Ever heard of Goodwill OUTLET?? I hadn’t either – but when I did, I had to get myself there ASAP. I even have you guess how much my piles cost – so keep on reading for that…
The gist is that there are just bins and bins of stuff – not sorted into size or like items or anything – and it’s purchased by weight, $0.79 a pound. Crazy, right?!
Apparently some of you had heard of it – and you had great tips – – from the Facebook Feed:
—Sounds like a place not to take kids
—there is one like that in NC–I have found some good stuff but a lot is total junk
— We have one here but its $1.39 lb and goes down more you buy. Personally as a DIY kinda gal, I love it! It’s literally a trash to treasure type of store with a few good as is finds too. Good luck at yours!
—Yes don’t take kids! And if you see something you want grab it. There are people that go crazy there lining up to get stuff as they bring out the bins. And be ready to get dirt
— Bust for me. Stopped at one in the Sacramento,CA. Smelled awful and trashy was bummed.
—Oh my gosh sounds like you just discovered a new planet!!! How exciting
—The serious people at ours wear gloves. You might want to as you can get pretty dirty and sometimes things are broken. Its also a lot more fun without kids. Just easier to dig! Have fun. Cant wait to hear what you find!
—We have one in Nashville next door to the good Goodwill. It is pretty gross. It is not worth it for me to search through all of it to find something good. I like things to be more organized. I saw people leaving with some decent items though.
— I love it. I have gotten linen tablecloths for pennies (since it’s all done by weight). I have found vacuum cleaner parts for a scuba diver Halloween costume and t-shirts for the millions of fun recycled t-shirt projects out there – I’ve made them into dresses, scarves. The hunt can be draining though.
The maiden voyage, I took my mom – – here she is, digging through stuff. It was like an undiscovered world….
About half an hour after we were there, things started happening that we knew nothing about. Big flashing lights above a couple of doors – workers came pouring out of one door, each grabbed a bin, and wheeled it out the other door, never to be seen again. We just stood there stunned – “what’s going on?!” – finally my mom woke me from my daze and told me I’d better take a picture, so I snapped one just in time:
Then, through the original door, they wheeled in all new bins for the ones they took. Then they came over the speakers and said we could line up but not shop – everyone scurried to secure their position in front of a great bin. Us newbies had no idea what to do. Then the “commence shopping” call was made and people started digging like crazy – I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s worth going, just for that experience!
So I spent $13 and came away with some great stuff – a GAP swimsuit with the tags still on, a couple of other things with tags still on, a couple pair of shoes for my girls, some vintage wall art, lots of tshirts for repurposing, a few shirts for myself, etc. I bet I had about 20 pieces of clothing.
THEN, the next week, I went back with Trevor’s mom and a couple of sister-in-laws – – again, so fun!
Check out how we just wheeled our cart onto the giant scale – now that’s easy!
Our total bags:
But I only grabbed a few things this time – – several GAP kids shirts, GAP graphic tee for myself, pjs, a swimsuit coverup, and the cutest 4T red peacoat – along with a headband and snaps. Any guesses on what this haul set me back??
Grand total for the pile above: $2.75 – – no kidding!! I thought the coat would hike the price because it was kind of heavy compared to a tshirt, but with unbelievable prices even a “hike” doesn’t amount to much.
So I went back again – I can’t stay away! I found lots of goodies this time around – tons of clothes, a hard case vintage suitcase and a soft case floral suitcase (I’m thinking this will hold all my girls’ doll clothes), a sleeping bag, some awesome light camel boots and some emerald flats,a frame, and more – – so what’s your guess on the price of this cartload???
Grand total for pile above: $13.25 – so great!!
Anyone else had experience with a Goodwill Outlet??
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I’m so jealous! The closest one to me is like 2 hours away and I am never without kids!
i am not sure if we have one of these… off to Google it now!
I went to the Sacramento one before halloween but it was a cluster… and was dirty feeling so I ended up at the regular goodwill, but if I can find another I will try again.
sugarbee, which location did you go to. I can’t find any in my area. (I’m in SLC, Utah)
I live near Kansas City – – maybe just search online to see if there’s one by… good luck!
Dang! I like that green suitcase! I had a floral one as a kid. Me and my best friend both got one for Christmas. I would pack with my clothes when I went on sleepovers next door or to Grandmas overnight.
It sounds AMAZING! I’ve never even shopped at a Good Will… they don’t have one where I live now. Just a small local sort of thrift store. But this sounds worth a trip!
Yes, I’ve been to ours and it’s pretty much as you described. I’ve learned a few things I’d like to share also. First of all, mine isn’t *nearly* as clean and well lit as yours…think more dungeon-like ;).
Gloves are an absolute must.
When I leave the house I make sure I have several large black trash bags in the trunk. Everything I buy goes directly into the black trash bag, even if it is in a little bag from them. (They don’t use the Goodwill bags here, they recycle bags from other stores that have been donated to them.)
Anything that is washable gets washed as soon as I get home. If I can’t wash it right away it gets left outside. This is especially true of clothing and linens.
Hope this helps. Good Will Hunting!
That is so awesome! I have a brother in Kansas City, so when I visit him I’ll have to check out it! I wish that I had something like this by me, or even a goodwill….
Just googled it and lo and behold, there is one 20 mile from me. 🙂 You found some great things!
Just found out there is one in Seattle! Definitely going next time I visit my family
What in the awesome??? It sounds like thrifting heaven to me…can I come out and go there with you? Which reminds me…I heard you are coming out here to SNAP…is that right?
liZ
I went a second time with my daughter-in-law (Mandy snubbed us) and got a heaping cart full (plus a chair on the side) and spent $12.30. Today I went with two of my sisters and a niece. It wasn’t as good a trip (probably because of the company – hee, hee); spent $6.oo and got 3 jeans/slacks,a caftan for a wiseman costume, 2 fabulous kids shirts, 2 pairs of fake crocs (for the coop), Shrek 2 (vhs), a brass candlestick, and a car blanket like the one I just bought from 31 Bags (although it is a knock-off).
I’m going to have to check it out!
I’m going to have to check it out!
omg..it’s like a gameshow…go again and let us guess! i want to goooooooooo~
I’ve never been but my grandma loves to go! She has brought home some pretty awesome baby clothes for my son William.
Thanks for the post! I googled and found there is one in Kansas City not too far from me! Planning on going VERY soon!
I’ve been to 2 different locations. It’s true that Nashville has one. But since theirs is connected to a regular Goodwill store, all of the good stuff goes to the store, and “trash” goes to the outlet. Salem, OR has one, and I got cart loads for $20 or so! Got tons of name brand items for growing nephews. Even picked up a larger Lazy Boy for $7.50! (A small part of a seam needed stitching.) Later, when moving across the country, I sold the same recliner for $90!
Oh yeah, you might not want to take teenage girls. My niece thought it was too disgusting. Although I carry hand sanitizer & there are clean restrooms with working faucets (and soap), she refused to touch anything. My sister, who hate shopping at Goodwill in general, loved it and found a Samsonite suitcase. If you think you might want it, put it in your cart. When you’re done shopping, take a moment to look over every item for severe damage & put back what you don’t want. (Just toss in and bin, it doesn’t matter which one.) Easy.
Ooh! I’d use the floral case for a temple bag!
HI Mandy, I blogged about my experience a few months back. http://absewlutelychrissycouture.blogspot.com/2012/07/10-year-anniversary-weekend-trip.html
Also, (at least in Indiana) the first Saturday of the month is half off Goodwill anyway, but at the Outlet the prices are even lower the first weekend, including items in the case and furniture. I am not sure if its the same in your state, but its definately worth checking into.
Also, I took some friends for the first time before Christmas, and she bought some jeans for her daughter. I think there were American Eagle. After gettting home to wash them, (5) $100.00 bills were in the pockets!!!!
Its very addicting and even though ours is a little over an hour away, we make a point to go once a every few months. My husband found a Keurig Coffee Machine complete like new and we paid less than $5 for it. It helps he likes to go too! My favorite find so far has been a old hardback copy of Pride and Prejudice in great condition. <3 Have fun, but it can get addicting… we usually go for the whole day, only breaking to eat lunch. 🙂
The things you buy there look so much better once you get them home and washed and dried.
There is one that is two counties away from me- a bit of a distance to just pick up and go. However, it’s in the city (Charlotte, MI) where the courthouse is, and my husband is a lawyer who occasionally has court there. So sometimes I go with him so that I can go to the outlet. It’s connected to the regular store, but the items in the outlet seemed to be just as good as the regular one. They don’t price by the pound, but they do have prices that are quite lower than the regular store. It does take a special kind of person to enjoy it since everything is in piles. My husband would absolutely hate the chaos. The one disappointing this is there are no dressing rooms in the one I visit. I would never by a pair of jeans without being able to try them on first. One of my current favorite shirts came from the outlet, so I’m looking forward to the next time I can head over there to find my new favorite.
We don’t have this in the UK but it looks great!
We don’t have this in the UK but it looks great!
We don’t have this in the UK but it looks great!
We don’t have this in the UK but it looks great!
New follower…Amazing finds for so cheap!! That floral suitcase is to die for – I have one like it in my shop and Im sure I paid a lot more for it than you! I just posted on my Goodwill Outlet adventure a couple of weeks ago…
http://decoratevintage.blogspot.com/2013/01/goodwill-outlet-adventure.html