I call it Good Will Hunting. Yep, me digging thru racks and shelves stuffed with crap. Some good crap, some well crap that is trash worthy. I am not so sure I believe that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure always holds true. Sometimes, trash is just that, TRASH. However, if you can get over the items that are trash, you can find a treasure or two at the Goodwill.
How do you make the most of Goodwill?
1. Get over the fact that Goodwill smells weird…. . It smells like mothballs. I know it’s not exactly the best smell ever but it is nothing a washing and a can of Lysol can’t fix. If you walk around the store thinking “Gee it smells bad”, nothing will be appealing.
2. Seek out the new items – There are plenty of brand new items at Goodwill. For years, Target has been donating its unsold and salvage items to Goodwill. There have been many occasion where Target has some of its merchandise in Goodwill and its stores! Check it out after they have the World Bazaar or season changes, Goodwill carries a lot of their stuff out of season.
3. Just because it’s cheap, doesn’t make it a good deal – Like I said before, if its trash, let it be trash. Just because a tweed skirt with a broken zipper is $3.00, doesn’t make it a good deal. Don’t buy just because it’s cheap., you have to be able to make use out of it.
4. Don’t get Goodwill happy – I have seen women load their carts up with a ton of stuff because they are at Goodwill and get happy and forget their budgets. If you came to buy a shirt, don’t buy 20 pairs of pants, it defeats the purpose. The pants will be $3.97 next week too.
5. Color coded sections – Some Goodwills use the color of the item to put it in a section. While this may make logical sense to some, you may have to spend some extra time in those sections. There seems to be no rhyme or reason other than the item is well, ah brown.
6. Visit Frequently – The selection changes frequently, so be sure to stop by on a regular basis.
7. Don’t get discouraged – I have visited Goodwill for weeks on end and have not found a thing and other times I will find things everytime.
8. Go with an open mind – If you are looking for a black shirt for an event in a week, don’t count on Goodwill for your item. You can check it out, but don’t be surprised if they don’t have exactly what you’re looking for that day.
9. Things to be leery of at Goodwill – undergarments, undergarments and undergarments.
Daleene says
I have kind of a funny story for you. So I was getting married and I needed a tummy control body suit (what ever you call that). I was headed to the mall, and drove by the Goodwill to browse around. Low and behold they had exactly what I was looking for, before you say “gross”, it was brand new w/ the original tags hanging on it. It was just a few bucks. So of coarse I brought it home and washed it twice. I made the mistake of telling my fiance where I bought it. From then on, for 4 years now, every time I mention buying new underwear, he says “going to the goodwill??” He’s so funny.
Shannon says
Daleene,
Well there are some items that come from Target that are new and some happen to be underwear with tags on them. I usually make it a general rule to not even look in that section, but I hear ya, sometimes there are new items. Now, on telling your husband that, well thats brave, way braver than buying underwear at Goodwill. You will never live that down.. EVER!
Shannon says
Caroline,
Great point.. I will be doing a post next week on how to utilize the Shop & Save card. I have never worn gloves, but I do keep hand sanitizer in my purse. Mostly because the bins get quite dirty!
Caroline says
I am looking forward to that post about utilizing the Shop & Save card. I’ve been frequenting Goodwill more often lately to hunt for things to sell on Ebay so I would appreciate any tips since I am not a seasoned Goodwill shopper!
Caroline says
Anyone have a Goodwill Shop & Save card? That might be a way to save even more money. I have a coworker who swears by the Goodwill outlets – stuff in big bins that you have to paw through (she suggests wearing gloves). Sounds like a treasure hunt for those up for the challenge!
Tanner says
So true about getting over the smell of Goodwill.they all smell the same. I wonder if they buy moth balls in bulk?