Where to donate clothing, furniture, food, & cleaning supplies in Kaiserslautern

With so many people constantly moving into and out of the Kaiserslautern area, there's a real need to know where one can donate extra items from around the home. Whether you're Marie Kondo-ing your place or PCSing out, here is a list of where you can donate and what the places will take. Be sure to check opening times and holiday or COVID-related closures ahead of time for the most success in dropping off donations. 

-Updated January 2023 - DRK store in Kaiserslautern has moved to Landstuhl and Schatzkiste isn't open on Saturdays any more. Bummer!

Wertstoffhof Kaiserslautern

Daennerstrasse 17

67657 Kaiserslautern

Website

Pros: open six days a week, to include one evening; this is one of the city's recycling centers and is generally open even when other places have to be closed because of COVID restrictions. You can donate household items and clothing that are still useable; in the middle of the center there are shelves that are labeled with types of items. All items are free to take so you might find something useful for yourself, too. Since this is a recycling center, you can also bring actual items to recycle too. Drive in but make sure to leave room for others to pass you.

Cons: not all items are accepted and there isn't a huge amount of room for many large items. Upholstered furniture shouldn't be brought here.

Fairness-Kaufhaus Kaiserslautern
Beethovenstraße 56
67655 Kaiserslautern

Website  Facebook

Pros: open six days a week, to include evenings and Saturdays; non-profit organization that supports the community; courtyard where donors can drive in to drop off donations; accepts non-expired human and pet food, cleaning supplies, and health/beauty products as part of the Foodsharing project
Cons: Limited space for accepting furniture; paid streetside parking for shopping (though usually it's not too hard to find a spot)
Notes: this is my favorite thrift store in the area. Although it's not the biggest, there's a decent selection of homewares, clothing, and furniture (keep in mind that the furniture sells quickly though; if you see a sign on it that says "verkauft," that means it's sold). Even better yet is that Fairness is a pick-up/drop-off point for Foodsharing KL, which is free for everyone to use. You can bring or take unexpired food (even for pets!), as well as cleaning supplies and health/beauty items. When you're PCSing, don't throw away all those cleaners; bring them to Fairness instead. Currently the Foodsharing drop off area is located by the door to the courtyard. When you walk into the store, walk straight ahead, past the cashier, and there's a cooler. You can put items in the cooler or on top of it.

Schatzkiste
Pariser Strasse 28 67655 Kaiserslautern

Website
 









Pros: open five days a week, to include evenings; non-profit organization that supports the community; good, free parking directly in front for easy drop-off of donations; large store with room for lots of furniture.
Cons: none that I can think of.
Notes: Schatzkiste is a huge warehouse near the mall in downtown Kaiserslautern. There is always something new to see or buy, but keep in mind that the furniture turns over very quickly.











Stadtbildpflege donation bins around Kaiserslautern
Website
Pros: open 24/7; any clean clothing, bedsheets, purses, belts, blankets, and shoes can be dropped off in a plastic bag, even if it has holes or broken parts (it will be recycled into something else); various locations throughout the city and one can normally park directly in front of the bins
Cons: only accepts the items above; sometimes the bins are full

My neck is fantastic, 'cuz it's made of plastic

Oh, thrift stores. They are a siren call, a place to find random, strange baubles. There is no rhyme or reason, especially among the stores that receive unsold commercial merchandise.

Check out this beaut'.

There's even directions on how to elongate the dude.

His neck freaks me out. It's so...well, it looks like...it's just creepy.

Thrift store shopping gets dead weird at Kaiserslautern's Schatzkiste

On Monday, I was enjoying the magic of the American Labor Day holiday. It's lovely and a bit surreal to have a day off when the Germans don't; it almost feels as if one is playing hooky from work because one can actually get stuff done since the stores are open. With my free time, I made a trip to some local thrift stores, which turned into a strange excursion.

When I visited the Schatzkiste (I reviewed it previously here), I came across a display of...merchandise?

Don't badger me! I'm dead n' stuffed!

Decorations?

We're just chilling next to an overpriced, second-hand lamp.

Dead animals?

Don't be such a weasel. C'mon, buy me!

Mackelmore might've bought a fur coat but you can buy the whole dang animal at the Schatzkiste. You could even make your own taxidermy zoo with their impressive collection.

I lost all composure when I saw this sign under the menagerie.

"As much as you need."

I tried to smother my giggles as I pondered just how many taxidermied animals that one person could possibly need. I also considered: who buys second-hand taxidermy animals? Is that a thing?

Thrift Store Review: DRK, Kaiserslautern

DRK Store
Rummelstr. 1

67655 Kaiserslautern

Tel.: 0631 – 800 93 193                                

                

Monday - Friday      10:00 - 18:00

Saturday                10:00 - 14:00

 
One of my favorite thrift stores in addition to the Schatzkiste is the DRK in Kaiserslautern. The DRK is Deutsche Rote Kreuz, or the German Red Cross, and their charity shop benefits their mission.

The DRK thrift store is on a side street near the Stiftsplatz, where the weekly farmers' market is held. It is an attractively merchandised and clean thrift store. There is even a hot beverage machine where one can buy coffee and hot chocolate to go.

There are two floors. The first floor is men and women's clothing, coats, accessories, and jewelry. There is even new merchandise from Fruit of the Loom, usually in the form of t-shirts and sweatshirts. The dressing room is located in the back of the store.

Upstairs, there are children's clothes and shoes, adult shoes, books, knick knacks, a small selection of housewares, bathrobes, and sometimes linens.

DRK is a medium-sized thrift store. I've been pleased with the quality, selection, and cleanliness at the store. Items turn over quickly there so a good selection is on offer. Pleasant staff contribute to the positive experience, too. I recommend a visit for some moderately priced, nice items that benefit a good cause.

Thrift Store Review: Lieblings, Kaiserslautern

Lieblings - Second Hand Laden Kaiserslautern
Richard-Wagner-Strasse 25
67655 Kaiserslautern
Hours: M-F 1000-1800; Sat. 1000-1300


I think that the tagline for my take on this store should be "Lieblings: I'm not lovin' it."

Actually, "lieblings" means "favorite." It's also accurate to say that this is not my favorite thrift store in town (my favorite is Die Schatzkiste, while we're on that subject). That's harsh, but it's how I feel.

Anyway, the store is reasonably large with a selection of men's and women's clothes (I don't recall seeing children's clothes and the sign didn't mention them so I don't believe that they carry them). There are also jewelry, shoes, accessories, some household items, and books.

Many of the items were name brands. The reason this store just doesn't do it for me is that I feel that the items are way overpriced. For example, there were t-shirts for 12 euros that I'm sure retailed for around the same price! Shoes with obvious wear were around 25 euros, and they weren't expensive shoes when they were new.

I think that the store may be a consignment store as I saw bags of clothes packed up with names on them. They also had tags with codes. I've consigned clothes before and it looks similar.

Either way, I don't recommend this store. It's just too overpriced.

Thrift Store Review: Victoria Second Hand Laden, Kaiserslautern

Grüner Graben 8
67655 Kaiserslautern 
Hours: M-F 1000-1800; Saturday 1000-1400

Tucked away in an alley on the western edge of the pedestrian zone, Victoria Second Hand Laden offers clothing, shoes, and accessories for men and women.

During my visit, I don't recall seeing any children's clothing. The store is well organized but a bit cramped. Prices were reasonable to moderate. There are winter coats, too, including some animal furs. Most of the clothes are up to date but there are some 80s style coats and other pieces so those looking for a vintage look might find some suitable pieces.

Thrift Store Review: Die Schatzkiste, Kaiserslautern

http://www.naw-kl.de/e1545/e1570/
Die Schatzkiste
Second-Hand-Warenhaus
Pariser Str. 28
67655 Kaiserslautern
Tel 0631-4147401
Open Hours:
Monday - Thrusday 8:30 - 17:15;
Friday 8:30 - 15:45; Saturday 10:00 - 14:00

On to more thrift stores! I was excited to find Die Schatzkiste, which means "the treasure chest." Doesn't that sound like an exciting name for a thrift store? Like a pirate, the shopper can go on a treasure hunt for the best booty ever. Arr, mateys, I be lookin' for bargains!

Um, sorry. I'm not sure what just overtook me there. Ahem.

Anyway, this is a fun store to visit. It's very big with two floors full of secondhand items and merchandise turns over quickly there. In fact, that's sometimes to the store's detriment. There is quite a bit of secondhand furniture available, but browsing through it can be frustrating. It seems like every time I find a piece that looks perfect, I notice the sign on the item that says it has been sold and is just awaiting pick up by its new owner. However, don't let that deter you! It's a huge store and having that much selection in one place is a major bonus.

There is such a random of assortment of things for sale; want to buy a wetsuit or kitchen cupboards? How about children's lederhosen? No joke, this store has these items, as well as typical household items like furniture, kitchenware, home accessories, etc. There is even a small section of clothing for men, women, and children.

The store has a really random assortment of items, such as this, um, "interesting" painting. It sold, though!

Prices on the furniture tends to run from moderate to slightly high for thrift store prices, but also take my opinion with a grain of salt. I feel as if thrift stores both in the US and abroad seem to have really upped their prices in the last five years or so (don't get me started in this post about how Goodwill at home was charging the same, or more, as the discounted price that Target had marked on merchandise they donated!). At Schatzkiste, I saw a cheap Ikea folding chair. I had just bought a similar chair at Ikea for about six euros so I thought if I could buy this used one for a few euros, it'd be worth it. I asked, auf Deutsch, the lady working there how much it was and she said ten euros. Obviously I put it back! However, prices aren't too bad overall and it's possible to find a nice piece of furniture at a reasonable enough price.

This store is a really good place to pick up reasonably priced kitchenware. I have made it my goal to buy an ice cube tray every time I go there. So far, I have paid sixty cents and now have two ice cube trays. A girl can never have enough ice, especially when her German freezer compartment is "huge" (by German standards).

Upstairs, with lots of furniture and houseware.

The staff at the store are very pleasant. I've spoken my "I'm pretending that I actually speak German unless you ask me a question and the ruse is up" and it has been received pleasantly, even when I outed myself a few times when I had to switch to English. Don't worry if you can only speak English; they've been nice about that, too.

A bonus is that the store will even deliver purchases in the local area for a reasonable price! My friends bought some dining chairs and a small loveseat and had it delivered.

It's worth a visit (or many visits!) to Die Schatzkiste. Who knows? You might find a buried treasure.

Store review: A&B Secondhand Boutique in Kaiserslautern

http://www.mein-second-hand-aundb.de

A&B Secondhand Boutique
Richard-Wagner Strasse 1
Kaiserslautern

I love thrift stores and most of my clothes come from them or from garage sales. I admit that freely and happily. It's good for the environment to recycle items that are still in good condition and usable; it gives some pocket money back to the owner or helps a charity; and it helps to afford fun travel experiences. Who can beat that?

I've been on the hunt in Kaiserslautern for thrift stores. I came across A&B Secondhand Boutique, just on the very edge of the pedestrian shopping district downtown. Neatly arranged and merchandised, this store carries many name brand clothes. Prices are reasonable for name brands and all clothes are clean, in good shape, well-displayed and organized.

There are clothes, shoes, and accessories for men, women, and children, though most of the clothes are for women. There are some plus-sized clothes for women but I didn't really see any for men, but I also didn't look that hard, either. There were also some maternity clothes for women.

Staff at the store are pleasant. I enjoyed that the store was clean and well-organized. I found the prices reasonable; I bought two nice shirts for work, a skirt, and a cute purse for 12 euros.