Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette

I consider a visit to this Goodwill, entertainment, not just shopping! So ignore that Don B review, he just hasn’t been here… enough. to appreciate the nuances of the place! Hi Don!
Their clothing doesn’t move me, I don’t want old shoes… however the crap, uh, merchandise in the junk area is really fun! Sports items, electronic oddies, furniture, strange glass objects, things from far away.
More like a museum than a store.
And if you’re lucky, you just might witness a shoplifting. They have a guard around almost all the time.
We even find cool stuff that’s cheap.

This is the first time I’d done any resaling in Portland and I wish the Goodwill back home cpuld compare. Most of the clothing were high-​design and almost new. Soooo many beautiful clothes and really good shors and glassware. You name it and this Goodwill has an abundance. Pricey but well worth it. I will return my next trip. One negative. I had to speak to the manager about the Security Guard as he kept circling my isle over and over and over…

I’m so annoyed by the prices at this location, I finally decided to say something… only to find lots of people have eloquently made my points (esp. Kait – I too wonder why on earth this rather random, out-​of-​way location has consistently much higher prices than the big, central, amazingly stocked Mill St store!). This last pt really gets my goat bc this part of SE is a way poorer neighborhood that the neighborhood around Mill, and it seems likely that more people on Powell shop at thrift stores because they have to, not just for style reasons. So why gouge at THIS location? Maybe I’m wrong, but I thought part of the idea of a charity thrift store is to sell lower priced goods to people who need them.
…and to actually sell stuff and thereby reducing waste and whatnot. I RARELY go to this location even though it’s close to me, but when I do, I usually buy the bare minimum bc of the prices.
Also, as people have said, the security here is a bit intense. It’s like they know their prices are so outrageous they’re likely to turn regular people into thieves!
I hope the management for this location wakes up and notices how much business they’re losing.

I really want to like this place but…
*loud sigh*
–The creepy security guy following me around as if I was stealing made me mad.
–The loud jerk kids running around brought out my inner teacher… IN THE SUMMER. Like, don’t steal the number off my fitting room door kid or I’m gonna bust out and call you out on it, ok?! I have a sixth sense for that crap.
–I found an AWESOME Nike shoe that I REALLY wanted. Notice I said shoe. 1 effing shoe. I looked everywhere for the other and the cashier said they didn’t have it in the back. (cause you know, she totally checked).
–They get donations from Target and although they are cheaper than if you bought them from Target, they are still way overpriced. I really wanted this bag with arrows on it (Mossimo brand) but I just couldn’t handle the $ 20 price tag. So my husband bought it for me for me as a birthday present. You got lucky, Goodwill. *side eye*
Here are things I actually like about this place:
–The clothing is very well organized, and although seemingly expensive, they have some great stuff.
–There is a great selection of golf clubs that entertained my husband while I browsed.
–The purse/​handbag selection is great.
–I love browsing through the trinkets/​tiny crap section and finding cute cheap stuff like air plant pots and decorations.
–I like that there is always 50% off a specific color tag, but it’s always the older stuff that no one has bought yet. The discounts go in a rotation to make sure the older stuff gets ‘clearanced’ out after a while.
I’ll be back Goodwill… but the Woodstock location is cheaper and less creepy so I’ll go there first fo sho.

I love Goodwill Industries, and I really appreciate their mission.
Buuuuutttttt… I sort of hate this particular location.
One, I hate it because it’s the closest location to me but also the worst. Of all the luck!!!
Two, I hate it because its prices are HIGHER than other Goodwill stores. What? The Superstore on SE 6^th, in a nicer part of town with better quality items, is CHEAPER! I always find things that I like at this store, but then end up putting them back because they’re marked so high.
For instance, I recently gave birth and now don’t fit any of my pre-​pregnancy summer clothes. After our recent heat wave I was in desperate need of some cut-​offs. So, I hit up the GW for some cheap, second-​hand denim. And I found it! I found 8 – 10 pairs of nice but not «designer» jeans that probably would have been perfect… but I didn’t even try them on because they were $ 9.99 and UP (like, 5 year-​old boot-​cut Levi’s for $ 12.99!!!).
I got my head on straight and made a b-​line for the GW on 6^th, where I got two pairs of 5 y.o. bootcut Levi’s for $ 7 each. I made «short» work of them when I got home (get it? haaa).
I’ve done the same thing with jackets (oh, here’s a nice… $ 29.99!!!), and mugs ($ 4.99???)…
Once I found a super cool animal-​skin (not sure which) rug. It was a little grunged up, but still pretty nice. The price on it was $ 79.99 or something. Yah rite.
I will say that I got a pair of orange chuck taylor high tops for $ 7 and that felt alright. Three stars for those shoes.
So it’s not that they don’t have good stuff (they usually do!), it’s just that their prices are like… ridiculous.

I love the goodwill. That being said, I’ve been to a lot of their locations on the west coast and know which ones are the «best» to find some items at. This one location in particular is the worst. I found some cute dresses that were donated from Target for a fraction of the price that they originally were. After waiting an obnoxious 10 mins for someone to open up a room for me, I had to deal with them wanting me to keep my purse in the «go back» rack while I tried on clothes! NO! Even though I don’t have a ton of money and maybe my ODL and chapstick in my purse, why would I leave it with an employee of the store? So after arguing with them there, I was «allowed» to take my purse in. I didn’t even try on my dresses. I sat my purse down on the little seat and BAM. Right there on the wall is a cockroach. No thanks. This goodwill always has a gross smell to it and always full of crackheads fresh off of 82^nd. I should’ve known I would find a cockroach eventually.

Very rude & unfriendly staff. I was accused of trading my jeans with a pair I was trying on in the dressing room! Then followed out by security and wrote my license plate down. I was in shock. I DO NOT steal nor have I ever been a thief. I will be contacting corporate over this issue. RUDE people!

Portland seems to have a lot of these Goodwill «superstores,» but some are more super than others. They might want to manage expectations by calling this location an «OK store» instead.
This store is fairly large and has a good selection of clothing, with the emphasis on women’s and girls’ clothes. Like other Goodwills, they carry an increasing amount of Target clearance/​salvage stuff, but this stuff has a special price and usually isn’t eligible for the colored tag discounts.
The interior was somewhat messy, with hangers and garments on the floor, which looks sloppy and doesn’t make me want to shop. When I took my purchases to the register, the cashier flatly announced that they were out of bags, and then didn’t offer to wrap my wineglass in paper — I had to ask. So the overall customer service and cleanliness wasn’t that impressive.
Also, this may be the first Goodwill I’ve seen with a security guard! He was stationed by the front door when I came in and was VERY active in patrolling the floor, making a full circuit every few minutes. I have no idea what in a thrift store could be so valuable that they need to hire a security guard, but having him patrolling around and watching me put me on edge and, ironically, made me feel like the store was LESS safe. Another part of the generally negative environment in this store.
They did have a nice covered donation dropoff area — I wish our stores in Seattle did the same, so you weren’t standing in the rain and watching your donations get wet under a large outdoor tent. Otherwise, this store wasn’t all that great and had a weird vibe. I’d go back, but it wouldn’t be my first Goodwill stop in Portland.

High prices!!! The quality control at Goodwill retail stores used to be better. At this store I find poor quality control. Lots of clothing with stains, missing buttons, holes, etc…. I was looking at a jacket the other day, nice jacket but the zipper did not work and it was priced at 49.99!

This location had the most organized shelves than any other Goodwill I’ve visited. In the rear, it was easy to view the products with minimal digging and shuffling. Everything was neatly stacked. However, price-​wise, like many other Goodwills, it can be hit or miss.

I don’t find myself in thrift stores all that often, not because I have anything against used items, but I’m just not obsessed enough to scour through a pile of seemingly unwanted stuff (ahem, «donated» for a good cause) to find a good deal. It sounds anti-​Goodwill to think this way, but beggers can’t be choosers when the dollar is tight by any stretch.
Having walked through some pretty crappified Goodwills, this location would be considered a super nice store. I can’t say that I have found a ton of hot buys, but I will say that I feel the prices here seem /​feel high. Is it because the place is so much upgraded than the others? I don’t like thinking that I’m paying for stuff that can be found cheaper elsewhere, especially in a thrift shop.
But when in a pinch, this place has been a dependable location for themed costume parties. Everything from a 1980s to an ugly sweater party has been largely successful due to a quality find at this Goodwill. Beyond that, it’s hard to imagine why I’d frequent this spot — aside from donating stuff myself (but of course!).

Great store. Lots of items to choose from. I am always looking for Cast Iron Cookware and on occasion i find a deal and snatch it up but i think Goodwill should do a little product research. I found 3 Cast Iron items. All 3 needed cleaning up one had a bad rust spot that was beyond salvageable. All 3 items were the same price or higher than brand new. I have made that mistake before. People. Do your own research. You may be spending more for second hand than you would for a new item.
That my friend is a Tip from your Uncle J.

I frequent Goodwill stores. I’ve been shopping many Goodwill stores! This is the 1^st Goodwill store, who has a bad PR, whoever answered the phone, does not want their staff to go do a stock check. They expect customers to drive MILES & MILES to find what product that’s available for them, if they’re looking for that certain product, sold @ other Goodwill stores.
Of course, to me, driving from point A to point B, and found out the item I NEED is not there, they can go to another store. Whatever happens to let your ‘fingers do the walking?’ What happened to phone calls, before you arrive, to just buy what you need, to call first then go?
Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE!
Ten minutes LATER, an update.
I called the store back, and asked for the manager. I was transferred to the MANAGER, and she was willing to go look for the items herself and put me on hold for a short time. She did apologized for the grumpiness of that Sales Associate! From 1 star, I’m changing that to 2 stars.

So-​so on the store. It is fairly small and usually not crowded. I always find something awesome I want or need at a thrift store.

Considering the donation area from which this store draws, it does okay as far as selection. It’s not going to have a lot of obscure or imported items. It’s going to be everyday-​type stuff, for the most part. I have had some amazing finds in this store, however. The best of these were some Advanced Squad Leader games, none of which I have ever seen since. I’m sure there are discrepancies in prices, much as any other Goodwill. For every overpriced item, there will be one shockingly undervalued. And that’s how it should be. Forever.

This tears me up, because I really dig the overall mission of Goodwill: take other people’s throw-​aways, recycle them and sell them to people who want the junk, and in the process, train and employ disadvantaged and disabled folks.
But I strolled into this location today to look for some glassware for an upcoming project, and found all the glasses to be $ 2 or more! Some of these glasses are the exact same ones I can buy new at the Dollar Tree for… yeah, you guessed it, a DOLLAR!
Value Village down the street sells all of its glasses for $ 1 each, or 4 for $ 3. Deseret Industries (the Mormons) sell theirs for anywhere from $.75 on up, but even big fancy ones are $ 1.50.
I noticed a team of people wandering around the store with clipboards. They looked like they were on an inspection from corporate. It made mew wonder if Goodwill is the new United Way. Does the guy in charge make six figures? Is there some reason that they’re charging twice what other thrift stores are charging, when their up-​front cost of goods sold is the same (a big fat whopping ZERO)?
I dunno, but it sucks. I’m over Goodwill.