Is Goodwill Too Expensive?

Is Goodwill Too Expensive?

I'm cheap. Like really cheap. I do most of our shopping at garage sales (check out some of my past What I Wore Wednesday-Garage sale editions) but during the winter when it isn't garage sale season, I get a little antsy. Sometimes I get motivated to head into my local Goodwill and see what I can find.

I worked at Goodwill back when I was in High School. It was such a fun job. A treasure hunt of sorts nearly everyday of working and always first dibs (or so it seemed) on most things. The inventory was constantly changing and each box was filled with something different and it was a surprise every time you opened a box.

Don't miss this post: Lessons Learned From my Time as a Goodwill Employee

Household Items at Goodwill

I know the key to finding the best deals at Goodwill is to shop often, but for me, it seems like Goodwill is just getting too pricey. I walked into the door today and found this dresser marked at nearly $200!

Don't get me wrong, this dresser is a beautiful piece. It has tons of potential, but $200? On something Goodwill got as a donation.

There were bed frames marked for nearly $600. Does that seem a bit pricey to anyone else?
This couch was marked $89. I know there are plenty of free couches on Craigslist that look similar to this one.

I also found pictures to be a bit on the expensive side. This picture wasn't anything special and it was marked $49.

I would have bought this cake stand but for $15? I could have found it cheaper on clearance.

There are plenty of household items at Goodwill, and you can often find items that are less expensive then you would purchase them retail, but you do have to shop often and watch for sales!

Goodwill Has Discounts!

Goodwill has discounts! There are often weekly tags that are marked down as well as a color tag at our local store that is often for sale for .99. Items are tagged with a color tag when they get ready to put them on the floor. They are given several weeks to sell at the store, and then the color rotation starts again. For instance week 1: red tags, week 2: green week 3: orange....you get it idea.

Often the reason an item hasn't moved off the sales floor is because the price has been set too high. If you pay attention to the discount tags, you can usually get a deal.

Can You Negotiate at Goodwill Stores?

As a general rule of thumb, no. They sometimes will reduce a price if there is a defect. Clothing items in particular are scrutinized before hitting the floor for holes and stains, but occasionally those things can be missed. If you are good at fixing an item, you can usually ask a manager for a discount. Other than that, you often can't ask for a different price just because you think their price is too expensive.

Shopping the Goodwill Outlet Stores

Items that do have defects or items that don't sell at a discount are often sent on to the Goodwill Outlet stores. This is a very different experience shopping and honestly, it's my favorite way to hunting for deals. Items are marked by the pound. 

Here are some tips for shopping at Goodwill Outlet

Target Items at Goodwill But are they Cheaper?

Goodwill started carrying items from Target back when I worked there over 15 years ago. They are called Grey Goods. When I was working there, they were donations, now I am told (by the supervisor at Goodwill) that the Target items are bought (at a reduced price) and sold at a percentage off the retail price.

Which is why this piece is new and in the box cost $12.

Or why these frames cost $6.50 (the scratches come for free!)

This shirt didn't have any tags on it showing me that it was new from Target, but it was Target's brand. You can buy it for $8.99. Really? $8.99? I know of plenty of retail stores where I could buy this shirt new for around that price.

I remember seeing this same kids shirt last week. At $5.99 it doesn't surprise me that it's still there. The $5.99 price tag is the standard price for shirts in the kids department. At least many of them that I saw.

And speaking of prices, I thought it was funny that I saw a shirt with a $5.99 price tag from Goodwill, but the clearance price was only $4.48 at Target. If the product didn't sell on clearance at Target for that, why do they think they can get more for it at Goodwill?

I actually noticed that most of the items that were from Target had red clearance stickers at one point, but many of them were pulled off so that the Goodwill customer couldn't see the retail price.

When I spoke to the supervisor she told me that they are required to mark the Target items at a percentage off of the retail price and that most of the time that price is higher than the clearance price. So why not shop at Target instead? I think I would much rather spend my time checking often at Target for clearance sales, then checking often at Goodwill for their higher marked items.

The other trend I am noticing at Goodwill now is that since they are taking in more retail items and selling more new items, that the store has less character.

Rows and rows of plaid shorts

or end caps filled with Hanes socks doesn't seem like a treasure hunt to me anymore. And really, isn't that the best part?

I love that you can still find a diverse amount of items at the store. Someone in the back must know that trench coats are trendy this season because when I walked in, I found a whole rack of them. But, I am thinking that this 1980's trench coat isn't what In Style magazine was thinking.

And at a price tag of $29.99, I think I will pass.

Shopping for Costumes at Goodwill

Goodwill is even too expensive for me to do "gag" shopping at. This jacket would have been perfect for the 80's New Years party my husband and I went to this year, but with a price tag of $8.99, no thanks!

And with wedding season upon us, Goodwill had rows of wedding dresses all lined up. There were some great dresses, but like all things Goodwill, you have to hit the jackpot with finding the right size. Then I looked at the price tag...

holy smokes! $99.99 for this particular wedding dress from David's bridal. I know I've heard the commercials for David's bridal and know you can often get $99 BRAND NEW wedding dresses at their store. I've been a bride on a budget before and know that I would have much rather gotten my dress cheap from a bridal store, than cheap from Goodwill.

I also saw this lovely shoe display. These shoes were all marked for $14.99. That seems expensive to me for used shoes that aren't any special brand.

The Goodwill I remember operated on set prices and even those seem to be getting quite expensive. Check out the prices for books. We usually get our books from the library for free or at garage sales for a quarter a piece.

So I wonder, is this Goodwill trend just in my area? Is Goodwill getting to be too commercial and too expensive for anyone else? I am not impressed.

Is Thrifting Getting More Expensive?

I think so! But there are still deals to be had! It's worth sticking with it and taking time to enjoy the hunt!