On Sunday’s in the winter, DH and I go to Goodwill to seek our treasures (.99 cent Sunday)! He seems to find something 75% of the time, many with the tags still on them…name brand! Some of his favorite jeans are from there. It’s amazing so of the really nice clothes he’s purchased.
I find something about 25% of the time. I have learned if I don’t love it, it doesn’t matter if it’s .99, 4.49 or $150. It’s amazing the name brand I pull out. Anyway, we went last Sunday and I hit the mother lode of spring long sleeve topsa sweater. Pink, lavender, a Tommy Bahamas turquoise cardigan, etc. a fun summer top from Maurice’s…a store in our high end fashion mall, and a top from I.N.C. I think I bought 5 tops for $10. I’m tired of my black, grey and brown!
I just remember in another thread everyone discussed where they shopped…I shop everywhere except expensive stores for staples. Just wanted to let you know some great finds out there right now as I think they are putting out spring stuff.
We don’t have a Goodwill nearby but I do shop there when I see one. It can be an adventure hunting for a bargain. The last time I was at Goodwill was when I was dropping son off at college in Maine and he realized he’d left his winter boots at home. He needed boots, but (personal responsibility and all) I wasn’t going to run by LL Bean for a new pair. We whipped by the local Goodwill and I had him pick out a $6 pair of used work boots and a $3 multi-pack of wooly socks. I think he was surprised because I’m usually more of a J Crew kind of shopper. Good to keep these kids off balance and demonstrate the value of a dollar.
I moved a little over a year ago, but where I used to live, I shopped at Goodwill frequently…Probably 75% of my wardrobe is from Goodwill. I found plenty of nice things there (and also donated there).
My kids have picked up miscellaneous household goods on occasion (George Foreman grill for $3) but no, I find the whole atmosphere sad, depressing and I think I should be leaving those deals for people who have absolutely no choice but to shop there, because they really need that $2 blouse to get a job or something. I also find garage sales depressing and don’t do those.
I do shop at upscale resale shops for clothing, and my D found her furniture for her apartment at an upscale furniture consignment shop.
I will also say there are Goodwill stores and then there are Goodwill stores.
Our local Goodwill stores are what Pizzagirl describes - kind of a sad, dank, depressing environment. A certain “scent” in the air.
In the fall, I was visiting D2 at her college town and she needed a couple of clothing items to complete a Halloween costume. We went to the local Goodwill in her well to do surburban-ish outside the big city store - TOTALLY different! Clean, fresh, bright, more inviting. Every other skirt on the rack was from stores like The Limited, Loft, etc.
Well, if you’ve ever been in a GW you would know they have PLENTY of merchandise - I think you could shop there guilt free as there would be plenty left " for people who have absolutely no choice but to shop there".
While I don’t know about small appliances, after reading Elizabeth Cline and others I learned there are more $2 blouses at Goodwill than the world will need for the rest of human history. She says most of the clothing is not purchased, and then it is sent overseas in huge clothing blocks, but there is even too much of it to be used in third world countries. Eventually it ends up in a land fill or something similar. So if you buy there, it’s a good deed to the earth.
I agree various Goodwills will reflect the surrounding donating population. One I used to visit in the NE regularly had closet clean-outs from when someone passed away. There was a whole life’s history in a just-put-out-on-the-racks garments and shoes and bags. I would see fur coats, reptile bags, parts of Victorian gowns, 20s dusters, knock offs of Dior’s after war new look, some sixties designers in excellent shape. It was a lot of fun.
all veteran goody’s shoppers have their favorite stores. i prefer the ones in the wealthier suburbs…where people who can’t be bothered with the hassle of a consignment store bring their mostly unworn expensive clothes. yay goodwill!
my favorite ones also get target leftovers (sometimes the price is higher than the clearance tag price that target had on there though).
it’s tough interacting with cashiers who have more obvious challenges (thinking of some in recovery from addiction) but it’s about more than the bargain, it’s also about each interaction at the counter helping that person to gain some skills…
Our goodwill is not a place I would want to shop. It smells, clothes are usually in poor shape and displays are jumbled piles that you have to rummage through. I never saw anything with tags on. To top it off, it is in a bad neighborhood and I don’t feel comfortable driving to that area. I do occasionally go to drop off donations but we are in and out as fast as possible.
I’ve been donating a bit the last year rather than shopping there. I’m getting older and don’t want to dress too young. so making a few style adjustments… A friend sells some things for me on ebay, and we split the profits, but some of my clothes won’t have any market there and really aren’t worth her time. Some things people really want on ebay would probably end up in land fill if I took them to Goodwill.
A couple of weeks running, when I was in town, I dropped off a bag of clothes. The drop off is inside the building, around back in a separate area from the shopping, but they have cameras to watch what is going on. Last time, an extremely well dressed young female employee came hustling back and took my bag right out of my hands instead of letting me put in in the big rolling containers they have there. That never happened before. I think she was waiting for me to show up again.
We don’t have a local goodwill but when I lived in Manhattan I made frequent foraging trips to the Salvation Army “superstore” on W46th St. Holy moly the stuff you could find there back in the day. I think DH and I pretty much furnished our first apartment between that place, IKEA, and the occasional find from “big trash Wednesday” when people put old furniture out on the street for collection.
When my daughters were young, I used to buy big lots of second hand baby clothes from other young moms on eBay. When they’re 3-6-9 months old, they go through stuff so fast, and they’re just spitting up on it anyway, haha. Plus, I figured the women who were selling the stuff could probably use the extra cash. When my Ds outgrew items, if they were still in good shape, I’d donate 'em to the local Big Brothers/Big Sisters collection. Double recycling!
I haven’t been to Goodwill (other than dropping off a bunch of my mom’s beautiful clothing there after she passed away).
However, there is a second hand store in walking distance to where I live. It is not a chain. I really enjoy stopping in there every time I go to the bank which is about a block away from it. I have never looked at the clothing, which takes up 3/4’s of the space. But there is a section of household items, mostly decorative (think knick knacks) and some utilitarian (plates, glasses), and I have fun stopping in and browsing that section and picking up little items for my place that I would not normally spend money on and don’t truly need. However, I rarely spend over $10, and so I think of it as a little treat for myself and I’ve gotten many items there that give me pleasure in my home.
Last week, I got a large decorative glass platter to put as a centerpiece on my dining table that matches my decor and it was $8. My table currently has a vase on it that matches my decor that I also got at this thrift store. I would not normally go out and buy items of this nature for myself. It’s been rather fun. In fact, my daughter who recently moved nearby to me, also has gone there and gotten a bunch of stuff for her new apartment…also just small items, often under $5 or $10. In fact, on Friday, when I bought the platter, I didn’t realize my D and her fiancee and also gone there and they texted me that they had a gift for me and came by with it…the perfect candlesticks for my table (there was more to it, but not worth mentioning here). They also don’t look at the clothing, but apparently did this time and my D got a pair of Danskos in great shape to replace her current ones. Further, the profits benefit AIDS.
I feel guilty buying things at goodwill. I only ever go in there for some stuff I know won’t be used like old tennis racekts that I can resell or are collectibles.
As far as clothes and such, I’d rather let the people who really need it get the best stuff.
I like thrift store shopping, but I don’t buy many clothes there. I’ve bought some odd T-shirts, like my son’s “Neebish Island” shirt that he loved. They have thousands of T-shirts, so I certainly don’t feel I’m depriving anybody. I often buy CDs there. Also picture frames.
My sister in law works at a Goodwill. She says there are so much stuff coming in everyday that it’s impossible to sell even a fraction of them. They need buyers even more than givers, so please buy. It pays for the facility and the workers training and salary. It’s similar to recycling. It’s important to buy merchandises made out of recycling materials so that there is a market to sustain recycling.
“Well, if you’ve ever been in a GW you would know they have PLENTY of merchandise - I think you could shop there guilt free as there would be plenty left " for people who have absolutely no choice but to shop there”."
I HAVE been to Goodwill, thank you; what makes you think I haven’t? There is one in a strip mall that is walking distance from my home, right next to the Trader Joe’s I frequent. Sorry, I find Goodwill depressing. If I want to find nice clothing at resale shops, I have far better options. The GW near me has clothing that was poorly made the first time around, is out of style, etc.
We moved our son to another city, and bought furniture for him at resale / consignment shops because the intent was that he could just leave it in this city when he moves out and it wasn’t worth buying new, I found those places depressing too, and felt bad for the people for whom that is their only choice.
