My adventures at Goodwill Outlet....

Yes, I did say Goodwill Outlet. I never knew that their was such a place but driving by the other day it sparked my curiosity.....an outlet for Goodwill...what in the world could they have there...stuff that they couldnt almost give away at the regular store? Let me tell you it was an experience. First off everything there is sold by the pound....$1.39 a lb to be exact. It is a large building with tables full of bins....mostly bins of broken stuff and junk. Yes, I mean junk. A trampoline missing the 2 front legs....half of a dirty plastic garbage can missing the top, some glasses, broken toys, half packages of depends diapers. Then you come to the clothes section, if you are willing to dig through piles and piles of misc clothes, blankets, you name it, you may find a deal. The problem is most of these are things that they couldnt sell at Goodwill because they were stained or had holes or were frayed etc. Some are things that just didnt sell. Then there are the things that didnt sell at the store, but are now more expensive at the outlet due to the weight factor. For example, I found a bucket of lincoln logs for my kids that was labled $6.99, now it didnt sell for that price at a regular goodwill store keep in mind, but when I took it up to the cash register at the outlet due to the weight it was now $10, are you kidding me???

Now if you are like me, you are probably thinking do people really buy this stuff? Yes, people had carts overflowing with stuff. The most incredible part is what I noticed while I was waiting for my mom and the girls. There was a large crowd of people(at least 40) in one section of the store by where I was standing. I was thinking what the heck is going on, until I saw an employee wheeling out a large bin of clothes, now by large I mean probably 7 foot long, by 3 feet wide. As he approached with the "new" bin, these people swarmed on him before he could even get the bin in place and locked. Digging through as fast as they could to find the next great thing. Then they would grab what they found and wait for the next bin to come out 5 minutes later and the whole thing would start all over again. I couldnt believe my eyes. These are things that could not go in the other regular stores or just didnt sell, its not like you are going to find a coach pair of shoes or something. It was a mad dash and mob for each new bin that appeared. I coudlnt believe my eyes. Then I found out that there are a bunch of regulars that are there every single day. WOW.

Now on the flipside I am very blessed in life to not have to shop this way. I find it sad that some people can only afford these things that most people do not want. I don't have to shop there but man if you do, I guess it is a whole different world. On that note, I think in a way it is wrong for Goodwill to stoop to this level. They had 99% of this stuff donated to them. I know that they use the money to do good..and from what I heard they do. So why not in this economy and place that we are living, where there are shelters and so many homeless people, dont they in return donate this stuff that doesnt sell or they cant sell in the normal stores to those less fortunate. To me it seems like they are trying to milk every last cent from people on things that they got for free. Something about this seems wrong. I don't know maybe it is just me, what do you think?

Now I have to admit, I did spend $11. I bought a few pieces of clothes for the kids, a few stuffed animals(that we washed in the washing machine right away) and a small toy and case for Julie. It was a whole different world for me and one in which I say that I am not planning on returning to any time soon.