Complaint Review: GoodWill - Norwich Connecticut

I highly suggest that ppl report this to the BBB. The only way ppl are going to no about his is if you make a formal complaint. The Goodwill is scandalous.

I've noticed that all the clothing and stuff stolen by the crooks who run my high school, in Sachse, Texas, often brag about delivering these items to GoodWill. Do these people not know what goes the **** on? Or is somebody in the Dallas area branch working with Sachse High School and Garland ISD to do this?

1st, As an owner of a consignment shop, I take exception to the fact that the consumer lumped consignment shops in with the experience she had with Goodwill. Consignment shops are completely different. they take items from their clients and share the proceeds of sales with said customers a win win win situation. Everyone benefits, the client, the shop and the buyer. Further, after the consignment period is over, the client may either pick up their items or often times, they will be forwarded on to various charities. This being said, I think I would also have been concerned and/or upset under the same circumstances in a Charity Facility. However, it is possible, that although these women were working for the chairty, they sill may be poor or needy. These jobs are not exactly the top of the heap for pay scales. And without further information, you may be making a premature judgement. It would seem apparrent however, that even if they / and their families may be in need, they have an unfair advantage by going through the items as they are brought in. I would "hope" that most employees, who buy from their respective chairities, do so after the items are marked and put out for sale to the general public. Also, have you considered, that even though you donate your items to a chairtable organization, not everyone who shops there are people who can't afford to shop elsewhere, but many are simply trying to find good deals. Everyone wants to save a buck these days and hopefully, the money spent will end up benefiting those who are truly in need which is the whole purpose of the store in the first place.

the danbury store has some pretty sad stuff on display. well onday i got a tour of the back room. well i couldnt believe it yamaha pa speakers marshal giutar amp. they holding these. i had a suspician all allong that they were stealing or holding out on the good stuff

My experience is in services provided by Goodwill Industries to people with disabilties. The funds from the thrift stores are used to fund these services including employment, life skills training, etc. These services and the money to continue providing those services are greatly needed. I actually started buying things there (not just dropping them off), because I feel like I am contributing with my purchases. Recently I became acquainted with the retail side through a family member who works for them. It is true employees are allowed to purchase the clothing, but they must wait a week with it on the floor (for others to buy) before they can purchase it. If these women were taking it from the drop-off, they were wrong and did not follow the company's policies. You should certainly file a complaint with the larger organization and never be afraid to take names. Dropping at an different branch is an alternative. Personally, I will not be using the Norwich branch (as has been my practice), but I know the Glastonbury and Manchester branches are well-run.

I was grieved to read about your unfortunate incident as I am certain your intentions were to help Good Will Industries provide services to their clientel. However, I was even more vexied to see that "consignment stores" were mentioned in the title of this article. After reading it I found nothing in the article relating to consignment stores, which are quiet different from thrift stores. As a consignment store entreprenuer, I believe that the majority of shop owners aspire to operate our businesses by a code of ethics that establishes and maintains our integrity, fair dealings and professionalism. I sincerely hope that your experience with the Good Will thrift store does not taint your desire to continue to support other deserving organizations (God will reward your efforts), or that you see consignment stores in the same light as in the above example. Sincerely,

I worked for the Salvation Army for 4 years, and saw the same exact thing happen. When I first started working for them in the warehouse/thrift store, the "Officers" and his neice (who also happen to be the office manager) would make sure they were there when the truck unloaded, so that they could get whatever they wanted first, and then had the employees take the stuff to a locked office until they had room for it at home. It was a running joke that on Thursdays the truck would go to a very nice community, and they would be there first, because only "good" stuff came from this area. When the "officers" were transfered out of the area to another state, a big U-Haul was brought into the warehouse, and the room emptyed on a Sunday, the only day the warehouse was not open. We also had 1 little old lady who took at least 3 bags of stuff home every day, and when you went to her house, the stuff was still in these bags, filling 1 room in her house. I really hate to say it, but this does indeed happen quite alot, and most stuff does make it into the store for re-sale, but have you wondered what ever happens to the money? The employees have to get paid, rent on building, untilites, the bell ringers at Christmas time, the office staff payroll comes partly from the store...etc. Very little actually goes back into the community to help others, most of that money comes from private donations, church collections, & United Way. I was with this organization for 4 years, and saw it all, could not believe it. During a hurricane about 15 years back, the Sal Army set up a temp office, to collect can goods and clothes, then they were to give out the food and clothes as needed. Alot of the can goods went right out the back door, some times these can goods never even made it to the warehouse, but the drivers of the trucks stopped at their homes, and helped themselves. It really is a sad thing, but unless you can "see" that your goods are going to the less-fortuate, then like previous posters before me, if you don't want it, someone else might need it. Just donate, and forget about it.

It's true, The items that are donated to Goodwill Stores are not automatically designated to temporary shelters or other charities like the woman's shelter as mentioned by Michelle. This organization is for the general welfare of the community on a broader scope. Many of the employees of these stores could be considered as the less fortunate. Many are employed here that have not had the opportunities the rest of us had. They may have been accepted by Goodwill after being turned away elsewhere. They should not be confused with ex Neiman Marcus employees who found a better job. Please do not hold contempt for a decent organization because you don't understand It's goals and It's mission. The employees at any Goodwill store, while having first look at new donations must pay for them like anyone else. Your donations allow Goodwill to be one of the most respected charitable organizations anywhere. Save your complaints for those organizations who are profit only minded, helping only those employed there with the real profits going elsewhere and not helping the community. It makes me happy to know that I am supporting the community that I live in when I donate these tax deductable items to the Goodwill stores. I know many of the employees personally as my wife happens to work for this charitable organization. There are many misconceptions but sufice it to say the donations are resold usually in the same community in order to pay all Goodwill employee's and to turn a profit. The profits are used for other benificial programs financed by Goodwill to re-educate and employ many people that do not have the blessings that we have had. This includes many handicapped persons and others who are climbing out of a hole such as people who have had a prior arrest that keeps them from being employed elsewhere. You may have a different opinion here but if you happened to be the unlucky person that had a prior arrest and wants to turn their life around, Goodwill is there for you too! Goodwill also donates to other charitable organizations whenever possible. Maybe you would feel better donating elsewhere and that's fine. But please look into the business before you make dammaging comments that are posted which can hurt others less fortunate than yourself. Regards, Arnold (Retired, former supervisor at TI) Cartwright, OK U.S.A

I have a sneaking suspicion that this practice may be common at thrift stores. Sometimes I have to leave stuff outside, & it occurs to me that someone might steal it before it gets inside. But I try to look at it this way: I don't want it, and even if someone else takes it, maybe they "need" it more than I do (with a wide definition of "need"). In any case, unless I want to work at the shop I'm donating to (& be there ALL the time), I really don't see any way I can control what happens to my stuff after I donate it. ('Course, then again, I'm not donating anything as valuable as a car!) I'm fortunate to have several thrift stores right in my town to choose from, benefitting the retarded, the hospital, the Salvation Army, and the organization formed by all the local churches. A couple of towns away is a HQ for the Salvation Army. In an old building that looks like it might once have been a carriage house (about 6 "bays"), I used to see those bays full to the RAFTERS with donated stuff, some of it falling out into the elements. Now, I've noticed I don't see that any more (they either started putting the stuff somewhere else or got doors for the bays). But it still left me with an everlasting impression that they get more than enough, & I'd rather donate to one of the smaller organizations. Since I have, myself, once or twice received help from the churches' organization (they really help fill the gap left by government services & help catch the many people that fall between the cracks), I feel I have some personal knowledge about how their funds are used. Likewise, I have once or twice not had to pay for hospital services, so I feel that donating to their shop is helping "pay them back" and helping them extend that assistance to others. P.S. I have nothing against the Good Will organization; I just don't happen to have a shop nearby.

Hi again and thank you all for the great suggestions! April, I did find another location to donate, and you know what? I am almost glad the GoodWill incident happened or I might have never looked. There is this Womens Shelter tucked away in this town of Norwich, CT. I put womens in quotes because they allow men there too. Anyway, this place is for abused, battered, homeless men, women, and children. The security there was nothing like I had ever seen. I had to answer 100 questions and show proof of my donations before I could go near the building. When I did arrive, I had barrels of toys, blankets, and additional clothes left over from a family yard sale. I have had the past week off so I have been cleaning and emptying out the garage like a crazed woman! I then, basically, went around to my familys homes and filled my truck with all of their stuff they found during their summer cleaning sessions. What floored me was the reaction from the children when I dragged in the barrel of toys and bags of stuffed animals. These are toys that my step-son, nieces, and nephews deemed old, useless, no-good, etc. Some were even broken (a Power Ranger with one arm for example), but the kids still thought it was awesome. The children reacted like it was Christmas in July. One girl came up and hugged me! I was floored. A few woman were looking through the blankets and were already going back and forth (in a playful manner) over who gets what. The Director of the shelter informed them that they would have to wait while everything was washed and then they would distribute the clothes, blankets, etc. She and the women present thanked me numerous times. I never felt so appreciated for dropping off unwanted possessions in all my years. All in all the experience made me realize how lucky my family and I are for what we have. I left with tears in my eyes because I felt so good that I made those children happy. I have decided that I am always going to bring my donations there. I saw first hand the joy and happiness it brought to people. In fact, next time I might bring the step-son and the other kids. I want them to experience what I did and maybe they will appreciate their blessings a bit more. Believe me, it is a different experience when you see it first hand.

Just the thought of having to see this happen for myself makes me very sick. We have had simular complaints in our area. I live about an hour away from their main office, but they also have a field office right down the street, so I will be calling them and letting them know about your experience. I complained to their main office about a year ago. You see, a close family member of mine passed away and left a lot of Estate items. We held and Estate sale and what was left we wanted to donate to Good Will. We're talking about a Lincoln Town car, Chester Drawers, Dressers, Lamps, end tables, Beds, Mattresses, sheets, brand new clothes, brand new shoes, brand new jackets/coats; you name it and everything was in ecellent condition. I called on a Monday and left a message asking when someone would be in the area and let them know it would be a big Estate donation. It took 3 weeks and about 25 messages for someone to finally call back. When they did, I was told, "Well, we really don't need any donations right now." Nice right? I wanted these items to go to people that could use them, not to be thrown out or whatever. But, what I did might help you also. You see, I don't know if your area has these type of places, but: I then looked in the phone books for Southern Maryland for placed that help others. I found a Children's Aide, Several companies that take donations for the handicap and challenged, thrift stores that sell donations for helping these people, and a donation site for woman that had been pregnant due to rape or simular situations. I called each and asked what they took, need less to say, I did get rid of everything and even checked some of the sites to make sure that these items were either being sold or given to the right people. I kinda feel a need to help others, my youngest son has Autism and CP, so I understand how some can be in a less fortunate situation. Hopefully this helps some. And I am so sorry you had to witness this horrendous act.

I guess I would drop off the stuff in one of those big metal containers you see in some parking lots. They have a truck that picks up the stuff every once in a while, and it's brought to a central location for sorting. Then that stuff is distributed to Goodwill locations in the area. Those people might still steal the newest stuff, but at least you won't have to see it. What they are doing is very un-cool.

I guess I would drop off the stuff in one of those big metal containers you see in some parking lots. They have a truck that picks up the stuff every once in a while, and it's brought to a central location for sorting. Then that stuff is distributed to Goodwill locations in the area. Those people might still steal the newest stuff, but at least you won't have to see it. What they are doing is very un-cool.

I guess I would drop off the stuff in one of those big metal containers you see in some parking lots. They have a truck that picks up the stuff every once in a while, and it's brought to a central location for sorting. Then that stuff is distributed to Goodwill locations in the area. Those people might still steal the newest stuff, but at least you won't have to see it. What they are doing is very un-cool.

I guess I would drop off the stuff in one of those big metal containers you see in some parking lots. They have a truck that picks up the stuff every once in a while, and it's brought to a central location for sorting. Then that stuff is distributed to Goodwill locations in the area. Those people might still steal the newest stuff, but at least you won't have to see it. What they are doing is very un-cool.

You may want to voice your concerns via the e-mail address shown below. It seems logical that Goodwill management would want to know. While some state Goodwill sites do list a Loss Prevention Hotline number for the public to call, neither the Connecticut nor the International sites had any such information. Goodwill Industries International, Inc. 9200 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20814 (240) 333-5200 [email protected] Thank you for visiting Goodwill