Goodwill Industries

I recently moved to Clackamas, and desperately needed some new jeans. My mom & I were running errands in Oregon City, so we decided to check out their Goodwill. Both of us are Goodwill lifers, but we’d never been to this particular store.
I’m a plus size woman, and rarely can I find pants that fit me properly at Goodwill. I was burdened with boy hips, so I don’t have the standard «curves» that are typically sewn into plus size jeans. On a good day at a PDX Goodwill I’ll be luck to find 2 pair of, less ill-​fitting than the rest, pants.
I purchased 4 pair that fit like they were made for me, but found a total of 6 pair. Major victory!
However, with the exception of the woman at the register, every employee that I encountered was rude, grumpy, or both. I actually heard the woman at the fitting area get into an argument with another customer! The customer had 5 items, and a pair of shoes. She wanted to try on the shoes with the outfits she was trying on. The attendant wouldn’t let her because «shoes are 2 items, so that means you would have 7, and the limit is 6.» Really? They’re sold as a set with 1 price. Either way, to be nasty to a customer like that is horrible!
Normally, that would be cause for me not to return because bad customer service is a sticking point with me (especially when Goodwill prices keep increasing, and some items can be purchased brand new for cheaper than the used quality at Goodwill). However, given the luck that I had finding pants at this location I will probably return, but put headphones on, and tune out the negativity.
If they’re all grumpy/​unhappy I think someone needs to take a look at what’s happening behind the scenes with management. You can typically find a bad seed in every bunch, but for the whole bunch to be bad… there’s most likely a bigger problem that needs addressing.

I too have been disappointed with the recent increase in prices. I can go to Walmart and buy a new tee shirt for 3 – 4 $ and goodwill’s prices are 5 – 6 $ and these are worn and many times stained. I think Goodwill needs to be reminded that these items are used not new… no matter what the designer label is on the item it is still used clothing… pre owned and pre used. I used to spend my weekends browsing and shopping at Goodwill stores… I do not waste my time anymore. I go to Ross’s or TJ Max s and find new items that are not squeezed on over filled racks.
Sorry for the bad review but top level management needs to read these and wake up to the growing problems with pricing and displays.
By the way Salvation Army has nice stores with very reasonable prices and the racks are not crammed so full that browsing becomes a wrestling match.

I have been having mixed feelings about shopping at Goodwill the last year or so and I am sad to say that after my 2 visits to the OC Goodwill, I think I might be finally ready to say to the world that… most Goodwills just plain suck. There, I said it.
Here’s why…
1. The racks, and I mean ALL the racks, at any Goodwill I have ever been to are so crammed full of clothes that you end up knocking 3 things onto the floor in an attempt to use your whole body to shove the stack of smelly, old and overpriced clothes a measly 5 inches just for another 3 things to then fall on the floor. Does that happen to anyone else? Yes? No? Surely, it does.
2. The prices. Thumbs down, Goodwill. Back in the day, I would find decent clothes at decent prices. And this is where Oregon City especially gets a thumbs down. The prices here are ridiculous. As a matter of fact, I am sure the prices here are much higher than the other Goodwills I frequent in the Portland area. I consistently found old shirts from Target and Old Navy that were pilly and faded with stains marked at ridiculous prices, I mean…6.99 for a shirt from 5 years ago that has a missing button? No thanks Goodwill, I would rather scour the clearance racks at either Target or Old Navy than waste my time going through old, overpriced and out of date clothes. I realize it’s Goodwill, clothes are going to be a little outdated, that’s fine, but price them accordingly. Most of us Goodwill shoppers know our brands and know when 9.99 for a shirt is just not justified.
3. I donate a lot of stuff to Goodwill. Good quality stuff, yet, I rarely see good, quality stuff for sale anymore. Oregon City Goodwill has a crap selection, and most items appear super broken down, worn and there seems to very little regard of what items are put out on the shelves. This particular location used to be one of my favorites, too, such a shame!
Whew! This almost felt like therapy. I have needed to say this for a long time, but always felt it was my civic duty to keep shopping and donating, and shopping and donating. Not anymore Goodwill, I am breaking up with you! There. That felt good.

It’s a Goodwill store, fairly large and with a good selection. I’ve had good luck here — including with the Target discards another reviewer mentions. I think slightly less than 25% of the original price, with the original tags still on (cut, but still on) is a great deal. I don’t know if that’s true for everything, it was the cost for the new-​with-​tags maternity pants I picked up. A lot better deal than Target’s «clearance» prices at the same time on fairly-​similar pants, which were three times as much as the Goodwill prices for the discontinued ones.
They were also the ONLY thrift store that did me much good for maternity clothes on that trip…
So it depends on what you are looking for and when you are looking, most likely. :)

I am trying to remember the last time I found clothes here that A. Were wearable B. Did not smell like mothballs C. Were actually sold at a fair price. Drawing a blank here. Nope, none of that ever happened. I’m not going to make a sweeping generalization and say that all Goodwill stores suck, but I have a hard time believing that there are any out there that are really much better than this.
On average a pair of jeans (often off brand, sometimes stained) are still $ 8 – 14. Shirts (from corporate team building exercises, aloha shirts, and other crappy impulse buy stuff) and generally overpriced and well, suck. You could do better off at a yard sale. At least you could find something «retro» that you could sell on ebay to some hipster ass hat, who is willing to pay exorbitant sums for shitty, out of date clothing.
Maybe I’m being too picky, but at a lot of thrift stores in Portland or even the Dig in Oregon City, you can find way better clothes. These clothes are not only better, but they are cheaper, and they are missing that signature Goodwill fragrance of mothballs, neglect, and the angst of the children that had to wear these clothes as hand me downs. That is a smell that just does not come out.
I would give it one star, but if you really just need some crappy work clothes to destroy for when you are painting, or some (mismatching) flatware (camping purposes only), they may have what you need. Just be warned, that flowery tea set that you see and are thinking about buying as a gift from your Grandma, don’t. It carries a curse that has killed off the last ten grannies that owned it. Or maybe I just made that up.

Since an early age I’ve been very frugal with money. Why pay more if I can find it for less? So I’m still a bargain hunter. I shopped Goodwill for many years. Friends think that I have a fabulous wardrobe but nearly all of it is from Goodwill, The Dig or Ross. As of late though, Goodwills prices have exceeded that of Ross Dress 4 Less, which has brand new, designer pics. So I rarely visit Goodwill any more unless it’s for novelty items, costumes or I’m just bored.

Way back in the day, the only money we had for school clothes was what we earned in the berry fields. So while my sister and friends were shopping at the mall and getting about a dozen outfits for their hard earned dough, I was filling a shopping cart with goodies from the GW (or as though in the know call it — The G-​Dub) and still had money left over for the movies.
I can still remember the envious looks as I walked off the bus with my distressed Levi’s and cool concert T, chuckling to myself that my outfit only cost $ 3. Of course, with the popularity of the Goodwill chain, I don’t think there’s much in the store you can touch nowadays for $ 3 much less buy an entire outfit for that.
I still frequent the joint though. They have a good selection of books (the Grand avenue location has an amazing selection of books) and when I’m looking for some funky thing (like a feather boa or just about any kitchen appliance ever invented) I can always count on the GW to come through.
Like most everything though, you have to be really cautious with your purchases. I’ve seen the prices on most items gradually increase to the point where you can find similar brand new stuff on sale at many retail stores. I believe they have a contract with Target to get all of their discarded or discontinued items and these really aren’t much of a bargain at all.
Still though it’s a great place to spend a couple of hours, just looking at all they have to offer and with Halloween approaching I’m sure I’ll be stopping by much more often.
Each week they offer 50% off items (with the exception of books and seasonal items). The colors change on Sunday so this is the best day to do your bargain shopping.