I visited a Goodwill Outlet store for the first time ever last week. I had first read about these fabulous stores on CheapJap and was intrigued, to say the least.
When it comes to the life cycle of a donated piece of clothing, the thrift store is not the last stop on the line. (Goodwill is one of many charities that works tirelessly to keep articles of clothing out of the landfills – and happens to be my favorite charity when it comes to donating my used clothing!) Items of clothing that are donated to charities such as Goodwill are first sorted through; those that have minimal tears/stains/rips etc. go out on the selling floor, and those that are deemed less-than-worthy are sold to recycling companies such as Trans-America. Such companies will recycle the garments into rags for industrial usage, or insulation, auto sound dampening, or carpet padding (source) – at the rate of about 260 tons annually. Other articles of clothing are sold to developing countries at about 25-50 cents per pound. In all, about 2.5 billion pounds of clothing a year is processed by such companies and sold abroad. Imagine: that t-shirt made in a factory in China…could end up in a rural province not far from its origin someday.
However, each Goodwill chapter is at liberty to determine its own policies, so there’s no guarantee the clothing you donate will see those eventual end uses. After a certain time at the regular Goodwill retail store, many items have not been sold, and it is then that they arrive at the Goodwill Outlet Store. (There is a great photo essay here about how a garment travels through the Goodwill system of sorting and management, if you are particularly interested.)
The Goodwill Outlet Store is the last stop along the line in the life cycle of your average garment – if it fails to sell here, it is compacted by the baler and sold to the rag trade. The idea of rescuing perfectly-usable items that would otherwise be thoughtlessly discarded appeals to me greatly, so I’ve been wanting to stop by and see how I could help (and how creative I could get with the results!) Why the heck don’t they have a Project Runway episode with the designers scavenging their raw material from here??? I think that would be fabulous!
I love going to Goodwill (the Salvation Army “boutique shops” near me are ridiculously overpriced and have few pieces to pick through, Buffalo Exchange is fabulous but quite pricey, and I dislike going to “vintage stores” since the prices are usually enough to scare me out the door as soon as I glance at a tag). But Goodwill is consistently a source of great pieces…the problem is that you just have to look. (I’m not one for combing vintage stores for a great find; I usually find it insanely tedious. But the fabled DOLLAR A POUND for clothing was way too good a lure to pass up. I mean, even at fabric stores here in Portland I have never found fabric for a dollar a yard, so even if I found some cool sheets or something that I could use as raw materials I would be saving money. [Okay, you New Yorkers – I know $1/yd of fabric is nothing new to you…but here in Portland it’s a bit revolutionary – rarely seen even from the jobbers that pass thru here from time to time.]) Now that Lil Tot is in school more and I am still technically unemployed, I have a lot more free time, and so I decided to spend one early afternoon braving The Bins. Perhaps I would even find something with a designer label on it – the Holy Grail of shopping vintage.
CheapJap offers some great tips for visiting one of these places, and for sorting through everything (except I could only find one of my rubber gloves before leaving the house – I’m not sure where the left one went), so I spent about 2 hours sorting one-handed through more than 30 dumpster-sized bins in this gigantic warehouse. People were looking at me strangely (for the single glove, I suppose), but when I saw that the workers there were wearing face masks, I didn’t feel so ridiculous. There were some dirty clothes in there, man. I was also surprised at how many families were there – parents and their numerous children were also combing through everything, spreading out and moving from bin to bin en masse. The people with their carts the fullest were likely those who were trying to re-sell the clothes…one woman I talked to had a shop on Etsy where she made her living (re-)selling vintage pieces.
As I was going through everything, my head was just spinning with possibilities. There were so many fabrics, so many ways I could give new life to these clothes – so many possible alterations…
Of course, most knit fabrics (i.e., t-shirts) were pretty much there for a reason: stained, hideously pilled, or worn. There wasn’t much reuse potential there, I found.
But polyester garments had, on the whole, fared pretty well in The Bins; leather pieces had a lovely, beaten-up quality to them (though there were some in close-to-pristine condition); cotton items ran the gamut, tho most were crumpled (but could probably be restored with a good washing and pressing). I focused mostly on wovens or synthetic fabrics, in large sizes so I had a lot of fabric to work with. There were of course items in excellent, near-perfect salable condition with nary a stain in sight, as well as the odd designer label peeking out here and there.
I spotted: Banana Republic, DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Volcom, Barney’s New York, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Bebe, for instance.
There was a large amount of Jones New York, Talbots, Metro7, Isaac Mizrahi, Liz Claiborne, Worthington, Levi’s, and Old Navy…which I think says a lot about the things people get rid of and that which is in excessive supply in the marketplace. Private label companies for mass merchandisers…are you listening???
I piled up my shopping cart (and I mean – PILED up, so mountainous I could barely navigate turning it), and then at the end, dumped it all out and went meticulously through it, chanting to myself “$1 a pound, $1 a pound!” I eliminated many of the gigantic leather jackets I found since they were quite heavy, as well as the denim. Light poly, chiffon, and lace stuff got a pass since it would work out to pretty much nothing at the register.
Despite my best efforts, when the lady at the register rolled my cart onto the scale, she read out “48 pounds.” I almost died. FORTY-EIGHT POUNDS OF CLOTHES!! Say it to yourself. Forty-eight pounds of clothing. It’s unreal.
I was trying to save these clothes from ending up in a landfill – the ultimate result of excessive consumption – and as a result, I am excessively consuming them in bringing them home in the first place. Ironic.
Here’s what I bought:
*2 leather jackets
*1 pair of shoes
*1 pair of jeans
*1 bikini top
*1 pair of rabbit ears
*1 nightgown
*2 blazers
*1 lace negligee
*5 tops
*5 pillowcases
*2 t-shirts
*2 pairs of pants
*3 dresses
*1 fitted sheet
*1 trenchcoat
*7 button-down shirts
*1 pile of fabric remnants
*1 kid’s pajama bottoms
And what cost did all this work out to?
Leave your best guess in the comments;-). (It wasn’t $1 a pound, I can tell you that much!)
Edit 4/12: Great guesses, guys! But…no one got it right. Here is the proof of the pudding:
Isn’t that just PHENOMENAL??? Apparently, the more you buy at the Goodwill Outlet the more you save. It’s $1/pound until 25 pounds, above that $0.95/pound, and then above 40 lbs. it’s 89 cents/pound. I really worked for it tho! (See my dirty glove?:-)
Though I now have all this great raw material to work with….it’s now a question of when I’m going to get around to it. I really need two of me to deal with this!;-) But from here on out it’s a sewing and DIY extravaganza…and I can’t wait to share the results!
Have any of you ever been to a Goodwill Outlet store?
xoxoxo
Carly
Can't wait to see what creations you come up with! 🙂
I know this is 5 years old but she only bought 28.4 pounds of clothes not 48 pounds. The total of the receipt is $28.25. Divide that by $0.89 per pound and you get 28.4 pounds. The actual pounds are also listed on the receipt.
Yes, that was the first thing I noticed too! She must have mis-heard the cashier when she said 28, and thought it was 48.
I found a by-the-pound thrift shop, not a Goodwill, in Jacksonville FL recently. They had some of their older stuff by the door already baled up and ready to load/ship to wherever you want. The guy in the store said that a lot of times church groups will buy them for their “missions.”
Perhaps I did, it was pretty noisy in there. But still, 28 lbs. is a heck of a lot! They’ve come in handy for many projects over the years, as originals to alter, or as raw materials to make something entirely new. That’s so neat you found a by-the-pound-thrift-shop, I wish I could be so lucky!! 🙂
My guess: $60?
Thanks for this very informative post. I'm very envious of those of you who have access to Goodwill stores as the charity shops here in Australia pale in comparison.
awesome! they did do a Project Runway Canada episode about that. But they got their raw materials from the warehouse they use to make the Preloved clothes. Preloved reconstructs clothes into unique items that are sold in their stores. I think it's based out of Montreal.
WOW! I've never heard of a goodwill outlet store, but that looks like FUN! My mum and I love antiques shopping and yard sales, so going through bins of stuff would be great fun to us. I probably wouldn't be brave enough to go in without gloves, though…
That HUGE pile would probably still cost around $150 at a Goodwill here if you were lucky…
My guess: $40
First of all, this post was so great! Not only that, but now I'm searching for an outlet near me. If I know the goodwill you probably got a steal. I can't belive how much great stuff you found. I am also so excited to see your upcoming projects. I love your DIY's!!
http://www.sequinissues.blogspot.com
The Bins? I love the Bins! Whenever I venture up to Portland I always have to make a stop there. Looks like you made out like a bandit! <3
I have purchased garments from Goodwill just for the vintage, expensive, or unique buttons! Buttons are expensive now! i just recently replaced the buttons on a sweater that had lost one with the cutest new-old ones from Goodwill!
So, how much were they?!?!
I've been to the one in San Louis Obispo…It was amazing! Scored retro puma roller skates circa 1970 for $1…but you made out like a bandit!!
Bravo!
So fascinating! Thanks for writing your experience. It makes me want to go see what treasures I can dig up. Oh, and good thinking on the glove.
WOW! This was so interesting. I know where there is a Goodwill in NYC and I'm going this weekend! I hope I can score some interesting pieces 🙂 I've written a couple of posts on ShopGoodwill by featuring some of their items they have for bidding on my blog. Have you ever checked out their website?
http://www.styleityou.com
Good deal! I've been “thrifting” (shopping Goodwill's SA's, etc.) since high school (I'm now in my early 50's) but have never lived near a GW outlet. A few weeks ago I overheard a woman in a thrift shop say, “I don't know why anyone ever shops retail”. She's spot on. Except for shoes and under garments, it's the way to go. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I can't believe I haven't been there yet! Totally drooling over the pics of your haul.
It's amazing all the places that that old shirt can go to! I rather love the idea of it becoming rags, insulation, or carpet padding–even though I'm sure the processes aren't, it's really upcying, recycling, and reusing to a great degree…
What an amazing score you found, too! It'll be great to see what comes from the goods..
Wow, thats more than crazy I need to get to Goodwill ASAP. The amount of new clothes you can make right now is off the chart. I will be back to see these result!
Wow, thats more than crazy I need to get to Goodwill ASAP. The amount of new clothes you can make right now is off the chart. I will be back to see these result!
Wow, you just made my day. Imagine my surprise when I saw MY Goodwill Outlet on your blog! Well, it's not mine, but it's in my town. Thanks for brightening my day.
So funny that you have the recipt in a rubber glove, I have often wanted to peruse their stuff in rubber gloves!
SO I am recently saw this store (I am from portland) and wondered what it was like in there… thanks for the in depth summary!
~K
haveacuteday.blogspot.com
The Bins? I love the Bins! Whenever I venture up to Portland I always have to make a stop there. Looks like
thank you very much I never heard it before
Goodwill Outlet Stores have a cash-and-carry policy, meaning you’ll need to have a way to haul that big couch home as soon as you buy it
All items are sold as-is, and cannot be returned or exhanged
The Seattle Goodwill Outlet is perhaps one of the best kept secrets among avid thrift store shoppers. It is one of several outlet stores operated by Goodwill in cities all across the country
So funny that you have the recipt in a rubber glove, I have often wanted to peruse their stuff in rubber gloves! Christian Louboutin discoun
honey recently posted…Christian Louboutin Simple 100 mm
Thanks a great deal for the wonderful information here! I have bookmarked the page
I started going to the one in Lakeland, FL its not as pretty as the picture you have above everything is in Laundry Bins but I have managed to get namebrand clothes the 1st 2x I’ve gone, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and much more check out my vid on youtube for pictures http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM6K-P9oCLg
I get a lot of my clothes at Goodwill, even my menswear.
You did great! I hope that I find some really nice things at the Goodwill outlet in my area.
I LOVE the Goodwill Outlet, and so do my children! When I actually showed my teenagers how much the Guy Harvey Shirts and Hollister jeans cost new, then pulled similar ones out of the bins at Goodwill, they were amazed! They now want to go all of the time! Here in Florida, the price is 1.39 a pound, but still CHEAP! I found an Army issued arctic sleeping bag for $3 and an entire king size sheet set, with like brand new, also $3. Great deals for people with families and not alot of money to spend. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to shop at the “diggin’ store”, my family refers to it as.
I know – it’s just like a treasure hunt!! You can find the most amazing things there, and you’re truly helping keep perfectly usable items out of landfills or being shipped off to the developing world. Plus it’s the perfect place to source materials and fabrics for waaaaaay cheaper than Jo-Ann’s fabrics – just to DIY or upcycle into something even better!! Thanks for your comment!
xo
Carly
Great haul from the Goodwill outlet store. However, you read the lbs wrong on the receipt it was 28.4 lbs for $25.28 at $.89 a lb not 48 lbs you thought(you transposed the digits lol)
Great article! I’ll be sharing this one on my fb!
Have a lovely day!
Lisa
Look at your bins–they are full!!! Ours in Kansas City all look nearly empty on the day I decided to visit==not the selection you have. You must be prepared to walk to get to the entrance and inside, I found it quite interesting.Quality and selection was minimal. I went looking for items that I could use for my disabled, disadvantaged bingo group and for $10.00, I did OK. I also brought my own little cart. I spent three hours in an attempt to find items that could be used or made into gifts (purses, greenery, plastic vase, candle holder, big black tub, walking parrot). Also I managed to find some like new t-shirts (Harley, Godfather, Hard Rock in pink), Apt 9 dress, green top, and bright orange belt.Also it was a very, very long drive.
Your outlet looks like fun!!!
Went to KC outlet last week – must be new management. Tables were overflowing!
Ooh – I wish I could have seen that – it sounds awesome!! 😀
I do shipping of used clothes shoes bags purses housewares bikes to Africa, if anyone knows where I can get the stuff for cheap I’ll appreciate.
Oh yes, any Goodwill Outlet store is incredibly cheap for these items!! As are many charity shops and places that sell clothing by the pound 🙂
As I was reading this I thought to myself , when did I write this??? Haha.. My thoughts exactly!!! I found a like mind!! I’m headed to our outlet today and I call it “the dig”. Love everything you wrote!!
Thanks, Michelle! It was such a cool expedition, to visit the Bins and learn more about Goodwill’s infrastructure. It makes me feel great every time I donate! Hope you find some treasures where you are!
I am a Goodwill addict; let me own that upfront. Man, I wish the Goodwill corporate/outlet store here in Ft Worth was worth actually shopping at. EVERYTHING goes into one of those blue bins; everything single thing. Even sharp, breakable, cloth, plastic, large item or delicate things. Everything is mixed in together. Clothes mixed in with broken porcelain Christmas statues. Knives mixed in with shoes. It’s filthy and dangerous. And there are so many rows of bins that it is impossible to go through every single bin before another row of bins comes out in 2 hours. Then you have to fight (read that literally) 10-15 other individuals who are wanting first violent grab at the new bins when they come out. We just stand back and watch the lowest denominator of human behavior in action. And the $1.39/lb isn’t a steal when a heavy blanket costs $6 and was priced at the regular stores for $4.99. Same thing with a bleacher chair stand that was labeled $2.49 in the store but is now $6 because of it’s weight. We won’t be back there again. Im not easily disgusted, offended or shocked but visiting the Ft Worth “outlet” store will give any stoic a run for their psychological money. There’s no “treasure” here worth scoring if 99% of the time you’re being jostled, sifting through things that are covered in poopoo smelling substances, bleached out or ripped clothing, possibly cutting or puncturing yourself on something, exposing yourself to all manners of things to get on your skin, bent over for hours and literally working out and breaking a physical sweat going through 200 things that might yield 1 thing worth having. I have a new found appreciation for how HARD the employees work at the Goodwill stores to keep the clothes fresh, clean, well-presented, organized, the store clean and organized, and the care they take with the items. I spent 3 hours yesterday and I managed to make it through 4 of the rows of bins (17 bins total) and there was still 60% of the store left to go. Meanwhile 3 rows of bins were traded out before I could ever get to them. It just isn’t worth it unless someone is extremely desperate to save .40 on a random, intact, clean, desirable item found at the bottom of a pile of dangerous, filthy, broken junk because they are buying it “by the pound” rather than off the Goodwill shelf. I won’t be back.
I totally agree with you…at the Oregon bins I saw people swarming over the first bins they’d bring out, and there were a lot of dirty, ripped, stained items in there. Glad I brought a glove to sift through things! But yes, it take a certain mindset and taking a deep breath and mentally preparing yourself for a physically long, hard slog to find treasure. When I went I mostly I was looking for clothing that could provide materials for other projects, then I started to find designer and name-brand goods in piles and began to get excited. Some of the leather jackets I got were wonderful raw material for leather projects and DIY’s I made, but a lot of the clothing didn’t fit me well so I eventually had to donate it back to Goodwill. I also had to wash everything thoroughly once I got home! I honestly haven’t been back since I’m not in that current mindset but it can be a really great treasure trove *if* you have the time, the fortitude, and don’t mind the search.