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June 2025 by Rick Kester
I am so tired of the awful attitudes of the staff in the drop off. This time it takes the cake. I was dropping off 1 single item and the line was 25 min long. The item in question was the image attached of a work bench. After waiting for 25 minutes and watching them accept all kinds of horrendous things, ranging from unopened boxes with unknown contents to disgusting beanbag chairs, I finally made it to the front of the line. I get out of my truck and a rather greasy looking gentleman whom I could easily smell from 10 feet away approached me and said: “yeah we aren’t taking that trash.” Well after the wait and his crap demeanor I said **** it; “I’ve waited for almost 30 minutes, I’m leaving it here. You can call the police if you want”. This work bench has sat in conditioned garage for 20 years and has only acted as storage. The particle board tops, drawers and shelves have absolutely zero moisture damage and the drawer slides work flawlessly.
He continued to call it trash and garbage and called me trash. Well screw it, I’m done giving things away to be sold for good causes or dealing with bad mannered staff any more. I’m just going to start dumping my perfectly good stuff on street corners or posting it on FB marketplace.
(Here’s a pro tip Goodwill: maybe post someone at the entrance and screen for things instead of having people waste their time? Oh and perhaps encourage better personal hygiene)
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June 2025 by Janice Armstrong
I fervently wish that I knew about this Goodwill’s policy on returned purchases. I was there yesterday, and selected several clothing items. I didn’t want to wait in a long line to try on the clothes. Goodwill truly needs to post a large billboard stating their return policies. I did not get my money back. Only received a coupon for an Evergreen store that’s far away. I am 70 and don’t drive anymore. I’ve supported this store so much. So very disappointed! This store absolutely does not care about their customers at all. Definitely won’t be returning. SMH.
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June 2025 by Sarah Aiken
I will never understand why the donation line takes so long. It’s been the same for years now. Even after they changed the direction of the line. I know it has to do with the people working there but I don’t know if it’s a power trip? There is no explanation for it. It’s literally faster to drive to U Village and back then wait here in Ballard.
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June 2025 by Liz Thayer
Nice and clean with helpful associates and interesting displays.
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June 2025 by Phillip Strazis
I have never waited so long to donate goods. The line isn't terrible but taking 10 minutes per car.Crazy! It's a Monday at 1:00.
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June 2025 by Liz Bui
Great for kitchenware items including pots, pans (all sizes and styles including cast iron), dishware, flatware, knives, cutting boards, all sorts of baking stuff, containers like glass food containers etc etc. There is a lot of clothes and footwear, books, not great for furniture or stuff is pretty beat up, etc etc The cashier said they are the store in evergreen goodwills that get the most donations.
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June 2025 by Alan Winston
favorite thrift store - most likely to turn up special somethings - or at least have good fun looking (be sure to round up when asked)
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June 2025 by goldpop salon
UPDATE: I’d like to update my previous review on my donation experience here at the Ballard location. Much better people! Now it’s two lanes, a person directing the flow. It still took me 20 minutes on a Monday afternoon, but it felt better thought out, and now I’m not waiting in the street. Thank you!
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June 2025 by Brandon Pauly
i wait 10 minutes in line to give - literally - free stuff
i get to front of line
worker: wait here for a new bin
me: ok
worker walks over to bin area, does nothing. walks back.
i unload my items and walk over after several minutes of waiting an undisclosed amount of time.
worker is leaning his chubby body against the wall
worker: don't put those there.
me: how long for the bin?
worker: still leaning doing nothing - '5 minutes. we're understaffed'
me: blank expression
i left without giving anything. a business that relies on customers and donators can get double screwed when they frustrate their patrons. hard to want to give stuff to a place that doesn't do any charity that functions in such a way. if you can, go to st. vincent or somewhere that at least does more good and can reasonably do business.
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July 2024 by Joby Lafky
Fine place shop, horrible place to donate. Rude attendants, incoherent drop-off process. You don't need this pain.
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June 2024 by BuddhaBroVena
No clue how this place maintains open doors.
The bad: price gouging, sale inconsistencies, related tag policy(lies literally called their Dearborn HQ there is no policy currently being employed by goodwill) donations are always full and slow as can be like molasses slow
Employees: rude, unknowledgeable, inconsistencies in information provided to customers, too few on the sales floor or at the register for checkout. I'm guessing there's not even managers that work here because I never see them when I am here. (Overheard a couple of the employees talking about how the managers stay in the back all day long while I was changing into clothes I wanted to buy. Like that's wild)
The good: there is none, I literally had to think about it for a full 10 minutes but no it's all bad there the location is bad the parking lot is always full and you have to deal with drug addicts when you get out of your car that are begging for money. Not even the front entrance is convenient because most of the time it's blocked off by furniture the people just drop off near the door because donation lines are full.
WHOEVER IS THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THIS STORE NEEDS TO BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY THEY ARE RUINING AND RUNNING A COMMUNITY BASED STORE THAT PROVIDES JOBS FOR ENTRY-LEVEL PEOPLE INTO THE GROUND.
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June 2024 by Belle
GOODWILL? MORE LIKE BAD WILL! I spent three hours trying on jeans to find the perfect pair of blue jeans for the summer - as a big girl, this experience can be harrowing, as most clothes are not designed with us in mind. Nevertheless I persisted, and at the end of my arduous search, I had found a pair that fit perfectly. I had tried on a dozen or so pairs beforehand, and the prices were $20 across the board (which! is INSANE for a thrift store, but I digress) -- the pair I chose didn’t have a tag, but I assumed they would be priced similarly. However, when I went up to the counter to pay, the cashier said they couldn’t sell them to me. Why? Because there was no tag. I told them the price of the other jeans in the section. No budging. “It’s a new policy from corporate.” So on top of absolutely ripping off customers with criminally overpriced goods - they are now making it even Harder for folks who are willing to spend time and money scouring through stacks of garbage to find something worthwhile. I’d be better off scavanging the dumpsters in the back with the racoons, because at least they have a heart. Could y’all really have not just scanned a different tag? Could you really not have input a different price? Where is your class solidarity? You are not the sword of corporate goodwill - you are literally KARL, probably making minimum wage. You have ruined my day. Also, not for nothing, but both the associates helping me were white. Racism? I would be interested to see who they enforce this rule with and who they don’t. Never shopping here or any location ever again. Goodwill, good riddance!
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June 2024 by SAB AB
Nice Goodwill branch.
Very big collection, available fitting rooms(thanks god).
You might be able to find some hiding treasures there.
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June 2024 by lori B.
Sat in line at the donation drop off for nearly an hour, and then once I finally reached the drop off was told that the six perfectly good matching dining room chairs I had brought "we weren't good enough" keep in mind that these were all solid oak with no scratches or cracks and clean
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June 2024 by Brian Edwards
At least 10% of global carbon emissions comes from the fast fashion industry. Goodwill locations like this one setting their clothing prices so egregiously high for something that would otherwise just be tossed into a landfill is just sad (and I don’t believe for a second that goodwill needs to set their prices at or above retail to help support their jobs program. C’mon now. This is the dumping ground for everyone’s unwanted junk, not some mom&pop-non-profit-vanity-project. Be reasonable).
