Goodwill may be listed as a non profit but they have a lot of employees to pay. With several areas of the country voting in higher minimum wages prices go up, EVERYWHERE. Not just in the areas where progressives think they can increase a "standard of living" for those who work at minimum wage. The money to pay those employees has to come from somewhere and it is the consumer who takes the hit including the consumer who works at the minimum wage job if they can keep it.

I'm not a casual buyer on the auction.

And many others are not either. I have heard that it is the place to go for vintage stereo equipment and vinyl records with equipment ending up selling many times for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars.

As well, there is a lot of attention in auctions for higher end bicycles, jewelry, and fashion. I think that over the years, various collectors and resellers have scoped out the auctions so it is no wonder that prices have risen. Goodwill realizes you are not shopping to support their mission, and I suppose you are finding out that they are not selling to support yours.

I agree with you Terilyn, That's why I don't shop there. I support the smaller thrift stores in my town that help the handicapped and others that need it.

I just viewed the Form 990 for Goodwill Industries and the CEO doesn't receive 2 million a year.

I completely disagree with you, Watchme. Trying to bring people who are working like crazy up from poverty starts somewhere, and this is it.

Back when I was a kid, Goodwill prices were the same as sale racks @ the mall. Now....they have so much merchandise to move, they keep the prices pretty low. They DO misprice items occasionally, so does Habitat-Restore. I'm getting name brands, like new, for next to nothing.

I paid $4 for these boots Coach handbag $25

Price’s have raised at my goodwill over the last two or three years.quite a lot. And they won’t take furniture any more( don’t sell it except for things like foot stools). Did you know that if you are buying on line, you can( or at least could) avoid shipping costs if you have it shipped to your local store? My daughter used to buy lots of china and stuff and she saved lots that way.

Not unlike Walmart they boxed out a lot of "local" thrift shops. When you have the corner on the market you can increase your prices. Ours takes furniture of all sorts. They regularly have a "$.99" sale to clear it all out. They do not include the brand new off season cast offs they get from Big Box stores.

They do offer percentages off for all sorts of things, seniors, do you have a library card etc etc. We just went the other day and the cashier named off probably a half dozen or more things they accept to give us a discount. We also get a coupon for 25% off each month in a mailer.

I hardly shop there though, I have found their prices to be very high for what they have there. I never find new expensive designer type items there at our Goodwill. I'm sure they do get these from time to time, but I have never found any. I find them to have racks and racks and racks of a bunch of old worn out clothing, in my humble opinion, not hardly fit to wear anymore! If the clothing was mine and I was doing a declutter, I would throw it in the trash! YET, they want us to pay some $3.00 for an old T shirt with stains and holes in it. I don't think so!

Going to garage sales is much more lucrative, at least around our area. I also find that the restore store is very expensive for old worn out JUNK!!!!!

The two Goodwill stores near me are in upscale neighborhoods. They don't accept any junk or poor condition items. There is no self serve drop off, every item is screened prior to acceptance. Any item in poor condition must be tossed because I've never seen any junk on the shelves. I'm sure the offerings reflect the neighborhood standards in MOST cases.

If they pay high rent, item prices will be higher. Makes sense.

If you're seeking an expensive designer item or Ethan Allen piece, you have to be there when it hits the floor, not a few days later. I know people who visit there daily looking for a certain item to appear.

I rarely buy anything from a second hand store. RARELY. They receive every single item by donation so any money they earn is 100% profit. Yes they have rent to pay and staff to pay (most often minimum wage) but that's all tax deducted. We have a store here called Value Village. They claim to donate a small portion to charity. It's a wee teeny tiny microscopic amount of money. The owner of the company owns a yacht. Mansion. Airplane, etc., all on DONATED OVER INFLATED ITEMS. I've seen original price tags from the $1 store on the item, yet they'll put their own on that is more than the original price. I would rather go to garage and yard sales and give the money back to the person who bought the product in the first place.

greenshoekitty, your right about avoiding the shipping by picking up at the store but not all stores are on the auction. I've even asked some of the stores I have shopped if they are on the auction, I'm amazed when they tell me they are not familiar with it. I have actually gotten some large items from stores in other states. We went to Indiana for an overnight trip recently, I was watching an auction for a log splitter in Michigan, I worked with the store for pick up and they were kind enough to hold the item for me until we could pick it up.

There are some stores that have fabulous furniture deals, Nashville being one of them.

Years ago I bought a Nordic Track at GW. We stopped in often and this particular store always had a lot of exercise equipment- it was also right next door to 24 Hour Fitness. The staff told us that all the donations were processed through a central location in the city and then routed out to whichever stores were likely to sell it for a decent price. They laughed about how much exercise equipment they sold there- often to people coming from the gym. So anything dropped off behind the building went to the city for a sort, not directly into the store. I'm guessing a lot of them still do this, particularly near large urban areas.

We have a couple of GWs in our area and there is one on the side of the freeway that has the highest prices and also the best merchandise. The shirts they sell for $6 or $7 are well worth it. Then you head into town to a less accessible GW and clothing is not quite the same quality, but also cheaper. The rest of the merchandise follows suit. So for us anyway, prices and merchandise seem to depend on specific location.

As Debby said, Value Village is one of the most popular second-hand stores here. Their jeans are typically $12. Hubby refused to buy them at that price when he could buy new at Costco for $15.

I do shop VV on Tuesdays when seniors (I think it's 60 yrs old) get 30% off. That's a good deal. I bought a few yoga pants, capri shorts etc for my exercise classes recently at good prices, and the 30% off.

But yes, their prices are too high for the most part.

My local GW is more upscale. It's better than many we've been in. We occasionally find things there. I bought a a Dooney and Bourke purse and wallet there for I think $25 this summer. Dd finds clothes for costumes there. I don't go a whole lot because I really don't need a whole lot.

I haven't bought new clothes in years. The quality is horrific, everything so thin. I'd rather buy shoddily made clothes for $4 instead of $40 LOL

What's popular are people buying good items (clothing to purses) at thrift stores and re-selling them on Kijiji for much more money than they paid. It's turned into a business.

The one near me has always been what I consider on the high end of second hand pricing. Shirts range from $3.99 to $6.99. Jeans are in the $6.99 - $9.99 range. A few months ago, I was looking for a watering can and found one at GW. It was priced higher than a new one from Home Depot. It helps to have some knowledge of retail pricing in order to determine if one is getting a good deal in the thrift stores.

I know that I can find new tshirts cheaper at Walmart and some of the other big retailers than I can at GW, but I also know that I will not be able to find a brand new, tags still on, leather jacket for $5 at any of the big retailers. Nor, will I come across a brand new London Fog down parka at WM for $5.

Besides finding great deals like that, I enjoy the thrill of the hunt as well as knowing that thrifting helps keep perfectly good items from going to the landfills.

In addition to shopping at GW, I also like to go to the smaller, more local
shops. Based on how busy the stores are, it seems like there is room for
both GW and the little guys, at least in my area. It's interesting - I go to the mall and it's deserted; I go to the thrift stores and they are packed with shoppers.

I think their prices are a little high, but they do employ people who need a paycheck. I actually prefer local thrift ships but do Goodwill occasionally.

It seems to differ depending on the area. Stopped at a Goodwill in one of the small towns in east Texas...I can't remember if it was Jasper or another town. Everything was very reasonable. The one in Alvin started a new pricing protocol that made most stuff cheaper...some a little higher. Others in larger towns seem to have higher prices.

I never shop our Goodwill or SA because we have a fabulous store called Community Aid. It's like a big department store and I buy all brand name clothes there like Eddie Bauer, Gap, R.lauren, Columbia, Talbot, J Jill , Banana Republic, JCrew, and on the senior day nothing cost me more than $3. ALL the proceeds these shops make go to local groups like humane society, boy/girl scouts. They have original one at our old Super Petz which is big and now have many all around plus bins in strategic places. I donate everything there. Great perfect clothes and the money stays here.

Won't be shopping at Goodwill in Jasper, Texas, but I have been to Revivals in Cathedral City, mainly because I wanted to make donations. However, once I got inside I was extremely impressed with the quality of their merchandise and began to wonder if they would even accept my donations. I did schedule a truck for them to pick up some of my excess furniture in Cathedral City the Monday after Thanksgiving, and I will also be donating some clothes, but I also want to buy more bathing suits there. The last bathing suits I bought at a thrift store were on Maui.

I understand that the Goodwill stores in my area never sell donations in the areas where donated. Must not be the case in most areas, based on what I see here.

My Goodwill just announced they are stopping the 20% off coupons they give when you donate.

I haven't noticed price increases. I notice that pricing varies from store to store within a geographic area.

Reading the different practices of GW's throughout the country makes me wonder - the one I shop at most does 50% off the store on all major holidays. The place is a madhouse on those days. For those of you who shop GW, do your stores offer 50% off on holidays?

I don't shop GW very often, but I did today. Got a nice pair of jeans that look and fit exactly how I like them, for $7. If I remember correctly, I used to pay $5.

We have colored tags on things. Each week a colored tag is half off till sunday, then it becomes 1.99 for 2 days. tue. is 10% off 60 and above. two or 3 times a year they have a 50% store wide sale, and you get a 30% coupon when you donate( must use in a month) Once a year they have a 10, 20, 30 40, and 50% sale ( each tag color is a different %. Also there is the school age, service men and etc days each week.