Salvos Stores
    (162 reviews)

    Company Reviews

    Working at Salvos Stores

    3.9162 ratings in total
    5
    83
    4
    21
    3
    29
    2
    11
    1
    18
    41%
    Rate salary as high or average
    72%
    Employees recommend this employer to friends
    Work/Life balance
    3.8(161 ratings)
    Career development
    3.2(160 ratings)
    Benefits & perks
    3.4(161 ratings)
    Management
    3.6(160 ratings)
    Working environment
    3.8(160 ratings)
    Diversity & equal opportunity
    3.8(161 ratings)
    Ratings for Salvos Stores are shared as-is from employees in line with our community guidelines

    Reviews

    Showing 162 reviews sorted by most recent
    Sort by
    most recent
    3.0
    Volunteer Manager
    Apr 2026
    Goulburn NSW 25801 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Great community, Though it was tough work,I did get a injury from it, it's a real shame
    The good thingsMeeting the community, Staff were excellent.
    The challengesListening to staff. Getting recognition from head office, always get knocked back for Sydney office roles.
    5.0
    Sales Assistant
    Apr 2026
    Kenwick WA 61071 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Simple, yet not overbearing workplace experience.
    The good thingsFriendly environment, flexible timetable, easy to navigate workspace.
    The challengesNone to think of, it was a pretty tame environment.
    3.0
    Retail Merchandiser and retail assistant
    Apr 2026
    Sunshine VIC 3020Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    the good, the bad and the truth
    The good thingsenjoyed working in retail and enjoyed the customers and how to colour coordinate clothes in the proper way, enjoyed working with most staff members
    The challenges I had a challenging experience with a staff member who often acted like she was in charge, even though she wasn't the manager. She was rude and impolite to me, making it difficult to work together, especially when I was sick and had lost my voice. Eventually, I told her to stop making faces at me, as it felt quite childish. I had planned to resign, but I needed to leave an hour early for another job. When I informed the manager of my early departure, she yelled at me in the store. I remained calm, but she treated me in a condescending manner and told me that with my attitude, I could leave and never come back. I accepted that, but I didn't have an attitude, and I was very respectful
    1 person found this helpful
    5.0
    Sales Assistant
    Jan 2026
    Bayswater VIC 3153Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Amazing experience and great team to work with
    The good thingsCustomer focused services Using Cash register Building confidence
    The challengesCommunication with clients..misunderstandings
    1 person found this helpful
    2.0
    Sales Assistant
    Oct 2025
    All Adelaide SALess than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Salvos are more interested in their bottom line $$ than the true nature of the mission
    The good thingsSome of the volunteers/paid staff were friendly and easy to get along with and the stores that ran like clockwork were the best
    The challengesThe lack of transparency regarding cutting down on hours, management refusing to pay the level 3 retail rate you were legally entitled to when doing higher duties, the misuse of casuals when the stores were sufficiently staffed, some stores were mundane when working shifts at them, the poor treatment of volunteers by managers at certain stores (talking down to them, treating them as less than a paid staff member), the list could go on
    1 person found this helpful
    4.0
    Current Customer service Salvation Army (Volunteer)
    Aug 2025
    Glenorchy TAS 7010Less than 1 year in the role, current employee
    Great to work for but could use more help and guidance for volunteers
    The good thingsGreat team environment
    The challengesNot enough staff at certain times
    5.0
    Volunteer
    Jul 2025
    Noble Park VIC 3174Less than 1 year in the role, current employee
    Volunteer experienceI felt fulfilled knowing I was helping vulnerable people through practical support like sorting donations and helping customers.
    4.0
    Retail Sales Assistant
    Jun 2025
    Morley WA 6062Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    overall a decent experience, considering that we are volunteers doing this without pay they do expect a little too much, especially in this economy
    The good thingsmanagers were really accepting and helpful
    The challengesbeing the only volunteer managing the store front
    4.0
    Storeperson
    Jun 2025
    Boronia VIC 31553 to 4 years in the role, former employee
    Rewarding helping those less fortunate to myself
    The good thingsSorting the donation bins for the store Sorting clothing , jewellery pricing them for the store Meeting locals and unique customers who come through the store
    The challengesThe rude difficult customers who have you hard time Not getting paid for the hard work you put each day How the salvos has become more commercial as opposed to an opp shop it’s lost that pop shop feel
    3.0
    Retail Sales Assistant Casual
    Jan 2025
    Adelaide SA 50001 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Loved working in some of the stores, others I refused to work. Other than that most people where great to work with.
    The good thingsSome of the people I worked with and the discount, but that is all.
    The challengesThe higher management is a joke. You're expected to do everything for less money. You're expected to be something you're not. Travel to locations out of your way across the city and excepted to be ON CALL seven days a week. When you don't get oncall fees at all. Under paid staff except the higher management.
    5.0
    Volunteer
    Jul 2024
    Forest Hill VIC 3131current employee
    Meeting new people and a great environment!
    The good thingsHelping out and helping to organise things and helping customers.
    The challengesNot understanding the task or unsure of something.
    4.0
    Volunteer
    Jun 2024
    Tarneit VIC 3029Less than 1 year in the role, current employee
    It is adequately and reasonably balanced.
    The good thingsPositive Work Culture The workplace culture is highly valued, with a variety of products making each day different from the other. Employees appreciate working with people from all walks of life, fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. Meaningful Work Employees feel rewarded for making a positive difference by raising funds for The Salvation Army's programmes that support disadvantaged Australians and promote environmental sustainability through recycling. The work is driven by a sense of purpose to create change for a better tomorrow. Work-Life Balance Salvos Stores promotes a positive work-life balance for all employees, empowering them to take time to rest and recharge. Employee Benefits The benefits offered by Salvos Stores are considered valuable by employees
    The challengesManaging a Large Volunteer Workforce With 10,000 volunteers across Australia, providing consistent training, motivation, and development for this diverse group is an ongoing challenge. While Salvos Stores invests in programmes like LEAD to empower store managers to lead and support their teams effectively, ensuring a consistent customer experience remains a work in progress. Balancing Pricing and Affordability Salvos Stores has received feedback that their pricing had become too expensive over the years. They have actively worked to lower average unit prices to remain affordable while still generating funds for their charitable programmes. Striking the right balance between pricing and affordability is an ongoing challenge. Managing Diverse Employee Expectations As an organisation with both paid staff and volunteers, Salvos Stores likely faces challenges in managing different expectations, motivations, and needs across this diverse workforce. Creating a cohesive and positive work environment for all employees can be difficult. Scaling e-commerce Operations With the launch of their e-commerce platform, Salvos Stores has had to rapidly scale fulfilment processes across their decentralised network of stores to meet online order volumes efficiently. Transforming the Brand Experience Overcoming perceptions of op-shops as "dusty, smelly and drab places" and evolving the brand appeal to attract new customers interested in sustainability without alienating the existing base has been a significant challenge for Salvos Stores.
    1 person found this helpful
    2.0
    Store Manager
    May 2024
    All Melbourne VIC9 to 10 years in the role, former employee
    The kindest souls you'll ever meet, being sucked dry in the name of "helping others".
    The good thingsThe beautiful people you engage with as volunteers and team members who are grossly under appreciated by "leadership teams"
    The challengesUnder staffed & under rescorced. Unrealistic sales targets and very limited help in achieving them. Helping people in the name of christ at the expense of your staff is deplorable.
    1 person found this helpful
    3.0
    Volunteer Staff
    May 2024
    Thuringowa Central QLD 48179 to 10 years in the role, former employee
    to gain experience from the start before finding other opportunities to accommodate the professional portfolio.
    The good thingsopportunity to gain some starter alike experience in retail industry.
    The challengesMight not have right employed people to fulfill given duties.
    5.0
    Human Resources Specialist
    Sep 2023
    Melbourne VIC 3000
    The exercise of organisational values is evident every day, at all levels (respect, integrity, compassion, diversity, collaboration).
    The good thingsA supportive Executive Leadership Team who are very approachable and provide strong clarity on organizational strategy/measures of success. Colleagues are kind, compassionate and enjoy what they do.
    The challengesSubstantial workload in my team (though I did not observe this as common practice beyond my team).
    5.0
    Volunteer
    Jul 2023
    Loganholme QLD 4129Less than 1 year in the role
    Helping people and putting a smile on the customers faces.
    The good thingsSuch a wonderful friendly community, always making sure you're ok and comfortable with the task set for you to do.
    The challengesThe only thing I would say could be difficult would be the standing for long periods of time, but I personally didn't find that difficult.
    1.0
    Retail Sales Assistant
    May 2023
    Gawler West SA 5118Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    GD working skills retail GD learner
    The good thingsCustomer service skills retail service aged care meels on wheels
    The challengesRetail customer service skills
    3.0
    Executive Assistant
    Apr 2023
    Mount Waverley VIC 3149Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    I had to leave my dream job
    The good thingsA lot of the staff really care about their roles and about each other. Unmatched for their innovations in care of customer and planet.
    The challengesIf stability is a key requisite of your job search, this may not be your thing. There is a culture in some pockets of throwing things at the wall at seeing what sticks. Ideas, project, man hours, even people. Put simply, you may be thrown and not stick.
    2.0
    Volunteer
    Sep 2022
    Wouldn't do it if I didn't have too.
    The good thingsThe person I work with.
    The challengesUpper management that don't give a stuff, will sweep reports serious OH'S issues done by other staff to other staff under the carpet and actually have the nerve to set daily sales targets for what is a secondhand clothing store, makes you wonder how much of this money actually goes into helping the ones who need it. Then they wonder why they have trouble getting people to work for them or volunteers to help. They hire lazy people as well you will find the volunteers doing most of the work at these places.
    2 people found this helpful
    5.0
    Volunteer store person
    May 2022
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Brilliant place to work
    The good thingsEverything and the people who worked there
    The challengesAmazing challenges they gave you while working there
    5.0
    Assistant Manager
    May 2022
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Representing the Salvoes to the general public.
    The good thingsIn Kings Lynn I was shop Supervisor ( assistant Manager ) from 27/10/2017 to 28/01/2019 I really enjoyed working there meeting the people being responsible for volunteers cashing up each evening. The general running of the shop as the manager was off sick for most of the time I was there.
    The challengesKeeping all the volunteers happy and having a good working team.
    5.0
    Retail Sales Assistant
    Feb 2021
    3 to 4 years in the role, former employee
    Working in this company has been a very good experience,working with all walks of life,appreciating the things we have in life as i found out working for this company. People are so friendly and very mixed were i always loved and always looked forward to going to work.
    The good thingsWorking in a friendly environment.
    The challengesI didn't find anything difficult, i always didn't mind the challenge...
    5.0
    Assistant
    Dec 2020
    Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    It was a great experience
    The good thingsThe things that I have enjoyed is the Friendly environmental and the co-workers
    The challengesI have to go to the work place on time, If there is a problem I have to solve it.
    1.0
    Volunteer
    Sep 2020
    Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Shocking
    The good thingsIs the lovely people as in workers
    The challengesThe management, we are to help people , but it’s all about making money
    3 people found this helpful
    1.0
    Marketing Assistant
    Sep 2020
    3 to 4 years in the role, current employee
    Dissapointing also learned that I love helping people
    The good thingsMeeting new people. Helping them choose products. Identifying their needs
    The challengesMixing with staff members that are not friendly
    1 person found this helpful
    5.0
    Volunteer
    Jun 2020
    I think I enjoyed the overall experience.
    The good thingsI enjoyed working with mates & dealing with customers.
    The challengesIt's difficult to sort kinds of stuff & many more.
    5.0
    Customer Service Role
    May 2020
    Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    it was fun, free to help out with the managers.
    The good thingsmeeting good people, seeing rare item's,
    The challengesworking with bad people
    3.0
    Storeperson
    Apr 2020
    1 to 2 years in the role, current employee
    Training and management could do with some changes.
    The good thingsVarying range of employees from diverse backgrounds.
    The challengesNot understanding the business as charity work.
    5.0
    Volunteer
    Mar 2020
    Less than 1 year in the role, current employee
    Awesome and one that I continue to explore.
    The good thingsThe variety of tasks that a person is exposed to. A great supportive network.
    The challengesDefinitely challenging at times but always with a good reward attached to them. It is a good opportunity to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to speaking with others.
    2.0
    Teaching Role
    Mar 2020
    Ovell all i do not have good experience.
    The good thingsBad experience wirh management
    The challengesNo future job opportunity
    Company Reviews published on our site are the views and opinions of their authors and do not represent the views and opinions of SEEK or its personnel. SEEK does not verify the truth or accuracy of any reviews and does not adopt or endorse any of the comments posted. SEEK posts reviews for what they are worth and for informational purposes only to assist candidates to find employment.