Toronto-area Value Village under fire for prohibiting filming and cameras

One Toronto-based online vintage shop owner recently called out a Value Village location in the GTA for prohibiting cameras and filming, just weeks after the retailer came under fire for their dramatic price markups. 

The video, uploaded by Moonshine Vintage TO, contains a notice posted at a Value Village location in Mississauga, which explicitly prohibits the use of cameras to record or take pictures inside the store. 

“I went to a Value Village today and for the first time ever, I saw this sign. This is a direct response to that CBC video where they went into a Value Village and found all of this stuff from Dollarama that was priced at way higher than retail,” the vintage shop owner says. 

“So, instead of adjusting their prices, admitting that they made a mistake and trying to make their prices fair again and more transparent, they’re just trying to silence people into stopping posting about their high-inflated prices,” she continues. 

“This really bothers me for a couple reasons, but number one, they forgot about all the free PR that they get when people post their thrifting reels, which encourages people to go thrifting,” the local thrifter explains. 

“So, here’s just a reminder for you that Value Village is a for-profit company, they are greedy, they have little to zero ethics, and zero accountability. So just think about that before you spend your money there or before you donate there.” 

Dozens of Toronto-based thrifters poured into the video’s comments section to express their frustration with the retailer’s filming policy. 

“Thank you for bringing this up and speaking out. I confronted them several times and stopped going,” one person wrote. 

“I worked there and they’re HELLA wasteful. I encourage everyone to find better places to donate their stuff,” another comment reads. 

While some believe the signs have been there for quite some time, others suggested that they were installed following the backlash the retailer received earlier this year for their alleged markup of discount items. 

In January, one Toronto Value Village shopper discovered a used vase at the store for $8.99, even though the item’s original Dollarama store price tag listed it for just $3. 

blogTO reached out to Value Village for comment on its filming policy but did not receive a comment back in time for this article’s publication.