21 January 2011

Pushing and shoving...

Let me share a story with you.

I was in Goodwill earlier today.  I usually like to go in the middle of the week because there aren't as many people there but I didn't have time to this week so I went today.  Let me tell you-I haven't seen anything like this before!  Listen to what I saw.

So I walk in, and cruise through the homegoods section and I noticed that there were TONS of people there...I had to make my way through all the people but I didn't really notice anything different than my usual trip.  There are usual tons of people on the weekends..sometimes you can't even find a parking spot.

The way our Goodwill works is they are continually bringing out "new" items to the floor from the back.  There are two swinging doors with little windows on the top and every half hour or so they will wheel out a cart of items to restock the shelves. 

I don't know if this always happens on Fridays because i've never seen it happen on any other day. There was a group of about 6 women who would wait at the doors looking inside the warehouse and when the employee would wheel the cart out of the back, the women would literally follow him on his heels until he placed an item on the shelf and then they would FIGHT over who got it. Yes, they would curse at each other and yank the item out of each other's hands!

Is that not crazy??

I couldn't believe it.  The women would also leave their carts FULL of items near the front of the store and on top of the stuff, there was a sign that said "Reserved. Do not touch".

Now that's kind of intense, if you ask me.

So, I was in line waiting to buy a vase and the person behind me told me that those women stay in the store every Friday from 8-5 (no joke) and bug the employees until they get what they want.  Goodness gracious, that's crazy.  She also said they will leave with three or four carts each of stuff and they resale the stuff for more money.I could tell she was upset and she almost started crying because she said that Goodwill is the only place she can shop to provide for her family and those "crooks" as she called them, are taking that opportunity away from her to provide well.  It broke my heart to hear that.

Now, I am going to get on my soapbox a little here...Goodwill was not intended for that.  The reason they have such great prices is so the less fortunate people don't have to spend all their hard earned money. As taken from their website, "Goodwill Industries International enhances the dignity and quality of life of individuals, families and communities by eliminating barriers to opportunity and helping people in need reach their fullest potential through the power of work."

They also provide jobs for people to gain employment who otherwise could not work.  Now, I know that a lot of us go in there to get things and we do have money, but it was certainly not intended to buy four carts full and resale it when there are families out there who could use the items.  Goodwill is not a garage sell.  It's a business that helps many families live a good life.  I just wish there was some way to prevent that from happening.  To know that those people don't give poor families the chance to provide makes my heart sink.

I am not saying it's wrong to shop at Goodwill if you are not living in poverty.  I love shopping at Goodwill and will continue to do so, but I will never buy four carts full from there to sell it for more.

I hope you understand my reasoning.

Alright, i'm off the soapbox.

1 comment:

  1. While I think that what those ladies were doing is extreme and borderline crazy, I think you can take Goodwill's mission in different ways. I have always understood it to be that the jobs it provides and the money it produces helps support their mission. I've talked to organizations about this and they will straight up tell you that providing cheap items to the needy is not their priority. They welcome all customers as long as they are paying customers which in turn supports their mission.

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