Isn't Goodwill for Poor people?

[ScooperDuper]

I live about a mile from a Goodwill and as the economy gets worse it keeps getting busier. I'm not sure if Goodwill is for poor people or more people are becoming poor.

[soloist]

That wasn't very nice of her. If she had said that to my little niece, she would have been promptly called, "a meanie butt pooey head."

[Freelance_Mom]

I kind of wish I COULD shop at Goodwill, but I've never been successful at finding attractive clothes in my size. I have to wear a 3x shirt, not because the rest of me is that big but because I've got a rather large chest. I have never found 3x shirts at Goodwill. For some reason I'm always SoL on my pants size too, though I don't think size 16 is all that uncommon.

So I continue to pay top dollar for clothes, not because I'm uppity about Goodwill, but because I just have never had any luck finding anything that fit me or made me feel/look good. I suppose I could take my kid there, but I remember being in middle school too well and being downright ostracized over my generic clothing. The child-version of that comment your friend made is about 100xs worse and spreads to every kid in the school, and my child is very friendly and happy to tell you every detail about everything (i.e. she'd carelessly tell them it was Goodwill). So we just buy fewer clothes and we try to get them on sale.

[ssams62]

thrift stores are great!

[randimoore]

I have had amazingly good luck at buying clothes either on massive discount sale or at end of season. If you hunt for them in the 75% or more off racks and on those days when they have an extra 20% off, you can find some great bargains even at top name places like Macys.

I also hit up garage sales, consignment sales, freecycle, craigslist, etc. You can find some great deals if you take the time to hunt them down.

[Jflats]

I believe more lower income families shop there because of their financial situation, but I know plenty of middle class families that shop there. It's a tough economy so anything you can do to save extra is beneficial. I'm certainly not to proud to shop there.

Originally Posted by mom2for

I went out to dinner with some girlfriends. I happened to be wearing a pair of pants with a cute print that I had gotten at Goodwill for just a few dollars. When I said where I bought them, one of my more wealthy friends said, "Goodwill is for poor people."

Well, I wouldn't call myself "poor". I'm not as well off as she is. I have no problem wearing second-hand clothes. I enjoy going to yard sales, consignment sales, etc.

I do think that some people dump their junk at Goodwill, but you can actually find some really nice items there. Don't you think?

[akchrist]

This guy walked into my dad's shop with some old corduroy pants on one day. I remember my dad saying that he was thinking to himself that he hadn't seen those kind of pants since the 70's. Anyway, this guy asked my dad (who was in the video game business) if he would put some video games in his businesses. My dad had him take a seat to talk about his business. Come to find out this guy was the owner of Edward's Theaters (now Regal). He was a billionaire and guess what? He only shops at Goodwill and he drives a 40 year old beat up van. Who's laughing now!!!

[Mamacw]

I think your friend was trying to hard to make herself feel superior..

There's nothing wrong with Goodwill stores..I'm not poor but I love them! Especially because I modeled before I had my baby and I could get so many cute things at very cheap prices for photoshoots where I had to bring my own wardrobe... many models do it.. that doesnt make them poor at all..

Even know that i'm in the process of losing the baby weight from my pregnancy..i'd rather shop at goodwill anyday than nordroms or macys for clothing that i do not plan on wearing very long...i'm not going to go spend 50-100 for something that i am trying to shrink out of within a couple of weeks..that would just be wasteful!

[cmeprosper]

I love Goodwill! I have gotten some nice clothing there. Some brand new with tags!

[PinkPea]

I just found the perfect evening gown for $18.23 - at Goodwill with the tags STILL ON FROM LORD AND TAYLOR. Even the lady at the checkout counter looked twice at the price and commented on what a steal this was. This gown could easily retail for $300 or more.

Tell your rich friends that they can stay rich by shopping at Goodwill !

Edited to Add: I also buy all of my DESIGNER handbags there !!! What a deal.

Loving thoughts to all,

Pink Pea