Goodwill Outlet and Donation Center — Attraction in Colorado Springs

Ok, now my one star is a little opinionated here but I'll describe my experience and you can form your own. This was my first time ever going to a Goodwill "Outlet" mall. I expected maybe a large thrift store kind of setup? What I got was a lot different. Think what it would be like if American Pickers and Lockup had a crossover episode. The store itself is just one enormous open area, that contains a bunch of giant dump bins. There are lines either painted or taped on the ground. I didn't understand what they were for at first but I'll get to that. On the walls there are large signs posted with the long list of rules you are required to follow. I wasn't 20ft in the door before I realized I must have disrupted one of these rules, because an employee very firmly told me to move out of the way of some other employee. Fair enough. I was in the Military. I can handle a few rules. I ask another customer "how does this work"? As there are no prices on anything. She explained that basically they weigh your cart at the end and then they decide if anything in your cart is too valuable or not. If they deem it to valuable they basically make the price. Before she could get too far into it I was abruptly asked by another customer "can you get out of my way"? She had a cart overflowing with books and her phone out. I assume she was checking prices online to resell them. Just before that, the nicer old lady customer explained what the large crowd in the front was. This is apparently the area where they bring out the new product to be dumped into the bins. The "honey hole" so to speak. Suddenly, loud demanding voices started to scream commands such as "behind the line!" And "get back!". You are required to stand behind this "gunline" until the correction offic...I mean employees, tell you to "shop"! Then you can hopefully find your buried treasure and sell it for millions (I guess). Or die trying. It looked pretty rowdy over there in the Thunder Dome area after the "shop" command was given.Anyway, not for me but perhaps you will enjoy...

The outlets are great if you know the unofficial rules. 1.) Be aware of your surroundings... If the staff are pushing out new bins into the aisles, stand to the side and wait for them to finish. If you try and "cut across traffic," they will put you in your place. 2.) While they are changing out the bins (it is done as a collective row), do not "dig in." You will get yelled at! When the entire section is ready to be shopped, a staff member will typically yell out, "Shop!" It's pretty easy to spot when a row is being swapped out because you will see a row of people waiting until the coast is clear. 3.) No children under 16. To my understanding, this is for safety reasons. 5 minutes at the bins, and you'll see why. There is plenty of broken glass and hazardous objects. It's typical to move an object to the side and see shards of broken glassware, rogue knives, etc. Lots of people wear gloves for this reason. I definitely suggest moving objects carefully for this reason, as you don't know the hidden objects underneath. 4.) Everything is sold by weight. The price per pound is different depending on what you buy. Let's pretend 1 pound of clothes is $2, knick knacks are $1/pound. Depending on who checks you out, sometimes they will lump the clothes and knickknacks to be fast, but will charge you the higher price per pound. Keep an eye out and separate your two categories to prevent this. 5.) Typically people "park their carts" either right by checkout or on the far wall. Usually, people will grab a handful of items and walk back to their cart to drop it off. Shop, drop off, repeat. I'm unsure if you're allowed to bring your cart along with you throughout the bins, but I would suggest not to because it takes up alot of space and disrupts customer flow. 6.) Bring your own reusable bags as they don't give you any at checkout. 7.) If you need to bring your cart out to the parking lot, you will have to leave your ID at the...

I use to enjoy coming here a lot. I am not sure if they changed things at the outlet or of it is me. Looking in the bins I see many of the items are broken or missing a vital part. I remember a time when you didnt see the same broke item in the "new" bins. I visited on the 1st Saturday in November. They didnt have much furniture for sale and what they did have people were sitting on. The people here today seemed to be a different. Most of them rude or totally oblivious that you were even there as they snatched and grabbed at items for their baskets. Children are set in some of the baskets for hours on end while mom or dad look for treasures. Some things dont change. On my way in to the store I park far away from the front as you never know what the guy next to you may be loading. I also saw a few vehicals of the regulars. If you take the time you will see vehicals from Mexico. The pack Van's, trucks and trailers to their limits at the outlet store. Some people come daily to add to the collection till they can fit no more. Once they get all they can they take it back to Mexico. Other familiar faces come from the local 2nd hand and thrift stores. They are able to keep the shelves full by visiting the outlet. Most things that I saw had a rough life. The items here are the items that the Goodwill stores have had on their shelves too long. To keep the stock in the store fresh they send the unwanted stuff to the outlet where prices are slashed to give it 1 last chance before it is sent to the landfill. I am sure the Outlet brings in a good revenue. I just wish they could find a way to make it a bit more apealing. I will do my best to take some pictures of the good and the bad ...