Goodwill Lawrence — Local services in Lawrence

Absolutely terrible experience here just as of 15 min ago. As a college student, my best friend and I have been shopping here since the beginning of the fall semester. Today, we were asked to leave by the store manager for “having too many items” and being “inconsiderate” of other shoppers. The new rule estates that you have to go in with 5 items and not carts allowed inside of the dressing rooms. After we told this by one of the male store managers, we complied and I left the fitting room for my friend to try on her items first. We had a cart full with half of my items and the other half were hers. I would exchange 5 items as she took 5 items out. Once she was done trying them on I went inside. There were only two people in line and another two fitting rooms to take turns. She then walked up to my friend just as it was my turn to go try on my items and said we were “taking too long, going in and out, and that I had more than five items inside the fitting room.” This was entirely untrue because we stood in line just like all the customers, while she stayed in the fitting room I handed her the items, and we made sure to have no more than five”. Her response was that I was being “argumentative” and that I should “step out and let the other customers go instead.”She claimed she couldn’t hear me in the dressing room and that I was “mumbling” so I quickly got dressed and stepped outside to confront her. When I asked what was the issue and stated that there were no complaints from the customers or other managers, she said that “they didn’t have it in them to confront us”. I continuously tried to ask what the real issue was because we were following the rules and waited patiently in line. She kept insisting that I was “arguing and being inconsiderate of other customers”. She said we could either stay and I could finish trying on my clothes but if someone else stepped in line she would knock and tell me to get out and let another customer go in or just leave the store. Going as far as asking if we “even planned on buying the items in our cart?” We made the obvious decision to leave without anything after now wasting an hour and a half of being in the store. This experience was extremely disheartening, dishonest, and disappointing. I didn’t get her name but she was caucasian, glasses, and 60+. I felt micro aggressions from her and will no longer be shopping here if she is still on staff. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you’re experience is much better than mine. Goodwill, please do better and...

Used to like going there to buy at reasonable prices to help furnish senior apartments friends. Prices have gone up considerably . Sometimes more than what it would cost new. This is bothersome because they get most of their stuff donated so it is profit for them. Their CEO and Regional Managers make the high side if six figures incomes while the workers and store managers work hard for low income. If price increases we're for them, it wouldn't be so bad but it looks like corporate greed rules Goodwill... 60 Minutes had a segment on what the CEO makes versus the workers and disabled workers they are supposedly helping and it was reported that the disabled workers were not even making living wages. Yet the CEO and Regional Managers are making big $$$. It was mentioned that GW is actually exploiting the people they say they are helping by paying them such low wages. Google the segment. If the price increases are being used to increase their workers wages, that is good but I'm guessing instead of CEOs making less to support those wages, they just did a price increase. IF that's where the new profits are going. Sad. Sorry but the person who needs to be paying attention to this review (and what is being said in the aisles of your stores by customers) is the CEO . My guess is they don't spend a lot of time reading reviews... Shame on him. That all said, the STAFF at this store is ALWAYS friendly and helpful. I think they are some of the nicest people and work hard. I just wish they were rewarded better for their efforts and the price increases really gave me a negative vibe because I know they are not the ones...

Something has recently happened with this store. Pricing has jumped at least 30-50 percent seemingly overnight for non clothing items. An old lawn chair with bird poop on it for 14.99? Two months ago, it would have been $6.99 at the most. I hope these new prices will eventually lower if the shoppers push back by spending less. I've seen this sudden price hike before, and the pricing usually levels out over time, but it's sad to see at this particular store which has been reasonably priced for a long time. EDIT: This store is price gouging now. Home Goods and TJ Maxx are more affordable. Not sure where all of the old lovely employees went but there are some serious issues with the new staff. Today, I brought up 4 unpriced identical items and expected to be charged the standard listed rate for those items. The man checking me out gave me marked up prices for each one. He said, "if you look, these are all exclusively made." It is unethical and prejudicial to determine the price at the register when there is a standard price for certain unmarked products. I told them that the prices in the store have become too expensive and exclusionary. He didn't deny it and was very proud to tell me about how they look the items up to find the "value." This is now a thrift store with retail prices. What's troubling, is that other customers don't seem to mind, especially seniors who get a discount once a week. And if that's the case, the prices will stay absurdly high and exclude the needy from shopping there. Good luck selling that bowl currently on the floor...