Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette — Local services in Redmond

GOODWILL'S BAD-WILL!!! On September 28th I was meeting people at the Redmond Oregon Goodwill store overflow parking lot, away from main customer parking area, to give them Huckleberries they ordered on line though my facebook post. Within five minutes of arriving and in the middle of a transaction with one customer we were interrupted by two woman wearing Goodwill shirts one of whom stated she was the "Store Manager". This "Manager" asked what I was doing, I explained why I was meeting folks there, to which she in a rude & demanding tone asked if I had "permission" to meet there. Embarrassed and shocked by her aggressive attitude I answered "well no..." to which she responded "Goodwill doesn't allow soliciting on their property and we all have to leave now!" Both myself and the several middle aged and elderly woman, some of whom had driven as far as 50 miles to meet, were embarrassed and very uncomfortable by the Manager's attitude. I explained I wasn't soliciting, or advertising for customers and we were simply taking advantage of the easily found and large parking area where we clearly were not in the way of store operations, to meet and do the exchange. The "Manager" stated that didn't matter to her and repeated her demand we all leave now!

I apologized to the people I was meeting with and asked them to follow me in their cars across the street to the Home Depot parking lot to finish the exchange, which we did. As I drove out of the overflow parking lot past the store, the Manager and two additional store employees were standing at the corner of the building on the sidewalk observing myself and the several cars following me leave. As I passed by I saw them talking and break out into laughter... The "Manager's big bust" ridding the store parking lot of the "undesirable middle age and elderly men and women's Huckleberry exchange"!!???

What I and the people I was meeting didn't understand is why this "Manager" felt it necessary to be so confrontational? As one woman observed, I wasn't there trying to sell to the public, it was just people meeting for an exchange same as people do at Wal-Mart or, or as we did without anyone feeling there was a problem, across the street at the Home Depot overflow parking lot after we left "Goodwill".

After delivering to the folks that followed me to Home Depot I placed a small A-frame sign on the sidewalk facing across the street in view of people exiting "Goodwill" in hope the several additional folks who were planning to meet up during the one hour I scheduled would be able to find me. Unfortunately they didn't, including one very elderly disabled woman who made the very significant effort to leave her home and have someone drive her to meet to get her berries. She called me later that evening to tell me how difficult it was for her to make the trip and not find me...

As I was leaving Home Depot parking lot I saw the Goodwill storefront with the big promotional wording about helping those in need, and especially the talk about "helping people find jobs".. I couldn't help but see the irony.. There I was, after not having been able to work the past eleven months due to struggling with emotional and physical illness after the death of my beloved companion, now working harvesting foraged wild Huckleberries to make the first income I've been able to earn in almost a year (while running up more than $20,000 in credit card debt from trying to save my companion's life and subsisting afterwards until this week selling berries) having been accosted by this person charged with helping people just like me, treating me like I was some kind of felon for meeting regular folks on that large gravel unused parking area? It appeared to me this woman who did not offer her name, was consumed by perceived "self importance" of her position as store "Manager", and instead of acting from a place of kindness and asking why we were there was more invested with impressing her employees by way of making a show of her "authority". Is this what Goodwill is...

I am fairly new at being a "Goodwill Browser" but a friend of mine is always finding great deals on great stuff at our local Bend and Redmond, Oregon Goodwill Stores, so I thought I would give them a walkthrough... Of course being a thrift store, their inventory is always changing, so my review will be based on cleanliness of the stores, and the staff at each location.... And I have to say, both the Bend and the Redmond Goodwill stores pass with flying colors! At both stores, the floors are clean, so are the bathrooms. And the staff at both locations are extremely helpful, and very friendly! I have asked for directions to find certain things because both stores are fairly large, and the staff is always knowledgeable and eager to help me find anything that I am looking for! I would definitely recommend both of them!! Whether you have a couple hours to wander the isles and browse everything, or you only have 20 minutes to run in and find the perfect shirt and pair of pants, Goodwill is certainly the place to find what you want or need, at a fair...

Tired to drop off 2 wheel chairs, in very good condition, and was told if they don't have the "foot rests", they don't take them. A few weeks back I tired to donate a black office chair in good shape, was also told no because there was some stitching that was pulled a bit out, ever heard of cutting them with a pair of scissors? The fabric no no rips or stains. I guess they expect all new, never used items to be donated only. How dare you donate lightly used , perfectly fine items so they can sell them. And the best part is when you go in and look at a lot of the furniture and chairs they have, 90 % of it is stained, ripped, had marks or scratches on it. No donations will be brought there again. Mostly since the stuff they have for sale has been in worse condition, and the prices are extremely expensive. 89.99 for a used office chair with a tear on the seat? Get real, you can buy new for less. Greedy goodwill stores, won't get my...