Comment on Goodwill is out of control
Hacksaw@lemmy.ca 2 months agoThis is a store where people GIVE away their stuff, out of the goodness of their hearts with the premise that it will be sold at a low price so that someone less fortunate can benefit. If goodwill has decided to sell the merchandise it gets for FREE at “fair market value” to the highest bidder in order to maximise profit then what’s the point of goodwill? Might as well use a consignment store and get a cut.
The exchange in “Goodwill” is that you’re donating in goodwill so your things can help others. That’s what goodwill MEANS.
mosiacmango@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Okay, you misunderstand how retail charity works. These charities sell donated goods to generate revenue to fund their charity effort.
The “charity” isn’t the cheap goods inside the store. It’s using the profit they generate to run or give to that charity. This can be running food banks, animal shelters, jobs programs, etc. The more money they make, the more they can give to their causes.
Their social good works in 3 ways: provide that charity effort, provide inexpensive or less expensive goods to people, and act as free recycling centers for the environment.
Maggoty@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Goodwill specifically markets itself as a thrift store to help the working class while also helping homeless and disabled people get retail experience to get normal jobs.
Instead we’ve found out they get their product donated, they pay less than minimum wage (sometimes 22 cents an hour), and they sell at market prices. So that was all a lie. That’s why people are mad. Changing what they say they do now isn’t going to work without a massive PR campaign to show people the out of store projects they do. And then we’re all going to ask where the money for that PR campaign came from. They are a shit company, and a shittier charity.
mosiacmango@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Can you link some of these ads you’re talking about? I don’t really see any ads for them anywhere.
I don’t think they have ever hidden that they sell things that are donated, since they want people to donate. I don’t think they generally sell most things at market prices, especially notvfrom what I’ve seen. A $300 coat may be $35 dollars there, but that isn’t anywhere near “market” prices.
It sounds like you have specific issues with Goodwill, which is fine, but the above is how all retail charities work. The store prices are not the charity. The charity comes from the profits from the stores, so all retail charities are incentivized to make a profit in their stores. The fact that the prices are much less than market, and that they do some great environmental things as well is the extra postivie bits of retail chsrity like goodwill or habitat for humanity. If you don’t care to support the model, that’s fine, but that’s why they proce things like they do.
Maggoty@lemmy.world 2 months ago
goodwill.org/…/goodwill-celebrates-national-thrif…
It’s literally their entire marketing scheme. And if the Goodwill near you is offering good prices still then that’s great. But this is something people have noticed.
Hacksaw@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
Sounds like you’re the one misunderstanding goodwill. Goodwill doesn’t donate to ANY causes. Their ONLY contribution is employing disabled people and providing jobs/training. You can read it on their own website.
There well known for paying their disabled employees below minimum wage while paying local store CEOs hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.
So don’t tell me about how the high prices I pay will support charities.