Goodwill Outlet Store and Donation Center — Local services in Harrisonburg

We experienced discrimination from staff member, Mary. She is downright rude, unprofessional, and inappropriate. She abruptly and wrongfully invaded our personal space, pointed fingers in our faces, and scolded us before understanding the situation at hand. During this chaotic outburst, she directed her yelling and anger at a CHILD WITH A DISABILITY…rather than maturely addressing us, the adults. That is not only extremely concerning, but heartbreaking, leaving everyone present feeling extremely unsafe and unwelcome with her deranged behavior. She should be ashamed of herself.

Without assessing the situation, Mary then unfairly threatened that we would be “kicked out”. This interaction was an unpleasant experience, and one that caused genuine harm. This isn’t just poor customer service, this is outright ableism, discrimination, a violation of basic human dignity, and nonetheless, A BREACH OF FEDERAL LAW… a direct violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Goodwill, of all places, should know better.

Furthermore, this contradicts Goodwill’s mission statement of being “inclusive”. The franchise “prides” itself on employing individuals with disabilities, yet this is how customers WITH disabilities are treated?!? The irony is sickening. This kind of hypocrisy undermines every word of their statement and calls into question the integrity of its leadership.

No one should have to face this kind of treatment when shopping. You cannot hide behind empty mission statements. The truth will come to light, and this injustice will not go unanswered. The community deserves to know how families with disabilities are truly treated here, by both employees and customers.

Additionally, the overall environment was hostile and poorly managed, with entitled SCALPERS rummaging through bins like greedy pigs. Instead of addressing disruptive behavior from other customers, Mary misdirected her aggression toward a vulnerable child. This treatment is unacceptable. Goodwill should be disgraced to allow such toxic behavior like this under their name.

To make matters worse, we generously gave Goodwill AMPLE time to address this issue and respond to our outreach, but they have failed to do so. As a result, this situation will now be escalated to federal and state enforcement authorities. We will file both a formal ADA complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice and a complaint with the BBB. We will also notify the state civil-rights agency and Attorney General’s office, alert local consumer watchdogs and media, and pursue every legal and public‑interest remedy available to ensure this violation receives full oversight. You have left us no choice. This will not be dropped.

STEER CLEAR OF THIS...

I drove 45 mins to Harrisonburg to visit the GW bins on Friday, July 11, 2025. The store was extremely clean inside and out. When I first walked in, it didn’t seem like a lot was available, I thought to myself, ‘Well this won’t take long.’ It did take a while, but I found a ton of great stuff, including Reed & Barton silver cake server, 100% cotton king size sheet set (super cute😍), Christmas decorations, top whistle tea kettle, and tons of name brand clothing and shoes. It does take time and patience to dig through the bins as everything is in disarray and can even have matching pieces in separate bins completely apart from each other. For instance, I found a Keen hiking sandal in one bin, found the other 3 isles over. The young man at the register that checked me out, was super friendly and informative. As we talked, I learned that the bins were considered to be low in stock that day and Mondays typically have a much more. I highly suggest wearing gloves while shopping, as the items are constantly being handled by so many shoppers, and in the clothing section there are some dirty worn garments (please donate AFTER washing). This was my first visit to bin shopping, and I was pleasantly surprised. I look forward to visiting this...

Lovely employees at the register! I wish I could remember their names, but they are always so sweet and helpful and friendly, and make it a joy coming in. We love to treasure hunt, and are so, so grateful for Harrisonburg having the bins! My closet has never been so stuffed, and my bookshelf is overflowing with...