4/14/13

Goodwill Outlet Shopping

Goodwill outlets are a last-chance place to shop for items that don’t sell at regular Goodwill stores.  They are a frugal shoppers dream and a nightmare for the germ-phobic.  Find your nearest Goodwill outlet here.

Everything is brought to Goodwill outlets in big blue trucks.

goodwill_outlet_trucks

Stuff is off-loaded from the trucks into blue bins.  The blue bins are wheeled into the Goodwill outlet store, where shoppers paw through the bins searching for treasure.  Clothes are kept together (below),

goodwill_outlet_blue_bins

but other items are jumbled together.  Here, a stuffed bunny is with plastic flowers, a game, and a lampshade.  It makes for time-consuming, but interesting shopping.

goodwill_outlet_lampshade_electronics_stuffedAnimal

After hearing stories of shoppers finding broken glass and soiled items in the bins, I wore gloves on my trip.  Most people did not wear gloves though, and I didn’t see anything bad during my Goodwill outlet shopping.

Blue-bin items are priced per pound.  At this Goodwill outlet, the price started at $1.59 per pound - less as you buy more.

goodwill_outlet_prices

The Goodwill outlet also had furniture (dressers, desks, bookshelves, side tables, dining room furniture, file cabinets, hutches, etc.).  Furniture was not priced per pound - each item had a price tag. 

On my shopping trip, the furniture looked worn, but was also inexpensive.  The 6-drawer dresser pictured below was priced at $30.

goodwill_outlet_furniture_dresser

Goodwill outlet shopping was an interesting experience – bring your gloves and a sense of adventure.