Goodwill

GUYS, more like GREATwill.
This particular location recently moved a few doors down from their old spot on Delaware and they took the move as an opportunity to change things for the better. Clothes are organized really well (type, then color) and are priced by type. All long sleeved women’s shirts: $ 5. All short sleeves women’s shirts: $ 4. Really handy if you like to keep a running total in your head. There’s really good selection of clothes and tchotchkes, the book and shoe selections are a little lacking compared to the nearby AmVets on Elmwood.
The customer service is excellent. Every employee I passed said hello to me without hovering around me. The guy at the checkout found a hole in a dress I was buying, asked me if I still wanted it, and when I told him I would just mend it, he gave it to me for free!
My favorite feature is that the dressing rooms have what are basically fun house mirrors. They make you look taller (and therefore skinnier, but personally, the height is what I’m a fan of). It may sound deceptive but it’s not like that stretch effect will make it look like the clothes fit you when they don’t. Also, I’m warning you about it now. So just go in there knowing you’ve got the mirror equivalent of a photo editing app in front of you, look at your already slammin’ self looking just a little taller and feel great with that image of yourself in your head all day.

It’s a new/​updated store, so its pretty clean in there! Not a great fan of just color coordinated racks with no size indicators. I just don’t have that kind of time in this life. BUT I got three pairs of American Eagle skinny jeans for $ 15! Yes that’s right $ 15!!! They do a color of the day and that day it was the color purple. Everything with a purple tag was half off. I love me a thrift store and I love a lot for a little. Put some size tags up please!

My grandma has been going here since I was a little girl. I used to be sooo embarrassed as a young girl being dragged in here. Hid behind racks and my grandma so people wouldn’t see me. Boy was I silly. As I grew up I learned to appreciate this place. Vintage items cheap good quality stuff. Really gotta search around for the hidden gems.

This review is for their new store across the street from Target.
The space and lighting are great; unfortunately, the logic of how they arrange their clothing completely escapes me. I was hoping they would start sorting by size and not color. Sorting by color means you go through each rack, piece by piece, only to find something potentially useful and realize it’s not your size. Women’s sizes are usually small, medium, large and extra large. That means there is only a one in four chance of my finding something in my size in any color category. I find that a complete waste of time. So much so, I will not shop there.
To make them even less appealing, they increased their prices. For example, women’s tops are now $ 5.
The Am Vets on Elmwood is far superior, and they are generally, at least, 25% cheaper. In addition, every time I shop there I get a coupon that’s good for ten days after my purchase. It saves $ 4 on a bill of $ 15 or more.
I find the people at that Am Vets very friendly, which adds to the positive experience.

Seems like the inventory is stale and no more good finds.

It’s hard for me to judge compared to other Goodwills or thrift stores in this specific area, I’m going to judge it compared to other Goodwills I’ve encountered from where I was before I moved. This could be subject to a reevaluation on my part if this is more of the norm in this area.
I found this particular Goodwill to be a little on the subpar side, from the cramped parking lot (that was actually out of spaces because people didn’t really park properly) to the somewhat disorganised way the clothing was arranged. There were different racks of sweaters in different areas of the store, and the selection overall seemed a little lacking.

I am a self-​proclaimed thrift store junkie and this is one of my favorite locations, although it is a bit small. Their parking lot is absolute garbage and it makes donating a bit of a hassle. I recommend going at an unusual hour or consider parking across the street. Im surprised there havent been a million accidents here.
BUT, aside from that, you can find some really great stuff here. Im guessing it has to do with the location in North Buffalo/​Kenmore. Mostly ive had luck with furniture, and they are incredibly generous with their prices. I got a beautiful vintage wooden chest for only $ 20, and a leather chair for $ 7. I love bragging that theyre thrift store finds when people see my living room! Their book selection is extremely well-​organized, as well as their grouping of «knick knacks» (by color!) I dont like their clothes as much, although I did find a really great 1993 Bills sweatshirt once that I wear almost daily. You can get lucky every once in a while and find a priceless gem (like my Michael Kors heels I got for $ 5!) but go for the furniture!

I debated between three stars and four stars but went with four stars considering the reason why I go to this Goodwill is for their wide selection of books. I always hear about people finding these amazing outfits from thrift shopping but I never seem to find anything, I guess I don’t know how to pop some tags with only twenty dollars in my pocket. But between the coffee cup selection and book selection, one of these typically just jump out at me.
If you’re looking for a book, make the Goodwill your first stop destination. There are typically several copies of titles you’ve actually heard of and are interested in. And of course, it’s the Goodwill, prices are reasonable! Look for the special color of the week for discounts. If you’re a student, show your student ID on Saturdays for a 25% off discount!

This is probably more of a three-​star store overall, but I’m giving them a one-​star bump for having one of the best, most well-​organized selections of used books among city thrift stores. Hardbacks are $ 2.50; paperbacks, $ 1.50. They have a classics section, general fiction (organized by author!) and an «award winners» section, along with biography, business, self-​help and more. Many of the books are popular titles from the last 5 years.

I love thrift stores and this seems to be one of the best. They consistently have great books… however, the best place for housewares is the Goodwill in West Seneca. The one out on Transit in Lancaster has the best furniture. And the seem to price their merchandise better at that location.

If you are looking for something specific, start here, then go to Amvets if you don’t find it. This Goodwill store is considerably smaller than Amvets and thus does not offer quite the selection. However, it is extremely organized. Clothing is sorted by men or ladies, then category (pants, skirts, blouse, etc.), then by color (yes, sorted by color) and size! It’s very easy to run in and find quickly if they have what you need.
As Diana noted, their furniture, bric-​à-​brac and shoe selection is limited.

This thrift store is a bit of a disappointment if you are used to going to bigger places. They have almost no furniture, their bric-​à-​brac is very small and often overpriced, and they have a very limited selection of shoes and men’s clothes. The place overall is just tiny and nothing special as far as how it’s taken care of (on the plus it is decently cleaned and not too cramped).
What they DO have is a very nice, reasonably priced women’s section. Goodwill switched to all items of a certain type being the same price (for instance, all tank tops are .99 or all skirts are $ 4, etc) instead of randomly pricing things based on how an employee felt or if the brand was originally more pricey. This is great and makes them overall a cheaper place to shop. I always come out of here with some really nice tops and cardigans and their skirt selection is decent as well. Overall they seem to either get a better quality of stuff donated to them or are more fussy about what they put out — you won’t see ripped, stained or super worn out items and they tend to have a lot of modern and name brand items if you are concerned with being «in fashion» (which I’m not). They also seem to have a very old-​school selection of men’s wear always in stock (70’s-80’s coats, sweaters, suits, etc) that gets bought up quick by the «ironic» set at other places. I’ve found their kids clothes less picked over than other shops as well.
The employees are also very laid back and super friendly — they don’t seem to hire anyone under 35 which nips a lot of the hipster attitude problem in the bud that I have with other thrift stores. This place is always busy and usually only has one register so be prepared to not find a cart and to wait in line.