Goodwill

Donating here is a pain. Waiting in line one car at a time. Takes forever. No organization whatsoever. Pathetic!

This is strictly a review for the drop-​off aspect. I’ve donated a HUMONGOUS amount of items there in recent years. First — four years ago — when I moved my mother out of her house of 47 ½ years to an apartment, and again — 8 ½ months ago — when I moved my mother to Pikesville. I was back there again eight and ten days ago, once again bringing entire carloads of items (this time it was only clothes) from my recently-​deceased aunt’s apartment. The employees at the drop-​off location have always been pleasant enough, but this time the guy was particularly nice. Also; the suburban location makes it particularly easy to drop off donations (vs. — for example — Housing Works in NYC, where I frequently donate and where it’s rather arduous to carry tons of stuff into the stores).

Our season of love is around the corner, people donate your gently used goods and share some love!
I really liked this Goodwill because it offers super easy donation drop off option in the back of the store! Donation drop off is located at the back of the store so look for the back entrance, not main. I originally came to the front of the store, but you have to get out of the plaza and make a loop to get into the back of the store. It is one way entrance, so that can be slightly tricky, but it is easy to figure out. Just follow the drop off signs! I did go inside the store, and it was pretty spacious and organized. I saw some decent shoes from nordstrom and ninewest, so maybe you could find some quality items here. I myself donated a lot of gently worn decent clothes, and I am planning on donating more house goods including new and like new items.
Also, dont forget to ask for your tax slip!

This is a very small secondhand store. Occasionally I visit the store after coming from in my opinion a better thrift store (the unique) just to see if there’s anything worth buying. There’s usually not anything worth buying but occasionally you do get some interesting stuff. I’ve bought about $ 200-​$ 300 worth of stuff from the Unique overtime. I bought a $ 2 hat from the goodwill, that’s it. However, What you find at the goodwill is quality stuff. This hat has become typical to my everyday outfits. Overall, not bad but could be a lot better.

This is a review for just their drop-​off donations. The drop off is located in the back of the building. I came here on a Sunday and there were about 3 cars ahead of me, but the line moved quickly. Just pull up to the drop off entrance, pop open your trunk, hand them your donations and they’ll give you a receipt, if you need one. It couldn’t have been any easier. Quick and friendly.

It’s alright. Clothes aren’t organized as well as they could be, so it takes patience to go through the racks to see the style and size of each item. Their Boutique section is overloaded with items that really shouldn’t be there. For what I’m looking for, I’ve found that the quality and style of clothing items isn’t as high as other thrift stores.
I’ve had the most luck here with furniture and housewares — scored a great set of Mediterranean-​style plates, sauces and bowls and a Pottery Barn bench/​chair.
In the end, it’s worth a visit because you never know what you’ll find!

Make a donation of the left side of the storefront (if you’re facing the store) which doesn’t make much sense because it’s a one way street and you would essentially have to back in.
If you’re a local, come in by auto shop (off Schuykill Road) and drive right up to the donation center. However, don’t expect the workers to help you unload because as of lately, I’ve only had them help me ONCE in about the last 6 times I’ve gone to donate.
It makes me a bit sad that they just throw your stuff amongst the piles of other bags as if it were trash; if it were trash then I would have trashed it instead of sorting through it…
There is an actually goodwill store where you can pick up knick knacks (think old records, books, housewares, even old dresses for a throwback 70’s prom party ha).
Bag up your old clothes, housewares, and other misc things and make a donation. They will give you a tax donation receipt if you ask.

I love donating things I no longer use. A relative of mine recommended this thrifty shop and few years back and I have been sending my stuff to them since then. I usually deal with Maria whenever I send them stuff and the exchange has always worked out fine.

I’ve had much better luck with housewares here than with clothes (I scored a blender for ten bucks that works great, they provide a power strip for testing out appliances). Every once in a while they have some decent furniture pieces, too.

I want to give this place 4 stars, but I really can’t.
First the good:
1. Donations at this location are easy as pie. Drive up. They will help you unload and give you a receipt if you want one. MUCH easier than at the Glebe Rd. location which can be a giant cluster.
2. The dressing rooms are usually very clean.
3. It’s a pretty big store, so you can probably find what you’re looking for. From furniture to wedding gowns, this place usually has a great selection. Sometimes you can even find something special.
4. This particular location has been in a new space for more than a year, and the new space is bigger and brighter than their old space.
5. The employees have always been helpful.
6. If you have a CapitalOne card, you get a 10% discount.
But there are some major drawbacks to this particular store:
First, even though they have a bigger space, the aisles are inexplicably narrow. One aisle even has a pole at the end of it, so it is impossible to get a shopping cart through that aisle. There is usually something blocking most of the other aisles, as well. This cannot possibly be ADA compliant, and it makes for a much too tight shopping experience.
Second, items are not as well organized as they are at other Goodwill locations, so you really have to hunt. The clothing doesn’t appear to be organized in any fashion other than shirts are on one rack, pants on another, etc. But the clothing isn’t organized by size, and unlike other Goodwill stores, it barely seems to be organized by color, either. The «art» section is always a total chaotic mess, and even though they have shelves labelled «Glassware,» etc., you will find these items at other, unmarked locations throughout the store. It can be very confusing.
Finally, like all other Goodwill stores in the area, this place marks items up *if* the people sorting donations recognize the brand or otherwise consider the items special in some way. And like all other Goodwill stores in the area, this leads to somewhat erratic & unpredictable pricing. For example, I saw stained women’s suits from Ann Taylor and Perry Ellis marked up to $ 20 – 25 (regular Goodwill price for a suit is $ 10.98), while on the same trip there was a Tommy Hilfiger men’s wool blazer in pristine condition for normal price, and I got a great Tommy Hilfiger sweater for less than $ 5. They will mark up shoes & put them in the display case up front, but somehow they’ll miss the gorgeous Ferragamo heels, marked at only $ 7.98.
While I understand marking prices up from regular prices to support Goodwill’s important mission, I think the «boutique» pricing would work best if they reserved it for the truly special items, and didn’t simply slap a higher price on something because the label says Ann Taylor or Calvin Klein. Unless the item is really great, they should just price everything using their standard prices.

I agree with others that their drop off is super easy. However, selection-​wise, I think Unique has a better selection (Wheaton, Veirs Mill Rd.)
Located in a residential neighborhood area with tons of parking.

Great place to donate everything from clothing to house ware! The employees are a big help as well! Drive up to the side of the store and simply drop it off to an attendant.
I hit up this Goodwill for any and all themed parties I get invited to! Great variety of stuff, and Tuesdays are 25% discount days (apparel only).
Happy donating and shopping!

*****Donation drop-​off review*****
This location makes it soooooooooooooo easy for people to donate items. When you’re on Boiling Brooke Place, you’ll see signs telling you where to turn for drop-​off (back of the building). The arrows will take you to the side of the building where volunteers are sorting the items. If no one is there, simply honk and a volunteer will come out to help you unload your items. Don’t forget to ask for your donation slip as sometimes they don’t give you one unless you ask. The whole process is quick and painless. Love it!
BTW-​beware of drivers who go the wrong way when they come to donate!

Drop-​off review.
Effortless way to donate your things. They have a drive-​thru sort of set-​up. You just follow the arrows around the building, pull up, park, and hand your things over to the volunteer stocking the warehouse.
It took under 2 minutes to donate 6 bags of clothing and shoes. Doesn’t really get much easier than that.

They opened a new store down the end of the plaza. It’s bigger, cleaner and better. Better organized as well. I was able to find great items here, and it seemed like they had a better selection on higher end items. Only problem is there is nowhere for a line to form. So when it’s really busy, the line gets long and unorganized. I’ve been cut in a line multiple times because of this. But the cashiers are nice and get you in and out with no problem.

I don’t think I have ever been inside this location until today. I’ve been several times to drop off donations. There is an area in back that you can drive up to and drop and go, or wait for a worker to give you a donation slip.
Back to the inside… it’s huge. Lots of clothes in the main room, but in a smaller room to the left they have a bric-​à-​brac of items. I am particularly fond of mismatched plates and saucer. You can get the prettiest plates — some antiques for about a dollar! I use the ones I buy for planter bases. They are cheaper than the cheap terracotta ones from Home Depot! Cutesy saucers are also good for serving amuse bouche dishes to your guest. Smaller dishes, means less food!
Everything is so cheap! Albums for $ 1.49! If you like Simon & Garfunkel they have them here! I plan to come back when I have more time to peruse. I may have to snag those Pyrex glasses if they are still there next time.

can’t say enough about this place, i am literally there every week!!!
ive gotten most of my furniture there and almost all my most awesome vintage finds.
i kind of want to write a bad review to scare people away, but dammit. its GOODWILL. come one come all!

If you looking to purchase any vintage suits, this is a good start. They have a good collection, plus they have 25% Tuesday. Customer service was good. I recently been back to this Goodwill and definitely will be a regular there.
–Cochise

This is my favorite Goodwill in terms of selection and size, the only problem being the fact that it is way out in the middle of nowhere for those of us living in DC. It’s kind of a hike from the Metro at White Flint but you can combo that up with a trip to the Mega Mart (see my review) on the way home for a great latino grocery store.
This place also has the best prices of any Goodwill in the area, with some sort of half price red tag system in place. They also have a surprising selection of records in this location and a ton of furniture and housewares of all shapes and sizes, we got a great glass vase here, Crate & Barrel style, for $ 1.

First off, I’m a Goodwill virgin. I’ve donated tons and tons through the years and never went in. Well, I donated again yesterday and decided to peek in this place. This place is huge and has so many clothes arranged VERY nicely by type and color. Of course, the prices can’t be beat. I got a beautiful long winter coat for 13.98.
Unfortunately, I put back a blazer that would’ve been around $ 7 and am totally regretting it now, since I don’t live closeby. They’ve got some great brands and even have some Jcrew in the mix. I could’ve stayed longer, but the hubs is impatient. The sales people are nice and move as fast as they can. I’ll definitely be back.