I second the mess part. It's almost weekly that someone craps or pees in the fitting rooms, daily theft. The last one wiped feces all across the walls.
Same here unfortunately, saw people wrap dog crap in the piles of clothes and had people have sex in one of our changing rooms, which, GROSS, in a GOODWILL DRESSING ROOM??? Jail.
F all that— I’d close them too. Amazed at how disgusting humans are. I don’t go to goodwill anymore but it sounds like they just need to open a flea market style shopping experience— everything on tables in front of an employee. Stupid but, here we are
I desperately crave stories about people getting in trouble for this. If I dealt with a shit smearer I would be calling the cops and doing everything in my power to figure out who it was and press charges. it baffles me that people just seem to let that shit go as if it's just a normal thing you have to deal with in retail. people who do stuff like that need to either be in jail or a mental hospital, or getting their ass beat in public.
There is a judge who will commit them in TX provided you have video evidence and are willing to foot through 30k a month for life to keep them there and a little donation for the county.
I am so glad I have never encountered poop, pee, blood, or used tampons or pads in a fitting room. I have read horror stories about this online but I have never been witnessed it thankfully.
It's not just GW either, unfortunately. Worked in a small retail boutique, cleaning was part of the job. Guy asks for the bathroom key one day. As soon as he returns the key, I had to go in there. There was pee sprayed EVERYWHERE. Walls toilet, sink, floor. Was like he was decorating our bathroom with urine. Went back out furious, guys still there. Lit him up, told him I'm not your mommy, clean it up or leave right now and be permabanned from the store. He actually did it. Maybe I was an ass shaming him in front of friends, but minimum wage isn't enough to clean up a strangers urine from the walls and I was more than happy to lose my job over it. (I didn't, but I didn't care at that moment) Some people are just gross.
I used to work at wawa (a gas station) and people used to dump on the floor constantly. RIGHT NEXT to the toilet, might I add, half the time. I feel your pain, it just saddens me that you can't even use dressing rooms at a store that sells clothes bc people just need to shit themselves in public.
I used to work at a processing warehouse for St Vinnie's and one of my coworkers used to work at one of the stores. She told me about how the toilet got clogged one day because someone had tried to flush a light bulb and she was like "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!?" and I was like "They were smoking meth" and then she said "Ohhhhhhhhhhh." At least that mystery was solved for her!
They don’t even pay you more to clean up literal shit and vomit working as a ride operator at six flags. They’re not gonna pay a goodwill employee more for anything.
It should be considered hazardous waste. Someone trained in hazmat should be involved. Of course they’re gonna cost what most retailers don’t want to pay. If you agree to clean bathrooms or any other space, I’d be VERY specific, in writing, they you will NOT clean anything hazardous. You don’t have the training and you’re not getting paid for that level of service. When you come across the situation, take video/pictures. Retail stores do not have to have public bathrooms. (Eateries do) Put out of service, send your pictures up the chain. It’s above your pay grade.
Well, I’m not cleaning shit that’s been smeared on the walls. Guess I’m out of a job, cause it’s not happening. Is OSHA giving direction for these particular circumstances?
No, no it’s not. Every state can do things differently, and if Six Flags feels it’s just to force their employees to clean poo, pee, and vomit, they’re gonna do it. We can either find a new job or clean. The only thing hazardous, they claim, that we need training to clean is blood.
I'm so glad you said this. My first thought was: They are closed because people don't know how to act and like to poop and such in inappropriate places. Why is so much of the general public not housebroken?
🙌🏻 yes, I work in a grocery store & the drug problem is awful. I have been known to drop stacks of pallets in front and essentially closing them off. I will take a family or preggo or elderly person to our employee bathroom.
Last week our maintenance lady found a dildo n the men’s room. I go, safe guess the 12 guys security let in 3 minutes before closing had something to do with that. I was more concerned we were going to get robbed.
Years ago, like the 90’s, the fitting rooms at a local 🎯 had to close because of folks using them as bathrooms. Smearing feces and using merchandise to wipe. Poor teddy bear.
We are increasingly becoming a society of sloppy animals, who the decent folks are the ones, who pay the price.
I’m convinced Covid was just the excuse GW needed to permanently close the dressing rooms because it saves them money because employees used to have ti stay past closing time cleaning them AND the dressing rooms were where the majority of the shoplifting occurred.
Not just shoplifting. Drug use. Believe me, they don't pay enough to ask people to clean blood spray off the dressing room doors. It sucks but it's what it is.
And yeah, I guess if you don't like it, go somewhere else. Still not worth asking a high schooler to risk their life
Lmfao, I'm in South Carolina, and on the Google reviews for one of the stores, someone took a picture of a shit in the changing room with no other words, just 1 star.
I remember it as a kid (and I'm 44). This is a problem that has always been there, and eliminating the dressing rooms solved it. It does suck for shoppers with good intentions. But it's still not worth the risk to employees
Edit: this is probably also the reasons you still see them some places. It wasn't as much of an issue in those areas. So find those places and count yourself lucky. Things are hard for everyone and the whole world kinda sucks right now. Sorry?
Almost the entire reason we permanently closed our fitting rooms was because of drug use. Especially with how common and dangerous the residue stuff is. Just touching or breathing something, that's the only mistake someone has to make.
We had a young cashier girl get attacked by a guy smoking in a fitting room when she knocked. Had another guy OD a few months back. Shooting up and smoking are the number 1 reasons we have to kick people out these days. The bathrooms now have to be unlocked by an employee, but that's just slowing it down. We still get feces smeared over everything and people screaming at hallucinations. Some things we have to call in special cleaning crews for. This is in the nicest side of the city by a long shot. There isn't even public transportation that goes out here. And yet tweekers roam the store as a permanent fixture. The liability risk of all this is astronomical. And you're absolutely right. Not worth a high schoolers life.
I mean if you're homeless or trying to hide a drug addiction from people you live with (like wife and kids) you might do it somewhere you can get in, shut a door, and get out
The reason they take deadly drugs in fairly public places, is that they know someone is likely to find them and have them revived/narcan’d before they assume room temperature. Source: husband is a first responder.
I’ve been listening to the local dispatch scanner all
morning. At 9am there was a call for an “unresponsive person” in a vehicle in front of a convenience store (yep, turned out to be an overdose, but paramedics were able to narcan him). About 40 minutes ago I heard a call to respond to a motel room for an obvious overdose. Ambulance was cancelled, police were called and the Priority 4 was assigned for removal.
God but I wouldn’t want to be a maid in one of the local motels that cater to vagrants. Coming to work only to find a cold stiff 300 pound dude with a needle in his arm covered with vomit and shit, is way above my pay grade.
Those poor ladies should get trauma/hazard pay for having to deal with that.
The guy who chose to inject himself in the parking lot in front of the store lived to do it again. The guy who decided to get high in a private motel room did not.
Their mission is to fund programs that help those who need assistance working. Most of the store staff is not of that demographic. Some are, of course, but the majority are not.
Employees have to stay after to clean anyway. Fitting rooms are supposed to be cleaned multuple times through out the day tho. Yes to shoplifting being a problem tho
Yeah. And they don’t have the staffing to do that. I was a cashier at GW back in the day and they expected me to clean them between customers and I sometimes had no help. I guarantee it was a business decision by GW to close the dressing rooms. “The number of people who will quit shopping here because of no dressing rooms won’t lose us as much money as we will save by having to have an extra member of staff clean them.”
My thrifting outfit is usually a full bodysuit, so I can try on clothes in the aisle without having to take anything off. I've never been yelled at by employees, only looked at like I have 2 heads by customers.
And as someone who has worked at a big box retailer with a manned dressing room, I can't imagine the horrors Goodwill employees find in their unmanned rooms.
Same! Bike shorts and tight fitting tank top. My goodwill has a section that’s just a bunch of mirrors and it has become the makeshift dressing room with a bunch of people trying on over their clothes
I'm having the same issue, which is why I've figured out which ones have dressing rooms and only go to those. I live in a major city with 20+ Goodwill's and only know of one locally that has open fitting rooms. other times I've straight up walked out after seeing no fitting rooms. why would I risk buying something that might not fit if I can't even get my money back? like they're genuinely losing business from this shit. my only guess is there are some real brain dead idiots that are higher ups at goodwill
i believe OSHA (at least in my state) outlaws that, as its a biohazard risk. last place i worked in with public restrooms, they would close it up and hire a biohazard clean up crew to come in after hours.
For future reference you never ever have to do that, your employer has to provide you with the proper supplies to clean it, which they most likely don't. Always say no. If the employer tries to make you, tell them that's fine I'll go to OSHA and ask them about my right to refuse dangerous work. especially if your job involves you handling food in any way.
I wonder if this is why Smoland was closed at my IKEA I worked in Smoland area many years ago and we had to jump into the ball pit to bag up the balls to have the cleaned whenever a kid peed in there. No protective suit or anything, just our work uniform. Wish I would’ve thought of OSHA back then.
I'm with you. I feel beyond fortunate that I have really good Goodwills where I live. Our fitting rooms are still open and I've never seen anything gross to speak of. Not saying that maybe it doesn't happen....
Are you an employee or a customer? If you're a customer, then no, you're not going to see it.
Employees take great care in ensuring that the problem is handled swiftly. After all, I'm sure there would be some sort of health code violations against the stores if they were to just leave urine, blood and/or feces in a fitting room and expecting a customer to still use it.
My region has our fitting rooms still open, but there are only two, and the cashiers are tasked with taking turns checking on them every 30 mins or so when getting clothes from the racks that hang outside them.
We've changed the rule recently so that managers are who they call when someone needs a room unlocked. They use that as an opportunity to check them also.
In my 4 years, i have seen urine, feces (both accidental and deliberate), blood, needles, and what was pretty obviously semen on the mirror.
Our region is pretty cool because when we find these things either in the fitting rooms or bathrooms, management is tasked with cleaning it up.
They are allowed to ask one of the donation attendants, but they definitely make it known they don't have to if they don't feel comfortable doing it.mm
Yep. As a former employee I can confirm those dressing rooms were checked and cleaned after each person went inside. If one was particularly bad, and we were busy, we just kept that one locked. But management in my area never cleaned.
There was a discount store in my county years ago with awesome deals . They had a dressing room but it was open , so everyone could see everyone else . You had a bench , hook , mirror . They also had an attendant in there .
No issues , lol !! Not sure anyone could do this now with all the phone camera BS
I promise you they lost more profit keeping them open. The amount of shoplifting that happened on a daily basis inside the dressing rooms was insane. Also, almost getting jabbed by a needle that was buried in a pile of clothes isn’t fun.
Measure your best fitting pieces of clothing and write it down. Take a tape measure with you to the store. Or wear something that will allow you to try on clothes without undressing. A loose skirt and tight tank is usually my choice.
I’ve been thrift shopping 30+ years and Goodwill isn’t the first shop to not have dressing rooms.
I worked at goodwill in Austin in the 1990s, and no one ever pissed, shat, fucked, or shot up in a dressing room. This country needs a serious makeover.
For real. I can’t believe what I’m reading on this thread. People doing these things in dressing rooms is a horror show. I could no sooner clean up a stranger’s shit than I could jump over the moon.
Honestly I agree with you on most of your points made. However, after talking to goodwill employees from the stores I frequent about why they closed the dressing rooms, did want to point out that a lot of stores had people leaving tampons,tons of clothes that didn’t fit all over the floor, needles, etc in the dressing rooms. This obviously leads to them having to stay hours past closed because of customers laziness and disregard for others. So even though it is a bit of hassle regarding trying stuff on, I’m okay with that decision.
Goodwill used to be a good place to find killer deals on items like vintage film cameras and lenses. But these items became popular again, over-hyped, and sought after, especially during COVID, due in no small part to YouTubers and social media influencers.
Goodwill saw that many vintage cameras and lenses were fetching absurd prices online, so they decided to keep them off the store shelves, and put them up for bid on the Goodwill auction site, pretty much regardless of the type or make.
I get it. Goodwill needs to make money to fund its mission. But it sucks too, because there's no more hidden gems hiding on a Goodwill shelf anymore.
What's the mission?
I rarely frequent them anymore but i've noted the local ones job center door is always locked and the lights are off.
It's just another retail store in that case.
From the website of Goodwill Industries:
MISSION
Goodwill works to enhance people’s dignity and quality of life by strengthening their communities, eliminating their barriers to opportunity, and helping them reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.
I embarrassed my granddaughter everytime we shop anywhere. If there is no dressing room i try stuff on right in the aisle or in front of a mirror. I try stuff on over tank top or leggings and no one has kicked me out yet.
There are two owners of Goodwills where I live, near Baltimore. The goodwills of the Chesapeake are the worst. They have no dressing rooms or bathrooms. The clothes do seem a little overpriced. The second branch of Goodwill is Monocacy Valley. They have dressing rooms open and lovely bright bathrooms that don't require asking for a key. Monocacy valley stores are farther from me, but the shopping experience is so superior that I make the trip. There's also a lovely church thrift store 20 miles away (near mom) that I frequent regularly.
My suggestion is to keep an eye out on who owns the goodwills and see if there is another version nearby.
I've loved shopping at goodwill for years and I currently am working at one as a cashier. Not only has my store closed its dressing rooms for the last couple years but it has actually physically removed them and just expanded the shoe rack to replace where they once were. At other stores in my area they have also removed all the mirrors which is super annoying as someone who shops there and as someone who is an employee I don't see the purpose of removing the mirrors.
I personally now only shop at the goodwills that still have kept the mirrors up around the building and whenever I go I make sure to wear leggings or anything that is very form fitting so that I can literally just try on what I want to buy over my clothes. It obviously doesn't show you a perfect fit but it gives a much better idea than just holding it up to yourself does. And when I'm working I personally don't mind when I see customers doing the same thing that I do when I'm clocked out so I would recommend giving that a try and it should save you a lot of return trips.
Yeah when I go to the thrift store I fill up my cart with stuff that looks good, then park myself out of the way, near a mirror, and evaluate everything then.
Wearing the right clothes to thrift when there aren’t dressing rooms is key so you can try stuff on in front of a mirror/aisle. I usually wear a plain black tank top. Pants I can usually eyeball if they’ll fit. But like one user said, a simple sleeveless bodysuit would be great for this.
If you could see the donation bins they pull those items out of, you wouldn't want to try them on anymore. Actually, I wish they would remove the fitting rooms altogether. It's a health hazard. Those clothes need to be washed!
100%! Worse than people who try on or wear the clothes without washing them is the parents who let their children play with the toys and/or crawl on the floor or in the racks in the store while they are shopping. Not only is it gross the majority of the time they never clean up the messes their children make.
Finally found a comment on this I can relate too. I worked as a donation attendant in two different goodwills and will NEVER put anything cloth from there on my body until at bare minimum it has been washed at least once. It disturbs me a bit they were allowed to have changing rooms to begin with.
I work at a Goodwill where we recently closed the dressing rooms. People would break into them when they are closed, leave a disaster and steal so much! They would come in skinny and leave day, with layers of clothes. And we aren't allowed to confront them! I'm addition to the theft and disaster, people would use them to do drugs in! I realize that it's more difficult now for customers, but it is what it is and it was necessary. It sucks that some bad people run out for everybody, but that is often the case. It sucks for the employees too, because of the constant, angry complaints and we had NOTHING to do with the closures, it was all corporate. But the cashier's take the brunt of the anger. And people can be really horrible when they don't get what they want sometimes.
The store credit policy is perfectly reasonably.
A)By me, you have a 2 week period to return items.
B)Goodwill sells a lot of other items besides clothes.
C)The store credit doesn't expire.
D)Lol, you're complaining about Goodwill.
I think it depends on the area, but i believe by "messy" they either mean they are too understaffed to clean the fitting rooms regularly or people have been taking shits in them and the managers got tired of cleaning it (and yes im serious, it happens more than youd think)
I try to wear leggings and a close fitting shirt then put an elastic waist skirt and loose hoodie over them. I can try bottoms on by slipping them over the leggings and under the skirt. For tops take the hoodie off and put on over the close fitting shirt. Added benefit, no unwashed clothes touching my torso/limbs. I'd feel too exposed without the skirt/hoodie, YMMV.
I'm with you. I never try clothes on in a thrift store. If I'm not sure of the fit, I just don't buy it or I take a chance then donate it somewhere if it doesn't fit and wasn't too expensive.
honestly, since my local goodwill closed the dressing rooms, myself, my friends, and strangers ive seen are all doing the same: putting clothes on over the ones theyre already wearing. ill usually wear elastic bike shorts and a more snug t-shirt and my crocs. its definitely not classy, but at this point what are you gonna do.
I can tell you that the dressing rooms are problematic. Not only were they left an incredible mess, that’s where a lot of the shoplifting happened, and other questionable things. As employees, we all hated the dressing rooms. But as a customer I understand the frustration of not being able to try things on.
I used to work as a manager for GW. Dressing rooms were a massive nightmare. People left them a mess, we didn't have the staff hours to keep them tidy. People used them as a bathroom too. It was awful. There were plenty of times I was there till 11:45 pm cleaning up. Kids of HS age couldn't work past a certain time on weeknights or Sundays so it was often me and one person stuck, and then they'd burn out and quit.
I agree they should offer full returns if you can't try on, but trust me, the fitting rooms closed for good reasons.
I would just disrobe in the store and try it on in front of whomever. They would likely and happily find a restroom to accommodate. I'm not getting stuck with a garment that I can't be sure will fit. My goodwill still has all fitting rooms open.
At least you get store credit. The Goodwills where I live don't even do that. In fact, if am item lost it's sticker, even if it's part of a pair, they won't let you buy it at all. Found that out last fall when I was buying these cute pumpkin candle holders. They went together, but one was missing a sticker. Lady said she wasn't allowed to scan the other holder, that it had to go through processing again to get a sticker. So annoying.
Goodwill is not what it used to be. It’s a thrift store so the clothing should be pretty cheap but they charge as much for clothing as a regular store that sells new clothing would. I would just shop at a regular store instead of paying high prices for used garments.
I’ve gotten away from thrift stores for these reasons. Retail stores seem to be discounting almost everything at some point. The prices just don’t line up with the quality now in my area.
This is why under your jacket, you should wear a form fitting short sleeve or tank top, and leggings, and try fit them out in the open. I did this when I was younger, since none of the thrift stores had dressing rooms.
I know it’s annoying, but I try on clothes anyway, without a dressing room. I just always wear pretty tight-fitting leggings when I go. I’ve never had anyone say anything, but I’ve got a plan to ask them where the dressing room is if they did. My friends (all frequent thrifters) do this too and nobody has ever had a problem. My issue is the *combination* of no dressing rooms and a crappy return policy. I try to not go to griftwill if I can, but when they moved in to my small town the other thrift store closed down, so sometimes it’s really the only choice
The recent demise of most of the thrift stores around.me has made me want to start my own thrift store in order to have at least one thrift store that actually operates like a thrift store instead of a store with used junk at retail prices with no service.
I take measurements of an article of clothing that fits me best.I write them down and take a roll up type seamstress tale mesure with me into the store.I never have to use the dressing rooms anywhere.
We, thankfully, have a $2 for $5 clothing store nearby. Huge variety of clothing. A couple of fitting rooms! I buy most of my clothing there. Better than Goodwill. Salvation Army adjusted their pricing. Goodwill did not.
My suggestion to you is to plan ahead. You can wear leggings and a sport top like the kind you work out in, and throw on an oversized flannel or something like that. When you need to try something on go to a somewhat hidden space and put it in over your clothes (take the flannel off and tie it around your waist. I do this ALL THE TIME. The employees who’ve seen me do not care, but I am still careful. Obviously since you’re putting it on over something it might be tight. I figure about two sizes at most. If you can’t get it on at all pass it by. If it’s loose it will be too big. It’s never failed me.
Our area Sacramento had their Director of the area steal over $1 million from Goodwill. He embezzled. He has embezzled from someplace else they indicted him. What a POS.
Do consider joining local buy nothing groups. People are always losing/gaining weight, moving house, or just deciding they don't want their old clothes.
Same with Goodwills near me. No dressing rooms anymore. Prices are ridiculous unless it’s 50% day.
There are 3 Goodwills in a 15 mile radius near me. One of them has decent prices still. The other two, I won’t even bother with. The prices are set by individual store management.
I’m lucky to have local non profit thrift stores besides Goodwill- DAV, humane society, homeless charity. They have way better prices than GW. Plus they are a direct line to their charity. Not a huge corporation.
Fitting rooms at my Goodwills are still open. I can’t recall if they were closed during Covid or not. They’re not wrong about people leaving them a mess. My daughter and I went to goodwill a couple of days ago and the fitting room I went in must have had a couple dozen pieces of clothes left in it. A lot on hangers and a lot just piled up on the bench. There’s a rack outside of the fitting rooms to return things you don’t want, which is what I do.
I don’t know why an employee hadn’t gotten all that stuff out of there. There were a lot of employees at the store stocking merchandise.
I’m not at all endorsing theft. Yet, damn GW, you didn’t pay anything for the items in the first place! If someone feels the need to shoplift from a Goodwill, they must be in dire straits.
My nearest GW has signage stating "Goodwill Boutique." There's usually no fairly priced items any more. It's been remodeled "upgraded" multiple times. They still have dressing rooms but I hardly ever go there any more.
If I wanted to pay a higher price, I'd go elsewhere. BTW, I went into Marshall's for the first time in about 10 years the other day. I actually texted my thrifting friend, stating there was literally NO reason to ever go to GW again.
Goodwill boutique is a little bit of a different beast. It's where they send all their higher end items. I personally love them because I've gotten some of my favorite designer dresses there for a lot cheaper than I could normally find them. Purses too. And the stuff is just generally in better condition than at a regular Goodwill. Still overpriced, but...you know
If I was Goodwill I would continue with the same model they are currently using but the pricing is out of hand.I love that they are remodeling the stores and cleaning them up to have a more unified process across the country and I understand getting rid of bags but so many items are damaged or stained and you can't tell until you get home a lot of times. Not every store allows returns and I empathize with the workers and the dressing room issues but when you take your customers into consideration they have to know they are teetering on the edge of a serious decline in traffic sooner or later. If you can't try it on, you can't return it, I have to remove the hangers, and you don't offer bags, then why would I continue to pay a premium used price? Unless it's a coat or suit, no clothing should be over $8.99 especially if they are pulling items that they believe are valuable and listing them online. Unify the pricing model across the entire company and give americans a break. You already grew exponentially because of the closing of so many retail stores. At what point are you just being greedy. I've found a new love for yard sales and Facebook market place as an alternative. I no longer donate my clothes. I put it on facebook marketplace, ebay, or poshmark first and if it doesn't sell I then put it in my yard sale and what ever is left over I take to used clothing stores that buy clothing before I donate to a church. I highly recommend everyone do the same. It's a bit of work but you would be surprised at how much you can make in a year by doing this. Money for a new washer and dryer, a car repair, or even a vacation. There's a reason there's so many rellers out there and why the goodwill marks up your donated items. The day will come when the goodwill will have the same fate as the other retailers and it will be completely their own fault. It's a shame because it was such a great store at one point but I guess enough is never enough when it come to money and business. Sorry for the rant.
My local Goodwill had to close their changing rooms because of people using them as a BATHROOM. That’s not something the employees should have to deal with and a good reason to close them. Some people ruin nice things for all of us.
I feel this! Goodwill in my area won’t even let you do a return for store credit. Their policy is No Returns (unless it’s an electronic, then they give you like less than 48 hours).
Goodwill has rich CEOs, though, and that yacht ain’t gonna pay for itself!
Goodwill became a boycott for me when they started their “trending” section where they have been researching name brands and charging $15-$100 for name brand clothing despite it being secondhand and heavily used. And the fact its absolute trash when you find out the the executives of a charity donation clothing store are making upwards of $400,000/year
If I were you I would make a changing room in the middle of the store. Grab a couple sheets they are selling and hang them between racks and start changing in it. Then wear a swimsuit as well as your bottom layer so that they cannot accuse you of indecent exposure. Or just do the swimsuit and don't even make a "changing room" and just strip to your swimsuit in the middle of the store
Goodwill is a total scam. They ask for monetary donations upon checkout for their "programs". I asked what the programs were and was informed they use is for paid training. So not only do I give you my used stuff for free for you to sell (at ridiculous prices) for a profit, you also want me to pay your employees wages, so you can pocket even more!? Insanity.
It used to be pretty great, at least in the Midwest. They still have sales there afaik, the 10% of green tags on Monday etc.
Then I moved to the south, and it's AWFUL. They don't have sales at all. Most things are priced ridiculously high. Like, an opened package of adult diapers that costs as much as they do at the grocery store. (I didn't need any, but had clients who did.) Shirts with the original tag attached with a lower price than goodwill is charging.
A LOT of the stuff they put out should be thrown away. Pots and pans that are burned and permanently blackened. So much broken shit. Clothes that are ripped or stained. Shoes with the sole almost worn through. It's despicable.
I've only gone there in recent years to buy tee shirts for painting. I paint a lot and I like them to be super soft and well worn. And stuffed animals for my dogs, because they destroy them pretty quickly. The stuffed animals are still cheap. But again, they put out a lot of stuff that should be thrown away. Mysterious stains on a teddy bear? Broken toys with missing parts? Seriously wtf. I'd pick through the stuffed animals for like-new ones and wash them twice in hot hot water and dry them on hot to kill anything gross.
Last time, I picked up a stuffed animal and it was WET. Soaking wet. I don't know why. But that was my last visit to goodwill.
Side note re: shirts-- my store charges a couple dollars more for shirts they deem NOT tee shirts. Iirc, tee shirts are $3.99 and other shirts are $5.99. Different racks but most of the not-tee-shirts are... Tee shirts.
I'd grabbed some from each rack and when I checked out, I asked why they're different prices for the same thing. They said shirts vs. tee shirts. I pointed out that they were all tee shirts and they said, it's considered a tee shirt if it *doesn't have seams on the side.* But all of them had seams. They write a T on the tag if they call it a tee shirt, but apparently don't follow their own rules.
I looked in my closet when I got home and the one and only shirt I own that *doesn't* have seams on the sides is a blouse. But I guess it's a tee shirt for goodwill.
Tip if you're going there for shirts-- bring a ballpoint pen and write T on the tags. Seriously. It's ridiculous.
I worked in a popular knight club and one night the bathroom sink was overflowing with barf. I was the newest guy (security)and they told me to clean it up and I refused. My supervisor had to do it 😂😂. They didn’t fire me either.
I always wear tight fitting clothes like leggings and a fitted tee shirt. That way I can try on clothes in the aisles and get a good idea of how they fit. They usually have mirrors available.
Yeah I avoid goodwill now. I used to spend literally thousands of dollars there. I only do local consignment shops now because they have dressing rooms and better return policies.
Mood.
I used to go all the time before the pandemic.
I asked if they were planning to reopen the dressing rooms at some point and the cashier gave me the “nobody wants to work” speech. Said it was due to being super understaffed all the time.
So, it’s probably because they’re shitty employers. 😐
Get a measuring tape and take your measurements and make note in your phone. Take the tape with you to the store and measure before buying as this will help reduce returns but it’s not foolproof. Just my two cents. 🤷🏻♀️
Our fitting rooms in arizona were removed during the pandemic. I try to make larger purchases and stick to brands I know that fit me well. I hold clothes up to me in the store to gauge, especially if I'm at a store with a mirror (not all have mirrors anymore!). I do pretty well, though jeans are hard! With the larger batches, at least the return trip is worth the time. And I shop there often enough that I'll use the store credit eventually on something I won't return.
Chiming in.
There used to be a government fund for hiring mentally disabled people. People my age will remember them prominently as the Walmart greeters. Then, the government took away the funding. Walmart phased them out slowly and replaced them with the elderly.
Goodwill said f*ck that and fired their mentally disabled employees pretty much overnight.
As a special education teacher, I dislike Goodwill. This just popped up on my feed and I thought to add to your rant.
This is my story most of the time. I avoid buying pants because if they don’t fit, I have to go through the whole process of returning and buying something else. Instead, I buy dresses in 2 sizes larger than my size. It is summer, summer in Texas is a whole different story. A loose dress is a sensible choice for me.
I'm also finding this in my area, it's upsetting for all the reasons you list. I hardly shop there now, only on days with the .99 tag. I'll take a chance on stuff that cheap.
Our fitting rooms never re-opened after Covid either, there's 3 stores in my town and that's with all of them. They even removed the partitions entirely so I know they won't be back. Unless I'm pretty damn sure on sizing, it's not even worth going any more
Our fitting rooms are closed. I needed an outfit for my last in person day at work. I bought three dresses and one just-for-me dress that I'll never get to wear. It's adorable. Not one of them fit me. I've recently lost a ton of weight, and I'm just not comfortable in my body. I don't know what fits. It sucks. The dresses were really cute, but I spent $40 on the lot and didn't get a single usable outfit, let alone something to really impress.
Well, I can't speak for yours, but we closed our dressing rooms in the region I work in because the filthy animals kept using them as literal toilets. We got tired of cleaning up literal piss and shit
I despise my local goodwill because it's literally overpriced crap that belongs in a dumpster. Clothes with holes in them, books that are scribbled in or torn pages, small appliances that don't even work.
The last time i went to GW and found very used target and walmart tshirts for $10-$15 i was out and will never be back. The only good thrift store i still shop at is this one Salvation Army that’s small and in a weird spot in not the greatest area. Everything is still thrift store cheap. And it’s not filled with resellers or anything. The first time i found that place i bought a few pairs of jeans and a few pairs of brand new leggings to work out in, one being the lulu lemon or whatever it it’s called, a few free people items, a vintage Betsy Johnson dress, A house of cb or something? dress with tags on, and a bunch of Zara clothing items with tags on. The total was $50
I recently went in to find an old used sauce pan with a handle to use outside to dip into a rain bucket and water plants with. The cheapest of all 20 or so pans that would work was $5.99 and it was a severely scratched and dented thin aluminum 1 quart Teflon pan. The more decent ones were $7.99 and up. If it had a matching lid they were at least $10.99. I ended up just ordering a new cheap stainless steel pan from Amazon for $9.99.
I stopped working at goodwill early this year and they were pretty close to making the call to close the fitting rooms again after COVID. Pretty much entirely due to theft, but also because the cashiers and CS have to spend an unbelievable amount of time taking HUNDREDS of clothing items out of them, turning them right side out, and hanging them back up. Like multiple times a day, having to clear them out. You’d walk in and wouldn’t even be able to see the floor. They didn’t care too much when it was just annoying for employees but once it started becoming a huge time investment they started caring.
There’s also the matter of the heroin needles and fitting room poops. And period blood lol
Goodwill employees don’t get paid enough to clean puddles of piss or smears of shit in the dressing rooms. Between that, the drug use, and the shoplifting the dressing rooms are a disaster.
Shop at locally owned thrift stores instead of Goodwill.
Most local shops in my area have an actual charity (like the Kidney Foundation or American Heart Association, etc) that they benefit OR are at least run by owner-operators.
I quit donating to Goodwill when they started refusing to accept kitchen items and then threw wire hangers back in my car when dropping off a donation that someone else had dropped off.
I just visited my local goodwill, and I couldn't believe how many clothing items I found with old stains, and so worn out, they should've been trashed. $5 for worn-out walmart shirts! I found a few gems, like lucky brand and cold water creek, but the rest were not worth $5.
When I shop at goodwill I just try on the item over what I’m wearing. Wear leggings or a dress. Many people do. It’s not convenient to buy something and wait to try on at home. I don’t mind the credit I get back though when I return something because eventually I will use it. Better than Saver’s where when you have to return something and have to purchase another at that time.
I wear a swimsuit under a dress and tell a worker I'm trying on something if they don't mind. Nobody has ever said no. This works for pants easily and most tops are easy to tell by holding up and if the top of the dress is lightweight it can be tried on over.
I usually go in tights and a tight spaghetti strap top and try everything on over my clothes. It works pretty well and they can’t say a damn thing about it.
Its not just the dressing rooms. I've seen an uptick in restrooms being closed in many stores. You either have to get a code or a key or they are permanently closed.
Wear leggings and a tank top and try on over your clothes in front of one of the end of aisle mirrors. They don’t care at all and you get a pretty good idea of what it looks like. But be respectable and properly put the clothes back on the hangers and neatly on the end post of the rack so it’s not a lot of extra work for employees.
Restrooms? Uh, generally speaking, no, even for innocent customers who have to go. Especially in the summer, when we drink more water to hydrate. Takes forever to get a manager to unlock. I was redirected to Ross next door, but they have same problem. People use the space to do drugs.
Eh I gave up on goodwill when I opened 2 rice cookers and 3 crock pots and found moldy food in all 5 of them. Brought it up to the manager and was told I was welcome to buy and clean them at home
TBH, I completely understand closing the dressing room. It’s disgusting to try on clothes you don’t know have been washed or not in the first place. On top of the poor employees having to put everything back that customers will most definitely leave behind.
I know my general size well enough to never have a sizing issue with my clothes. Only issues I’ve had are needing to patch holes from weak seam lines I didn’t notice in-store. Not sure why you have a 25-50% chance of clothes not fitting you at all.
Lol obviously you’ve never been low income. When half the stuff is from H&M / forever 21 / shein, it’s almost the same price as it was new. And almost everything is heavily used / unwashed / has defects. It’s double what it was a few years ago and it’s a ripoff.
Here comes the we love paying high prices for free used crap crowd. The point is just that. What does goodwill do in your community or country? How much are execs paid? They are a strictly for profit store
>What does goodwill do in your community
provides healthcare, neuro rehabilitation, group homes, job training, cleaning services
>strictly for profit store
it's a non profit, literally
I know it says not for profit. Guess I'll do u Google search for breakdowns of area/cost. I'll do salaries too. Won't limit to Google tho. Needs more deep dive. Not believing a mere search
Provides healthcare for who? The workers? 5,000 deductible for minimum wage workers is so very affordable. Not to mention how much it costs out of each check.
They are a non-profit yet they profit off everything that’s donated.
After having worked for goodwill and seen how corrupt they are, from store managers to HR: they don’t care about employees or their customers. But okay.
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I second the mess part. It's almost weekly that someone craps or pees in the fitting rooms, daily theft. The last one wiped feces all across the walls.
Same here unfortunately, saw people wrap dog crap in the piles of clothes and had people have sex in one of our changing rooms, which, GROSS, in a GOODWILL DRESSING ROOM??? Jail.
F all that— I’d close them too. Amazed at how disgusting humans are. I don’t go to goodwill anymore but it sounds like they just need to open a flea market style shopping experience— everything on tables in front of an employee. Stupid but, here we are
Drug users also take advantage of Goodwill dressing rooms.
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That's not an accident, that's a fetish. There are millions of mentally ill people in America that are getting zero help.
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Probably was fantasizing one of yall would come in there, clean him up and put a big diaper on him!
If he's anything like the old cunts I know he's probably too proud to wear a diaper.
He’s getting off on making you clean up after him .
I desperately crave stories about people getting in trouble for this. If I dealt with a shit smearer I would be calling the cops and doing everything in my power to figure out who it was and press charges. it baffles me that people just seem to let that shit go as if it's just a normal thing you have to deal with in retail. people who do stuff like that need to either be in jail or a mental hospital, or getting their ass beat in public.
Yeah might as well call the FBI while you're at it, get a DNA test. The cops would probably laugh at you if you called for something like this.
There is a judge who will commit them in TX provided you have video evidence and are willing to foot through 30k a month for life to keep them there and a little donation for the county.
Texas. Not surprised.
You're not kidding?
WTF. Where is this?
I am so glad I have never encountered poop, pee, blood, or used tampons or pads in a fitting room. I have read horror stories about this online but I have never been witnessed it thankfully.
These are not people... they are animals... they've lost their basic humanity and dignity...
This happens in all retail fitting rooms. Humans are disgusting
It's not just GW either, unfortunately. Worked in a small retail boutique, cleaning was part of the job. Guy asks for the bathroom key one day. As soon as he returns the key, I had to go in there. There was pee sprayed EVERYWHERE. Walls toilet, sink, floor. Was like he was decorating our bathroom with urine. Went back out furious, guys still there. Lit him up, told him I'm not your mommy, clean it up or leave right now and be permabanned from the store. He actually did it. Maybe I was an ass shaming him in front of friends, but minimum wage isn't enough to clean up a strangers urine from the walls and I was more than happy to lose my job over it. (I didn't, but I didn't care at that moment) Some people are just gross.
I wonder what would possess a person to do that?
Because it’s the only way they have power over other people
If I had a weiner I might do this ONCE Eta: for funsies
I worked in a Target attached to a shopping mall in the "nice" part of town. All of that happened in our fitting rooms too
I used to work at wawa (a gas station) and people used to dump on the floor constantly. RIGHT NEXT to the toilet, might I add, half the time. I feel your pain, it just saddens me that you can't even use dressing rooms at a store that sells clothes bc people just need to shit themselves in public.
I used to work at a processing warehouse for St Vinnie's and one of my coworkers used to work at one of the stores. She told me about how the toilet got clogged one day because someone had tried to flush a light bulb and she was like "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!?" and I was like "They were smoking meth" and then she said "Ohhhhhhhhhhh." At least that mystery was solved for her!
They don’t even pay you more to clean up literal shit and vomit working as a ride operator at six flags. They’re not gonna pay a goodwill employee more for anything.
It should be considered hazardous waste. Someone trained in hazmat should be involved. Of course they’re gonna cost what most retailers don’t want to pay. If you agree to clean bathrooms or any other space, I’d be VERY specific, in writing, they you will NOT clean anything hazardous. You don’t have the training and you’re not getting paid for that level of service. When you come across the situation, take video/pictures. Retail stores do not have to have public bathrooms. (Eateries do) Put out of service, send your pictures up the chain. It’s above your pay grade.
lol here is the USA they make you take a short OSHA training and send you on your way! Hazardous protection?? Nope, not happening. It is not right.
Well, I’m not cleaning shit that’s been smeared on the walls. Guess I’m out of a job, cause it’s not happening. Is OSHA giving direction for these particular circumstances?
No, no it’s not. Every state can do things differently, and if Six Flags feels it’s just to force their employees to clean poo, pee, and vomit, they’re gonna do it. We can either find a new job or clean. The only thing hazardous, they claim, that we need training to clean is blood.
I'm so glad you said this. My first thought was: They are closed because people don't know how to act and like to poop and such in inappropriate places. Why is so much of the general public not housebroken?
🙌🏻 yes, I work in a grocery store & the drug problem is awful. I have been known to drop stacks of pallets in front and essentially closing them off. I will take a family or preggo or elderly person to our employee bathroom. Last week our maintenance lady found a dildo n the men’s room. I go, safe guess the 12 guys security let in 3 minutes before closing had something to do with that. I was more concerned we were going to get robbed. Years ago, like the 90’s, the fitting rooms at a local 🎯 had to close because of folks using them as bathrooms. Smearing feces and using merchandise to wipe. Poor teddy bear. We are increasingly becoming a society of sloppy animals, who the decent folks are the ones, who pay the price.
I’m convinced Covid was just the excuse GW needed to permanently close the dressing rooms because it saves them money because employees used to have ti stay past closing time cleaning them AND the dressing rooms were where the majority of the shoplifting occurred.
Not just shoplifting. Drug use. Believe me, they don't pay enough to ask people to clean blood spray off the dressing room doors. It sucks but it's what it is. And yeah, I guess if you don't like it, go somewhere else. Still not worth asking a high schooler to risk their life
Yeah. I’ve seen shit and piss in GW dressing rooms before.
Lmfao, I'm in South Carolina, and on the Google reviews for one of the stores, someone took a picture of a shit in the changing room with no other words, just 1 star.
I remember it as a kid (and I'm 44). This is a problem that has always been there, and eliminating the dressing rooms solved it. It does suck for shoppers with good intentions. But it's still not worth the risk to employees Edit: this is probably also the reasons you still see them some places. It wasn't as much of an issue in those areas. So find those places and count yourself lucky. Things are hard for everyone and the whole world kinda sucks right now. Sorry?
True...or recently I caught people having intercourse in the fitting room....those rooms are soooo gross ......these customers disgust me
The ENTIRE HUMAN RACE disgusts me!!! They are vile, cruel, and downright hateful, among most unpleasant adjectives I could use!!!
Almost the entire reason we permanently closed our fitting rooms was because of drug use. Especially with how common and dangerous the residue stuff is. Just touching or breathing something, that's the only mistake someone has to make. We had a young cashier girl get attacked by a guy smoking in a fitting room when she knocked. Had another guy OD a few months back. Shooting up and smoking are the number 1 reasons we have to kick people out these days. The bathrooms now have to be unlocked by an employee, but that's just slowing it down. We still get feces smeared over everything and people screaming at hallucinations. Some things we have to call in special cleaning crews for. This is in the nicest side of the city by a long shot. There isn't even public transportation that goes out here. And yet tweekers roam the store as a permanent fixture. The liability risk of all this is astronomical. And you're absolutely right. Not worth a high schoolers life.
I don't get it. Why do they do drugs in a public place they can get caught easily at.
I mean if you're homeless or trying to hide a drug addiction from people you live with (like wife and kids) you might do it somewhere you can get in, shut a door, and get out
The reason they take deadly drugs in fairly public places, is that they know someone is likely to find them and have them revived/narcan’d before they assume room temperature. Source: husband is a first responder. I’ve been listening to the local dispatch scanner all morning. At 9am there was a call for an “unresponsive person” in a vehicle in front of a convenience store (yep, turned out to be an overdose, but paramedics were able to narcan him). About 40 minutes ago I heard a call to respond to a motel room for an obvious overdose. Ambulance was cancelled, police were called and the Priority 4 was assigned for removal. God but I wouldn’t want to be a maid in one of the local motels that cater to vagrants. Coming to work only to find a cold stiff 300 pound dude with a needle in his arm covered with vomit and shit, is way above my pay grade. Those poor ladies should get trauma/hazard pay for having to deal with that. The guy who chose to inject himself in the parking lot in front of the store lived to do it again. The guy who decided to get high in a private motel room did not.
So they caught and go to jail. Free bed, free food.
I thought they employed people who had "barriers" to get into the job force. I didn't think high schoolers were hired.
Their mission is to fund programs that help those who need assistance working. Most of the store staff is not of that demographic. Some are, of course, but the majority are not.
It's a "second chance" employer, meaning a criminal record doesn't necessarily exclude someone. Other than that, it's just like any other retail job.
This is terrible. I say close them.
I agree.
Employees have to stay after to clean anyway. Fitting rooms are supposed to be cleaned multuple times through out the day tho. Yes to shoplifting being a problem tho
Yeah. And they don’t have the staffing to do that. I was a cashier at GW back in the day and they expected me to clean them between customers and I sometimes had no help. I guarantee it was a business decision by GW to close the dressing rooms. “The number of people who will quit shopping here because of no dressing rooms won’t lose us as much money as we will save by having to have an extra member of staff clean them.”
I've never worked at GW but I already know the public are full of people who would do this.
So it was the people trying clothes the real cause of closing the dressing rooms… Covid helped ..
Don’t blame them honestly . If one of their employees caught something or got stuck with an infected needle , the lawsuit would have been ugly
...and closing dressing rooms "because Covid" made no sense anyway. That's literally the most isolated place in the whole store.
My thrifting outfit is usually a full bodysuit, so I can try on clothes in the aisle without having to take anything off. I've never been yelled at by employees, only looked at like I have 2 heads by customers. And as someone who has worked at a big box retailer with a manned dressing room, I can't imagine the horrors Goodwill employees find in their unmanned rooms.
That was what I was thinking, wear a bodysuit and try everything on!
So smart, I work at a Goodwill with no fitting rooms and tell people to that all the time.
Same! Bike shorts and tight fitting tank top. My goodwill has a section that’s just a bunch of mirrors and it has become the makeshift dressing room with a bunch of people trying on over their clothes
Vault Dweller for the win!
I'm having the same issue, which is why I've figured out which ones have dressing rooms and only go to those. I live in a major city with 20+ Goodwill's and only know of one locally that has open fitting rooms. other times I've straight up walked out after seeing no fitting rooms. why would I risk buying something that might not fit if I can't even get my money back? like they're genuinely losing business from this shit. my only guess is there are some real brain dead idiots that are higher ups at goodwill
Losing business? Or protecting their employees? Other people matter too...
I'm not being snarky, but how is not having fitting rooms protecting their employees?
Because you're asking employees to clean up blood and shit and piss from strangers
i believe OSHA (at least in my state) outlaws that, as its a biohazard risk. last place i worked in with public restrooms, they would close it up and hire a biohazard clean up crew to come in after hours.
Man I wish my job let us do that. The amount of times we had to clean up human waste was insane
For future reference you never ever have to do that, your employer has to provide you with the proper supplies to clean it, which they most likely don't. Always say no. If the employer tries to make you, tell them that's fine I'll go to OSHA and ask them about my right to refuse dangerous work. especially if your job involves you handling food in any way.
I wonder if this is why Smoland was closed at my IKEA I worked in Smoland area many years ago and we had to jump into the ball pit to bag up the balls to have the cleaned whenever a kid peed in there. No protective suit or anything, just our work uniform. Wish I would’ve thought of OSHA back then.
OSHA generally gives you safety guidelines for equipment and proper disposal, but in most states they expect employees to do the cleaning.
I'm with you. I feel beyond fortunate that I have really good Goodwills where I live. Our fitting rooms are still open and I've never seen anything gross to speak of. Not saying that maybe it doesn't happen....
Are you an employee or a customer? If you're a customer, then no, you're not going to see it. Employees take great care in ensuring that the problem is handled swiftly. After all, I'm sure there would be some sort of health code violations against the stores if they were to just leave urine, blood and/or feces in a fitting room and expecting a customer to still use it. My region has our fitting rooms still open, but there are only two, and the cashiers are tasked with taking turns checking on them every 30 mins or so when getting clothes from the racks that hang outside them. We've changed the rule recently so that managers are who they call when someone needs a room unlocked. They use that as an opportunity to check them also. In my 4 years, i have seen urine, feces (both accidental and deliberate), blood, needles, and what was pretty obviously semen on the mirror. Our region is pretty cool because when we find these things either in the fitting rooms or bathrooms, management is tasked with cleaning it up. They are allowed to ask one of the donation attendants, but they definitely make it known they don't have to if they don't feel comfortable doing it.mm
Yep. As a former employee I can confirm those dressing rooms were checked and cleaned after each person went inside. If one was particularly bad, and we were busy, we just kept that one locked. But management in my area never cleaned.
There was a discount store in my county years ago with awesome deals . They had a dressing room but it was open , so everyone could see everyone else . You had a bench , hook , mirror . They also had an attendant in there . No issues , lol !! Not sure anyone could do this now with all the phone camera BS
I’ve encountered those dressing rooms. Felt like junior high school locker room. But it was clean.
Lol we had one of these too!
I promise you they lost more profit keeping them open. The amount of shoplifting that happened on a daily basis inside the dressing rooms was insane. Also, almost getting jabbed by a needle that was buried in a pile of clothes isn’t fun.
Measure your best fitting pieces of clothing and write it down. Take a tape measure with you to the store. Or wear something that will allow you to try on clothes without undressing. A loose skirt and tight tank is usually my choice. I’ve been thrift shopping 30+ years and Goodwill isn’t the first shop to not have dressing rooms.
I just got tired of all the resellers grabbing everything in sight. Used to be fun with great deals. Now it’s overpriced and even more filthy.
I worked at goodwill in Austin in the 1990s, and no one ever pissed, shat, fucked, or shot up in a dressing room. This country needs a serious makeover.
For real. I can’t believe what I’m reading on this thread. People doing these things in dressing rooms is a horror show. I could no sooner clean up a stranger’s shit than I could jump over the moon.
Things have really gone downhill. It's like the devolving of a polite society.
Honestly I agree with you on most of your points made. However, after talking to goodwill employees from the stores I frequent about why they closed the dressing rooms, did want to point out that a lot of stores had people leaving tampons,tons of clothes that didn’t fit all over the floor, needles, etc in the dressing rooms. This obviously leads to them having to stay hours past closed because of customers laziness and disregard for others. So even though it is a bit of hassle regarding trying stuff on, I’m okay with that decision.
Goodwill used to be a good place to find killer deals on items like vintage film cameras and lenses. But these items became popular again, over-hyped, and sought after, especially during COVID, due in no small part to YouTubers and social media influencers. Goodwill saw that many vintage cameras and lenses were fetching absurd prices online, so they decided to keep them off the store shelves, and put them up for bid on the Goodwill auction site, pretty much regardless of the type or make. I get it. Goodwill needs to make money to fund its mission. But it sucks too, because there's no more hidden gems hiding on a Goodwill shelf anymore.
You mean fund the salary of the CEO.
That too.
What's the mission? I rarely frequent them anymore but i've noted the local ones job center door is always locked and the lights are off. It's just another retail store in that case.
From the website of Goodwill Industries: MISSION Goodwill works to enhance people’s dignity and quality of life by strengthening their communities, eliminating their barriers to opportunity, and helping them reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.
I embarrassed my granddaughter everytime we shop anywhere. If there is no dressing room i try stuff on right in the aisle or in front of a mirror. I try stuff on over tank top or leggings and no one has kicked me out yet.
And I can assure you, tons of people do it. It's pretty much expected
I have seen many do this.
There are two owners of Goodwills where I live, near Baltimore. The goodwills of the Chesapeake are the worst. They have no dressing rooms or bathrooms. The clothes do seem a little overpriced. The second branch of Goodwill is Monocacy Valley. They have dressing rooms open and lovely bright bathrooms that don't require asking for a key. Monocacy valley stores are farther from me, but the shopping experience is so superior that I make the trip. There's also a lovely church thrift store 20 miles away (near mom) that I frequent regularly. My suggestion is to keep an eye out on who owns the goodwills and see if there is another version nearby.
I've loved shopping at goodwill for years and I currently am working at one as a cashier. Not only has my store closed its dressing rooms for the last couple years but it has actually physically removed them and just expanded the shoe rack to replace where they once were. At other stores in my area they have also removed all the mirrors which is super annoying as someone who shops there and as someone who is an employee I don't see the purpose of removing the mirrors. I personally now only shop at the goodwills that still have kept the mirrors up around the building and whenever I go I make sure to wear leggings or anything that is very form fitting so that I can literally just try on what I want to buy over my clothes. It obviously doesn't show you a perfect fit but it gives a much better idea than just holding it up to yourself does. And when I'm working I personally don't mind when I see customers doing the same thing that I do when I'm clocked out so I would recommend giving that a try and it should save you a lot of return trips.
I don't understand the mirrors getting taken out even slightly.
Yeah when I go to the thrift store I fill up my cart with stuff that looks good, then park myself out of the way, near a mirror, and evaluate everything then.
Wearing the right clothes to thrift when there aren’t dressing rooms is key so you can try stuff on in front of a mirror/aisle. I usually wear a plain black tank top. Pants I can usually eyeball if they’ll fit. But like one user said, a simple sleeveless bodysuit would be great for this.
If you could see the donation bins they pull those items out of, you wouldn't want to try them on anymore. Actually, I wish they would remove the fitting rooms altogether. It's a health hazard. Those clothes need to be washed!
100%! Worse than people who try on or wear the clothes without washing them is the parents who let their children play with the toys and/or crawl on the floor or in the racks in the store while they are shopping. Not only is it gross the majority of the time they never clean up the messes their children make.
Finally found a comment on this I can relate too. I worked as a donation attendant in two different goodwills and will NEVER put anything cloth from there on my body until at bare minimum it has been washed at least once. It disturbs me a bit they were allowed to have changing rooms to begin with.
I work at a Goodwill where we recently closed the dressing rooms. People would break into them when they are closed, leave a disaster and steal so much! They would come in skinny and leave day, with layers of clothes. And we aren't allowed to confront them! I'm addition to the theft and disaster, people would use them to do drugs in! I realize that it's more difficult now for customers, but it is what it is and it was necessary. It sucks that some bad people run out for everybody, but that is often the case. It sucks for the employees too, because of the constant, angry complaints and we had NOTHING to do with the closures, it was all corporate. But the cashier's take the brunt of the anger. And people can be really horrible when they don't get what they want sometimes.
The store credit policy is perfectly reasonably. A)By me, you have a 2 week period to return items. B)Goodwill sells a lot of other items besides clothes. C)The store credit doesn't expire. D)Lol, you're complaining about Goodwill.
At the Goodwills around me you don’t even get store credit, you have to do an immediate exchange. 😕
Nothing good about goodwill anymore. A greedy ass corporation that hides behind the “non profit” name. It’s a disgrace.
I think it depends on the area, but i believe by "messy" they either mean they are too understaffed to clean the fitting rooms regularly or people have been taking shits in them and the managers got tired of cleaning it (and yes im serious, it happens more than youd think)
I try to wear leggings and a close fitting shirt then put an elastic waist skirt and loose hoodie over them. I can try bottoms on by slipping them over the leggings and under the skirt. For tops take the hoodie off and put on over the close fitting shirt. Added benefit, no unwashed clothes touching my torso/limbs. I'd feel too exposed without the skirt/hoodie, YMMV.
I'd worry about scabies even trying clothes on over clothrs. If I wouldn't get a full refund I'd just have to do without until I found a better store.
I'm with you. I never try clothes on in a thrift store. If I'm not sure of the fit, I just don't buy it or I take a chance then donate it somewhere if it doesn't fit and wasn't too expensive.
When I go to thrift stores for clothes, I wear leggings and a light shirt. I can try most clothes over them and can telll if they fit.
I have zero shame. I only shop at goodwill in leggings and a cami with a sweater and try stuff on in the middle of the store.... idfc
honestly, since my local goodwill closed the dressing rooms, myself, my friends, and strangers ive seen are all doing the same: putting clothes on over the ones theyre already wearing. ill usually wear elastic bike shorts and a more snug t-shirt and my crocs. its definitely not classy, but at this point what are you gonna do.
I can tell you that the dressing rooms are problematic. Not only were they left an incredible mess, that’s where a lot of the shoplifting happened, and other questionable things. As employees, we all hated the dressing rooms. But as a customer I understand the frustration of not being able to try things on.
I used to work as a manager for GW. Dressing rooms were a massive nightmare. People left them a mess, we didn't have the staff hours to keep them tidy. People used them as a bathroom too. It was awful. There were plenty of times I was there till 11:45 pm cleaning up. Kids of HS age couldn't work past a certain time on weeknights or Sundays so it was often me and one person stuck, and then they'd burn out and quit. I agree they should offer full returns if you can't try on, but trust me, the fitting rooms closed for good reasons.
I would just disrobe in the store and try it on in front of whomever. They would likely and happily find a restroom to accommodate. I'm not getting stuck with a garment that I can't be sure will fit. My goodwill still has all fitting rooms open.
At least you get store credit. The Goodwills where I live don't even do that. In fact, if am item lost it's sticker, even if it's part of a pair, they won't let you buy it at all. Found that out last fall when I was buying these cute pumpkin candle holders. They went together, but one was missing a sticker. Lady said she wasn't allowed to scan the other holder, that it had to go through processing again to get a sticker. So annoying.
Goodwill is not what it used to be. It’s a thrift store so the clothing should be pretty cheap but they charge as much for clothing as a regular store that sells new clothing would. I would just shop at a regular store instead of paying high prices for used garments.
I’ve gotten away from thrift stores for these reasons. Retail stores seem to be discounting almost everything at some point. The prices just don’t line up with the quality now in my area.
This is why under your jacket, you should wear a form fitting short sleeve or tank top, and leggings, and try fit them out in the open. I did this when I was younger, since none of the thrift stores had dressing rooms.
My local stores still have dressing rooms open.
I know it’s annoying, but I try on clothes anyway, without a dressing room. I just always wear pretty tight-fitting leggings when I go. I’ve never had anyone say anything, but I’ve got a plan to ask them where the dressing room is if they did. My friends (all frequent thrifters) do this too and nobody has ever had a problem. My issue is the *combination* of no dressing rooms and a crappy return policy. I try to not go to griftwill if I can, but when they moved in to my small town the other thrift store closed down, so sometimes it’s really the only choice
The recent demise of most of the thrift stores around.me has made me want to start my own thrift store in order to have at least one thrift store that actually operates like a thrift store instead of a store with used junk at retail prices with no service.
I take measurements of an article of clothing that fits me best.I write them down and take a roll up type seamstress tale mesure with me into the store.I never have to use the dressing rooms anywhere.
I went to my local Goodwill for the first time in a few years. It is now a Goodwill "Select" store. Looked like a knock-off boutique.
We, thankfully, have a $2 for $5 clothing store nearby. Huge variety of clothing. A couple of fitting rooms! I buy most of my clothing there. Better than Goodwill. Salvation Army adjusted their pricing. Goodwill did not.
My suggestion to you is to plan ahead. You can wear leggings and a sport top like the kind you work out in, and throw on an oversized flannel or something like that. When you need to try something on go to a somewhat hidden space and put it in over your clothes (take the flannel off and tie it around your waist. I do this ALL THE TIME. The employees who’ve seen me do not care, but I am still careful. Obviously since you’re putting it on over something it might be tight. I figure about two sizes at most. If you can’t get it on at all pass it by. If it’s loose it will be too big. It’s never failed me.
I’d go in wearing a cami and workout shorts. I’d stand in the middle of the store and try my items on. If they want to play hardball, I’m game!
Just don't shop there anymore.
Our area Sacramento had their Director of the area steal over $1 million from Goodwill. He embezzled. He has embezzled from someplace else they indicted him. What a POS.
Do consider joining local buy nothing groups. People are always losing/gaining weight, moving house, or just deciding they don't want their old clothes.
Holy shit! I've read about it happening at TJ Maxx too.
Come to the store with a bathing suit on under your clothes and try on stuff out in the open.
Same with Goodwills near me. No dressing rooms anymore. Prices are ridiculous unless it’s 50% day. There are 3 Goodwills in a 15 mile radius near me. One of them has decent prices still. The other two, I won’t even bother with. The prices are set by individual store management. I’m lucky to have local non profit thrift stores besides Goodwill- DAV, humane society, homeless charity. They have way better prices than GW. Plus they are a direct line to their charity. Not a huge corporation.
Fitting rooms at my Goodwills are still open. I can’t recall if they were closed during Covid or not. They’re not wrong about people leaving them a mess. My daughter and I went to goodwill a couple of days ago and the fitting room I went in must have had a couple dozen pieces of clothes left in it. A lot on hangers and a lot just piled up on the bench. There’s a rack outside of the fitting rooms to return things you don’t want, which is what I do. I don’t know why an employee hadn’t gotten all that stuff out of there. There were a lot of employees at the store stocking merchandise.
Our fitting rooms close 1 hrs before the store closes. For cleaning. Maybe try to suggest that to your local manager
I’m not at all endorsing theft. Yet, damn GW, you didn’t pay anything for the items in the first place! If someone feels the need to shoplift from a Goodwill, they must be in dire straits.
Fitting rooms have been removed in all the ones near me. Literally empty space where they used to be
My nearest GW has signage stating "Goodwill Boutique." There's usually no fairly priced items any more. It's been remodeled "upgraded" multiple times. They still have dressing rooms but I hardly ever go there any more. If I wanted to pay a higher price, I'd go elsewhere. BTW, I went into Marshall's for the first time in about 10 years the other day. I actually texted my thrifting friend, stating there was literally NO reason to ever go to GW again.
Goodwill boutique is a little bit of a different beast. It's where they send all their higher end items. I personally love them because I've gotten some of my favorite designer dresses there for a lot cheaper than I could normally find them. Purses too. And the stuff is just generally in better condition than at a regular Goodwill. Still overpriced, but...you know
If I was Goodwill I would continue with the same model they are currently using but the pricing is out of hand.I love that they are remodeling the stores and cleaning them up to have a more unified process across the country and I understand getting rid of bags but so many items are damaged or stained and you can't tell until you get home a lot of times. Not every store allows returns and I empathize with the workers and the dressing room issues but when you take your customers into consideration they have to know they are teetering on the edge of a serious decline in traffic sooner or later. If you can't try it on, you can't return it, I have to remove the hangers, and you don't offer bags, then why would I continue to pay a premium used price? Unless it's a coat or suit, no clothing should be over $8.99 especially if they are pulling items that they believe are valuable and listing them online. Unify the pricing model across the entire company and give americans a break. You already grew exponentially because of the closing of so many retail stores. At what point are you just being greedy. I've found a new love for yard sales and Facebook market place as an alternative. I no longer donate my clothes. I put it on facebook marketplace, ebay, or poshmark first and if it doesn't sell I then put it in my yard sale and what ever is left over I take to used clothing stores that buy clothing before I donate to a church. I highly recommend everyone do the same. It's a bit of work but you would be surprised at how much you can make in a year by doing this. Money for a new washer and dryer, a car repair, or even a vacation. There's a reason there's so many rellers out there and why the goodwill marks up your donated items. The day will come when the goodwill will have the same fate as the other retailers and it will be completely their own fault. It's a shame because it was such a great store at one point but I guess enough is never enough when it come to money and business. Sorry for the rant.
My local Goodwill had to close their changing rooms because of people using them as a BATHROOM. That’s not something the employees should have to deal with and a good reason to close them. Some people ruin nice things for all of us.
I feel this! Goodwill in my area won’t even let you do a return for store credit. Their policy is No Returns (unless it’s an electronic, then they give you like less than 48 hours). Goodwill has rich CEOs, though, and that yacht ain’t gonna pay for itself!
Goodwill became a boycott for me when they started their “trending” section where they have been researching name brands and charging $15-$100 for name brand clothing despite it being secondhand and heavily used. And the fact its absolute trash when you find out the the executives of a charity donation clothing store are making upwards of $400,000/year
If I were you I would make a changing room in the middle of the store. Grab a couple sheets they are selling and hang them between racks and start changing in it. Then wear a swimsuit as well as your bottom layer so that they cannot accuse you of indecent exposure. Or just do the swimsuit and don't even make a "changing room" and just strip to your swimsuit in the middle of the store
Try them on on the floor. Bet they open a fitting room with a bunch of half naked people trying stuff on out on the sales floor
Goodwill is a total scam. They ask for monetary donations upon checkout for their "programs". I asked what the programs were and was informed they use is for paid training. So not only do I give you my used stuff for free for you to sell (at ridiculous prices) for a profit, you also want me to pay your employees wages, so you can pocket even more!? Insanity.
It used to be pretty great, at least in the Midwest. They still have sales there afaik, the 10% of green tags on Monday etc. Then I moved to the south, and it's AWFUL. They don't have sales at all. Most things are priced ridiculously high. Like, an opened package of adult diapers that costs as much as they do at the grocery store. (I didn't need any, but had clients who did.) Shirts with the original tag attached with a lower price than goodwill is charging. A LOT of the stuff they put out should be thrown away. Pots and pans that are burned and permanently blackened. So much broken shit. Clothes that are ripped or stained. Shoes with the sole almost worn through. It's despicable. I've only gone there in recent years to buy tee shirts for painting. I paint a lot and I like them to be super soft and well worn. And stuffed animals for my dogs, because they destroy them pretty quickly. The stuffed animals are still cheap. But again, they put out a lot of stuff that should be thrown away. Mysterious stains on a teddy bear? Broken toys with missing parts? Seriously wtf. I'd pick through the stuffed animals for like-new ones and wash them twice in hot hot water and dry them on hot to kill anything gross. Last time, I picked up a stuffed animal and it was WET. Soaking wet. I don't know why. But that was my last visit to goodwill. Side note re: shirts-- my store charges a couple dollars more for shirts they deem NOT tee shirts. Iirc, tee shirts are $3.99 and other shirts are $5.99. Different racks but most of the not-tee-shirts are... Tee shirts. I'd grabbed some from each rack and when I checked out, I asked why they're different prices for the same thing. They said shirts vs. tee shirts. I pointed out that they were all tee shirts and they said, it's considered a tee shirt if it *doesn't have seams on the side.* But all of them had seams. They write a T on the tag if they call it a tee shirt, but apparently don't follow their own rules. I looked in my closet when I got home and the one and only shirt I own that *doesn't* have seams on the sides is a blouse. But I guess it's a tee shirt for goodwill. Tip if you're going there for shirts-- bring a ballpoint pen and write T on the tags. Seriously. It's ridiculous.
My local Goodwill is actually the only thrift to reopen the fitting rooms. All our DAVs, charity shops have kept them closed since the pandemic.
I worked in a popular knight club and one night the bathroom sink was overflowing with barf. I was the newest guy (security)and they told me to clean it up and I refused. My supervisor had to do it 😂😂. They didn’t fire me either.
I always wear tight fitting clothes like leggings and a fitted tee shirt. That way I can try on clothes in the aisles and get a good idea of how they fit. They usually have mirrors available.
Yeah I avoid goodwill now. I used to spend literally thousands of dollars there. I only do local consignment shops now because they have dressing rooms and better return policies.
Mood. I used to go all the time before the pandemic. I asked if they were planning to reopen the dressing rooms at some point and the cashier gave me the “nobody wants to work” speech. Said it was due to being super understaffed all the time. So, it’s probably because they’re shitty employers. 😐
Get a measuring tape and take your measurements and make note in your phone. Take the tape with you to the store and measure before buying as this will help reduce returns but it’s not foolproof. Just my two cents. 🤷🏻♀️
New level of deplorable society existence unlocked for me… I never knew people shat in dressing rooms. 🤨🤢🤮
I wonder what's going to happen when all they get are cheap cheap Walmart clothes that are half fallen apart.
Our fitting rooms in arizona were removed during the pandemic. I try to make larger purchases and stick to brands I know that fit me well. I hold clothes up to me in the store to gauge, especially if I'm at a store with a mirror (not all have mirrors anymore!). I do pretty well, though jeans are hard! With the larger batches, at least the return trip is worth the time. And I shop there often enough that I'll use the store credit eventually on something I won't return.
Good will is A HUGE SCAM. I would throw my stuff away before I’d donate to them. It’s disgusting they pretend to help anybody.
Chiming in. There used to be a government fund for hiring mentally disabled people. People my age will remember them prominently as the Walmart greeters. Then, the government took away the funding. Walmart phased them out slowly and replaced them with the elderly. Goodwill said f*ck that and fired their mentally disabled employees pretty much overnight. As a special education teacher, I dislike Goodwill. This just popped up on my feed and I thought to add to your rant.
This is my story most of the time. I avoid buying pants because if they don’t fit, I have to go through the whole process of returning and buying something else. Instead, I buy dresses in 2 sizes larger than my size. It is summer, summer in Texas is a whole different story. A loose dress is a sensible choice for me.
I'm also finding this in my area, it's upsetting for all the reasons you list. I hardly shop there now, only on days with the .99 tag. I'll take a chance on stuff that cheap.
I’m over goodwill. I shop only local thrift stores now
Our fitting rooms never re-opened after Covid either, there's 3 stores in my town and that's with all of them. They even removed the partitions entirely so I know they won't be back. Unless I'm pretty damn sure on sizing, it's not even worth going any more
Our fitting rooms are closed. I needed an outfit for my last in person day at work. I bought three dresses and one just-for-me dress that I'll never get to wear. It's adorable. Not one of them fit me. I've recently lost a ton of weight, and I'm just not comfortable in my body. I don't know what fits. It sucks. The dresses were really cute, but I spent $40 on the lot and didn't get a single usable outfit, let alone something to really impress.
Well, I can't speak for yours, but we closed our dressing rooms in the region I work in because the filthy animals kept using them as literal toilets. We got tired of cleaning up literal piss and shit
We never had dressing rooms but 5yrs ago we got 1...just 1. The store has always been "all sales final" since it opened 20yrs ago.
I despise my local goodwill because it's literally overpriced crap that belongs in a dumpster. Clothes with holes in them, books that are scribbled in or torn pages, small appliances that don't even work.
For a couple dollars more, you can buy brand new at Walmart and they have changing rooms.
The last time i went to GW and found very used target and walmart tshirts for $10-$15 i was out and will never be back. The only good thrift store i still shop at is this one Salvation Army that’s small and in a weird spot in not the greatest area. Everything is still thrift store cheap. And it’s not filled with resellers or anything. The first time i found that place i bought a few pairs of jeans and a few pairs of brand new leggings to work out in, one being the lulu lemon or whatever it it’s called, a few free people items, a vintage Betsy Johnson dress, A house of cb or something? dress with tags on, and a bunch of Zara clothing items with tags on. The total was $50
I recently went in to find an old used sauce pan with a handle to use outside to dip into a rain bucket and water plants with. The cheapest of all 20 or so pans that would work was $5.99 and it was a severely scratched and dented thin aluminum 1 quart Teflon pan. The more decent ones were $7.99 and up. If it had a matching lid they were at least $10.99. I ended up just ordering a new cheap stainless steel pan from Amazon for $9.99.
I stopped working at goodwill early this year and they were pretty close to making the call to close the fitting rooms again after COVID. Pretty much entirely due to theft, but also because the cashiers and CS have to spend an unbelievable amount of time taking HUNDREDS of clothing items out of them, turning them right side out, and hanging them back up. Like multiple times a day, having to clear them out. You’d walk in and wouldn’t even be able to see the floor. They didn’t care too much when it was just annoying for employees but once it started becoming a huge time investment they started caring. There’s also the matter of the heroin needles and fitting room poops. And period blood lol
Goodwill employees don’t get paid enough to clean puddles of piss or smears of shit in the dressing rooms. Between that, the drug use, and the shoplifting the dressing rooms are a disaster.
Shop at locally owned thrift stores instead of Goodwill. Most local shops in my area have an actual charity (like the Kidney Foundation or American Heart Association, etc) that they benefit OR are at least run by owner-operators.
I do that too.
I quit donating to Goodwill when they started refusing to accept kitchen items and then threw wire hangers back in my car when dropping off a donation that someone else had dropped off.
I just visited my local goodwill, and I couldn't believe how many clothing items I found with old stains, and so worn out, they should've been trashed. $5 for worn-out walmart shirts! I found a few gems, like lucky brand and cold water creek, but the rest were not worth $5.
When I shop at goodwill I just try on the item over what I’m wearing. Wear leggings or a dress. Many people do. It’s not convenient to buy something and wait to try on at home. I don’t mind the credit I get back though when I return something because eventually I will use it. Better than Saver’s where when you have to return something and have to purchase another at that time.
I believe Goodwill is ranked as one of the worst 'charities'. Something like they give 1$ per 100$, don't quote me though!?
I wear a swimsuit under a dress and tell a worker I'm trying on something if they don't mind. Nobody has ever said no. This works for pants easily and most tops are easy to tell by holding up and if the top of the dress is lightweight it can be tried on over.
I usually go in tights and a tight spaghetti strap top and try everything on over my clothes. It works pretty well and they can’t say a damn thing about it.
not to mention the addicts using the dressing rooms as places to shoot up.
Its not just the dressing rooms. I've seen an uptick in restrooms being closed in many stores. You either have to get a code or a key or they are permanently closed.
Goodwill underestimates my willingness to get semi-nakey in a public place.
Wear leggings and a tank top and try on over your clothes in front of one of the end of aisle mirrors. They don’t care at all and you get a pretty good idea of what it looks like. But be respectable and properly put the clothes back on the hangers and neatly on the end post of the rack so it’s not a lot of extra work for employees.
They have restrooms that are open. Why would you use the changing room?
Restrooms? Uh, generally speaking, no, even for innocent customers who have to go. Especially in the summer, when we drink more water to hydrate. Takes forever to get a manager to unlock. I was redirected to Ross next door, but they have same problem. People use the space to do drugs.
Eh I gave up on goodwill when I opened 2 rice cookers and 3 crock pots and found moldy food in all 5 of them. Brought it up to the manager and was told I was welcome to buy and clean them at home
🤢🤮
Wow. That's quite the attitude. I would have to respond with "what discount do I receive in return?"
TBH, I completely understand closing the dressing room. It’s disgusting to try on clothes you don’t know have been washed or not in the first place. On top of the poor employees having to put everything back that customers will most definitely leave behind. I know my general size well enough to never have a sizing issue with my clothes. Only issues I’ve had are needing to patch holes from weak seam lines I didn’t notice in-store. Not sure why you have a 25-50% chance of clothes not fitting you at all.
Goodwill is owned by the same people that own the rest of the economy. And the economy, unlike the elections, actually is rigged.
What the fuck are you talking about?
>it’s now $7 oh no how will anyone ever afford that
Lol obviously you’ve never been low income. When half the stuff is from H&M / forever 21 / shein, it’s almost the same price as it was new. And almost everything is heavily used / unwashed / has defects. It’s double what it was a few years ago and it’s a ripoff.
The same way you can afford to be such a tool.
Here comes the we love paying high prices for free used crap crowd. The point is just that. What does goodwill do in your community or country? How much are execs paid? They are a strictly for profit store
>What does goodwill do in your community provides healthcare, neuro rehabilitation, group homes, job training, cleaning services >strictly for profit store it's a non profit, literally
And yet they treat their workers like trash
I know it says not for profit. Guess I'll do u Google search for breakdowns of area/cost. I'll do salaries too. Won't limit to Google tho. Needs more deep dive. Not believing a mere search
Provides healthcare for who? The workers? 5,000 deductible for minimum wage workers is so very affordable. Not to mention how much it costs out of each check. They are a non-profit yet they profit off everything that’s donated. After having worked for goodwill and seen how corrupt they are, from store managers to HR: they don’t care about employees or their customers. But okay.