FAQ | mckays

McKay's does not offer online sales, with the exception of gift cards. Swing by one of our brick & mortar locations and get a feel (literally) for what you're after!

Where does all this stuff come from?

It comes from people like you! Hundreds of our customers bring in items to sell or trade every day that we are open.

Do I need an appointment to bring in my items?

No, we don’t make appointments or take reservations. Items are processed as they come into the store. We stop accepting incoming items 30 minutes before closing.

Will you give me cash or store credit for my items?

When you come to pick-up your order, you will be provided a CASH and/or a STORE CREDIT option. The amounts are based off of what we will sell your items for. You can choose to receive a percentage of our price value in cash, or a higher percentage in store credit. There are some items that we will only offer a store credit option for, so even if you request cash, there's a chance you'll still receive a little bit of store credit.

How long will it take for you to evaluate my items?

Well, that depends on how busy we are and how many items you brought in. Our highly-trained buyers work hard to evaluate your items as quickly and accurately as possible. We try to process incoming orders in less than 45 minutes. During busy times, it may take longer.

Is there a limit on the amount I can bring in?

Yes…and No! We want to process everyone’s orders in a timely fashion, so the number of items we can process in a given day from any one customer is limited. You are welcome to bring in larger orders, but you will need to sign a LARGE ORDER RELEASE FORM and leave those items with us. It may take days—or weeks—to process those large orders.

What is a "Large Order"?

A large order is an incoming order that is too big to be processed while you wait. The Greeter will evaluate the size of your order and the current wait time for processing, then decide whether we can process you incoming order right now.

We have laundry carts to accommodate large orders. Before you leave your large order with us, you will need to sign a large order release form. Your signature on this form lets us know that you agree to accept our evaluation of your items' cash and/or trade value. Rejected items from your large order will be put in the free box or recycled; they cannot be returned to you.

You'll also need to leave us an address and phone number so we can contact you when your order has been completed. If you'd like, we can mail your payment to you.

Are there items you won't take?

We only accept items we feel reasonably sure we’ll be able to sell. There are several reasons we reject items. Click here for a brief list of commonly unwanted items.

What happens to the items you reject from my order?

Unless you had a Large Order or a Drop off Order, you can ask for them back when you pick up payment, as long as it's within an hour of your order being completed. If you don’t want them, we will put them in the free boxes in front of the store. Reject items for Large Orders and Drop offs are recycled as we process the order.

Why don't you answer the phone?

The answer to this question can be broken down into two parts:

Part 1 - WHY THE PHONE CALL WASN'T RETURNED:

We understand that it can be frustrating to not have a phone call returned, especially if you only have a quick question. We have tried to avoid this frustration by having our answering message and website address frequently asked questions. We allow those devices to pinch hit for us so that we can focus our attention on the needs of the store and the customers that are currently shopping in it. If the answer to your question is given by the message, then your call might not be returned because we assume you have already received your answer. To tell you the answer again would be moot, and we do not want to insult your intelligence. If your question is not answered by either of those devices, then we welcome you to leave a message letting us know what you need. (see Part 2 for why there may be a delay in returning your call).

Another reason some calls aren't returned is because the individual has forgotten to leave us contact information. Our phone system is not like a cell phone that lets us know who made the call. Without a name and number, we have no way of getting back to you.

Part 2 - WHY THE PHONE CALL WASN'T RETURNED IMMEDIATELY:

We make every attempt to return phone calls within 3 days of receiving a message. This delay is because many questions require a little bit of research, and we want to make sure that the most qualified person for addressing your specific issue is the one who is returning the phone call.

What is the free box?

Outside each McKay's location you’ll see boxes of free items. These are items that we rejected from customer orders due to condition or age. However, just because we don’t think we can sell them doesn’t mean you don’t want them. Take a minute to dig through them: you just might find a buried treasure!

What is store credit?

McKay's issues trade credit for items brought in by customers. Here are the basics:

Credit may be used for anything in the store except gift cards.
Trade credits never expire.
Once you’ve accepted trade for your items, that trade cannot be converted into cash.
We are unable to replace lost or stolen trade slips.

What is McKay's Teacher Credit Program, and how can I get involved?

Once a year, McKay's offers free trade credit to public school teachers in our immediate region. In 2009, McKay's stores in Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga donated $237,975.00 in credit to public school teachers in their communities. This credit is intended to help teachers meet the literary and informational needs of their students. Schools that wish to take advantage of this program should contact the store manager at the location nearest them for additional information.

How can I pay for my purchase?

You can pay for your items with store credit, cash, by credit card, or checks under $50.00, provided you show us a valid ID. We cannot accept purchase orders at this time, but we are able to save orders for institutions for one week, and provide those institutions with an itemized receipt. That way you can receive payment, and bring it back to us when you return to pick up your items.

What's your return policy?

Customers may return up to 15 items for refund in a calendar year. You'll need to bring those items back to the CASHIER DESK (not the Greeter desk) within 30 days of purchase, with the McKay's barcode or receipt. We'll need to see your valid driver's license in order to process the return.

*Please note that you will be reimbursed in the manner in which you paid. If you paid in store credit, we can only refund store credit.

**We are happy to accept returns for items bought at a different McKay's. However, the refund will be given in store credit only.

Are you hiring?

Although our turnover is pretty low, we are always accepting applications. What can we say? McKay's is a great place to work!

Do I have to be in the store in order to make my purchase?

Yes. Due to incredibly high volume, we are unable to sell items over the internet or to ship items to our customers.

What about waiting lists, searches, and price quotes?

We are unable to tell you if we have a certain item in stock, keep waiting lists, or give price quotes over the internet or phone. Since we are a used store where all of our inventory is brought in by customers like you (and we bring in around 10,000 items a day) our main goal is to process the items and get them on the shelves as quickly as possible.

While we understand that it can be frustrating not having an answer, try and look at it like a treasure hunt, and explore the variety of items we do have.