FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Here's some of our most-inquired questions from customers and consignors:
"THESE PANTS (shirt, snow pants, hat, sweater, etc) ARE A GREAT BRAND BUT THEY HAVE A HOLE IN THE KNEE. WILL YOU STILL TAKE IT?"
Nope! No matter how great the brand, if there is any imperfection, we won't accept it and we'll immediately donate it!
"BUT THEY'RE A REALLY GREAT BRAND!!!!"
They can be laced with gold and we still won't accept it if there's any imperfection. Sorry. We only have room for the best of the best. That's all we can / will accept.
"I GOT MY EMAIL THAT YOU PUT OUT MY STUFF BUT YOU ONLY PUT OUT 2 THINGS AND I BROUGHT YOU 15. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER 13?"
Great question! We get asked this a LOT. This means that the other 13 items were not in good sellable state. They could be super pilled, have holes, smelled of smoke, full of pet hair, full of YOUR hair, a brand we don't accept, missing something (i.e., pajama top without the pants). This isn't a thrift store! If people are going to spend their hard-earned money here, we want them to get the best of the best. And we want people coming back to shop. They won't do that if the store is full of dirty items!
"BUT I LOOKED AT EVERYTHING BEFORE I BROUGHT IT IN AND THEY WERE ALL IN PERFECT CONDITION."
Nope! Maybe my standards are higher than yours, but I always tell people to look at an item. Would YOU pay money for that item? WIth that stain? Or that hole? Or that pilling? No? Then no one else will, either.
"WHY DO YOU NOT ACCEPT WALMART/ARDENE CLOTHES?"
Well, you can buy Walmart shirts for like $3. Why would you spend money to buy one that's been pre-worn? Also, these big corporations are the reason sooo many small businesses are going out of business. If there's any way I can "give it to them", I will.
"HOW DO I CHECK MY ACCOUNT?"
You can actually just head to this website, under Consign, click "Check My Account." Easy peasy. Need your account #? Just message me and I'll get it to you! ALSO, every time you do a drop-off, you get an email with ALL of that information. AND when you first register, you (again) get that email with ALL that information.
"HOW DO I REQUEST A PAYOUT?"
LOL you actually signed your initials next to HOW to do this on the original registration form. AND we have the info under "Consign" on our website. BUT! All you have to do is message us either on Facebook, Instagram, via email, or even via phone. We'll add you to the list - payouts are the 1st of the following month.
"I HAVE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MANY BOXES OF CLOTHES IN MY BASEMENT. CAN I BRING THEM ALL TO YOU?"
Nope! For the love of all that is good and pure, NO!!!! We are a one-woman show and I can't handle that. When we first opened, we allowed people to bring in whatever they wanted, as much as they wanted. We QUICKLY regretted that when everyone did exactly that. Everyone has BOXES of clothes in their basements. You can consign 30-items with an appointment, or 15-items at a dropoff every 2 weeks. No, you can't come every day to bring me 15. You will see a Denise-shaped hole in the wall. And no one wants that.
"I FIND YOUR PRICES TOO HIGH."
Ahh yes, that old adage. Also, not a question. But I digress. Well, if you go to the Salvation Army or Value Village, you can buy things WAY cheaper, but you get them home and they're full of poop stains, holes, etc. Yeah, sometimes you get lucky! That's awesome! But EVERY. SINGLE. ITEM. that goes on our floor has been meticulously checked over before we put it out. Yes, we've missed things - but it's rare. We are also not a huge conglomerate with a CEO making 6-figure salaries. We're a small business with 3 staff members, rent, bills, and the government taking like sooo much of our income. If you'd like to buy my business and lower all the prices, please do! But I suspect you'll realize pretty quickly you may need to raise them haha.
"HOW DO YOUR TAG COLOURS WORK?"
Well, every month, the tag colour sale prices change. So one month, a particular tag (after 3 months of being out on the floor) goes down to 25% off, the previous month's tag colour is 50% off and the previous month to that is 75% off. After that, we donate everything or re-tag them to go into our donation account. But remember: all of the prices of our items are already discounted from new. So you're saving $ regardless!
"WHAT DO YOU DO WITH CLOTHING YOU DON'T ACCEPT?"
We donate all of our unsold or unsellable items to Siksika! We have a staff member from Siksika Outreach come to the store and grab the (usually) 40+ bags of donated clothing and take it out to Siksika. We help clothe everyone out there! We LOVE our partnership with Siksika!
"I NEED / KNOW SOMEONE IN NEED OF CLOTHING FOR THEM / THEIR KIDS AND THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY ANY. CAN YOU HELP?"
Absolutely!!! We have a donation account we use. So, when we "re-tag" items that haven't sold, or someone brings in something "as donation", we sell it on our donation account. That money goes onto the donation account, and we use that account to purchase items for people who are going through a tough time. So, the consignor still gets their money, and a person in need gets some free clothing! This program is 100% at the cost of the Hoots Family Boutique - we don't get tax credits or help in any way. That may change one day, but at the time of making this post, we get no financial aid or tax credits.