Goodwill

Oh my gosh! I’ll start off with the one good thing: the prices are fair (in comparison to the hike in prices in Goodwills in the city of Seattle)
The bad (which made this such a low rating): The manager on duty (MOD) was practically barking at her employees over the intercom and in front of customers at the register. I was really uncomfortable at the treatment they received. Almost abusive. «I need you to recover wares– NO LINDSAY, I ASKED YOU TO RECOVER LADIES WHILE JULIO RECOVERS MENS, OKAY?!» and also yelling over the intercom. It was horrendous. All I could say was yikes!
I really think they should have a talk to their managers as a whole to resoolve the issue of maltreatment. It’s disgraceful and awkward for customers to witness. It’s not professional. The MOD was closing and she had brown and blonde hair, the ends were blonde. I couldn’t catch her name, but I was glad to avoid her at the register.
Also, there was this one guy who didn’t even have his name tag on, it was stuck inside his pant pocket. He rung me up. Balding man in a gray sweater. He made it seem like I was an inconvenience to his life when shopping — bothered that I was in the way of his sweeping. Get over yourself buddy.
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Sometimes I find good things at this location, but very inconsistent. I have returned items and have been fully credit it back to my debit card just as often as a month ago. Today I went to return something and she would not put it back to my card because she said the policy has changed over 2 years ago. What??? I was here less than a month ago and got a full refund on my item. The manager was very rude and short with me. I tried to explain to her that other people have given me refunds in the past which have been on my card. She would not even listen to me and walked away. Bad management, bad manager and even worse experience.

Very friendly and helpful staff. They were helpful when approached and proactive in keeping the merchandise sorted. My granddaughter found lots of nice back to school clothing that is her style and within her budget. Also nice to know that 90% of proceeds support the many programs that help those who are less fortunate. They also offer senior, student and military discounts. A very pleasurable shopping experience.

This place has some great things but not a very bargain prices. While a lot of the stuff is gently used it’s expensive and you could get something brand new for a few dollars more. They have amazing furniture, but it’s mostly very expensive. They have a wide variety of items.
I got a nice bike for about $ 80. I doubt I’ll buy anything else there as I don’t want to spend so much on used items.

great place to buy kids books

As someone who regularly hits Seattle’s Goodwill stores (Shoreline, Dearborn St., Ballard and Burien) this store is consistently the loser when it comes to wait times to check out. At times it’s because there are fewer cashiers than are needed at the checkout, at other times it’s because they are slower than turtles!
If you’re looking for sport coats, men, check the sizes inside the pocket. My guess is that about 20−30% of the jackets are sized incorrectly. This is the case at ALL the stores I mention above, though.
On a positive note, they do love a lot of merchandise through the store.

So I was looking for a cheap bike to chop up for parts for a peddle boat I’m getting ready to build, after looking at their selection I found one with a 3.99 price tag on it, it was beat up and was perfect for the application, the one next to it was pretty new and 15 bucks, so I picked out a few more items and went to the counter to pay, as the cashier was ringing me up she paused looked at me and said that’s to cheap, I have to get my manager, so she goes and gets this person who tells me the bike is 40 dollars and some other customer put the seat on the bike with the 3.99 price tag, my first thought, the new looking bike right next to it was only 15 dollars and it had a seat, so after arguing with the incredibly rude manager she asked if I wanted her to get her store manager, I said yes and she paged yet another rude person who blamed it on other customers, she did try to lower the price to 20 dollars without the seat, like I would go for that, when the other bike was 15 and it had a seat, she then tells me they look up the prices on line at the store to see how much they cost and that’s how they price things, makes so much since now, I have news for them, they sell USED stuff that they got for FREE, this was the worst experience I have ever had in a retail establishment, I left their crap at the register, learn some fricken customer service, and quit ripping off the public by selling used crap at new prices, good will use to help the poor by making it affordable to have things, gently used, not anymore, it’s about how much they can get you for

This location is overpriced, smells worse inside than others and the staff are always too busy to actually help you if, god forbid, you have a question or need. I left this location unhappy. I am a long time Goodwill donor and shopper and so I chose to check the Ballard Goodwill because it was closer to my home. It was night and day and I found almost the exact same thing there for half of what this location in Shoreline was asking.
To each their own. This is a thrift store after all but they still need to provide a certain level of service, maintain a level cleanliness in store and realistically price merch.
I will avoid this store when I do thrift shopping.

One of my favorite Goodwill stores in Seattle! (Or, well, just slightly outside Seattle.)
Some stores are better than others if you’re looking for specific things, and this store has frequently come through for me with inexpensive, cute dresses. They also have a large housewares/​kitchen section that frequently has fancy china sets and teapots. The front of the store usually has a seasonal area with a combination of used and new items, mainly décor and accessories, but also lots of costume accessories, wigs, and makeup during Halloween.
The Shoreline store seems to either get replenished frequently, or it’s far enough away from Capitol Hill that it doesn’t get picked over by hipsters as fast. It’s definitely a popular location, though, and gets busy on weekends.
If you’ve got a car, strike out to Shoreline and give this one a try!

Goodwill Industries is nothing more than a giant department store chain that gets all of its sales inventory for FREE folks!
They operate under the guise of community «job training» but what they don’t want to admit is that they still take advantage of an outdated 1938 Fair Labor Standard law that allows employers to pay disadvantaged people pennies on the dollar! Hardly enough to live on especially in Seattle and that is wrong. This store has had some friendly workers over the years, but I’ve also heard upper management yelling at employees on the sales floor many times. Totally unprofessional. They also price things way over the standard thrift store prices. No wonder people «pop» tags.
It’s really sad because this is nothing close to the Goodwill stores I remember growing up. They purposely knock out any competing small charity thrift shops in their vicinity and continue to fool people into thinking they are a legitimate thrift shop.
I wish I could say there are better alternatives, but Value Village is the same. St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army stores are disappearing too. :(

I loved this Goodwill!
Everything was really organized, and I’d consider the store «big» as far as the selection and variety went. The clothes were organized extremely neatly by type of material and color, but what I liked most about it was the number of fitting rooms. The last Goodwill I went to had just 2 fitting rooms with cloth for doors and no mirrors, this one has like 6 rooms, all secured and with mirrors, thank god!

Found a vintage brass shell fireplace fan… if you have ever seen one of these in person– they are BADASS.
$ 12.99

The store is nice, associates are friendly, and they have a huge selection! I don’t like that a single shirt will cost you about $ 13 for a used shirt, but ehh what can ya do. I wish they’d bring their prices down a bit because then I could afford to shop here but until then, I’ll only be back occasionally.

I am apparently alone in thinking this is a great location!
Their stuff is awesome, they have all of the cool things you go to thrift stores for. I didn’t look at the clothes or anything, but the store was laid out nicely and the staff was reasonably friendly. I found a huge vintage picture for my living room for $ 12 and was super happy. They even had two of those cool old army chests that I almost bought! They get the best stuff in seattle. Prices can be a little steep, but the stuff is cool and I think you’re still paying less than what retail would technically be.

Don’t forget that in order to overpay your upper management you are trickling down mistrust and discord. Not to mention the fact that most people who are shopping for other peoples cast-​offs cannot afford to pay retail prices for new coats. Open your eyes and look around. And spend less money worrying about shoplifting and more on great customer service — like Beth and Kat. The managers treat the employees like jerks, I’ve witnessed it. Time for a shift of power… Back to the people, something is wrong here. Good luck!

«They don’t pay us enough to argue. Give it to him.»
Awesome! Such was the statement made from the senior cashier to my most polite trainee at my behest that they do not charge me twice for the same movie, being split into Part I and Part II. I’ve been looking for a copy of «Ben Hur» for a long time now.
This particular goodwill is about the size of an aircraft hanger and probably has half the second-​hand items in the entire state. Okay, an exaggeration. But they have the biggest selection of used stuff I have ever seen in one place, and they have things you can get if you’re on a tight budget like I am. I could furnish my whole apartment if I had to for under $ 100. I got a used TV for $ 25 and it works perfectly. I don’t need the latest, the greatest, the biggest or the best. Just something that works, and something I can use, and hopefully, something that will last.
Friday’s they have pink tags 50% off. I got a TV, VCR, DVD player, and ten movies for $ 40 and change, including tax. Now that’s hard to beat.
Goodwill has the biggest selection of good dishes, pots and pans I’ve seen in one place. Good location, huge parking lot, at the old Albertson’s that used to be here. I find pleasure in the simple things, like buying good quality stuff for a bargain. This is a training store, meaning they have like eight cashiers, so the wait is never long even when it’s busy.

Great local place to drop off stuff when you don’t have enough time or energy to actually do that garage sale — they take pretty much everything too!!!
With regard to shopping, I think it’s the kind of place you have to go to frequently to find that gem. There’s a couple of things I do go there for — books — especially music books. They’ve got a huge children’s book section and it’s really cheap. And I usually find myself winding through the kitchen tableware — but again, it’s hard to find just what you’re looking for. And buyer beware — they may not be all that discounted — I’ve seen similar items for cheaper on sale in other stores.

My favorite thrift shop in the area. This store is always clean and it’s usually very well stocked. It’s well lit and I think the staff here are usually friendlier than at other GWs around town.
I’m mostly writing this review to commend the woman working today who had to deal with a total A-​hole while I was being rung up. I notice that because a lot of the employees here are English second language, it seems there are a lot of native English speakers who feel entitled to be rude to them.
Four stars for being super calm while a racist jerk annoys your cashiers!

This is a clean, well stocked, organized store. The selection of goods is excellent! It’s a particularly great place to find designer dresses and purses. Best of all, no thrift store smell!
Mondays are discount days when it’s $ 1.29 for a particular colored tag. Like other stores that run that type of promotion, the supply becomes very depleted on that day as many hit them up when they open. If you’re looking for something specific, I’d recommend not going on a big sale day or holiday.
Shoe arrangement is very difficult for thrift stores. I must say that I have been impressed each time I’ve been in — the shoes are orderly and unlike other stores, do not litter the aisles as tripping hazards.
The housewares, as other departments is much neater compared to other stores. This has something to do with customers putting items back but also staff coming around constantly to put things in place. I’ve been impressed at the efficiency of the staff as I shop, often with staff members zooming in and out to stock items while I’m browsing.
All in all, a solid thrift store with a respectable mission that takes pride in their business.

I love shopping at Goodwill because of the concept and prices. It’s one of the very few places where you can feel good about spending money on retail therapy. Sure, it smells a little funny and everything is scattered and raggedy even, but there are some really great finds, if you try hard enough.
Like shopping at any thrift store, you need patience and willpower to go through stacks and piles of stuff. I’ve found really great deals on board games, books and DVDs before. I’m not too fond of buying apparel from here but I have gotten an ugly Christmas sweater at a nearby Goodwill before and LOVED IT.
Anyway, my point is, there’s a lot to be found if you look hard enough and you can save a lot of money on furniture, jewelry, and other items that are normally crazy expensive, by shopping here.
This is also my go-​to donation center for when I need to do a spring cleaning of my apartment. The hours are pretty flexible on the weekends and they are always helpful when I have heavy items.