Junkin' in Seattle

Last week, my friend Mandi and I decided to hit the Goodwill Outlet in Seattle for the first time.

I have heard of the Goodwill Outlet but sort of boycotted it because to me, it sounds like a bit of an oxymoron.

The Goodwill outlet is the final stop for all of the items donated at the local Goodwill stores before heading to the dump.  Most of the items are sold by the pound and are deeply discounted from the normal {expensive} Goodwill prices.  You can see my post here about how I think Goodwill is too expensive.

You enter into a warehouse building like this and find hoards of people.

Rows of blue bins are rolled in filled to the brim with clothing, toys, and household items.

People quickly gather around the newest rolling carts and dig.

There is a little bit of organization to the madness.

Everyone waits behind a blue line until all of the new carts are in place.

Then once they wheel in the final cart, everyone starts digging.

I may have gotten yelled at more than once for not being aware of how this system works.

Now you know.

Bring a pair of gloves or better yet, your haz mat suit.

You will leave feeling like bugs are crawling all over you.

The Goodwill outlet has it's own security...and it needs it.

A fight nearly broke out within the first five minutes of us being there because someone was upset that someone else threw the clothes they were sorting too aggressively across the blue bins.

Yep, that really happened.

And we were told by other Goodwill outlet customers who are frequent shoppers that that happens a lot.

It's like prison.

Keep your head down and mind your own business.

I wasn't on a search for clothes on this trip but I was curious to see why all the people flock to the clothing bins.  I really didn't come away with any answers.  I'm sure there are finds to be had, but every single pair of pants that I found had holes in the crotch.

I'm not joking.  

Every.single.pair.

I did also spend some time searching for shoes.

There were a few pairs that had potential, but only if you had one foot.

Pairs were hard to come by.

Finding a pair of shoes was like searching for a needle in a hay stack.

So, I gave up.

If you are a one legged individual who doesn't care if you have a crotch in your pants, then the Goodwill outlet is your place to shop!

This is my basket filled with my goodies.

The clothes that I did find were found on the top of the piles.

Rejects that people no longer wanted in their own carts.

I picked up a coat for my son and a zip up jacket for my dad.

I also found some fantastic fabric samples, a large rug, a duvet cover, and an old suitcase.

I'm sure there were other fun finds in there.

Grand total for all of this...$19.

I found that the prices for items seemed to be set by each cashier.

Especially those items not sold by the pound.

Mandi got this basket of goodies for about the same price as all of my stuff.

Pretty sure she got a better deal.

I would definitely head back to the Goodwill Outlet for another shopping experience.

I learned a thing or two and feel like a real expert.

I probably wouldn't go by myself though.

And I would never go without gloves.

The next stop Mandi and I made was just down the road at a shop called Second Use.

Second Use is a salvage store that is slightly cheaper than Earthwise, but not cheap like a garage sale.

There were some finds to be had {especially in the free pile}.

Mandi picked up this half door {soon to be table} and two window frames for $5 each.

There were a lot of things that were eye candy.

This green scale is fantabulous isn't it?

You know how I love old windows.

My new window passion is leaded glass.

Hard to find, but amazing when you do.

If you need a door, Second Use is the place.

There were rows and rows of old doors.

Barn doors, front doors, screen doors, you name it.

I'm a sucker for old machines.

Isn't this buffet beautiful?

It looks like it was an old built in in a turn of the century house.

Image the parties it has seen!

Industrial is awesome.

This was probably my favorite piece of the whole day.

It is so much better in person.

Wouldn't it be an awesome upper cabinet if you were re doing a kitchen?

Mandi was loving this as a store front check out area.

Did you know my favorite store, Persnickety's Awesomeness Emporium is moving to downtown Sumner?

It's a big deal.

Aren't these handles super rad?

Need a knob or a hinge?

Perhaps an old school house pendant?

Not sure what you would do with an old radiator.

So many people have been hiding them for years.

It's time to embrace them as a decorative element.

Love the design on this one.

We had so much fun junkin' in Seattle.  

Do you have a favorite place to score old junk or an experience with the Goodwill Outlet?

I would love to hear from you!

I'm sure there are stories to be told!