Goodwill Donation Center

OPEN LETTER TO GOODWILL DONATION CENTER (EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA) 5-​30-​2016:
Re: Unfortunate Incident With Donor /​Cashier at Goodwill Donation Center
Hello Goodwill CEO and Human Resources Department Chief. I need to report terrible treatment, I as a donor, at one of your California sites/​stores/​receiving areas received from one of your «Goodwill» employees today, Memorial Day, May 30, 2016 between 12:15 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. Pacific time.
Place: Goodwill Store, (310) 322‑6797 · 630 N Sepulveda Blvd Unit B El Segundo, CA 90 245
Person: Male, Latin, 20s, dark hair, red shirt;
Coworker: Female, dark hair, short stature
Situation:
I think of Goodwill first, to donate valuable clothing I no longer need, to donate and contribute to your organization. Today was no exception.
However, from the moment I walked through the double doors and up to the cashier, he took an immediate dislike and was incredibly rude to me, enough that I should simply have left. But it is important I defend my own integrity now and bring to your attention, Goodwill Industries, the bad behavior of your employee. I do not believe this person should be in your employment.
(a) I walked up to him having four (4) very heavy trash bags full of clothing new with tags and asked if he had a hamper I could borrow. He said no. I saw an old rolling office chair sitting next to the door and asked if I could use it then, if there was no container or hamper, to move the heavy bags from my car outside by the curb. It was on wheels, so it sounded logical. He said «No. YOU can’t take a ‘donation’ out of the store for any reason. No.» The ‘donation item’ he referred to is the ‘chair’ I asked to borrow. In fact he stood there snapping his chewing gum, able bodied as he was, I am 60 years old, and did not offer to help me in the least to bring in the bags even though he had a coworker manning the store with him;
(b) I brought my first heavy bag to the front door, both coworkers were looking at me with a deer-​in-​a-​headlight look from inside by the counter, no customer was in the store, only the 2; neither of them would open the door for me. I think by now it was all intentional with either a lazy-I-don’t-know-what-to-do attitude or one of pure bullying, neither quality a Goodwill employee should have. I opened the door trying to balance the bag and asked the red shirt, where does this bag go, he mumbled and I really couldn’t understand. I asked, «What?» He finally said, ‘on the floor.’
© As I walked out for my last bag I asked the red shirt, ‘can I have a favor, you saw me at the door, my last bag is heavier, can you open the door for me when I arrive?” He did not offer to help me. He said, «No. The door is O-​P-​E-​N!!!» I just couldn’t believe it, I think the only reason I made my last trip was because I had done house-​cleaning and I did not want to bring a bag back to the home. I approached the door this last time, probably the female coworker took it upon herself to prop the door open. I walked up and took the receipt and left. I noticed his signature on the receipt was a bunch of swirls so that his name could not be legible, he likely knew the way he acted toward me and didn’t want to hear about it again from a supervisor.
I want Goodwill to take all of this improper behavior of this male employee seriously. Goodwill most likely has the area covered for video surveillance, watch the tape from the date and time above and approach this employee about the ‘incident’ and any business-​thinking person would not keep him in the employ for another moment after all this is reported and documented. He is not the right person to greet the public or work in a Goodwill warehouse/​donation center. Neither job works for him and he is not ‘working’ or functioning for you, Goodwill Industries in your best interest. To him it’s ‘just a job’ and today was ‘just a holiday he had to work.’ Take care of this with your employee unless of course you accept or condone his improper and rude behavior here and if in your eyes all this is just par for the course. Thank you.
Signed, Sincerely, disappointed donor

WOW
This is a great place! Not only can you quickly and easily drop off your donations… but you can also buy some books here for only a buck!
There are tons of books, CDs, and DVDs here. Most were priced at around $ 1. The books were also sorted into sections.
Plenty of parking, and friendly employees.

Have been there a few times in the last 6 months. Each time worse than the one before! Today was the last time. I have always taken the best of the best, No need to explain… Today, i went about 1:30,and found a place to park. Walked in to get a blue tub. About 45 seconds later, an obese Hispanic waddled out and informed me they had no tubs available. Really…The «Tub» behind the desk told me I could wait!.She said her helpers were eating, and would not be available for a while… She never offered to help, just said sorry… Isn‘t that how they make money?.. Donations??.Anyway…What good is a morbidly obese worker… Food/breaks/rest/repeat…To be dismissed when I‘m trying to make someone money, just doesn’t work for me. I‘d rather put it on the street corner… I would say «Badwill»

By far the worst donation center I have been to. First of all I drove by at 3:30 and they were «at lunch» until 4pm. Not the best first impression. I came back shortly after 4. I had quite a few boxes in my car that were on the heavier side. I asked the guy behind the counter if he could help me but he replied that he was the only one in the store so he could not. I made about 3 trips. Every time I would come in he would be in the back. He could of at least held the door open… maybe grabbed a box from me at the door that way he was not leaving the store. At this point I was done. Half of my car was still full but obviously my donations we not needed at this location. I will be in search of a new organization to donate to from here on out.

I have just used this site for drop off, so I can’t comment on any kind of shopping. The drop off was quick and easy for items that can be easily transported. I’m not sure how they deal with bigger items, but I was happy with my experience.

This is such a small little place that unless you know that this is here, it’s one of those places you would just drive past without never knowing about it.
I had some donations I wanted to drop off so I did a quick Unilocal search and found that this location was the closest to my house. As the Unilocal title says this is a donation centre, I thought I wasn’t expecting to find a shop. But when I pulled up I saw lots of books! I didn’t really have time to have a proper look inside but I will sure be returning to take a look at the selection they have on sale. I have a toddler at home who goes through books very quickly so this place is perfect!

To be clear, I’m rating the donation center part of this Goodwill. I actually like the used-​book part of the Goodwill. They are one and the same, with the same staff, but I feel their donation service is lacking.
Warning: Long Read (skip to end for the point)
Today, I cleaned out my garage. I had a trunk full of electronics, small appliances, and other valuables I wanted to donate. I first went to a donation center in Redondo Beach that I frequent, who donates money to children’s hospitals. While they usually happily accept my donations of old clothes, they told me they couldn’t accept what I had for them today. A nice 70-​old lady came out to my trunk, and hand picked some things she thought she could sell at her store. She smiled, thanked me for the small donations, and said she hoped to see me again.
That experience was the polar opposite of what I got at this Goodwill. With a trunk full of electronics, appliances, and other valuables still, I drove over to Goodwill to donate the rest. I told a lady at the counter that I had a large amount of items to donate. She brought a blue tub-​sized cart out from the back and pushed it toward me in the middle of the store. I was hoping she would at least help me open the doors while I pushed it out to my car, but she just went back to sitting at the counter staring into space.
Ok, no problem. I clumsily hold open the two large, metal-​glass doors while pulling the over-​sized cart out of the store. I rolled it to my trunk and started to unload it. I practically filled the tub-​sized cart. it got so heavy I struggled a bit to lift it up back onto the sidewalk toward the store. Again, clumsily trying to keep open two swinging doors, I eventually managed to get the cart back inside, the whole time thinking «a little help please…»
Once in the store, I realize why my apparent clumsiness going in and out the store and over the sidewalk went unnoticed. There was no staff in the store. So I push the cart back to the warehouse part of the store. There were two doors leading to warehouse. One was wide open but I could not see anyone inside. The other was closed and posted a piece of paper reading «Only Employees Allowed.» While acknowledging I’m doing something I’m not supposed to, I thought getting this large cart out of the main floor and out of guests’ way, just behind the warehouse doors was a better alternative.
Just as I enter the warehouse, I see someone standing behind some shelves and I call out to her letting her know I’m just returning the cart and dropping off these donations.
That’s when the lady walks out and begins lecturing me about trespassing in the warehouse. I tell her calmly that I understand and try to explain that I only did that because I couldn’t find a staff in the store front. She continues to lecture me, talking about liabilities and condescendingly pointing out the «Only Employees Allowed» sign as if I were illiterate. (If she was so concerned that I’d hurt myself just pushing a cart just a few feet beyond warehouse doors, why didn’t anyone come help me while I was pushing the cart out, loading my donations, or lifting the heavy load?)
One might argue they fulfilled their job and was simply explaining their paper policies sticky-​taped to a door. I’d like to believe that if you work at a donation center, part of your job is to make donations easier and the donators feel good about donating.
TL;DR Summary
So if you want a ginormous blue tub-​sized cart to go with your donations, go to this Goodwill.
If you want a kind smile, a thank you, and a feeling that you’re welcomed back, I know of a nice donation center in Redondo Beach where the staff is helpful and polite, and put people before policy.

This is the place to find good old books at only $ 2.99 and no tax.

This donation center has undergone a lot of changes. Now a bookstore/​donation center.

The used books here are definitely worth checking out. The children books section had a great variety. $ 1.99 for an avid reader is a great deal. Not only was there a nice selection, but also the books were in very good condition. Everything was in a nice, neat display. I will visit again.
As the other reviewers stated, try to avoid the lunch rush hour. The shopping center gets very cramped… very fast.

The used book area is nice and a great idea! Five stars there
Usually the staff are friendly and helpful (5 stars)… but today, it was ridiculous…
I got there 30 minutes after closing though their hours are ERASED on the window… I actually thought they close at 8.
Two of them sitting there inside, talking and writing some notes, wouldn’t open the door. I understand it was after closing, but they were inside and they didn’t look like they were rushing to leave or anything… And all I had to drop off was one object. I mean, instead of demonstrating to me how they can’t open the door, they could have just opened it and taken the 1 item I had. Instead, they were showing me how the back room was closed… but in fact it was open… and a lot of conversation for, what… really annoying.

Staff has always been very nice. Avoid peek eating times in this minimall parking lot I go by in the morning.

Bought New, donate old.
The employee who took my donation was very nice and very helpful.
This spot is nothing more than a 10×10 little room that takes in donations. This spot shares it parking lot with a BUNCH of other businesses so if you are coming in a large vehicle do not come at lunchtime.
If you need to do some work after wards there is a Kinko’s in the same parking lot as well as El Pollo Loco & a Sizzler.
I got my receipt for my donation and plan on telling the IRS that Goodwill actually got it wrong it wasn’t clothing I donated but a Porsche.
I would much rather give these folk my clothing than people on the street.
No joke I saw a guy holding a sign ‘Saying Out of Work’ need to feed family in one hand. The other hand held a dog leash with dog attached (sympathy factor) AND a Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks (Large) which last time I checked is a good $ 4 to $ 5 bucks.
I was not going to feed his In-​N-​Out habit by giving him either clothing or cash.

Great convenient location to drop off donation and the staff here is friendly.
Best to avoid lunch time rush hour as this location shares parking space with other shops in the plaza.