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I'm fine with Goodwill and The Arc and all the local Church stores...people need to pay bills ...
every non-profit has
higher ups that get a good wage...I know there's an imbalance...still gonna shop and donate.
I donate to local charities where I can see what they are doing with the money they generate. I'm not seeing what Goodwill spends their money on, except for big new fancy office buildings for their headquarters. They aren't hiring any handicapped people. The only place around here that hires the handicapped and hard to employ is Walmart, with their greeters program.
We also donate to local charities instead of Goodwill. One charity funds a local children's orphanage, plus other things. Another one helps people step by step from addicted/homeless/jobless into becoming more responsible, employable and finally into housing.
Also agree about Walmart hiring the ones that no one else would hire. That's one reason we continue to shop there.
Most CEOs don't earn minimum wage - not even Goodwill's. That doesn't dissuade me from either shopping there or donating there.
I spent some time on our local "Buy Nothing" page. Not only is it a lot of work, I think it's a weird vibe there. They don't give to the first to respond, but rather the person with the best sob story. There's also an awful lot of asking for stuff (stuff you could find at Dollar Tree or local Goodwills or even church-run clothes closets) accompanied by sob stories. I don't really like encouraging people to whinge; it reminds me of every Go Fund Me I've ever read. Then there's a post complaining because someone who got something wasn't really "in need." I didn't realize that was a requirement... I thought a person just had to need/want the item? I used to do Cheapcycle and Freecycle; there wasn't all this drama...
Now it seems people get stuff for free there, then turn around and sell it online. Not cool.
All in all, I think I prefer Goodwill. It's good enough for me.
A lot of people will get items from a Buy Nothing Group, then turn around and sell it. The group that I used to be in had women, their husbands, and boyfriends doing that, too. They were eventually found out and kicked out of the group.
I have a friend that has a small ministry in Tijuana, so I collect donations for her, and I know that it goes to the people there, and won't get resold.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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I've known some people that worked for them when I was in Wisconsin and they were abjectively treated like garbage, that turned me off. They've also been known to abuse 14c.
They do refuse items that I have brought to them; for example, emergency fire escape ladder (for two story home - still in the box), home sound system bass speakers (2 different ones), and some other things that I can't recall now. I get it that they won't take most electronics (tv's, stereos, etc.).
I had a vanload of stuff to donate and they basically turned their nose at several items. So I headed down to another (local) charity. They were appreciative for the items.
Maybe it varies from store to store, but mine sells electronic equipment all the time. I just bought a back-up VHS player, in fact (among all the DVD players) because I still have the tapes.
They do refuse items that I have brought to them; for example, emergency fire escape ladder (for two story home - still in the box), home sound system bass speakers (2 different ones), and some other things that I can't recall now. I get it that they won't take most electronics (tv's, stereos, etc.).
I had a vanload of stuff to donate and they basically turned their nose at several items. So I headed down to another (local) charity. They were appreciative for the items.
Goodwill can pound sand.
Why should they take stuff that they no that they cannot sell. There are so many people who donate worthless stuff to charities so that they can claim a large tax deduction.
I know. I have processed a lot of it. I mean, who wants someone's dirty laundry that has holes in it? Or a painters used old t-shirts that look like they have been through the war? And of course, those people come in with the four pages of detailed descriptions of the donations, each with the "brand new" value listed on them.
What charity really wants old tvs, computers and the like that they have to pay to get rid of?
It seems like almost every day (I guess people are decluttering as their New Year's resolutions) I see posted on Facebook or NextDoor, "Where can I donate things that ISN'T Goodwill?" Why all the hate? I've heard the rumor that the higher ups are greedy and don't pay employees enough (whatever), but to me, it's like "I won't set foot in Walmart because of slave labor." Well, okay, justice warrior, but you're only hurting your OWN pocketbook there. Personally, I love my Goodwill and - although prices have increased, like everywhere else - I still find great stuff there and save tons over buying new. It's like it's become the thing to announce that you won't support them. I also notice that "free" sites on social media seem to be gaining ground, and I worry that this will hurt not only Goodwill but local thrift shops on which needy charities depend for their contributions.
So shop at Goodwill. But didn't you make a recent thread complaining about the quality of the used britches there?
I used to enjoy thrifting somewhat but have enough stuff that it's not necessary. There is a local church that has a free store that I take things to during periodic purges.
As far as WalMart, the last time I was in one of those, there wasn't a single thing there that I wanted to buy. Additionally, there was an extremely unsavory individual hanging around the women's underwear section making inappropriate comments. I suppose I could have scared up a security guard or whatever, but I didn't want to deal with the drama and left instead.
I get no satisfaction from pinching pennies and no satisfaction from overspending; I just buy what I need/want and get on with my life.
I have not noticed an aversion to Goodwill being a "thing."
No, I was not "complaining about the quality." I was observing and commenting, as you know if you read it, that most of the pants there now seem to be leggings.
As I also said, I've seen quite a few comments this past month on social media from people looking for places other than Goodwill to donate items, even if you haven't...
Hence this post, which you're welcome to ignore if you don't find it relevant.
A 2013 article on Watchdog.org reported that Goodwill's tax returns showed that more than 100 Goodwills pay less than minimum wage while simultaneously paying more than $53.7 million in total compensation to top executives.
I quit donating to them after reading about our local branch, run by a husband and wife team. I think their total compensation for the year was over $800k.
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