Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the question below to go to the answer, or scroll down to read all of the Questions and Answers.

• What happens to merchandise that does not sell in the store?
• How can I be sure that the infant and children's items you sell are safe?
• I think $6.99 for jeans is too high since they were donated to you. I thought
  Goodwill stores were there to help low income families and people with financial difficulties?
• Frequently your advertising refers to "New" buy out items and purple tagged merchandise. What does this refer to?
• When I'm shopping a Goodwill and see an item I might want to purchase will you hold it for me?
• Who determines the prices on items and what is that based on?
• Recently while shopping in a Goodwill store I overheard a man trying to convince the manager to sell him an item at a reduced price. Is that a common practice?
• My neighbor told me Goodwill employees get first option of purchasing items donated. Is that true?
• I made a donation last week and the man that gave me the receipt would
  not put the value on my items on the receipt. I thought Goodwill was responsible
  for that?
• Can I return items I purchased at a Goodwill store?

1. What happens to merchandise that does not sell in the store?

In order to insure that there is always room for different items to be stocked, merchandise is removed from the store if it has not sold within 4 weeks.

The clothing and linens are baled and sold as salvage. These sales are a significant source of revenue for Goodwill.

The non-clothing items are sold at a bi-weekly public auction, held at 10600 Springfield Pike each Tuesday and Friday mornings at 8:30 am. Merchandise is sold in lots to the highest bidder.

2. How can I be sure that the infant and children's items you sell are safe?

Each month the Consumer Safety Product Commission send Goodwill the latest recall notices. This information is reviewed with each inspector/pricer and a copy of the notice is kept on file in their work area for reference.

I think $6.99 for jeans is too high since they were donated to you. I thought Goodwill stores were there to help low income families and people with financial difficulties?

Goodwill collects and sells donations to fund job training and job placement programs for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. Eighty-five cents of each dollar that goes into the cash registers is used to pay for programs that help people right here in greater Cincinnati.

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4. Frequently your advertising refers to "New" buy out items and purple tagged merchandise. What does this refer to?

Most of the items we sell have been donated by the community and most but not all of the items have been used. However, if "New" merchandise that would compliment our regular assortment becomes available at a reasonable price our buyer will purchase it to be resold in our stores for a profit. Because of the additional cost we do very little discounting on these items.

We named these items "Buy Outs" and use the word "New" thinking it was a familiar enough term that people would understand that they had been purchased and not donated. Well, we were only partially right, so, we also started using purple tags to designate these items.

5. When I'm shopping at Goodwill and see an item I might want to purchase, will you hold it for me?

Unfortunately, due to the one-of-a-kind nature of our business, we are unable to hold things. All merchandise is sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

We do have a return policy, so if you are unsure, go ahead and purchase the item and get the details of the Return Policy from the cashier, then if you change your mind we will give you a refund* (* certain items are final purchases -- see our Return Policy for details).

6. Who determines the prices on items and what is that based on?

Most clothing items are priced at the main processing facility located in Woodlawn. Each category of items such as women's pants, men's shirts, kid's jeans, etc. have a designated price based on value and customer demand. Some clothing items that are brand names, brand new, very fashionable or in excellent condition may be priced higher. We call these items "Best Buy Specials." Pricing the other items, which of course is just about everything imaginable is a little more difficult. We have some standard pricing but for the most part it has to be determined by the condition, quality, and style of the item. All pricers are trained by someone who is very experienced. We don't intentionally overprice things but on occasion we do make mistakes. It's almost inevitable given the quantity and variety of donated items.

7. Recently while shopping in a Goodwill store I overheard a man trying to convince the manager to sell him an item at a reduced price. Is that a common practice?

Occasionally, people will ask for an item to be discounted. It is very rare that a price would be reduced. Lowering prices on request is not a common practice for any retailer and we have adopted that as our policy as well. Many times when we hear this request being made it is coming from people who make a living reselling items at flea markets and such. These individuals are subject to the same policy.

8. My neighbor told me Goodwill employees get first option of purchasing items donated. Is that true?

Our mission is dependent on donations from the community. We are committed to insuring that all items to be sold will be made available for sale to the public before they may be purchased by an employee. Goodwill management constantly monitors employee purchase activities.

9. I made a donation last week and the man that gave me the receipt would not put the value on my items on the receipt. I thought Goodwill was responsible for that?

When donations are made to Goodwill a receipt is provided with a general description of items donated. Example: 2 bags of clothing and miscellaneous household items. We suggest making an itemized list if you plan to claim it on your taxes. Goodwill will also provide a Fair Market Value sheet that you can use as a guide to establish the value of your items. Tax professionals advise donors to determine the value of their items. Donors would then be prepared to address any questions the IRS may have. IRS inquiries are always directed to the taxpayer not to the recipient of the donation.h2>

10. Can I return items I bought at a Goodwill store?

Please note our new RETURN POLICY as of 8-11-08

Clothing only can be returned for merchandise credit or refund within
10 days of purchase with original tag attached along with original sales
receipt.

Items may be returned at store where purchased only.

All returns are subject to the manager's discretion.
*valid id required for all returns*