Zürich's Heilsarmee Brocki - Geroldstrasse

I don't understand why there's only one Salvation Army (Heilsarmee) thrift store in the whole of greater Zürich! Where I came from there was one in every neighbourhood, so to speak! I think Züri could support a second, easily. ;)

Obviously I'm very pro-Heilsarmee Brocki, otherwise I wouldn't be lamenting the lack of them. The prices are good, but not as good as its Canadian cousins, of course. That took a little getting used to. I'm glad I stuck with it. 

I've written a lot of store reviews lately, and I'm trying to remember what it's like to read a review rather that write one! I know brevity is the soul of wit, so I'll make it snappy! 

Shoes are decentralized and are all through the upstairs section - look around!

Two change rooms - spacious and with mirrors, too!

Be aware that things can be misfiled, or moved by customers to the wrong bin.

You can read about some of my previous thoughts on the Heilsarmee Brocki here. Here are some new ones amongst the repeats!


PROS:

• Clean and fairly bright
• Great location (hop on, hop off at Hardbrücke bahnhof! Fun neighbourhood!)
• Sizeable store with a fairly good selection 
• Has a toilet (pay to use - 2 Fr., I think!)
• Has a coffee lounge upstairs (a scam to make more money off the toilet? Just kidding!)
• Vast selection of books at great prices - and they're SORTED (unlike Brockiland and others!)
• Impressive selection of furniture downstairs (competitively priced, too!)
• Takes plastic (cards) as well as cash
• Has shopping baskets 
• Two proper change rooms! Lots of full-length mirrors, too
• Seems a good place for shoes, based on my purchases!
• Nicely organized store in general - I like the labelled bins in the linen section 
• I like the Art room, though everything I want is always 'SOLD' already
• Staff usually pretty friendly (many are volunteers, I think) 
• Clientele quite 'normal' and unobstrusive (not a lot of weird people trying to see what you're buying, etc. Maybe it's the neighbourhood?)
• Has SALES and 'special markets'! (ALL thrift stores need to do this!) Check the website for the special markets and the sandwich board out front for sales!
  
  
  

  

  

  

  
  

CONS:

• Prices aren't always as cheap as you'd like (though perhaps they set a benchmark for the thrift scene in Zürich. Let's call this a midpoint!)
• SALES are unannounced and just kind of 'happen' - 2 Fr. kleider was one I really would have liked to have known about ahead of time! Looked like a war zone by the time I got in! (Wait - did I just FIND the notification page by accident?! Maybe! But no mention of that clothes sale, so maybe not... poo)
• Lots of competition (seemingly) for items here - lots of turnover, but not a lot of new offers (stagnation happens quickly, especially with clothes)
• NO warranty or exchanges on electrical appliances (again, Arche Brockenhaus kicks butt with its warranties AND in-house repair centre!)
• Upper floor gets hot and stuffy pretty quickly, and trains passing by are loud and rattle the building!
• They have a very stringent rule about price tags - if the price tag has come off, even accidentally, the garment cannot be sold. I hate this rule - I've been stung by it once. It makes you tempted to put a price tag ONTO the item yourself. I hate that I kind of wish I had - it wouldn't be right, but I also feel that the rule is a bit crazy (why do they have it, anyway?!). C'est la vie.

Just found this on their website as I was finalizing this post - but it doesn't have any new info. Ah well.

STRATEGIES:

• I'd say the usual, "Go Often, Go Early", but with the Heilsarmee there is such a thing as 'too often'. Not sure if they restock according to a schedule or something, but I went fairly often for awhile and was disappointed by the lack of new items. (Perhaps they are in need of donations? Consider donating here!)
• There is a 'reject' rack outside of the change room - if you only have time to cherry-pick, make sure you flip through this! 
• Make sure you look on the bottom shelves (and top shelves) of the shoe and bag area - if it's stashed or stored near the floor, you might overlook it!
• Take a look at the artwork in the stairway - it's for sale, too!
• Check out the front entrance area of the store - the 'best' things are in the display cabinet on your right as you enter, and the jewelry worth examining is on the cabinet, near the door to the kitchen stuff and game/toy section (to the left of the stairs going down)
• Check the website and note the 'special market' days! But be warned - I think 'summer kleider' started a day earlier than announced.
• Check the sandwich board outside the driveway for the impromptu sales. I wish I could pay someone to send me text alerts when a new sale is on!
• Check out CARITAS Im Viadukt at the end of the road (at the viaduct, obviously!) and to the right. ;) They're so close to each other it would be madness not to look in!

 

Read the sandwich board!!!

That's about all, friends! Remember to support the Heilsarmee - they offer really vital services to the people whose lives have totally fallen apart and can barely cope. They're there to love the unloved, and to help the man on the street find a warm bed and a hot meal. Please give generously to this great organization! (CARITAS isn't bad either - be a generous and cheerful giver!). :)

TiZ