Goodwill Clearance Center — Attraction in South San Francisco

Edit (months later): I came back to visit. The place has a whole new system now.

1.There are rolling industrial clothing hampers now that you can use as carts-this is a good thing. But you can't save your items in the cart while you wait outside for the bins to be replinished. This is good bc it means new people get to use the carts every time. BUT, it's also frustrating. This system does NOT exist at other outlet stores. At other outlet stores, it's a VERY SIMPLE SYSTEM. Your cart is your cart until you check out. You don't have to go outside and wait for bins to turn over. You don't have to make multiple purchases throughout the day bc you're forced to pay after one round of bins is over. If they rotate the bins every hour or so from 7 am to 3pm, that means you're potentially making 7 purchases throughout the day!

But like I said, the only good part about this system is it forces people to not hoard 5+ carts all day. So I get it.

No more bulk selling

A LOT, and by a lot i mean BINS FULL of goodwill items from ARIZONA (why?). It seems like theres a new deal going on between AZ and SF Marine stores. But all that shipping seems bad for the ENVIRONMENT.

There are now bric-a-brac being sold out of huge boxes. Dig at your own risk bc there could be broken glass etc

According to staff, bric-a-brac are sold by the pound. This makes no sense AT ALL. It means a cup would cost more than it does at a regular goodwill store. A blanket (previously $2) would be $8+. A heavy duty pillow $6+. Not to complain, but do you want to sell the items or not? I highly suggest maintaining the old system where heavy items like linen, blankets, shoes, pillows etc have one low set price.

There is no bathroom. That means elders, children, sick people, hot sauce eaters, ppl prone to accidents, ppl experiencing medical incontinence or menstruating women are OUT OF LUCK.

There is no seating. If you are disabled or elderly GOOD LUCK

One register is right near the exit, which is also the entrance. If theres an emergency-GOOD LUCK

They open at 7 am now for everyone

They have a huge sign that says the close at 5pm. That's not true yet, they close at 3. And I'll assume it is not true until their google business page updates.

Waited about an hour for new bins.

Still wondering if they have shoes anymore

Original Post: When does this place open? Like actually. Because it's definitely NOT the hours posted online (11 AM). Every time I come here, they open at a different time. I came at 11 and they'd been open for what looked like awhile, I came at 10:40 a different day, and they were already open. I came at 10:30 and they were open.

This is okay...but if they open early and you come a few minutes after-then you're screwed because you'll have to wait 2-3 hours for the next rotation. And then that's it, because there are only 2 bin rotations a day. So essentially you've waisted your time even coming at all.

On top of that, this is one of the most odd goodwill outlets ever. They have NO BATHROOMS (a very SF phenomenon) so goodluck if you have to go 1 or 2, are on your period, or just need to wash your hands from touching something disgusting. The business hours are short (most goodwill outlets are open at least 8 hours). They have sorters for the goodwill stores in the same building so you'll often just get their scraps. They also have people who buy in bulk on the left side when you enter, so they're often crossing over to the bins for new rotations and never waiting in line (they're probably part of the reason the staff opens early). They have no wares (almost every other goodwill outlet you'll go to has more than just clothing). There are no carts (they all get taken by the bulk buyers).

The positives are that everything is cheap. You'll will find some cool things sometimes...especially on days the other side of the warehouse isn't sorting for the store locations. The shoes are only $3. The linen/blankets are $1 -$2. And once in awhile they'll...

🚨The bulk sales were terminated as of Friday September 26th 2024 a decision made by corporate 🚨This Loction has made a drastic and harmful change, leaving only Blue Tables stocked with outdated and salvage merchandise then its previous offerings. It’s unsafe environment and has been extremely chaotic the last few wks since this decision was made. Note that: For many generations Local resellers and small businesses that once relied on these bulk purchases for quality, affordable goods are now left with unsellable items or worse no items , making it impossible for them to sustain their operations and make an honest living in californias current economic conditions.Leaving them and the general public to fight tooth and nail over a piece of cloth, disregard to the public’s safety. Rumor has it Goodwill South San Francisco will be shipping off bulk inventory to Arizona 🤔 this warehouse also holds all the e-commerce merch that is “auctioned off at high price points”———

This decision, made without warning less than a few wks ago, undermines Goodwill’s mission to support local communities and feels unfair to the businesses that depended on this wholesale service, and the general public who relies on your services as stated in your mission. Do Better Goodwill!

For the general public, make sure you start Donating to true non profits that goes towards honest local communities...

Went back for a 2nd time and learned more: The only way this works out is if you bring someone to sit in the line for you all day. The entry process is wait in line as they replenish the clothing bins inside, then they let a certain amount of people in (if you don’t make the cut, you wait another 40-60 min in line) eventually and hopefully you get in but I did see people turned away after waiting a long time. The reason to bring someone is so when you get in, once that round is over and everyone is kicked back out, you just jump back in line with your person (who is likely at the front). I see all these people with chairs camping out all day, then their group mates come back and just get in line. Likewise you might see someone in line and then when it’s close to next entry, friends come from everywhere and cut in line to join. Example: there were ~8 people in line when I got in line but then near entry time, +15 people joined their friends and family and now I did not get in because only so many people are allowed to enter each round. There’s about 3-4 rounds per day.

Previous post: Arrived at 2:20pm just to be turned away because they were ‘done selling for the day’. Great… then change your online hours to reflect that. 3pm closed should mean THATS when you’re done selling, not 40 min before...