Savers: Thrift Not-So-Superstore

A few weeks ago, I was headed to Evanston to babysit.  As I approached the on ramp for 88E, I noticed a bright shiny new sign on the old Circuit City at Highland and 88--Savers: Thrift Superstore.  I think I did a little happy dance in the car, and once the kids were in bed later that evening, I googled Savers.  Turns out it's the same company as Value Village, a chain of thrift stores.
Well, today was the grand opening, and I was looking forward to it all day at work.  Verdict?  Meh.  I'm pretty disappointed.
First, the good:

• It's big--really big.  The building used to be a Circuit City, and they use the whole space.
• It's clean and well-lit.  
• The layout is very pleasing and easy to navigate.  The aisles are wide enough for two people to pass easily, and items are intuitively laid out.
• Clothes are arranged by colour AND by size.  That's probably the biggest plus--I don't have to dig through rack after rack only to find one or two things in my size.  I can go right to my size and see everything they have.
• The clothes are, for the most part, clean and in good condition.  There are also staffed fitting rooms, so you can try things on.

Now, the bad:

• It's expensive.  Most of the clothes are between $4-10 per item, shoes are $5 and up, and housewares are $2-25.  For me, my main price question is, could I purchase this new for less?  I regularly purchase new clothes from Target and other department stores, on clearance, for $3-8 per item.  I can also regularly find thrift store clothes at thrift stores like Village Discount Outlet for $0.50-$3 per item.  So, for me, Supers is WAY overpriced.
• No sales!  I'm used to Village Discount Outlet and Unique, which offer half off of three different coloured tags each day.  Even the Salvation Army and Goodwill offer some sales, like half off certain items or half off one colour of tag per day.
• For the price point, the selection isn't that great.  Yes, there's a lot of stuff--but if I'm going to be paying more than $4 per item of clothing, then I want to see some awesome brands and MUCH better condition.

Now for the specifics of my haul.  I arranged everything on our bed and photographed it:

I bought:

1. Peacock-green cotton-rayon Lane Bryant sweater, $6.99
2. Brown tiny-plaid dress pants, Mossimo/Target, $3.99
3. Dark wash jeans, $8.99
4. Vintage linen tablecloth with hand-embroidered flower detail, $7.99
5. Square hand-crocheted cotton doily, $2.99
6. Rectangle hand-crocheted cotton doily, $0.69
7. Vintage crochet book, $1.99

My total came to $36 and change.  I feel like I got a good deal on the vintage tablecloth and doilies--those are handmade and in good condition.  The dress pants were also a pretty good deal, as was the book (separate post on that to follow).  The sweater is a silhouette and colour that I've been looking for, so even though it was pricey, I bought it anyway.
Now for the jeans.  I tried them on, and they looked fabulous.  They're long enough, they're comfy, and they look great on me.  But...they don't have a button-hole.  No, not a button--the button is there.  The HOLE is missing.  Now, I have a sewing machine, and I can pretty easily make a button hole.  But if I'm going to pay $9 for used jeans, I don't want to have to DO anything to them.  And yet...they fit so well!  They were cute!  So I figured that perhaps a manager would take something off the price.  Right?  No.  "These jeans are already priced for condition."  WHAT?  You're trying to tell me that someone else's jeans that do not have a button hole are worth $9? 
I should have left them, but I had a little extra money, so I got them.  However, I probably won't be back very often.  It's just too expensive for what it is.  Give me my cheap, crowded, dumpy thrift shops and I'll be perfectly happy.