Goodwill NYNJ Outlet Store & Donation Center — Attraction in South Hackensack

I decided to leave a review because I've been to this store many times and wanted to clear up some of the things I'm reading in the other reviews.

I am giving it 5 stars because while there is a lot of improvement to be made, I believe that the benefits outweigh every problem which are mostly a matter of perception.

Are the rules weird? sometimes. Should they let people in a different way? could use some tweaking. Can you be first in line but the back of the line is let in first? YES. Shouldn't matter because you can't shop until they say so, but it's a matter of perception. Is the staff rude? Some of them, somewhat & sometimes, depending on the circumstance. NONE OF THEM ignore customers. Are they perfect? Are you perfect? Can they improve the way they talk to people? Sometimes.

Now, for the customers: I'd say 95% of those who shop here are nice.

The other 5% make up for the rest and I'm glad they are removed because they ruin it for everybody else.

they find ways to cut the checkout line, and the workers miss it, because they are dealing with questions or people breaking other rules.

Everybody wants first dibs and I get it; but when a worker tells you not to touch the items, it is because they expect you to be respectful and fair to your fellow shoppers, and wouldn't you want that same courtesy? So let's be objective about everything.

I've had people grab things OUT OF MY HANDS, or hover over me as I'm looking at something. Dude...Covid! Back up off of me. But I think that's why they do it, so you can move on and drop the items that they want. You know what? Take it. lol I am not about to argue with you over a $2 item. There will be something else that I can buy.

As for the shouting, the staff has to shout the rules before we shop because it's a HUGE PLACE and a regular indoor voice will not let everyone hear what they're saying. Sometimes, I can do without some of their smart comments as they yell out the rules; which is probably why they don't allow filming in the first place. lol

As the workers are shouting the rules, the rude customers are snickering out of workers' earshot, but within other shoppers' hearing. The staff may not hear it, but they can sense it in the attitudes toward them, so, at times, the atmosphere going both ways seems to be: what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

They can improve on some things, like all of us, but they do deal with a lot of rude customers. Goodwill should get a speaker system or a megaphone so they don't have to shout the rules. That might help.

99% of the time, I LOVE shopping here and there is no other place that I can go to, to get the kind of prices I get here.

So I hope that clears up anything else you've read.

The workers are not perfect (surprise!) You are getting a GREAT deal for your money. You MAY have to deal with rude customers. If you're caught breaking the rules, you'll be removed. Buh-bye. lol Above all, the money you spend is going to a good cause. Sounds like a win to me!

I think that's enough review...

SHAME ON GOODWILL!!! I've been bringing donations to Goodwill in South Hackensack for the past 4-5 years (ever since the Salvation Army store near me in West New York, NJ closed) and have never ever requested a tax deduction receipt. I was once a refugee in this country and it brings me joy to be able to help those that are less fortunate in our community. Most of my donations consist of designer clothing, shoes and accesories, most of them in excellent, and sometimes even in unworn condition. This past Saturday (September 16, 2023), while driving to this Goodwill location, I got stuck in traffic (I live in West New York, NJ) and arrived at the store at 6.05 pm, which is 5 minutes past their closing time. Noticing that the store was NOT closed yet (the doors were still open) and seeing, still, so many people in line inside waiting to pay for their purchases, I decided to drop a bag with donations I had brought with me. The security guard at the door, with a clear display of a stern attitude, said that they were closed. I explained that I was just bringing donations, that I was not there to shop and left the bag by him. Before I had a chance to turn around, the security guard took the bag and DUMPED IT IN THE GARBAGE CAN near him. I couldn't believe my eyes! Visibly irked, I asked him what he was doing, why he was dumping the bag with donations in the garbage? Almost instinctively I took the bag out of the garbage can, walked past him and placed the bag with donations in a bin over a counter inside the store. I told him that I had driven miles to bring my donations to the store, that even though it was just minutes off the closing time, there were still lots of people in the store, and it wouldn't take much to allow me to place the bag with my donations in a cart and leave. I questioned why he was acting the way he did and told him that his actions were shameful and disrespectful. I asked him to allow me to speak to a manager or supervisor. At that time, another employee came out and, without asking much or showing any hesitation, took the bag of donations from where I had left it, walked over to the garbage can and dumped it in it again. Just like that! For a store and an organization that exist thanks to the donations it receives, to display such a crazed, abusive and offensive attitude towards the people that make the donations is just beyond anyone's wildest imagination. I ended up taking the bag out of the garbage can for the second time and left this undeserving place not without making clear that I WOULD NEVER EVER AGAIN BRING ANOTHER DONATION TO...

Having been a Goodwill employee many years ago in Trenton, as well as visited many GW stores in the Bergen/Passaic county area, I can speak from experience that this location is not at all like any GW store I’ve ever encountered.

I couldn’t tell if I was in a store or a section of the warehouse unless the signs (probably posted due to people feeling confused/lost often) directed me. No racks or wall shelves, just bins? Bare walls, mostly clothing and barely any household items or furniture in the “shopping room,” but the warehouse/sorting looked pretty full. There was a rack on the way in with some suitcases and 2 pieces of furniture but it wasn’t clear if you could buy it or not…similarly, nothing priced in the bins and I guess you pay by weight? I don’t know the whole thing was very strange and there are apparently more rules to follow if you shop and check out, which I didn’t even finish because I was so immediately turned off by the first walk around.

Honestly it felt like a first or second-world government lottery rationing scenario. I know it’s Goodwill, but you don’t have to make people already having a need to buy second-hand discount items feel more disenfranchised. For a brand new facility in such a prime location, I can’t believe there isn’t a better way to set up and run this location. It should be a flagship, but it epitomizes “missing the boat.” This store makes the closed Paramus location look like Nordstrom’s in terms of shopping experience.

I left a line of at least 50 people waiting for 2 cashiers who were scolding them as they approached (not following rules) behind as I decided this was not worth my time. Is there not enough employees to price items? I don’t even understand the rationale of all these rules that couldn’t be solved by pricing items.

Apparently there are regulars that come and grab all the items then sort them on the way to the checkout?? I noticed there was a “sorting room” in between the shopping room and checkout. Why? This only encourages the hoarding behavior, then the cashiers were mad they didn’t put the items back when they didn’t buy them. If you price items, people know how much they will cost and cut out a lot of this nonsense. If you have repeat offenders, address it on an individual basis; this setup makes everyone suffer.

I had such high hopes with the location’s immense size and opportunity for quality merch in this area. Hopefully this can be turned around, such a wasted chance for a nice experience all around. No one seemed happy there, customers...