Comments on: Would you have been upset?

By: Chelsey

Chelsey — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:53:58 +0000

I know I’m super late in the game, but my opinion is that it’s not just about the button — it’s about the time that it takes you to find a button that will fit the hole, find the thread that will match the shorts and actually sew the button on. There definitely should have been a discount. Like you, I would have been surprised and probably left without buying them too…

At my Goodwill I found a small vintage suitcase without a key. They knocked the price down for me from $10 to $4! I loved the suitcase and bought it anyways.

By: susan sayers

susan sayers — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:24:58 +0000

I’ll shop at any charity store BUT goodwill.The one in my area of NJ has a policy of not letting you buy anything that has the price tag missing.Is it so hard to keep the prices on?And the rude cashier telling me I cant purchase 3 items ,out of 6 items,after I’ve waited in line to pay. A sign about their rules is to much?This happened last year and I haven’t stepped in to a GW since. Plenty of other better run thrift stores around.While it is admirable they employ the disabled ,the management needs to watch whats going on on the floor. I wont shop at GW any more.

By: Liz

Liz — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:48:37 +0000

This is just a comment coming from the other side of the counter. Yes, the clerk was rude. No, she shouldn’t have been so short and abrubt. But you don’t know how many people have yelled at her, thrown things at her or even poked or kicked her today while she’s just trying to do her job. She may have been short and abrubt to end the conversation before someone else abused her. Working at places like goodwill subject you to all kinds of people, including some who see nothing wrong with any of the above mentioned behaviors. And before you say these things don’t happen, I’ve had all of them happen to me while working a big box store. I’ve been yelled at when things aren’t available, had things thrown at me when I didn’t have a cart to give them and been kicked to get my attention while on my knees with my head in a shelf stocking the lowest level of racking. We’re all human; cut her a bit of slack too.

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:29:22 +0000

Here is a general observation about Goodwill:

Where I live, in Northern CA, we have a chain called Thrifttown. Very friendly checkers who know my sons names, lol. Most clothes are $1.99, and they constantly have sales. They put “get 3 dollars off a 10 dollar purchase” coupons in the mail all the time, and believe me, I always use them!

We also have Goodwill, but I never go there because the prices are significantly higher (4 or 5 bucks per item, and no opportunities to save that I know of). Both stores benefit developmentally disabled adults, but Thrifttown is always jam-packed but Goodwill seems empty.

By: The Frugal Girl » On letting the other person go first

The Frugal Girl » On letting the other person go first — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:09:54 +0000

[...] The following post, which was in the works a while before my less-than-satisfactory Goodwill experience, may help to explain my surprise at the firm price on the buttonless [...]

By: jen b

jen b — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:39:53 +0000

I would have bought them anyway.
We do not specific charities that we give to on a regular basis anymore now that I am only working part-time to raise our 2 babies, so I see my donations and shopping at Goodwill as a large portion of our “giving back” what little we can. I have paid $1 more for a Old Navy t-shirt I liked because the the cashier considered it a “blouse” for $3.99 instead of a “t-shirt” for $2.99. Goodwill employs people, they are a non-profit organization, and I totally love finding the “diamond in the rough” items, like new Ann Taylor or almost-new Gap items, for only a few bucks. And when you are losing “baby-weight” like me and NEED “new” clothes to wear, you cannot beat Goodwill selection and prices.
Also, I recently made 2 pairs of pants into knee-length skirts b/c I liked the pockets/material but did not like the fit, and 1 pair into bermuda shorts b/c I did not like the length of the original capris. So even if I do not find exactly what I want, it’s worth the extra time to sew/make it into something I do want/need. Hence, I would have bought the shorts if I liked them and found a button in my bags-o-scrap-buttons to make the shorts “my own”.

By: Maggie C

Maggie C — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:46:37 +0000

Oh, and I am SOOOO glad I am not the only one who gets worked up over a few bucks!

By: Maggie C

Maggie C — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:44:52 +0000

I am in Nashville, TN and have never been to a Goodwill where anyone working there was the least bit pleasant! I know that there is some sort of disability involved but grumpy is NOT a disability – there are a lot of people without jobs right now who would be pleased as punch to have that job! I bought my husband shorts last week without a button – there was no way in heck I was gonna ask someone working there for a discount!

By: Auntie Donna

Auntie Donna — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:14:07 +0000

SO many different reactions! Wow, cool discussion item! Having worked retail, I would definitely NOT buy the shorts from that employee, but would have asked another employee if I could speak with the manager. A manager can’t fix what they don’t know is broken… be it a pair of shorts price adjustment or an employee who needs training, a break or job re-assignment. Yes, Goodwill is a charity, but I am not aware of a “disability” where rudeness is insurmountable, and if there is one, that employee should not be interacting with customers. I don’t think I would let it upset me, and I would see a manager when you go back…if just to let them know that different employees are giving contradictory informationm and to see if she will discount the shorts if they are still there are you like them enough to buy them with a missing button.

By: Linda Wirth

Linda Wirth — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:51:08 +0000

I think you over-reacted. Goodwill hires many employees who have disabilities that are not always visible. For instance, my grandson has a form of Asperger’s syndrome which makes social interaction difficult for him. He says things that seem harsh to me but he thinks he is engaging in a joking conversation. He doesn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings, he just isn’t able to put the right inflection in his words to make them come out funny. Perhaps this employee didn’t realize she was being rude.

If you thought they were a good buy, you should have bought them. A button is an easy thing to replace. My grandson would have said “so, find a button and sew it on yourself”, thinking he had made a great joke on Grandma, but his words would have been flat and harsh. I understand it but not everyone does.

Love your blog and have used many of your recipes. Keep up the good work.