The Salvation Army UK & Ireland Reviews 197

Absolutely awful experience in the Berwick Upon Tweed store.
Dropped off four bags of nearly new clothes and when I went back they were unopened and in re cycling bin.
Will not be donating anything again.
This store has gone downhill in the last six months:(

my wife has course in Bristol Easton Salvation Army we paid 2 course £80 and £30 but the experience she had is unaccapable its realy racism agaist her religion those useless trainee can,t hide his hate agaist her religon its unacaptle and we depend refund because she can,t do the courses because of these useless haters

Visited Savation Army Shop in Winsford Industrial Park and was served by Dan.
Dan was beyond fantastic and was attentive, helpful and an absolute blessing to be served by him.
We bought a lot of fragrances and needed a wet wipe for a cut, it was no trouble at all for him to get wipes from his car.
Dan is an asset to the store and a great assistant to the manager there.
Thank you so much you were incredible.

Bishop Auckland branch are crazily over priced. 50 pound for a coat absolutely gob smacked. Prices are getting higher and higher. I’ll certainly not be returning

They don’t care about donations all they want is money the greedy people they don’t even empty donation bins then some women got a find leaving a donation bag next to bin

Our local salvation army in Shipley has introduced a parking fine system whereby if you walk out of the shop for 5 minutes and go over the road to support other businesses in the area , you get fined 100 quid. This, despite having just bought something in their shop.

The person who served me laughed at my misfortune. I'm furious. It goes against everything that the salvation army stands for. It's horrible to see them worshipping Mamon the god of money. I've spent £100s in this shop but will NEVER visit Salvation army again

The minister at Salvation Army Chester is in the wrong job, I thought they was meant to be compassionate and welcoming but she is totally the opposite. I’ve never met a a more cold hearted vindictive person who should be working in a library instead of the Salvation Army

They rented me a tiny box of a flat for a fortune and the housing officer used to just walk in your house without knocking but that’s Swindon for you I guess for they think they are the army

Helping illegal immigrants embarressment to the country

Not a penny more from me, in fact, I want a refund, I have the receipts, while people starve on the streets, you’re feeding people fully feed people, who are warm and safe.

Miserable woman serving in Alnwick charity shop. I was looking at book from the window and she moaned at me for taking it "your not suppose to take things out the window" No signs to saying I can't. She then snatches it out my hand aggressively. Why work in retail if you have no customer service.

If I could give minus 11 stars I would I used to work in charity shop for them I was down on my luck in 2009 time lost really close members of my family lost my home and split up with then my boyfriend I wanted to do some volunteer work for them told them that I needed help with income and housing they would not help me at all they was awful really awful to work for they had real staff working for them stealing money from tills. An older lady shouted and screamed at me for weeks until I left while I was working there a lot of bullying went on my the management and by older staff. I've never worked for them since or have I ever donated to them the way they treated me I cant forget or forgive. Horrible company horrible staff dirty and really horrible shop they never once helped me at all. Horrible company the worst ones out there honestly. They don't help when people are in need and really genuine need help I've never asked for help from there again. Dreadful they should be ashamed of them selves

I am surprised to see so many negative 1* reviews here about the dear old Salvation Army that most of us oldies have sort of grown up with. I have been involved with this quasi military style organisation for 73 of my 78 years. During those years I have also taken an interest in the whole of religion, not as a true practiser of a 'faith' at any time, but, I realise now, as a 'Truth Seeker' which is how I now describe myself if anyone asks, but of course nobody does.

As a young boy at Primary School in Plymouth I went to a Roman Catholic church school and I was also happily learning music and how to play a brass instrument at the Salvation Army Corps in Devonport, Plymouth. The music I learnt stood me in good shape for my audition later for the Royal Marines Band Service (RMB). I was accepted and thirty three years later I was 2nd in seniority in the RMB as a Captain having graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London.

To be in the Armed Forces it was originally assumed you were of the Christian FAITH and the only question was what did you want on the ID TALLIES you always wore around your neck so that they knew who to summon when you were shot dead ! 'Excuse me. I did not join up here to get shot!' 'Tough mate… too late now.' Fortunately for me I am still here and somewhere I still have the tallies to prove it.

Anyway me and religion go back a long way and the Sally Anne/Barmy Army (SA) has always been with me, not only because my wife has two SA sisters who benefit from a long career which I now know to be a well-established RACKET based on FAITH i.e. 'nonsense for personal gain'. If you want to go down that road further then please check out my recent 5* REVIEW of YouTube and do read my last paragraph before I sign off at the bottom.

THE GOOD
William BOOTH started the SA in July 1865. He started it to assist those in desperate need, not welcomed in traditional churches, and mainly destitute women in the east end of London. I believe that was a good thing to do. The SA continues today with that beginning very much in its heart and mind. But do note just above that I point out the attitude of the 'traditional churches'. No CHARITY there, and what was the Victorian Government doing to let things get in such a state? Pity the poor children. Unusually for me but I think it good that I provide a brief Christian Bible quote here: 1 Corinthians 13:2 '…and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains , and have not charity, I am nothing.

THE BAD
So much of the bad lack of charity is comprehensively reported in the many REVIEWS here giving the SA 1*. Taking the more balanced view you will see that I give the SA 3*.

I have seven grandchildren and I love them all dearly but because of RELIGION and bigoted prejudice where their parents cannot tolerate a wider humanist world view and CHARITY based opinion beyond their creepy little Christian Church delusion I never see my Grandchildren.

Mental abuse of children by telling them lies about a God, for which there is absolutely no evidence, is the worst example of bad parenting that I have personally experienced. Telling lies to children, rather than the truth, is an abuse also practised by the SA since its foundation.

The central problem for the current members of the SA is now that recent science in the etymology, archaeology and lack of cohesion in the CHRISTIAN BIBLE exposes what that BIBLE really is. Last year several new sites appeared in YouTube telling anyone with an open mind about religion and what the Bible really is and who wrote it.

If you are interested in this reasoning just put any of these titles below into GOOGLE for some amazing facts, like Josephus (leading Jewish historian in the 1st Century CE) never mentioned 'Jesus of Nazareth' neither did Tacitus, leading Roman historian at the same time. 'LOGIC OVER FAITH' 'SECULARIS' 'THE RATIONAL PATH'

Thank you for reading this and my thanks to Trust Pilot for this useful platform. If you could spare a quick 'like' I would be grateful.

As any charity that acts to help people by raising funds, I salute them. Further to my call to head office customer services, I'm again here to inform that I received several Salvation Army Christmas Appeal 2025 envelopes with my post today. I am concerned why one house address received several same envelopes? Isn't it wasteful? Please raise this with the courier service. More houses could have had your promotional material.

Awful experience with banbury uk SA. One Thai woman ordering me around, as if she is a superior being who hated working there, so she takes it out on customers, with simple nastiness and insulting behaviour. i am 69 years old with a disability. This is twice now from the same woman. You are losing customers. owing to her snobbish behaviour. A very heavy item, she ordered me to take back when i can barely keep my balance due to my disease. She is simply a nasty person who believes that she is better than someone else, including her colleagues. She should be severely reprimanded but knows she can get away with it, so repeats it. Last time that I will shop there, and many people are saying the same thing.

My friend has just said good bye forever to her husband 57, lost to cancer has been fined £300 for donating his clothes to a salvation armarny depot. They failed to clear space so she carefully placed his decent clothes nest to the dumpster. She was then fined £300 for fly tipping. Shame one you. What would Christ have done.

Very disappointing experience with the staff.
I tried to return an item according to the shop’s return policy. The staff first told me I needed to bring the receipt, so I did. Then they refused to take the return because the tag was not attached. I even brought the original tag and reattached it, but they still refused and kept arguing instead of helping.

I followed all their instructions, but they were uncooperative and unprofessional. I expected better customer service and respect for customers’ time. I will not be shopping here again.

I have been shopping at the Salvation Army donation centre in Shrewsbury for a couple of years, I have also found the place reasonably organised, and the prices were fantastic, I guess they received the donations and wanted them sold asap to allow new donations to come in to the store. About 4 months ago I noticed a change in staff and since then the prices have increased a lot and I have since learnt that they are now selling items on eBay. I have been regularly to the store and it’s really gone downhill in terms of the quality and the price increases and I notice stock that people won’t overpay for just sitting there week after week. The whole feel of this store just changed overnight and it’s such a shame as it was by far the best charity shop that I have ever been in. I’ve looked on eBay and unless you have some good products they unfortunately will just sit there and people will not pay over and above for second hand items. I understand these shops need to make money but increasingly I see that this store is asking too much for items that you can get at a cheaper price brand new. I commend the staff at this store and the volunteers for their work, but something is going wrong with this store and changes that have been made have made the store worse and not better, it’s a real shame and I need to start looking elsewhere for my charity shop fix.

Went into my local salvation army shop, King St, Kilmarnock on a Wednesday a few weeks ago to offer my services as a volunteer. Sign also displayed outside the shop advertising for volunteers.
I spoke with the manager who told me she was desperate for volunteers. She took my name and phone number and told me she would phone me on the Saturday as she would have a better idea then of what days I would be required......No phone call ever received.
Shop can't be that desperate for volunteers. If this is the way a manager treats a prospective volunteer then its no wonder the people who work there are leaving.
Not good enough.

Usually a very helpful gentleman who’s served me before. Unfortunately he felt it was acceptable to bring up very political views regarding the British flag and it was extremely uncomfortable as we had very different opinions on the matter. He didn’t stop talking. I tried to end the subject twice but had to walk away. Not professional at all made for a very awkward exit.