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I have to vent about this!!! My daughter and I went to Goodwill after church today. They had a very used boxset of Little House on the Prairie books. Perfect! We've read book 1 and are almost done with book 2. The cost was $69.99!!! I figured it was a typo and only supposed to be $9.99. NO! It wasn't a typo! They actually were asking $69.99 for 9 books of the LHOP series!! These were paperback used books, nothing special about this box set! WHAT??? Are they crazy?? I just googled them, and can find the set online for less than a 1/3 of that!

 

Anyway. Vent over. I wil never ever return!

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Okay. That's actually odd. Do they even cost that much new? Did they think they had a vintage item or something?

 

I really don't know what they're thinking. Even if it was vintage (which it wasn't), it is a thrift store and not an antique shop. I am actually thinking about calling them and speaking to the manager. I googled the boxset to make sure I'm not the crazy one, and you can find the set easily for $20 - $25. I know I should let it go, but it's the principle of it. It's Goodwill for crying out loud. I am so irritated that I am seriously going to boycott that location.

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I had a similar experience when dd7 was young. She needed a toddler bed and i found one at the SA. It was wooden, but missing slats and had been horribly painted. (they had painted it red and dripped all over) It had nO price, so I asked and was told $16. That sounded good to me. I could buy some wood for the slats and fix it up cheaply. But the line was long and they were closing the road soon for a parade. So I decided to leave and come back the next day. When I came back I got to the check out and he lady wanted to charge me $50. I told her that I had been there the day befoe and was told $16. She basically called me a liar, saying that only her and one other person priced things and she *knows* the other lady wouldn't price it so low. After all, it's a whole *bed*! So I left and found one on CL for $25 that was in good condition and came with a mattress. And, at the time, Walmart had nice wooden ones, that were new, not ugly and didn't need repair, for $50. I still go to that SA sometimes. They really are the best place to find good stuff. But many times I find things and know who priced them.

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It's so annoying, isn't it? I looked for shorts for my 10 year old today. The cost was $6 - $7 a pair! What? Do people really pay that?? For used shorts?? I can buy new ones at Walmart or Target for the same price or less!

 

I did find some movies for a $1.99 and a book for $0.99 - so I did grab a few good deals. Next time I seriously am driving to the next big town. It will be worth the hour drive!

 

I had a similar experience when dd7 was young. She needed a toddler bed and i found one at the SA. It was wooden, but missing slats and had been horribly painted. (they had painted it red and dripped all over) It had nO price, so I asked and was told $16. That sounded good to me. I could buy some wood for the slats and fix it up cheaply. But the line was long and they were closing the road soon for a parade. So I decided to leave and come back the next day. When I came back I got to the check out and he lady wanted to charge me $50. I told her that I had been there the day befoe and was told $16. She basically called me a liar, saying that only her and one other person priced things and she *knows* the other lady wouldn't price it so low. After all, it's a whole *bed*! So I left and found one on CL for $25 that was in good condition and came with a mattress. And, at the time, Walmart had nice wooden ones, that were new, not ugly and didn't need repair, for $50. I still go to that SA sometimes. They really are the best place to find good stuff. But many times I find things and know who priced them.
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It's so annoying, isn't it? I looked for shorts for my 10 year old today. The cost was $6 - $7 a pair! What? Do people really pay that?? For used shorts?? I can buy new ones at Walmart or Target for the same price or less!

 

I did find some movies for a $1.99 and a book for $0.99 - so I did grab a few good deals. Next time I seriously am driving to the next big town. It will be worth the hour drive!

 

This is why I don't understand why my elderly relatives love the Goodwill. You can get new stuff for cheaper on clearance.

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This is how our Salvation Army Stores are.

 

Our Goodwill Stores are awesome though. They have two sides. One is all the nice stuff, not expensive, but $2-$5 for a woman's shirt. The other side is overflow, things that aren't as nice, or things that didn't sell on the first side. $.85 for anything other than coats ($5) and a couple other things. You have to rummage through the bins, but I've found brand new clothing with tags still on. Bad side is, there are people that shop there and then turn around and sell it on Ebay. One lady was filling her cart up with every nice purse she could find.

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That is awful. I have found our Goodwill to have some odd pricing as well. If something is sealed, they charge the same price as Amazon for the item.

 

Yeah, this SA somethimes does that, too. I found a pair of pants once that still had the tags on it. They wanted $10 for it. The tag from the store had a $6 clearance sticker on it. :lol: I don't go to the thrift shop to pay more than I would at the store!

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I agree! Our Goodwill is way overpriced on most stuff, $4.50 for a pair of toddler jeans that are stained and tattered? No way! I can buy a new pair at Target on sale for $8. I was in there a week or so ago and they had a very old, very ugly, very torn green couch marked at $75 and it had a "sold" sign on it:confused:.

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Ouch! $69.99? Yikes.

 

Not sure if this is an option for you... But I just received the entire LHOP series (paperback boxed set) through Freecycle. I plan to pass it along as soon as we finish it, via Freecycle.

 

Is there an active Freecycle in your area? You never know, maybe you could post a note that you are looking for the books, and someone will be ready to pass along their old copies.

 

Otherwise, I'd hit the library!

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That is CRAZY. Our Goodwill is wonderful. The prices are lower than the DAV, and SA. I can't imagine seeing them selling something for the type of prices you guys are reporting. Our paperbacks are all .99, and their other items are really low. I bought an end table with a lamp attached in almost new condition for 9.99, and that is the norm around here. The only time I roll my eyes is at the DAV, they are known to price items for more than they cost new, and then go through 4 or 5 markdowns before someone buys. I wish they would start with a realistic price.

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Ouch! $69.99? Yikes.

 

Not sure if this is an option for you... But I just received the entire LHOP series (paperback boxed set) through Freecycle. I plan to pass it along as soon as we finish it, via Freecycle.

 

Is there an active Freecycle in your area? You never know, maybe you could post a note that you are looking for the books, and someone will be ready to pass along their old copies.

 

Otherwise, I'd hit the library!

 

my library has the series, so i will just borrow from there. it's just that i saw the series today and thought it would have been nice to own. the price was really just ridiculous and irks me. it isn't that i need the books, it just would have been a "good find" ...in a normal thrift store.

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Wow! That is ridiculous.

 

I haven't gone to our Good Will in a long time because we had a new thrift store open that has 50% off days every week, and $1 sales like every other month. They have quality clothes (brand names) for really good prices.

 

I was at a different Good Will and I found a copy of "Drawing with Children" for less than $3, so that was a great deal. I think- with any deal- you just have to look for it.

 

Though, I agree that sometimes clearance is cheaper than thrift stores. Just depends on the item & how much you need it.

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We don't shop at our Goodwill anymore. The pricing is ridiculous! Just crazy...and the clothing is so worn out it's hardly good for rags. I seriously do not know why they think people should pay $4.00 for a used shirt with stains down the front.

 

When I go into the city every Friday for ds's classical guitar lesson, I check Target clearance racks as well as Jcpenney, and Old Navy. I bought each boy three pairs of cargo pants for $2.00 per pair two weeks ago at Penney's. I picked up shirts for $2.08 each at Target this past Friday night and beautiful sweaters and men's dress shirts for both Dh and eldest ds who can just now where a 14-14.5 dress shirt...$3.00 each!

 

In response to Goodwill's outrageous prices, a community thrift store was started in the same town...$.25 for paperbacks, $.50 for hardcovers, very cheap prices on housewares, nicer clothing $.50 each for babies, $1.00 for children, and $2.00 for adults...some new with tags stuff that is 80% off the retail price, and four times per year they have 75% off clothing. I usually do not find any books I can use, but I sometimes find things I like and nice, used winter coats.

 

Faith

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Yeah, this SA somethimes does that, too. I found a pair of pants once that still had the tags on it. They wanted $10 for it. The tag from the store had a $6 clearance sticker on it. :lol: I don't go to the thrift shop to pay more than I would at the store!

 

The worst is when I find items at the SA or GW for $5-6 that still have the $ store price tag on them or even if the price tag is no longer on it, I know the identical thing is available across the street at the $ store because I had just bought it there

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Goodwill is a huge rip-off. I've read so many blogs about being frugal and shopping thrift stores for clothes, etc. so I decided to check out Goodwill one day. Wow! I can buy brand new, brand name when it's on sale for less than what Goodwill wanted for used unknown brand clothes. I've never been back.

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That is crazy.

 

Our Goodwill is great though. About a month ago, I went in and spent $80 and got 15 dresses for my toddler for the summer, several skirts for my oldest DD, 4 complete 3pc shirt/vest/pant sets for church for my son that barely looked worn, several shirts for me, about 8 Veggietales DVDs (for $1 each) and my favorite find, a rubbermaid storage tote FULL to the brim of Lincoln Logs.

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Goodwill is a rip off they charge almost retail price for items that have been dragged through the coals. I like flea markets much better much cheaper.

 

 

Sometimes they are! Ours here have raised their prices on books to HALF of the original retail price! Seriously?? You are a THRIFT store, for crying out loud! And I've noticed some of their other stuff being way overpriced, too.

 

There are other thrift stores here with better prices. Plus yard sales are always going on during the weekends! ;)

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my goodwill is awesome. Normally paperbacks are 25 cents but for the past month they have been 8 for $1. Hardbacks are 50 cents but rightnow are 25 cents. I just got the whole Mitford series for $1. We have sales once a month where certain clothes are $1 and twice a year everythng is $1.

 

 

 

I've been to other states tho and their stuff is much higher than in our area.

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I agree! Our Goodwill is way overpriced on most stuff, $4.50 for a pair of toddler jeans that are stained and tattered? No way! I can buy a new pair at Target on sale for $8. I was in there a week or so ago and they had a very old, very ugly, very torn green couch marked at $75 and it had a "sold" sign on it:confused:.

 

 

 

 

they don't put that kind of stuff out at our Goodwill. Everything is in pretty good shape. Once in a while I"ve seen something with a stain but not too often. I think the stained and torn stuff they send out to be recycled.

 

Toddler clothes here are 1.99.

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I stopped shopping at the one Goodwill we had in our area for that reason. Do you have a Savers? I much prefer them for used items.

 

Our Savers has also gotten really expensive. And they've always charged too much for books. (And then there's the issue of finding the perfect item, but there's no price tag on it, so they won't sell it to you. And the fact that the store just reeks of perfume and that it takes about 20 washings to even approach getting the smell out. Our allergies don't react well to that. Yes, I'm allergic to Target, but at least their signature smell washes out.)

 

And just in the mail yesterday, we got a big glossy ad for Goodwill. It's like they're an actual store, advertising vacuums and things. Did they get a closeout on vacuums?

 

And I see that there are Goodwills that are selling on Amazon. Maybe they've gotten out of the thrift business.

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That is crazy.

 

Our Goodwill is great though.

 

It is really odd how many negative stories have been shared here. I have nothing but nice things to say about our local Goodwill stores.

 

We check thrift shops often when one or the other of my kids need a specific costume item for a show. And I usually can't resist looking around for stuff for myself. I was there with my daughter last week and decided on a whim to look for jeans. There were racks and racks of denim for women, many of which were good brands (Ann Taylor, Gap, Lands End, etc.). I found two pairs I really liked, in good condition, and paid $5 for each of them.

 

My daughter got three items for her costume, and we paid under $15 for the whole lot.

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Our Goodwill is fine. As others have said, paperbacks .99, and I just bought my husband 3 pairs of pants in great shape (2 slacks, one pair of jeans) for $3.75 each. For several months recently the books were buy one get one free. There's the occasional thing that's oddly priced or that is in worse shape than I would buy, but I leave those things on the shelf, figuring that's the easiest way to get the message across that this isn't desirable. I do see some things in the "boutique" case or rack that are priced higher, but I don't usually buy those. We also have a Goodwill outlet in our area where they sell all textiles by the pound ($1.39 per lb) while the books and other items are half what they are in a regular Goodwill (so .50 for paperbacks). At the outlet you have to sort yourself as the textiles (clothes, linens, etc) are all mixed up on large tables, but it's worth it if you have patience.

 

Overall, I've found more unusual (and higher) pricing ranges at the stores run by the Kidney Foundation and by the AmVets. The AmVets, in particular, seem awfully proud of their used clothing and will sometimes mark things quite high. They then also mark them down periodically, though.

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I have had widely varying luck at goodwill. One day I will get amazing deals and others crazy prices. Sometimes when I bring books up the cashier will change prices. However, I bought a box of money there for $2.99 and a brand new in the box k'nex roller coaster set for $6.99, so I still go. But I was recently looking for a toaster oven and they were trying to sell a thirty year old tiny dirty oven for $16.99. No thanks, used a coupon and got a new one for $24.

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Our Goodwill has higher prices than other thrift stores, but the quality is much better. Our SPCA thrift store is also good. I've never seen stained, tattered, or smelly stuff at either, but the SA and some of the local church thrift stores put complete junk on their shelves.

 

I have a friend who only shops thrift stores, and she and her kids are always well dressed. I've never been lucky that way. I usually find books or kitchen items at thrift stores, and that's about it.

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i'm glad many of you live near good thrift stores. you are truly lucky!! i just moved here about a year ago from SC. the good will there was excellent! the one here (in the panhandle of FL) is so crazy expensive. i plan to go to panama city beach or tallahassee next time - i was told i'll have better luck there.

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And I see that there are Goodwills that are selling on Amazon. Maybe they've gotten out of the thrift business.

 

apparently their mission is to provide jobs, not cheap stuff, and they've found they can make more money online. I've read articles about the online sales in articles.

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Wow, our Goodwill still has great prices. .99paperbacks, 1.99 hardbacks, clothes at decent prices.

The only 99c paperbacks at ours are the thin, scholatisic brand books that have 20 pages or so, many of those are now $2 also. Chapter books are $3-5 a piece and they raise the price based on popularity of the author. If it is a recognizable author (Beverly Cleary, Ronald Dahl etc) or a popular series like Boxcar Children, they raise the price even more. Hardcovers are in the $7-12 range.

 

The store is always busy though, so I guess someone is buying it!

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The GW in the town we moved from was terrible. They were more expensive than Target and Old Navy. I never found anything. Plus, everything in the store was shipped from another GW district. Our donations were sent to the regional HQ and distributed elsewhere. On the other hand, the GW where my dad lives in the burbs of Phoenix is sensational!!! Seriously, it's Rodeo Drive-worthy. He called me one day last summer about a Coach saddle bag purse that a store employee was putting in the locked display case. Still had the original price tags. Originally $340, selling brand new, never used for $50. He went back in to buy it and 4 women were fighting over it. Drew blood, even. Now he knows to not even ask, just buy it if he ever sees another one. He always finds great stuff at his GW. Plus, Thursdays are Senior Days so he gets a discount. I guess it's all location, location, location. And who does the pricing.

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I bet I know which Goodwill you went to. I saw some Longaberger baskets there once (not in great shape either). The smallest one which also happened to be in the worst shape was $25. The others were much higher in price. I only go in there for clothes anymore and only on Monday when clothes are half price. It upsets me most that this is in a basically rural community where people shop thrift stores because they can't afford to buy new. There is another thrift store in that town that has much better prices across the board.

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I agree, our Goodwill stores have ridiculous prices too - although I think $69.99 for a set of books takes the cake. I can't figure out how they come up with their prices :confused: I rarely go there, although my dh likes to, but he agrees their prices are out of line most of the time. I'm thankful we have several other thrift stores near us that are much much better.

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Our goodwill is another one that is grossly overpriced.

 

Their books are 1/3- 1/2 of original prices!

 

They regularly carry clearance items from Target, and if your look under the tags, the item was cheaper at Target!

 

Kids clothes average $4-$5 per item. I can get that cheaper at store sales or a fraction of the cost at most yard sales.

 

Our goodwill, also sells things online or they send really nice things to stores in nearby cities where they can sell it for more.

 

We do have a community thrift store that gives all large items away, to families in need and clothes, books and small household goods are very cheap or fill a bag for $2-5.

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Both of the larger thrift stores in our town are way overpriced. They are very nice and clean though, and I do find the occasional hidden gem, so I continue to shop there in the cold months. As soon as the yard sales begin they become a distant memory.:lol:

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Our Goodwill is pretty moderate, I guess. Small paperbacks are 99c, larger paperbacks are $1.99, hardcovers are $2.99, and textbooks (they have a LOT of used college textbooks because there's a college right across the street) are $3.99. For $3.99, I've picked up almost-new SAT & ACT prep books, BJU & ABeka spiral-bound TE's, Lial's math books, etc. Clothing is a bit overpriced for used merchandise, IMO: adult shirts/tops and pants are $3.50 each, jeans are $5.50 per pair, and shoes are $5 per pair, even for flip-flops.

 

Prices at our Salvation Army are better, but the store is much, much smaller than Goodwill: adult shirts/tops are $2.49, pants and jeans are $2.99, shoes are $2.99, paperbacks are 39c, and hardcovers are 79c, except for children's books, which are all 19c. I have found some GREAT bargains because a lot of homeschool moms donate their used textbooks rather than selling them at the curriculum fair's used book area.

Edited by ereks mom
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The only 99c paperbacks at ours are the thin, scholatisic brand books that have 20 pages or so, many of those are now $2 also. Chapter books are $3-5 a piece and they raise the price based on popularity of the author. If it is a recognizable author (Beverly Cleary, Ronald Dahl etc) or a popular series like Boxcar Children, they raise the price even more. Hardcovers are in the $7-12 range.

 

The store is always busy though, so I guess someone is buying it!

 

wow, I would die if our books were that high. I buy tons from ours. They probably wouldn't sell any books if they were that expensive. A great deal of our population is on welfare so prices are cheap in Southwest Louisiana.

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Our goodwill is another one that is grossly overpriced.

 

Their books are 1/3- 1/2 of original prices!

 

They regularly carry clearance items from Target, and if your look under the tags, the item was cheaper at Target!

 

Kids clothes average $4-$5 per item. I can get that cheaper at store sales or a fraction of the cost at most yard sales.

 

Our goodwill, also sells things online or they send really nice things to stores in nearby cities where they can sell it for more.

 

We do have a community thrift store that gives all large items away, to families in need and clothes, books and small household goods are very cheap or fill a bag for $2-5.

 

a worker at our goodwill said they buy some from Target so that is why there is so much target stuff. Ours never lifts the price tho, it's usually pretty reduced. I got a $35 Buzz LIghtyear for $8.

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This is why I don't understand why my elderly relatives love the Goodwill. You can get new stuff for cheaper on clearance.

 

This. I gave it up over bedbug fears...but also I can use coupons and deals on new stuff from nice stores. I do miss the random really nice item w the tag still on for cheap I would find at GW. Or the awesomly unique item...

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