The Goodwill Store

I love this Goodwill. I come in as much as I can when I’m in the area. I’ve gotten some great bargains, like sweaters for $ 5 in perfect condition, a beautiful pashmina scarf for $ 5, and some small handbags/​clutch purses for $ 4 or $ 5. That being said, you do have to spend some time looking through a lot of worn-​out or damaged items, but you can find gems. My most recent prize was an Ann Taylor blazer in like-​new condition, $ 8, I think? (I do think there’s a little inconsistency in some of their pricing). One of the managers was a little rude to me at the register, but some of the other cashiers are great.
Overall, it’s an adventure to come in here and easily spend an hour or more pawing around.

I’m really into this Goodwill. They’re pretty big, and for Goodwills I would say its fairly clean — pretty cluttered and disorganized, but at least nothing seems grimy or gross.
They have a pretty good selection of women’s and household stuff (men’s stuff is pretty lacking). We stocked our kitchen with dishware from here — they actually have some really nice dish sets — we got a nice set of pristine Crate & Barrel bowls for only $ 2 — and you can grab some whimsical things like a cat teapot or a spiffy olive oil dispenser for a few bucks.
Their clothes can be hit and miss, and it’s really a matter of taking the time to sort through the piles of crap that they have that’s stained, ripped, or just plain ugly. Otherwise, fun group activity to just mindlessly browse through. I think donations are mix of college students and older Back Bay residents, so you have a lot of stuff like lightly worn H&M and Topshop mixed in with really crazy paisey-​shoulder-​pad power woman blouses from the 60s.
Changing rooms can get a little hectic but I don’t really like trying on thrift clothes I haven’t thoroughly washed so I don’t really use them. Staff isn’t too helpful so expect to just be on your own.
I do think this Goodwill has more gems than the others in the city, maybe because of the demographic who donate. I’ve found a great Lilly Pulitzer sheath dress, a bunch of Helmut Lang with the tags still on, and piles of like new stuff from J. Crew/​Ann Taylor/​Calvin Klein/​Banana, all in s/​xs sizes. Best find is definitely like new $ 3,000 Loro Piano baby cashmere cardigan for only $ 8 (seriously who throws this stuff away).
I get the sense that the staff kind of just price donations based really quickly and often don’t recognize the brands/​quality/​retail price of the stuff they’re going through — for instance, once I saw an Anne Klein coat for $ 30 right next to a Theory coat for only $ 20, probably because the latter looked a lot plainer. I think that’s why a lot of the other reviews complain about the prices — yes, there’s a lot of garbage that’s priced very high (who would buy a broken VCR for anything above $ 0 or sweat stained jeans for $ 10??) but if you’re thrifting, I definitely believe it’s really your job as the shopper to distinguish the garbage from the gems.
The staff have no idea what they’re doing when they’re pricing (and I hope it stays that way!) so if you have an eye for brands/​retailers (I know, pretty much exclusively the population that doesn’t shop at Goodwill) you can come out with some unbelievable finds.

Such good selection!
Found a suit coat that just needs a tiny bit of tailoring! Girlfriend found 2 pairs of shoes! ¹⁰⁄₁₀

I’ve never shopped here but I donate frequently. It is one of very few places where you can drop off a donation anytime during their normal business hours and get a receipt. You can pull your car into the ally behind the store and knock on the back door to drop things off. Very convenient.

Good selection of clothes. Bought a newish Victoria secret sport tank for $ 5. Dressing room line got a little backed up.

They may have a few higher end brands but every piece I picked up had huge stains or holes. Every dress had a special white tag attached with a price of at least $ 15 which is quite a step up from the $ 6.99 advertised price. Not worth the time in my opinion.

This place seems to have like 12 people working here at all times, so it stays really neat. Maybe they need to employ that many people to keep everything organized by color? (Should I be concerned that all the staff wear gloves to touch the same clothes I’m touching?)
–1 star because there are only 3 dressing rooms and a staff member has to loudly bang on the doors every couple of minutes… but that’s part of the experience!

I have never been into a Goodwill store until I started working around here. One time I went in to look at a piece of furniture they had in the window display, it ended up having a sold sign on it, but I did end up walking out with very nice crystal wine glasses and some «new» bowls to use for my cats food!
BUT… just the other day, I was walking by on my way to «Brown Sugar» (Um. Yum.) and I saw a dress in the window, with a hideous faux fur boa around it, it was near Halloween costumes, so I am assuming they meant it as a Halloween costume, anyways, I thought to myself, «that dress is GORGEOUS, but wait, I don’t go into Goodwill stores for clothes, I am way too cool for that…» (–_​-​)
On the way back from Brown Sugar, my coworker convinced me to go look at it. I looked at the brand it was a Jovani dress, A gorgeous hand beaded floor length gown, GORGEOUS… Retail today is approx $ 1,900 — The lady seemed surprised ringing me out that I was willing to pay $ 40 for it, maybe a bit over priced for Goodwill, but hi, its a two thousand dollar dress celebs wear, ill take it.
100% changed the way I feel about Good Will. I plan on going back EVERY SINGLE DAY… maybe not everyday, but at least every time I go to Kanes or Brown Sugar for lunch: P

Why is it that every time I shop in a thrift store, I encounter the most RUDEST people? Today I went in to donate my clothes. One of the cashiers was busy with a customer and there was another woman behind the counter completely ignoring me for five minutes managing through clothes but she knew I was standing there looking at her. After giving them my donation, I went to look around the store. There was an okay selection of items. This place is filthy and I kept sneezing from all the dust. I went around to the area where the pillows were right next to the kitchenware and I noticed some backrest pillows in the bottom of this cart. So there was one small pillow, okay, ONE pillow that was on top of those backrest pillows. I moved it aside merely two inches away, still inside the cart of pillows that were there, so I could get a better view and touch what I wanted to look at. I didn’t think they were worth it so I walked away.
Then, this EXTREMELY RUDE employee who was 4 feet away comments, «Miss, can you put that back where that belongs?» I looked at him and nicely said, «Oh you mean this pillow right here? Okay, sorry.» Then he starts yapping at me about how he just organized it and how I shouldn’t be touching things if I’m not going to buy it and other crap. Sir, I work almost everyday in a retail store inside a MALL for crying out loud and never would I EVER go to a customer that rudely and start complaining like a cranky geezer. Sure, my bad for not putting that pillow back in its proper place when it was seriously okay where it was as I left it with the rest of the pillows, but SHAME on you for being so sassy and demanding when all you had to do was ask nicely. I don’t care if you think you have this sense of entitlement because it’s a shitty thrift store. I watch people ruin clothes that I neatly folded all the time and that I know I have to fix again but in the end of the day, that’s retail! How the hell was I supposed to know if I wanted to buy the product if I didn’t check it out. I should’ve just told him to shut his yap but I was too shocked someone could have the audacity to talk so rudely to me about something so small. I just muttered to him I didn’t mean to ruin his, «organized pile of pillows,» and walked away. I’m never coming back here again unless it is to donate clothes. And that guy seriously needs to get his pole out of his a**.

This branch of the Boston Goodwill system is just OK as far as clothes go. Nothing was super special to me and a fair amount of their stock was priced higher than their standard pricing.
However, if furniture and housewares are what you’re looking for, this Goodwill did have a nice selection of both. It seems like the wares were nicer than other branches as well.
So yeah, if it’s clothes you’re looking for, go to the Goodwill in Davis. If it’s furniture, than this is probably a pretty good option.

Love this Goodwill. Sure, it’s messy, disorganized, and you will definitely want to bring some Purell with you, but come on it’s a Goodwill. What sets this place apart isn’t the space or the employees (which are both mediocre to fair) but the content. I’m not exaggerating when I say a solid 25% of my wardrobe comes from this place. God bless the students who can afford to donate all their Banana Republic, J. Crew, and Club Monaco clothes after just one wear. This is the only time I’ve seen trickle down economics actually work.
Of course you have to dig to find the good stuff! It can be a fun way to spend an afternoon, and almost always pays off. I get so many compliments on the things I find here. They do a good job of pulling out the quality stuff for their Boutique section, which cuts down on your searching but be prepared for the prices to reflect that. Still though, I’d rather pay $ 18 for an Anthropologie coat than $ 150.

If you’re wondering where all of the pricey clothes that BU students discard after the semester’s over go, this is it. You found it. I’m not a huge fan of them having a «boutique» section (I don’t need any hand-​holding!), but honestly they pick out good stuff. I’ve never had to deal with the staff really, but I’ve only gotten compliments on what I’m wearing when they’re ringing up my stuff. It’s a Goodwill, guys. If you want a cleaner, more organized store who gives more of a crap, then go to H&M or something!

Staff is extremely rude. I understand it’s Goodwill, but a little decency is expected. The manager got mad at me for a mistake that her employee made and told me she was doing me a big favor by giving me store credit for a «tagless» sweater that I returned, and told me to make sure next time that everything had a tag before I bought it. It would’ve been okay if she hadn’t been condescending and rude about it. I kept trying to talk and the manager, and two other staff members kept cutting me off and talking over me. Do I work at your store? No, so I shouldn’t have to do your staff’s work. It seems that very few people who work here actually know how to speak to customers.
As far as clothes go, they seem to have a decent selection, probably due to their location (colleges students who have the $ to be able to clear out their closets and donate really nice articles of clothing). Their prices are little high up for what I’m used to seeing at other Goodwill locations and other thrift stores. $ 15 for a J. Crew shirt? Still a great deal but that’s something that Buffalo Exchange would do, and they’re consignment. Also, a closer inspection of inventory would be good. I saw a bunch of clothes with holes and stains being sold for $ 10+ because of brand name. Those should be a lot cheaper.

The manager «Lori» is one of the most irresponsible and rude person I have ever met. The place is a disorganized chaos and completely inconsiderate.

I checked out this Goodwill after being seriously disappointed in Urban Renewals (I still don’t see what all the hooplah is about that place– sure they have a lot of stuff, but nearly all of it is nothing to call home about) and it was, as my star rating denotes, «OK». The selection isn’t too large (they barely had any women’s jeans) and the prices are higher than I’ve seen at most Goodwill locations. I know that the employees just assign prices based on what they believe it’s worth, but $ 15 for a pair of used no-​name brand pants is rather silly in my opinion.
My advice would be to go to the Goodwill in Central, as it has better quality items and much better pricing ($ 8 Coogi and 7 For All Mankind jeans in excellent condition? Don’t mind if I do!)

This is a good thrift store. Sometimes the prices are higher than they should be, but it’s still going to be cheaper than what you would find in a new retail store. The best items here are the blazers, records, dishes, furniture, brooches, and sometimes DVDs. I purchased the full box set of My So Called Life for $ 5. Score!

I am SHOCKED to read people claiming this place is clean. Just shocked.
Here’s a story for you Unilocalers… one day I was shopping in the shoe section (where, by the way, I have scored some awesome Bandolinos and Steve Madden pumps that looked like they had never been worn) and was being chased by the putrid odor of sh*t. I thought to myself, some asshole is cropdusting the shoe section, gross. But then, I spotted it, a smear of poop on one of the blue bins. I about died right there, but then I looked beyond that, and there was a soft serve of human excrement sitting right there on the floor. Through tears and gasping for breath I found an employee and alerted them. He just sort of shrugged an ran to pick it up like it was par for the course and happened regularly in there.
So, poop story aside, this place is not that clean, and not that organized. I still shop there for things not covered in feces, and have found some really good deals there on shoes, lamps, dishes, games, books, CDs, etc.
So go here, bring purell, and watch where you step.

I love thrift stores and I really want to love this place, but they make it so hard. On the plus side, it’s very clean and sometimes you can find barely worn clothes from good brands like the pristine banana republic sweater I got today, but you have to pick through a lot of crap.
On the downside, even though it’s cheap, it still seems so much more expensive than any Goodwill I have ever been to. Do I really want to spend $ 4.99 on someone’s old road race tshirt with yellow armpits. Really? Why do they even stock this stuff.
Anyway, I was happy to see that they were offering 25% off with student ID this month. Then I overheard an employee give advice to another employee while they were pricing some items. It went something like this, «…remember that it’s 25% off. I price everything higher during this entire month and then for Halloween just go wild.» Well, that explains it I guess. And just in case you’re already looking for that awesome ugly sweater for the parties this holiday season, they already have them set aside for $ 12 – 15. You could always just go to the clearance rack at any discount retailer and buy a brand new ugly piece of crap sweater, but that might not be in the spirit of things.

Vintage cocktail glasses: $ 0.85 per piece
Frightening Pope Benedict biography: $ 0.99 for the paperback
Getting rid of half the boy’s wardrobe: priceless
Considering that the products here are the cast-​offs from all walks of life, the assortment of goods is staggering and stupidly affordable. From apparel to housewares and from console games to electronics, there’s something for everyone.
Not only can you ditch your discardables for a good cause, you can spend your money here for a fabulously frugal feeling as well!

I love this Goodwill. This, and a Goodwill I went to in San Diego once, are probably the best I’ve been to. I honestly chalk it up to the socioeconomic bracket of the people who do most of the donating. I think the colleges nearby = kids with semi-​wealthy parents who are in a hurry to clean out their closets at the end of a semester and therefore end up donating really great stuff. I always do find the best stuff in late December or mid May.
And I have found REALLY nice stuff here. My favorites are the several cashmere or angora sweaters I’ve paid between $ 5 – 10 for. Each. In fact I think the majority of items *I’ve* bought from here are Anne Taylor or Calvin Klein. I’ve also gotten a sweet chrome wine rack that must be modern but looks like something out of the 50’s, awesome Revere cookware that can pretty much only be found in thrift stores now, some beautiful sherry glasses that look like they must b carnival glass, some cool early 90’s CD’s (Spin Doctors, Counting Crows, Indigo Girls), and — my favorite purchase — a pair of brown chunky-​heel knee-​high boots that fit me like a glove and look like they were worn once. I was mad when I went last spring because of their multiple pairs of $ 7 kitten heels, I couldn’t find any that fit me.
I also really like their accessories. Before they revamped their jewelry case I would routinely find silver jewelry (my favorite ring is a spiral Taxco ring I found there several years ago) or Bakelite and have also walked away with some really good handbags.
Love it. In fact, writing this makes me think I might go today… :)
Happy Thrifting.