Goodwill too Expensive!

[vhoffman]

Wow! Goodwill has gotten pricey! I just went there today, thought I'd find a few tops for dd. I couldn't believe the prices--$4-$6 for children's tops--we're talking used clothing, and I don't mean designer brands! Come on, I can get cheaper at Target and WalMart, for brand new stuff!

I remember Goodwill used to be much cheaper. I bought a lot of baby clothes there, little tee shirts for 25 and 50 cents. I once bought two huge bags of clothes for a total of $18 at Goodwill. Well, I guess its pretty bad when one can't afford to shop at the Goodwill!

 

[texasthree]

I thought that a few months ago too. They had some sheets from target that were new in the package but they wanted more than target sells them for. I use to shop at a great thrift store when we lived in Washington but the ones down here are smelly and too pricey.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Noticed the same here-our son was outfitted for school with 2.49 markdown tops and short at Macy's, about half the cost of used at the Goodwill. Kohls markdowns and Fashion Bug 10 off 25 coupons also rival used clothing prices at the Goodwill. Very disappointing.

 

[Kay1]

Stock up at garage sales and church rummage sales, I say. Our thrifts charge $2 per shirt and I think that's a bit high for most used shirts. Also, when I was leaving my favorite church thrift two weeks ago, I grabbed a brochure that talked about the services they provide and mentioned their "thrift shop that allows the needy to buy affordable household items and clothing." We're not needy and now I feel uncomfortable going back.

Ah, well, the rummage sales and neighborhood sales next month.

 

[mom2my3kids]

This is why I donate to the local Salvation Army, they do not sell but give away items to needy family's.

 

[babiesX2]

Some GW's are too expensive for my taste also. A larger town nearby us has a Goodwill Unique Shop, and that stuff is pretty outrageously priced. There were two that I used to shop in regularly. The GW in my parent's town is overpriced.

I prefer garage sales. I haven't been going for the past few weekends because it is just too hot. I'll start going to them again in mid to late Sept. when the temperature starts to cool down.

Our local Salvation Army Thrift Store has really good prices. They cleaned it up alot and stopped putting stuff out on the shelves to sell that was broken garbage (literally). They price all clothes and shoes for $1. I get DD13 lots of Abercrombie and AE clothes from there. She has quite a few pairs of Doc Martens that I picked up for a $1! It is an organization that I like to support.

My favorite thrift shop is a Baptist ministry disaster relief organization. They fund their DR efforts with the thrift store profits. Also they take "merchandise" to those in need when necessary.

 

[Tinkerbell_Tiffany]

I second that their prices are crazy here too.
I will not go in there anymore....

 

[joha]

Same here, too expensive.

I usually donate to both GW and the SA, but I agree, GW has lost touch with the community it serves.

 

[disneysnowflake]

I've said that for years. Goodwill in our area is way overpriced.

Our area Goodwill stores stink. Everything has this funky grey grime on everything. It's gross.

I saw a decorated sweater for Christmas. It had a big old ugly bear on it. Goodwill priced it at $8. $8 for a used, outdated sweater? It looked like something someone had at their yard sale for a quarter that didn't sell.

Why would someone pay $2.99 for a used, stained tshirt when they can go to AC Moore and buy a brand new one for like $2 or $2.50?

Our Goodwill uses Ebay to price things. Incomplete board games are $4.99. Used VHS tapes from the 80s and 90s are $1.99 and up. Happy Meal toys start at $1 each out of the package. $2 each and up in the package.

On it goes.

I wonder how much the people who run Goodwill make. Someone has to making something with the prices they charge.

 

[elliemae1192]

Wow, ours has great prices. All kids clothes are $1.50 a piece. I have gotten some really good Gap and Limited Too pieces for my daughter. I also have gotten lots of school uniforms. My kids go to Catholic school and there is one store that our schools contract with that carries their uniform pattern. It's around $35 for a pair of pants for my son or skirt for my daughter. I scoured GW all summer and got them for $1.50.

 

[Shagley]

We have a couple of Goodwills around us. Most are reasonably priced, but one in a neighboring town is WAY overpriced. I went there a while ago, and was looking at a pair of used earmuffs that I was going to use for an art project (I had to decorate a pig statue - long story ). They were in pretty bad shape, and I thought they might be 10 cents or a quarter. They were asking $3.50 for a pair of used earmuffs

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

The ONLY thing I ever buy at Goodwill is books b/c our stores are really expensive too. I don't buy random books. I will only buy a book if it is one I have been looking for. Books are much cheaper at Salvation army. At SA, I will buy randomly b/c I can get books for the kids as low as 20 cents! I also got a great coffee table for $25, almost perfect condition.

I never buy clothes from either place b/c quite frankly I can't stand the smell (makes me sneeze too) and I am too impatient to sort through all the racks and then check for stains.

I donate a lot of stuff too b/c I've never gotten a good return on a garage sale after all the hassle. Sometimes I feel like I should get a shop for free card b/c I donate so much stuff!

I get clothes at Wal-mart clearances for $3 and at Children's Place final markdowns plus 15% coupon. I'm a good bargain hunter. Sometimes I find good deals at other places. I buy 90% of my kid's clothes on clearance. I occasionally buy something really cute on sale. Once in a while I'll pay full price for something really cute, but this is only at a store that isn't really, really expensive to begin with.

I love a good deal!

 

[irishbosoxfan]

The GW in my town charges $3.99 for womens pants,$4.99 for mens pants,$2.99 for womens shirts and $3.99 for mens shirts

Kids clothes varies-babies are $1.50 each piece-kids are $1.99 for shirts and $2.99 for pants

It is crazy what they charge for stuff-I was looking for a stroller for DD4 for WDW and just wanted a cheapo piece of junk to scrub up and use then give away when we were done and they had 2 carriages and both were $25.00 and they were so crud covered and sun faded and one had the basket pretty well ripped off==I said heck no and found and exact match at the assistance center for $3.00 (The assistance center is a local charity thrift shop,proceeds go to food baskets and such for the needy)

The GW here is always my last stop I go to the other stores first and only go to GW on Thursdays when I can get a discount on everything except new items (They call it sm2 here)

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

ughh our goodwill is sooo nasty and totally overpriced! we walked in once and walked right out. i don't get why people shop there when you can scour the sales at malls and get way better prices!!

 

[bord1niowa]

Our Wal Marts have clearance clothing items at $1 to $3, some $5, so why bother shopping Goodwill. I laugh when I see Goodwill price the cheap DVDs at $5.38 and the same ones sell new for $1 at WalMart and other stores. They have lost touch. But as a previous post mentioned, books SOMETIMES can be a good buy, depending on the book. Salvation Army is cheaper overall. They have clothes for $.25 a piece and books for 6 for a dollar.

 

[DawnM]

Childrens' Place Outlet near us had their $1 to $1.99 sale back at the beginning of the summer. Brand new stuff retailing for $9-$22 on sale for 99 cents to 1.99. I stocked up for all 3 boys for at least 2 years. I spent $100 but retail was well over $600.

I remember thinking at the time, "This is way cheaper than Goodwill!"

Tennis shoes, NEW, retail of $16.99 were .99 each. I bought 10 pair.

I only go to Goodwill for select items anymore.

Dawn

 

[susan1]

hi
its the same over in the u.k. our charity shops have increased thair prices greatly. i wonder if e-bay has anything to do with this. people who used to give now sell there goods on e-bay. i have also noticed that the quantity of goods for sale has decreased

 

[DisneyClay]

It is the same way in my area of florida. I went in looking for scrubs, because I work for a hospital. They were very expensive.

 

[gottagodisney]

These are the exact sentiments I have been saying lately. I do poke into the Goodwills every once I awhile, although rarely, if ever, get clothing -what a ripoff! Unfortunately, it seems others do buy the clothing though.

When I asked about an item that had a goodwill tag on it higher priced than the Target sale price I was told by any employee that Goodwill actually buys these things from vendors! I always thought everything was donated...including the new store stuff that the company would write off as a gift to charity. I guess not!

The only thing I get is new stuff (household decorations still in package)clearanced from Target. I've found these prices ok. Why on earth would anyone buy a used anything for more than the store sales prices?

 

[Kay1]

I agree with all of you but still enjoy the thrifts for other reasons. I find it somewhat entertaining to look at some of their items for one thing - you never know what you'll find. Also, every now and then, you can find something you find valuable at a give-away price.

Also, living in Florida, there are somethings that are hard to find or extremely expensive at the malls. For example, when my s-i-l took her family snow skiing, she bought her toddler a snow suit at a thrift. My husband sometimes travels to New York and D.C. and found a "real" coat to wear for those trips. Too, a lot of business people retire here and can't wait to get rid of their suits and ties. I bought my husband a beautiful suit that fits perfectly for $8. It looks better than the one he bought at Mens Warehouse for hundreds.