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Do you shop at Goodwill?

William Jenkins |

I have always hated Goodwill and similar stores, mainly because my parents would go to find deals on items. They became hoarders in the process.

I would go infrequently as an adult and would find nice designer clothes. Recently, however, I went a few times and don’t find much designer stuff nowadays.

by Anonymousreply 34March 21, 2022 3:57 AM

Realreal OP. Everyone’s doing it.

by Anonymousreply 1March 19, 2022 9:13 PM

No. Goodwill is scum. They're a multibillion dollar company but take advantage of a loophole that allows them to pay disabled workers far below minimum wage.

by Anonymousreply 2March 19, 2022 9:20 PM

It's because there are no shortage of scavengers that troll those places regularly to scoop up anything and everything that they can re-sell for more.

by Anonymousreply 3March 19, 2022 9:23 PM

Sure, I love inviting bed bugs home.

by Anonymousreply 4March 19, 2022 9:25 PM

I do, but I like older goods with some history. It's hit or miss. I've got some great things, mostly clothes, from Goodwill. And no, I am not poor.

by Anonymousreply 5March 19, 2022 9:34 PM

Every time I went there, all of the quality items were gone. It’s a waste of time.

by Anonymousreply 7March 19, 2022 9:59 PM

Yes. I have found fantastic quality things there. I’m in Manhattan and there is a lot of good stuff donated by my fellow NYCers, though. You do have to weed through a lot of junk, but it’s there. With patience and time, I’ve acquired a wardrobe of beautiful natural fibers (cashmere, merino, tweed) and leather shoes, etc.

by Anonymousreply 8March 19, 2022 10:00 PM

where the hell do you thnk I got my Ethel Merman disco album???

by Anonymousreply 9March 19, 2022 10:06 PM

I have personally given lots of great designer clothes to Goodwill and Salvation Army. It’s easier to donate and take a tax deduction than to sell them or give them to friends

by Anonymousreply 10March 20, 2022 5:28 AM

I used to re-sell clothes, but i mostly stuck with estate sales. That's where i found the designer stuff. I've never found any at goodwill, the best thing i found there was a pendelton sweater and a lacoste vest.

by Anonymousreply 11March 20, 2022 6:02 AM

Sure. I get decent stuff for cheap.

by Anonymousreply 12March 20, 2022 6:33 AM

Goodwill is great for two reasons. You get stuff you want or can use and the money helps someone else. I have given a ton of stuff to Goodwill that I could have sold at a consignment shop. I gave up on consignment shops because of the cuntasauruses that work there. Super rude. So now I just give it all away and it feels much better. Let the Goodwill make more money. I don't make any money but I don't care and forget the next day. Letting stuff go is healthy for me.

by Anonymousreply 13March 20, 2022 6:50 AM

My little brother shopped at all those places as a teen 30 years ago, and found great clothes including a red blazer her wore every Christmas.

It was Don Loper for Donald O'Connor. He died of leukemia, and we buried him in it

by Anonymousreply 14March 20, 2022 7:08 AM

Since Covid I have noticed a serious decline in quality stuff at Goodwill.

by Anonymousreply 15March 20, 2022 9:33 AM

R15

Answer to your query OP can be summed up in one word, the *Internet*...

Thrift shops and similar places (including flea markets) have been hit by rise of internet. It began with places like eBay, and has moved on and up with Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and dozens if not scores of other places world over.

It isn't just clothing and household furnishings, but antiques and really so much else. People are either selling it themselves online (cutting out middle man and making money), or scouting out estate sales and other sources for things they can sell for same.

Thrifts still get people who donate things just to be rid of them, and or for tax write off, and there are deals out there to be found. But it often means a tiring slog of hitting thrifts every day or at least several days per week. On day you don't go you'll likely hear about some great item that sold on said day...

Went to local Goodwill on UES of Manhattan (Yorkville, not far from Tool Box bar) as was in area. Was a shell of it's former self. Not much to be had garment wise, and housewares/furnishing section was virtually empty.

Also finally Goodwill stores used to get tons of things that didn't sell, customer returns and other goods from stores like Target. Many such stores now have their own online outlets or other places they get rid of those things.

All this being said many Goodwill stores have an online presence and put things up for sale there, and or on sites like eBay.

by Anonymousreply 16March 20, 2022 10:08 AM

R16, that’s my Goodwill. It’s terrible. Every so often I’ll get something good, but it’s a desert now. The last good thing I found was a small stack of Emile Henry bowls and a pair of unworn Bass Weejuns.

by Anonymousreply 17March 20, 2022 12:35 PM

[quote]Goodwill is great for two reasons. You get stuff you want or can use and the money helps someone else.

Goodwill is a non-profit only in theory. In reality only a tiny percentage of their profits goes to their so-called jobs program that's actually just taking advantage of disabled people and paying them criminally low salaries under the guise of them being 'trained'. If you want to shop at a thrift store that is actually raising funds for a cause/organization, go to your local thrift stores serving local groups. Goodwill and the Salvation Army are both evil empires.

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by Anonymousreply 18March 20, 2022 12:53 PM

Most donated clothes in particular don't get sold in the outlets; they get baled up and sold to dealers, finally ending up in third-world street markets. There was a good book out some years ago exploring the international used clothing market.

by Anonymousreply 19March 20, 2022 12:58 PM

I once found a very interesting vest that I worse for a few years. I gave it away because my partner made it.

The outside looked like very packed human hair. Who knows it might have been human hair!

by Anonymousreply 20March 20, 2022 1:52 PM

R20 still doesn't realize his partner was a serial killer and he was wearing a vest made of "trophies" for years. Isn't that cute!

by Anonymousreply 21March 20, 2022 3:53 PM

above link bad/ try below

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by Anonymousreply 22March 20, 2022 3:56 PM

I's never really been to Goodwill, but there's a good one near my parents' home, and I went there for the first time and found Corningware dishes I'd been looking for for ages, really cheap. So -- depending on what you want -- it can be a great place to shop.

by Anonymousreply 23March 20, 2022 4:03 PM

our southwestern goodwills take big anchor store spots , gut and refurbish them / what i've found odd is that the backroom pricing areas are at the opposite end where the check out /cash registers are.... what that creates is this crazy long delay for a 2nd cashier, or a manager to come up for a return. I would get so irritated at the staff for a long delay, and then realize it really is how the store has been set up.... basically set up to fail...with the customer /staff always annoyed with each other. basically there is no staff on the sales floor, except zombies hanging clothes.. who seem to lack basic customer service skills, and seem to have been instructed not to interact with customers lest it impacts their productivity.

by Anonymousreply 24March 20, 2022 4:12 PM

Virtually ever thrift shop throws away goods. Goodwill is a bit more obvious about how they get rid of surplus to requirement goods, but they are hardly alone.

Of course "dumpster divers" and other garbage pickers know this, and thus will hit certain spots on a routine basis to see what can be found in those bin liners.

When Housing Works was on Chambers Street in Tribeca nearly every night one or more older Asian women would show up soon as their trash hit curb. Like everyone else HW rubbishes lots of things, and those Chinese ladies soon found out and kept going until place closed.

Truth to tell much of what is donated to thrifts is rubbish. People donate first of course to get the tax write off. Others because they simply cannot bear themselves to throw away tired old tat, so they "donate" goods leaving problem on someone else's doorsteps.

Housing Works on Columbus avenue/UWS once was like a gold mine, but last few years (even before covid), not so much. Again you have to go fairly regularly to find anything decent.

by Anonymousreply 25March 20, 2022 8:09 PM

For anyone into thrifts, estate sales, antique shops, flea markets, etc.. either as buyer or seller highly recommend Alan Bennet's "Hand of God" monologue.

Eileen Atkins stars as Celia and play captures in my mind world of antique/thrift shops.

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by Anonymousreply 26March 20, 2022 8:14 PM

Wtf happened. I went yesterday. Straight garbage on the shelves. sports Videos games in glass cases , dirty shoes, no toys. It was crazy.

by Anonymousreply 27March 20, 2022 8:17 PM

They are largely a fraud, so no.

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by Anonymousreply 28March 20, 2022 8:26 PM

Not lately. I have no problem shopping at thrift stores, but the quality at Goodwill has gone down and the prices up. I find better goods at stores associated with local charities.

by Anonymousreply 29March 20, 2022 8:35 PM

R17

Many years ago now that UES/Yorkville Goodwill was the spot. Got so many vintage pieces of artwork (prints and photos mostly, but other bits as well). great complete sets of vintage china, bake/cook/glass ware (much of it NOS and never used, bed and table linens....

That Goodwill benefitted largely from being on UES including close proximity to both Carnegie Hill and Gracie mansion area. Not to mention tons of "old" Yorkville/UES residents who accumulate lots of great things over course of their lives, and much if of it went to thrifts when they died.

Manger back then was an older Indian guy (Alan?) who all dealers and insiders knew. He would hold things that might interest his favorites aside to give them first dibs.

This was all before 2000's, by 2010 or so place was going down hill in terms of stock. Other thing is that Goodwill had huge problem with shoplifting. Nice clothing, housewares, vintage pieces, anything people could conceal on their person, in a bag or whatever, went walkabout.

by Anonymousreply 30March 20, 2022 8:38 PM

R30, they still have a shoplifting problem. There are frequent fliers who fill bags and leave with them. The employees know who they are but cannot stop them. I’ve seen it happen on several occasions.

Imagine stealing from Goodwill, for fucks sake.

by Anonymousreply 31March 20, 2022 8:46 PM

Doesn't seem so much today, but back in day many local Housing Works shops benefitted greatly from gay Mafia connection. Interior designers, decorators, real estate persons, etc.. anyone charged with having to find new homes for things often donated to Housing Works.

Years ago there was a brand new Baker complete dining set at Housing Works on UES. Dining table, six chairs, china cabinet (complete with tarnish proof drawers for holding silver...), and side board.

Got there just after item had arrived and true to HW policy it wouldn't be priced until next day. Staff told me an interior designer had just arranged to have it delivered. Apparently he was doing an UES home that ordered set, but upon arrival Madame didn't like look of it. It was bought and paid for, but could not be returned, so she just told her decorator to "get rid of it" and find her something else.

Didn't want set as it really was too huge for anything but a large apartment or home with formal dining area. Stopped in few days later and was told by staff next morning when they arrived to open one of the black maids who worked in area was first in a (long) line. Soon as store was opened she made a bee line for set and beat back anyone else. Compared to retail price set sold for very little money, and within hours of sale that black maid had arranged people to wrap, pack and load set onto a moving van.

That was main problem with Housing Works and other thrifts when it came to furniture and some other things. Longer the remained on floor more often they got scratched, picked over or otherwise damaged. Housing Work's policy is once paid for they aren't responsible for item. So if that nice desk or whatever was not damaged when you paid for it, but had a nasty mark few days later when you came to collect, tough titty.

Upholstered furniture suffered most. Many older people would treat this Housing Works as if it were a senior center. They'd arrive, take books from sale racks, then sit down for ages reading, gossiping, etc... Untold number of pieces were damaged when some senior pissed their drawers leaving a huge wet spot.

by Anonymousreply 32March 20, 2022 8:51 PM

We have a local thrift chain here that I like - they donate their profits to a nonprofit LGBT medical group (which started as an AIDS care group).

I was cured of Goodwill when I moved a painting there I was thinking about buying and a dozen rodents (mice, moles and some other thing) scurried into the wider area of the store, causing people to scream and run.

Slight tangent: the big thing here is consignment shops. We have a lot of snowbirds and there's way more consignment shops here than thrift stores. But based on the prices there and the ones I see of people trying to sell stuff on line, most people have bad sense about what they think their items are worth. There's a lot of mentality of, "I bought this couch for $3000, and I used it for 2 years, so I should get $2800 for it." Um, no.

by Anonymousreply 33March 20, 2022 8:58 PM

R18 Good point. A local thrift that is clear about who benefits from their programs has less overhead salaries and things like that. In my home town there was a thrift back in the 90s that helped gay and lesbian youth programs. I donated there as well as one that turned the clothes over to homeless, refugee or impoverished families. I need to look that one up as I have moved back to my old home town and if they are still around, I'll start going there.

by Anonymousreply 34March 21, 2022 3:57 AM

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