,120 total. This is well over 25% of funds going to salaries alone much less other expenses. In fact a rather small amount seems to go to projects. Look it up. It's a public filing. I found it particularly odd that the CEO went from $165k a year to over $200k a year in the worst year of the pandemic. Not a great look. There are better places for your charity dollars.
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July 2023 by Tinamarie R.
Stumbled onto this place on our way to lunch. Spent all morning looking for a dining set and decided to take a break and have lunch. Drove by this place on our way to the restaurant and decided to stop in. The people are SUPER friendly and helpful. We scored on a dining room set which included a table and 4 chairs priced at $150. So excited to find this deal. Went back on Sunday to look around again but they were doing inventory. Unfortunately, we were only visiting Austin and had to leave Monday morning. Just found out they have one in El Paso so I will definitely be checking that one out. But next time I'm in Austin this will be at the top of my list of places to go.
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June 2023 by Linda Forhetz
6/5/23 2:45 pm. Cashier: LIZBETHWe came up to cash registers to check out. 2 cashiers are in a conversation. I asked which register was open, with no response. So, I asked again & no one responded. Third time my friend spoke loudly asking which register is open. Lizbeth rudely yelled & pointed, 'I'll get you over there. Then Lizbeth came to the register very rude & stated that WE were rude for interpreting her conversation. Lizbeth continued to be rude & threw my receipt at me. We asked for a manager at that point. Lizbeth proceeded to lift her sweatshirt to show us that she was pregnant , & smirked (maybe that worked for her in the past)
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May 2023 by a9am
Really great store and great prices, remember to be nice to other as you would want the respect. We are all equal on this earth.
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May 2023 by Daniel Crandall
This was my first time donating to them, and honestly, it seems like a scam. They are just getting free stuff and selling it for profit. I know they claim to be "non-profit", but when I was dealing with them they were refusing to take certain things because they sold them in the store new and didn't want to compete with their own brands. Or something like that, I don't really get it. It didn't make sense to me. It's an okay option if you just need somebody to pick up your valuable for free, but they're not the altruistic organization they would have you believe.
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May 2023 by Steve W.
This store has a lot of donated furnishings and supplies and they have many items that you would find at your local Big Lots. One of the very personable workers kindly shared with me that this is the number one restore in the country. Towards the back of the store, you'll find an enormous selection of laminate and tile flooring materials. You will also find washing machines, refrigerators, microwaves, bathtubs, spray paint, hot water heaters, carpeting, lighting, ceiling fans, and even clothing. I was surprised to see that they even sell books, toys and records. I found the pricing here to be in line with goodwill pricing, perhaps a little more. I found the pricing on the construction items to be in line with Home Depot, perhaps a little less. However, this store has most everything both those stores have and more which makes this place worth visiting. Plenty of photos to get you through the door.
