Goodwill Industries
Reviews and Complaints

TIP: Only go to Goodwill on their 50% off days which are twice monthly. On those days jeans are $.99

I've been shopping at Goodwills for years and have watched their prices skyrocket especially in the last year. I found a handfull of books there today with $9.99 on the back. WHAT? i can go to a used book store and find it cheaper! And most books have a flat $5.99 which is still incredibly high compared to Saint Vinnies or other thrift stores. Try finding a pair of jeans under $10 - good luck, and often they have holes or frayed ends. They don't care. I also found a used, opened puzzle with a sticker of $7.99 - who knew if all the pieces were there. How many people have to complain before they listen? I wish everyone would boycott them until they LISTEN. This is NOT good business especially considering everything is donated. Horrible.

I stopped going to Goodwill years ago, they willingly accept your donations, but as soon as you buy anything from them, they make up their own prices or even worse, the last time I went there I was buying shoes, used shoes, no special brand on the bottom was written 3. The cashier says 6. I said " show me where you see six?!" she couldn't answer, but brought over a fellow employee just to back her off. I wanted to strangle this woman just to show her my frustration. Someone should put this all out in the public, their employees are rude, their prices are higher than that of new items, & they say they stand for giving people a hand-up instead of a hand-down. Really?

They sold me a counterfeit coach bag then would not issue a refund when I alerted them to this they were so rude. I also told them the LV bags in the case were fakes they said they knew and customers knew it too. I said no they don't thats deception. They are so rude. Selling fakes for $100.00 I reported them to ftc after they refused to refund me even tho I told them I was going to report them for fraud.

I completely agree, Goodwill is ridicously high, considering that everything was donated for free. I was shopping at goodwill and this use purse was $50.00, whereas you can get the same purse brand new for the exact same price...Crazy I'd say...

UPDATE: I finally got in contact with someone at Goodwill. I asked him for the President of Goodwill's name. He refused to give it to me. I then asked him he had notified the President of Goodwill, he never did answer. He is still making rude comments to me. I even told him to take me to court so I could get this out in the public. I'm still under doctors care. Please do not donate to Goodwill.

The goodwill store in canton, il is full of rude employees.
My mom&i spend a lot of money in the store, I also have donated lots of clothes, toys, &made them a lot of money.
They recently fired a very nice young man who was full of energy, worked double shifts, he's a 20 year old boy who was trying to
Live on his own, work&pwrform in plays.
They recently hired an elderly lady who didn't understand his joyfully, bubbly personality&said lies about how he made her cry.
They fired him on the spot.
My mom&myself are very upset on how they could fire a young man who worked very hard&take this lady's side.
Very sad how he worked there for almost 2 years!
Someone should check into these rude employees!

Ridiculous prices at the Tom lenard drive in Glen Allen, va goodwill store. When we inquired to the manager, Stephanie that same brand new items are $10 -$20 more than what it was listed., she didn't admit. We don't like it, then we don't buy it. That rude.
Purse : brand ne $98. Stire price: $70. Set of plates 40 pieces. Brand new for $190. Goodwill price; $170. Ridiculous. This is used stuff. It would be better to buy such stuff from the factory at least you can get more discount. Employees at that store were so stressed from the new management and .compkained about the new management

I am currently standing outside the Verona WI goodwill. I spent close to $100 with multiple items. The time is currently 9:38 pm. At the end of the sale I was debating on whether or not to buy the last pair of shoes. I told her I didn’t want them. She rang them up accidentally, perhaps because I was wearing a mask and she misunderstood. As I was putting my belongings in the car I realized that I had purchased the shoes. It was about 9:05, they were waiting for me to bring back the cart. I informed the employee who rang me up that I didn’t want the shoes and she said they were closed. I said I understood, and would be happy to bring them back tomorrow. I just wanted assurance I would receive my form of payment back as opposed to a store credit. She told me she would get a manager. So after explaining to what I thought was the manager the situation, he told me he didn’t know as he just started the job and was training as an assistant manager. I said I want to speak. to the manager and he said she’s busy “running around like a chicken with ...” I said nothing is as important as your customers. He said he would get her. The tint is now 9:45 and she never came. I have taken a picture with time date stamp & receipt. This is completely unacceptable in so many ways. I stood here to see how long it would take.

Hazel hines on 6/6/2020 I was at the goodwill outlet store 553 fairview av north saint paul mn
Rude asst: manger reberta allen now here the thing, I was walking in line to shop, and I was going the wrong way and reberta allen said that I got to go the around, so I went around and then I got to my destination reberta came up to me and start talking rude to me with no respect, (she said get back there you going the wrong way, and I said to her didn't have to hollow at me. then she start to talk very loud in front of the customer, I also said to her what is wrong with you? then she went to get the manger and I told him about her being so rude, so he ask her what happen? she said I was about to run over a customer. wow" just not true all these yrs I been coming to goodwill outlet I have never heard or seen customer about to run over another customer with a cart. I been shopping at goodwill outlet for 25yr and never have been treated this way by any or the manger, only reberta allen.
Some of the people that she work with don't like her rudeness, the way she talk about the worker in there face calling then out or their name. reberta allen she's never friendly to the customer and she don't smile or greet the customer, but the staff or nice to the customer. reberta allen don't know show to deal customer. unfortunately she don't know how to deal with the public she is so unprofessional. around 2018 this time, roberta allen grab my finger and bent it, you should have video of it, what happen and I report it to the top manger next door of goodwill. I also file a complaint. I haven heard anything from you people about this matter, I hope to hear from you soon. I feel sorry for reberta allen if she become a manger at the goodwill outlet store, she will run all the customer away. I hope to hear from you soon, I am always at goodwill outlet store shopping for my store.

The valdosta ga at 1000 n saint augustine rd the worker is very rude they will hold the merchandise and get what they want first for there families and friends some of the worker have a bad attitude like ms. sherkira she is a very nasty person they over price almost everything in the store except for there families and friends they make sure they take the jewelry the nice furnture and clothes shoes everyone be complainting about this store they need a new management team stop going to this store until they do something about the people there

Goodwill and Their Rip Off Return Policy!
Goodwill gets their merchandise FREE it is donated to them! It's pretty bad when you can walk into a Goodwill and see dollar tree items marked up to or pay 5.00 or see clothing that you could buy at Ross for the same price brand new! What really takes the cake though is the Goodwill's exchange policy. Do you know that most of them now days do not exchange items even if the price is still on the item and you have your receipt? I purchased two fans, I checked and made sure they worked before I bought them. I took them home and turned them both on. One worked fine the other started smoking after about 10 minutes. The very next day after making the purchase I took the one that started smoking back to the store with the receipt and the tag still on it. I explained to them that they sold me a faulty item, that it turns on and is fine for a while but then gets hot and starts smoking. They refused to do and exchange because it was against company policy. PLEASE if you are going to donate your items DO NOT DONATE TO GOODWILL! They are ripping people off! There are plenty of churches and NONPROFIT'S that you can be sure would really be helping people in need.
Goodwill would let your grandmother on a fixed income buy an item and not even have the decency to let her exchange the item even if she has a receipt.
There is No Goodwill about Goodwill when they rip off their customers!

I live in Salem Oregon. I have multiple stories about how rude and horrible the employees are at the "bins" on Portland Rd. After 19 years of shopping and spending thousands of dollars and donating thousands of dollars as well, the price per pound went up 30% in one weekend. I have stopped going for the most part, but I do occasionally waltz in a half an hour before they close. The other day I arrived at 7:40pm knowing full well that they closed at 8pm and being the experienced bin shopper that I am I intended to line up at 7:55pm. As soon as I arrived I was approached by the manager who forcefully informed me that I needed to go line up to pay. I told him that I would line up at 7:55pm since the store closed at 8pm. We argued back and forth with both of us repeating ourselves. I told him that if he showed me the sign that said I had to line up at 7:45pm that would be nice. He told me that he didn't have to have a sign. He told me that he was going to have to ask me to leave if I didn't immediately go up to the front and get in line. I suggested that he call the police so that I could explain to them about his behavior. He said he called them but no one ever showed up. While this discussion was going on I managed to gather up some items. I went over to the shoe area and got my mom who has Alzheimer's and told her we had to go. The manager had his eyes on me the entire time. He even stared me down as I made my purchase. I asked the gentleman in line behind me if he would like to go in with me (the more the stuff weighs the better the bargain). He said that he would. While I am trying to pay my credit card wouldn't take ( I knew if was fine as the balance was paid in full and I use my credit cards in order to get points for travel). The cashier, who was very kind was feeling anxious and I told her to not worry that I would just use my bank card. The manager meanwhile was staring me down the entire time. He gave me a sticky note with his name and his manager's name and a phone number. As soon as we got in the parking lot I was met by 2 other people who were outraged by the situation and we exchanged phone numbers. They expressed to me similar incidents that they themselves had had. When my mother and I got in the car I called the number on the sticky note and the manager answered. I thought an answering machine would come on. The entire time the manager was peering out the front window of the store. I wrote out what had transpired and sent it to somewhere in the Goodwill universe. All of this happened on a Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday went by, Friday at 6:05pm I had received a call back from a man from Goodwill. I thought I was finally going to be met with some empathy, however, the man told me that he had to believe the employee over me. I cannot believe this happened. I am a friendly person and a nice and appreciative shopper who has spent, as I said thousands of dollars at the Goodwill.

There are bargains to be made at Good Will. I became a widow a couple years ago and broke up housekeeping, to exhausted to fool with yard selling or estate selling it. I donated about $3, 500.00 of furniture to Good Will. It was very fine furniture, retail about $6, 000.00. About a year later I went in there to pick up a couple of things and was at the counter and had about .85 cents due change coming back. The cashier then said "would you like for me to round this off and us keep the change" I politely responded... "yes, you may round it off to the nearest dollar and give it back to me" She didn't day anything. I really think it is wrong and should be AGAINST THE LAW TO SOLICIT CUSTOMERS for their due back change.
It would be more professional if they just said "would you like to make a donation"?

I have gone to Goodwill in Boone, NC for two days in a row on my lunch hr. trying to buy several blouses. They have one cashier (which is usually the case) and a good 9 or 10 people in line (some with buggies full). Both days I have had to just leave my stuff and walk out. Why are they too cheap to hire enough people (especially during lunch hr.) to open two cash registers? The reviewer above who worked there pretty says they don't care about anyone, which is a pretty sad situation for a business that was once a charity that claimed to help the poor. I have donated stuff to Goodwill a thousand times over the years (and sometimes new stuff). They wouldn't be in business without the donors, and yet they have rude, crappy employees, not enough employees, and they don't seem to give a damn. I think I'm done with Goodwill!

There are too many folks that don't seem to understand that they don't care if you don't like the pricing. They don't care if you call corporate. They actually don't care if you shop there. They are only trying to earn a buck. They don't want to take donations. They throw most of them in the trash anyhow. They laugh and talk about how stupid folks are that ask for lower prices. They talk about the donors like dogs. How do I know? My best friend is a store manager and boy does he have tales to tell. They also don't care about the workers. They are meaningless as well!

They absolutely will not lower prices on items already marked. In fact to do so is grounds for dismissal. A store manager certainly is not going to lose their job by lowering prices. What reason would they risk their job by lowering prices for? It is very funny to see people begging for lower prices and then threatening to call corporate if they don't get their way. The company wants to get top dollar for merchandise so that they can fund their mission. Period. They do not care if you like the prices or not because someone else will come along and purchase without complaining. Please stop asking for lower prices. You will be wasting your breath if you do.

I agree GW is lacking in goodwill, also what people don't know is that they throw out items that are not sold at the end of the week. I witness an employee throwing glass items into a bin and didn't care if they broke and when I ask what's done with them, he reply that they throw them out in the dumpster. I think this is so wrong and then I ask why they couldn't donate them to a homeless shelter especially since they got it for free and he reply no they can't. I also witness where they remove the items of color on tuesday which is the beginning of the week of the sale color item. Which means by the end of the week you will not find any items of that color for sale. I find this to be unfair practice, if a retail store advertise a sale for the week and then removed all sale items and just left non-sale items at regular price that would be consider illegal business practices. The government or consumer business groups should really get on them. It is really unethical what they are doing and not helping the poor as they are suppose to. It seems the only ones that can afford to shop at GW are the rich people who like to keep there money.

And if you think about it, why are there so very few report's of Goodwill customer's finding big treasure / Valuable item's at goodwill stores? With all the Donation's from so many different sources, There would be more report's if Goodwill Employees were allowed to take donated item's, and talk about it, (The Goodwill Employee's are Paid, They are not Volunteer's) But then who would like the Newspaper Story of: 'Goodwill Employee Finds & Keeps a Donated Item Worth $78.000, A Unemployed Goodwill Customer Would have bought it, If, The Goodwill Employee had not kept the Donated item for his own personal use and profit!' Even the Goodwill Employee, with the arrogant 'Im entitled to it' attitude is not that Stupid, If that Goodwill Employee did report he found and kept a valuable Donated item at Goodwill, then said Employee would be viewed as what he truly is, A Criminal, A Thief, even if the Goodwill Employee's Misconceptions of Entitlement which are generated by Management as some kind of 401 K, Mislead the Goodwill Employee's that it is OK, to keep Donated Item's at Goodwill. No matter how much the donated item is worth, The Smug & Vain Goodwill Employee is Deprived of his Day in the Sun, of basking in the Public Limelight of adoration shown to big lottery winner's and such, why? because the Goodwill Employee is not a winner when he takes Donated item's from goodwill, and if The Goodwill Employee that takes Donated Items is not a winner, Then he must be a Loser and a Criminal! And there would be more reports of Goodwill Customer's finding Treasure / Valuable item's if the Goodwill Employees did not steal donated item's at epidemic proportions, as if it is not a criminal act (it is).

I love second hand stores. If your looking for a deal go to a independent second hand store. I was always on a budget when my kids were little, and I have gotten many things at low prices. I like the Choc stores they have in LA and In OC in California. Going to nice areas second hand stores sometimes you can buy very nice stuff at a steal. Look in your own neighborhoods, and help local thrift stores thrive. If you don't agree with the way this organization runs or charges, than don't shop from there. There are plenty other second hand shops to help us on a tight budget. I love to shop at a second hand store a few blocks away. I have found some wonderful buys there. Also, jeans are usually priced really low, and for growing kids, that always helps. I always like shopping locally and helping struggling second hand shops in my area. I get a great deal, and in return, they have my repeat business. I am saving money, and helping the local economy. So everyone wins.

I agree! When i was in the goodwill there were employees that were going through bins and hiding stuff in a cardboard box, (i dont think they were just sorting it because the stuff being sorted was going in these big white rolling bins.) I have had situations where the employees take something im buying and change the price last minute and say oh thats better quality or...they messed up pricing that...that means that they wanted it i assume.

I went to goodwill today just looking around and they had an artificial tree for sale for 89.99 when at walgreens the tree is 39.99 i do not know how they continue to do it.

This simply confirms everything horrible I have seen happen with "GOOD"will over the past couple years. [protected]).

Rude, almost abusive employees...prices that are ABOVE retail "sale" prices...and those rude, "minimum wage" employees who walk around with more gold around their necks than I EVER could could have afforded in my whole life when I had a good job. The jobs in my particular industry, and at my experience level have paid about $50, 00-$70, 00 depending on area of country. Even before I had a child and became a single mom...before the current 3-year recession...before losing my good job when I had plenty of disposable cash...I could NEVER, EVER have afforded the disgusting amount of gold that the Managers, and (certain employees) wear! (not that I would ever be tacky enough to load myself up like a hooker)

I mentioned to one Manager at a store (in my polite and friendly way of speaking with people I run across) that "Wow, it must a great "perk" to be able to get "fist dibs" on the good stuff that comes in". She then told me, (of course, extremely rude and nasty for no reason) that she didn't get any of her gold necklaces from Goodwill. WHO IS SHE KIDDING? Does she actually think I (anyone) was born yesterday and are all stupid and we actually BELIEVE that? Again, even with my great jobs, I could NEVER afford the amount of gold around her neck and wrists. Honestly, with that particular manager as just one example I've seen...if you gathered together all her this rope, chain, etc. necklaces of real gold, it would be equal to the width of (AT LEAST) the diameter of a cardboard paper towel roll center. That is 1 and 1/2" inches around...1 and 1/2" thick! And gold is going for $1, 365.00 per oz, which is 30 grams.
I am a single unemployed Mom, and had wrongly "assumed" that Goodwill Stores sold their items at an appropriate low costs for used, donated items, to help those in need.

Boy, was I wrong. Goodwill sells items in their stores at astronomical prices in order to pay higher-than-average salaries of the entire organzation. Check this by Googling their salaries, which have to be available to the public as a "non-profit" org., then check www.salary.com. The "GW Organizatin is HUGE and includes the salaries of...Corporate Headquarter Managers, Directors, Senior Officials, PLUS...Retail Store division staff. Regional, District and actual store-level staff. GW's profits also "supposedly" fund Programs which they say give help to either disabled or needy people. But, after all I've learned in 3 years about the way the Org. runs, my horriic experiences with the rude and nasty store employees and managers, and the unbelievable retail store prices,
I SERIOUSLY DOUBT that those "programs" benefit anyone. Or perhaps just a small amount of people, and not with enough impact to be truly beneficial. Based on the huge SIZE of this "non-profit" Organization Goodwill should have MANY MORE truly helpful programs, which are backed up in writing with proven, financial documents that show this. When I researched it, Goodwill was at the BOTTOM of the list of "non-profit" organizations in terms of..."What amount of revenue received MINUS their organization expenditures is left and is actually used/available for programs to help the needy or disabled." OR, in other words..."G.W. was the least efficient in controlling their operating costs, in order to be able to have enough money to help people" (compared to all same type non-profits)

But the GW Retail stores DO NOT HAVE PRICES that benefit the buyer. People who shop at Goodwill are supposed to be doing it "n order to help Goodwill". Buyers are shopping there as another way of donating or adding money to their revenue to help fund what programs they have afer organization expenditures.
That is the mistake that people like me and you have made. We "assumed" the name "Goodwill" on the retail store meant that the store was there to help us. Goodwill did NOT set-up their Retail stores for that purpose. They need to be really clear to the public about their mission of their Retail Stores, (and fix their employee CSR, high salaries and poor org. operating expenses) or they are going to fail very soon in 2010.
That would actually be the BEST THING that could happen, because I firmly believe that Goodwill is now seriously "corrupt" on many levels throughout Goodwill. This opinion is based on information I've read about Goodwill Industries, which is publically disclosed and documented PLUS what I've personally experienced and observed in ALL of their retail stores I've been in... There is a serious probability that "Organized Crime" is rampant Definitely at the Store level and District "distribution" level by theft and then re-directing the donated "valuable items" into the hands of "eBay-type" brokers who sell them, and as with all organized crime, the profits are divided up amoung those involved. the more efficient non-profits would receive GW's revenue to fund their truly helpful programs.

Thanks for exposoing them for who they are! we will not be donating there anymore.