Goodwill

While this store be decent on some of the household goods and clothing they stock, there has been a disturbing trend lately where some items are being priced at high eBay prices (i.e. total ripoff). I recently saw an item priced at $ 59.99 that you can buy all day long on eBay for around $ 20. This is the most outlandish price I have seen at this store, but in no way an isolated case. Be very wary of this location, as I am just appalled at the ridiculous prices they have had lately, and I worry they are ripping off unsuspecting shoppers with this disgusting practice. BEWARE!

Far from where I live but their inventory rocks. Every visit, I walk out with brand-​name/​designer clothing in great condition. I mean it IS Naperville. The staff is very friendly as well! I give 4 stars because aside from all the great finds, it’s a pretty crowded store and there are always noisy children running around making it hard for me to navigate around the store.

The Naperville Goodwill is a great location. As with many of the Goodwill locations in the suburbs of Chicago, this is a brighter, more modern location. This Naperville Goodwill, in particular, gets SUPERB DONATIONS! That being said, the customers at this Goodwill location act like those pesky seagulls that camp out in fast food restaurant parking lots, waiting for people to toss food out of the car, so the seagulls can swarm in quickly to be the first to get a crumb!!! Seriously, you need to wear combat gear here if you want to have a fighting chance to get something off of the carts the employees bring out!
This location is clean, well lit, with friendly staff. The items are pretty organized at the beginning of the day, but gets rather messy as the day progresses. You are able to find «gems» in most any department. The bathrooms are open to the public and are relatively clean.

Compared to other Goodwill’s, this one takes the cake. I always seem to find a good treasure here! There are always plenty of Target hand-me-down’s at reasonable prices, and this is a large store. Lots of shoes, dresses, and household items are always available. Household item variety is much better than at Saver’s, but all around, I prefer Saver’s around the corner. Though, if you’re in the area, may as well go to both!

This place is a cluttered unkept madhouse. The people are out of line because management lets them be. No one ever asks people to keep their kids with them. No one asks people to wait until the bins are emptied. New cashiers arent added no matter how long the line is etc. Its pretty much every man for himself. This has to be a direct reflection of the management of the store. One other problem is the store itself is too small for the amount of things put on the shelves. There are good things to be had for sure but you will pay a price.

I like how easy it is to drop things off here; there’s a drive-​through that you can go to, nice and convenient. I never ask for a receipt because I never donate enough to deduct from my taxes, so it’s usually very quick for me to drop things off.
I’ve never actually been inside to shop, so I can’t comment on the variety and quality of things for sale.

This place is ridiculous and I do not wish to return to this location ever again. The customers try to steal things from your cart, when they bring out the cart with new merchandize it becomes every man for himself and there is one person who kept yelling, «it’s mine don’t touch it,» and if you try and speak to said person, she immediately becomes aggressive with you. I don’t need the hassle of people trying to pick a fight with me. A previous person stated that this store needed a security guard and I agree with him, because the store is chaotic.

This store needs a security person to maintain order when they roll out the carts… whole families seem to camp out there all day and i have even seen mothers have their kids bum rush the carts. I hope they get it under control; it’s like black Friday shopping every time i go to this store.

As a fatty it’s hard to find cheaper jeans/​dresses/​shirts so we visit stores like this. One experience here I found about 4 pairs of nice quality dress pants. Most of the time, however, it’s a dud. They don’t even have sizes above xl, disappointing. Today I found an ok 2x shirt hidden in the 1x section. Score! Not very pretty but doable for the $ 3 they were asking. Dresses didn’t go above 18. And don’t go on a Saturday unless you like a madhouse with kids running around uncontrolled and kids screaming. I’m ok with the screaming, can’t really do anything about it. But jeez, hold ur kids hand if thy have a tendency to run off.

I have found many treasures in this store. You have to be patient, you might have to look harder, it will be worth it! The staff is awesome!

Someone has recently taken this store in hand and improved the organization and display of the merchandise. Also it smells better – unfortunately people don’t always launder their clothes before donating (hint). There is a lot of clothing – it takes a while to peruse. The selection of glassware and kitchenware is decent. I scored a nearly new Henckels knife block for $ 3.99. It’s not a good place to look for furniture; the store is too small to stock much more than a few chairs and plastic bookcases. There is a decent book/​DVD section. Donating is easy – there is a covered drive-​through drop-​off on the side of the building.

After a successful trip to the Goodwill in Carol Stream, I was eager to check out the Naperville store. It’s close to my house but also hello– Napervillians have money. Some have lots of money and with their lots of money they buy lots of stuff they don’t need or even use. I know this because I had many friends in my youth that lived in this city who’d go on shopping sprees, only to hang up the clothes in their closet and forget about them. Then the closet would get cleaned out because it was «too full» and the never-​even-​worn articles of clothing (tags still attached) went into a garbage bag to be donated. I kid you not.
With that memory in mind, I set out for Goodwill on Friday afternoon, as I was out of work early. Upon entering, the store seemed relatively similar to the Carol Stream location. Again, shirts are organized by size and color. But the pants… oh man. Good luck finding your size. I went to the section where my size would be located. Every pair of pants I pulled out was two sizes higher, or lower. Nothing with the exact number. I was perplexed. So I went up a size and managed to find some of the «right» size I was looking for. I couldn’t find anything that looked right though (most were either «short» or «tall») so I gave up and browsed the shirts.
Ever since I entered my thirties, I’ve been confused as to how to dress. I mean, I clearly cannot get away with juniors graphic tees with Mickey Mouse, «I don’t sweat, I sparkle», or other obnoxious images/​phrases on them anymore. Those days are (thankfully) over. But I’ve attempted to shop in the «Misses» section of stores and I felt the clothing was too frumpy and definitely not my style. It’s frustrating.
I managed to find two button down long sleeve collared shirts that screamed «responsible adult.» They’re perfect for work but also nice enough for casual wear. I also stumbled upon a gray sweater (even though I have about 4) but I saw it and instantly fell in love. Total price for the three name brand items was twelve dollars and some change. *Happy dance*
This store has a large selection of purses, but I wasn’t planning on buying one. I did chuckle at the few knock-​off Louis V and Coach bags, though. The shoe selection looked decent, but again I wasn’t in the market for any. And of course, the housewares section, as Angela P. said, is reminiscent of a «Hoarders» episode.
For a Friday afternoon, the store itself was relatively quiet. I can only imagine what it’s like on the weekends, but my first trip was enjoyable. The cashiers were friendly as were the floor associates. I hope the next time I’ll be able to find decent dress pants for work in my size.

Busy little place. There is a lot of random stuff, some brand new from neighboring store donations and others used from donations. Some really high quality stuff and some really junky stuff. The store is nice, bright, and clean although because it is so busy sometimes difficult to get through. I would go back, but be prepared to be squeezing through.

I had really good luck last week, so much that I have become a regular. Meaning, a daily, if not twice a day regular. This store is BUSY. Most of the time, shopping here is therapeutic treasure hunt; however, the days when kids are running the store and banging on things like it is Chuck e Cheese, my head becomes like a pressure cooker and it does get a little overwhelming.
The staff is amazing. They have such a lovely, genuine attitude. In just a week (well I have been there approx. 20 times this past week), I have gotten to know a handful of regulars and most of the staff. It’s a diverse mix of people, the staff and customers-​so that has been fun in itself while chatting with them.
I think the store is overall clean and organized. Due to the high traffic volume at this store (I had someone tell me before I started shopping there that it is the busiest Goodwill in IL), I think it may appear disorganized at times because of how shoppers barrel through items and leave them in a disarray.
Really, my rating is closer to 5 stars… I just didn’t want to tell you so that I could keep this place and all its goodies to myself.
P. S. Be prepared for the soul train line that is formed at almost all times in the isle leading from the stock room… everyone is just waiting to see and score something as soon as it is walked through those glorious swinging doors.

I love hitting thrift stores, although I rarely find anything I actually want to purchase the thrill of the hunt makes it worth stopping by thrifts over and over looking for cool items. Many times in visiting thrift stores I check the sections most likely to have stuff I’m looking to buy and if I don’t find anything suitable for procurement the duration of my visit lasts under five minutes.
Of thrift stores Goodwill locations are generally some of the cleanest and best maintained. However this Goodwill is a bet messy, I’ve stepped in gum on the floor here, seen items just left on the floor that are tripping hazards. This particular Goodwill is the only one I’ve ever walked away from with items in hand. Why you might be asking?
Well this Goodwill is just too damn crowded, I’d call it Badwill instead. I’ve seen instances where the entire parking lot is almost completely utilized. I’ve seen 20+ people in line with only one register open. While I have admittedly managed to make some decent finds here over the years, the hectic nature of shopping at this particular location is quite the turnoff.

What a busy joint on a Saturday!
I headed in because I am really on the lookout for a *gem* of a dresser that I’ll probably never find. Might as well buy new considering the gas money I’m spending searching for a deal.
The place seemed well organized considering the approximately 100 people in the store rummaging through things. It was spacious and had lots of furniture options for great prices! An all-​wood rocking chair was like $ 18.
It’s not the largest location I’ve been to, but it’s definitely one I’ll hit up again. Conveniently located across from Menards just past the Mini dealership.

Came in on a hot, summer Saturday afternoon and scored a Talbots petite silk dress (needed a small repair), a TheSak purse (needed washing), and two great paperbacks – all for under $ 15.
Now I understand why so many people come here in droves and a couple of friends say great things about this store.
The electronics/​housewares section is a little nutty, but it pays off if you know what you’re looking for and have the patience.
We usually donate huge amounts of stuff here, but it was nice to come in as a customer as well.

This location is a good size, and while I have been there to peruse clothes (sometimes you need something unusual that you just can’t find elsewhere), and glassware, I most recently went to browse their Children’s books. Books can be expensive and I was surprised at the cheap prices and decent selection.
I need another book like I need a hole in my head but I left with a stack in tow anyway :)
I’ve also dropped off things at this location and the experience has always been quick and easy… they will give you a receipt but you should keep your own itemized list for tax purposes.

I needed to update my fall wardrobe, and I’ve become a victim of wearing the same 10 shirts over and over and over and… you get it. My co-​worker always shows up at work, dressed more professionally than some of the others, and almost 100% of her wardrobe has been purchased at Goodwill shops. I had to give it a try, because for so long I insisted I could never find anything there.
Visited on a Thursday, just after quittin’ time. This store is much more organized and cleaner than I remember. I checked out the ladies sweaters and jeans. The sizes are (mostly) in the right place, so I didn’t experience much «aww it’s a 00» disappointment. You have to be patient in order to sort through the mountains of ugly, shrunken, out of style velour crap. But I struck gold today!
There are some diamonds in the rough in their racks. I tried on six items, some designer and some not, and I bought 2: a red, tunic style Calvin Klein sweater and a pair of bootleg jeans from Lane Bryant. The jeans looked brand spankin’ new. I spent $ 10, and those jeans alone would cost $ 50+ new. A few months ago I bought a cute t-​shirt from Torrid for $ 3.
The cashiers are really friendly. But the fitting room attendant, I didn’t even know there was one, until I almost walked into a fitting room and she chased behind me, yelling, «HOW MANY?» I said, «oh, I’m sorry I didn’t see you» and she just grunted until I said, «six.»
I very quickly browsed the housewares. It smelled like a moldy basement over there, and the shelves containing so many vases, baskets, and rejected ceramics reminded me of «Hoarders.»
This Goodwill is totally worth it if you’ve got the time. But if you don’t have the time, you’ll go on thinking you can’t find anything either.

PROS:
All employees greet and acknowledge you all of the time.
Employees are polite and helpful.
Hidden treasures abound if you visit often and stay at least two hours.
You can return clothes and electronics for store credit within 10 days.
You can join «Club Goodwill» for free and receive regular discounts and coupons.
The prices are AMAZING! Evening gown for $ 9.99, like-​new mens designer leather jacket for $ 19.99, Banana Republic hobo bag for $ 4.99, crystal, silver, lenox figurines, English dishware, pictures for your wall, etc. all under $ 10!
CONS:
STRESSFUL!
Other shoppers will steal things out of your cart so watch it like a hawk! There are two repeat offenders at this location; the 60+ male redneck with a beer gut, and a tall black woman who, when caught in the act, plays innocent. DO NOT WANDER AWAY FROM YOUR CART EVER! I shop this location three times a week and have witnessed their bad behavior more than once and have been victimized by each of them once myself. Better yet, bring a friend or family member to guard your cart and work as a team. This is sad, but true!
This location is full of «me firsters» who will push you out of the way and monopolize those green bins like they own them. For those of you who do not know what the green bins are, they are what the new merchandise comes out in. Even though they say in English and Spanish, «Please do not shop from the bins», everybody does and management does not stop people from doing so. Most of the regulars here are polite and will not crowd the bins. They will step back and let others have a go at it.
If you are patient, persistent and considerate, I think you will find shopping at Goodwill a rewarding experience.

Some areas of the store are well kept and others are complete shambles. I found no rhyme or reason to the dress area and it seemed like a lot of styles were mixed throughout the rest of the areas. I’m just happy they keep it somewhat color coordinated. I was on a hunt for an oversized blue sweater to use for a craft project and ended up finding exactly what I came for. I even walked away with two fitted blue sweaters and a dress-​suit for interviews. My total was a whopping $ 25.
The ladies who pick up the dressing rooms are super sweet. A lot of the guys were kinda creepy. A number of employees were openly staring and any woman in there who didn’t look homeless. I think the most memorable part of my GW experience was asking a clerk if they could take a formal dress out from the locked display for me to look at. She unlocked it and goes, «So, did you just wanna look at it or are you sure you gonna buy it?» Well, that all depends on if it fits. It’s a bright green $ 30, puffy formal dress. I don’t think I’ll get very far with it even if I’d considered swiping it, so ease up.