Goodwill Outlet Salem — Local services in Salem

After 19 years of shopping at the Goodwill Outlet in Salem OR I have to say that I sadly will not be able to enjoy myself at this store again due to the final and last straw of rudeness and spur of the moment rules made without much thought by the manger on duty. I have spent thousands of dollars in this store and made endless donations. This past week a manager approached me as I entered at 7:40 pm, as I often have, with my mother, only to be told that I must go to thefro nt of the store at 7:45pm to get in line.to pay. I began to tell the manager that I intended to continue shopping until 7:55pm and he told me that if I didn't go to the front the he would ask me to leave. He followed me around for the next 5 to 10 minutes repeating himself and me telling him that I would go get in line at 7:55pm. I suggested he call the police which he told me he had. The police didn't show up. He told me that I would be trespassed from the store. I ended up spending $27.00 in that 10 minute span but boy do I wish I hadn't. I will not be back to that rude atmosphere. I cannot believe how rude the manager was. About a month ago my mother was yelled at by an employe ( my mom has Alzheimers ) because my mom went to find her shoe that she had inadvertently lost. I had to plead with the manager to not yell at her as she obviously couldn't actually understand what was going on. The prices are waaaaay too high at this store. I reported the incidents and my objection to the price increase and was met with absolutely zero empathy. Goodwill is now the Ill-will. This super sucks and leaves a very bad taste after the hours and thousands of dollars I have spent and donated to this very store. I feel demoralized. There are SO many unhappy customers. I guess it really is true what folks have been trying to tell me; Goodwill is a rip off and the managers are dull and rude. The upper management is overpaid. I plan on spending my money elsewhere from here on out. Shame on you Goodwill managers!!!!! Learn...

This is not your typical thrift store. Huge bins full of unsorted, unfolded clothes & linens, bins full of random toys, many broken, books, glassware, etc. Some furniture. AMAZING prices. You pay for anything in the bins by the pound & the more you buy, the less per pound.

Want an entire laundry basket full of tennis balls for the dog park? You'll likely find them here and pay an obscenely low amount, and love it.

Looking for something very specific, foolish to do it here. Going with a few others, planning to put anything in decent shape into your basket that is the right size for who you're shopping for, and then take an empty cart & sort back through all your finds with another set of eyes, you'll do fine. I wouldn't go alone, too overwhelming. But when I take a couple of the kids with me and we're shopping for them & their cousins to supplement their Back-To-School wardrobes, we've been able to get two shopping carts piled HIGH for under $75, total.

They experiment with charging $3.75 for a pair of shoes briefly, but now they're back to the by-the-lb for those. I've gotten adorable, matching duvet covers in perfect condition there.

Take baby wipes for your hands when you're done, or hand sanitizer for as you go. If you find something damp, don't scream, but DO wash your hands.

If you're looking for old denim for a project or clothes to refashion, this is definitely where to go. If you're trying to buy a LOT of clothes for a little $, give it a shot.

If you're easily squeamish & don't like digging through piles of...

Almost 5 stars from me but I have one issue that gets under my skin. Really fun with very few rules but management seems to pick and choose which to enforce. Everyone lines up to be ready for the first hands into the newly filled bins. They have clusters of line 6 tables at a time and no one is allowed to dig in until all tables are exchanged and in place. While employee try to enforce the rules of everyone waiting as soon as they can get away with it the Hispanic men and women are sneaking and peaking taking what they want. Employees tell them to wait when they catch them but the continue to do it when they think they won't be caught. They know the rules and they know they get away with it anyway. Goodwill employees need enforce the rules and kick known cheaters out of the store and ban repeat offenders. It's worse than shop lifting. It's ribbing other patrons of their oppritunity to find that highly desired or valued items. It's not fair that some sit and follow the rules while others knowingly cheat and steal. It's gross and a real slap in the face when they are not held accountable..... But don't you dare touch a bin when the clock hits 8pm. It's closing time and they managers and employees enforce that rule without the slightest bit of leaniency. Come on folks.... I'm tired of feeling bullied and I know your other patrons are...