Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette — Attraction in Portland

For a place that claims to help people with disabilities- their stores sure are impossible to move around in when you’re in a wheelchair! The employees push around carts, and push their way past you, scraping the side of your wheelchair, and they leave but flat carts all over the store when they’re “stocking shelves” but there’s 6-7 of these carts blocking almost every aisle and nobody around stocking! Not to mention the aisles are too narrow for a standard wheelchair and a shopping cart to pass by each other. I’ve spoken to the “guy in charge a few times over the last few years about these issues - and he got angry last time I came in and tried to have a discussion about it. He said “YES I KNOW YOU SAID THAT WHEN YOU WERE IN HERE LAST YEAR - PLEASE STOP BOTHERING ME”

Which seems like a strange response to a few legitimate concerns...

They also have a habit of blocking the front exit with shopping carts, making it impossible for wheelchair users to exit the store. This seems like a few safety concerns.. I know goodwill gets bad press sometimes - but this is my experience over the last 2-3 years since I’ve had to deal with using a wheelchair to get around.

Seems like some simple training would alleviate al this - but I’ve been giving them a chance to respond to the concerns - not just me - a number of other wheelchair users share the same frustrations. So I suppose now I’ll have to leave this review, and warn other potential customers, that these stores in the Portland area are likely to result in your chair getting scratched, damaged, or your fingers pinched while attempting to shop like everyone else is able to.

Their motto of helping the disabled doesn’t seem to be correct anymore in 2018

update March 2019 They have remodeled the front cash register area, and made it EVEN MORE inaccessible for people relying on mobility devices/wheelchairs. There’s less space in the front by the checkout counter now than ever before! Also I had to have a clerk move a bunch of shopping carts that were completely blocking the front entity even get into the store. Come on goodwill.. are you about helping people with...

BIG, but toys/electronics /kitchen cookware/, furniture/home decor are all heavily picked-over and without much value.

Books/Audio-Video Media(DVD's, Tapes etc...), and Clothes however, are well stocked and interesting to shop through.

If you are looking for "treasure" here, you'll likely be disappointed 95% of the time. It'd be pure luck/chance to find anything truly "Good" that isn't clothes or media.

Goodwill has become very... Corporate/Dark(let us not forget, they may almost guarantee employment for those with disabilities, but DO NOT guarantee those same people even National Minimum Wage. If you have any disorder which prevents you from Very Rapidly hanging clothes, your wages will likely remain nearly slave-level.)

They also now pick through their donations MUCH more thoroughly than even 5-10 years ago so they can put the "good stuff" on eBay or their own website, where those items prices are way more likely to be sold near/above fair market value.

Yes, they put ~82% of profits into charity, but St. Vincent DePaul averages 90% for example. So where is that extra money spent?

CEO/Board Salaries.

So shop here if you like, but DO NOT walk out thinking you've really helped the community with...

I'm used to shopping at our local Goodwill on the coast, where the selection is pretty good, the store is clean and the employees are friendly. Today we visited the store on 99 E in inner SE Portland, and it was quite a bit different from the ones we visit on the coast. Here, the store was larger, but the selection didn't seem as varied, although they had quite a few nice things at reasonable prices. The store itself seems shabby, rundown, and in need of a thorough cleaning. The staff stocking shelves varied from apathetic to downright rude, although the checkers all seemed nice. My other gripe was the dearth of available carts. Most people, including ourselves, were dragging around small baskets on wheels. The handles were too short to be comfortable for me, who is 5'7" tall, and agony for my 6' tall husband.

While none of these issues would stop me from shopping there again, the experience wasn't nearly as relaxing and nice as it could have been. Too bad, because I usually enjoy shopping in...