Figured Out Why Goodwill Prices Nationwide Suddenly Skyrocketed

[pepperj]

That can't be avoided because Pricing members( at Goodwill) are tracked by a computer system ) over periods of weeks and months ) that they TRY to price 90 items per hour. It used to be 120, the management would say.
This system doesn't achieve " better productivity ", irs just a stupid and stressful way to nudge employees to Be reminded of the quota.
After like 3 weeks the main Assistant manager came to my pricing station with 5 or 6 pages and started reading off of them howni was performing in comparison to specific co- workers of mine, including giving me names of the fastest pricers..
So he started giving me my % or whatever as judged by at least 4 factors.
I kind of analyzed this is my mind next 2-3 days and concluded that There is no Consistency between the judgement factors. And also the whole computer tracking system is a BIG bulshit way to stress out pricers! It's designed so management can make English speakers as well as Spanish speakers make them feel that their job as Pricernisnon the line.

The result, I believe is actually LOWERING overall performance by 10 to 15 %, not enhancing it.

90 items pet hour is crazy because a lot of times need to be examined, taped with bunch of layers, you need to spend some seconds finding the category on the screen, printing label, oftentimes then you have to walk at least 4-5 meters and place the really bulky already priced items or the floor of the walk path, but so that nobody trips over them.

I almost always looked for an empty blank spot to place the price label..But you lose time

The more experienced pricers often would not waste some seconds to putnitnonna blank spot.

I'd have probably sung the Johnny Paycheck song as they watched me walk out the door.
Goodwill would be a Good riddance

 

[Prairie Gazingfox]

I'd have probably sung the Johnny Paycheck song as they watched me walk out the door.
Goodwill would be a Good riddance

" Connecting people to work, Preparing people for Life" plays on the Speakers in the warehouse many times a day. Same as in the store. But the music constantly blaring in the warehouse makes it difficult for workers to hear each other when necessary...
Also back door buzzing sound was not loud enough . The TV screen not working, you have to be constantly tuning your ears for that door buzz while pricing or while separating the shoes from softlines by ripping with fingers the donation bags. You don't have time to look inside the huge bags most of the time! You just rotate them in the air and they are heavy, and you trynto feel with your hands where a hardline object is mixed with the predominantly bunched together clothes. Then rip right there, extract the hardline and either walk some meters or toss it from a distance.
If you see it's worn stuff or soiled. you immediately toss it behind your back in thr garbage bins.
Books are often mixed with hardlines or clothes or both.
The store doesn't sell most books....

Jewelry pieces including genuine silver or similar are wrapped up all the time in various plastic bathroom bags, inside small domestic boxes of all sorts.inside those door shoe or cosmetics hangers with pockets. Most people were quite well to do judging by their cars and most times they don't know what jewelry they are donating. Because the boxes and bags with items have been sitting in their basements for 10 years or more. Their parent just died say 1 year ago orb6 months ago....so the people don't really know what they are bridging.

The jewelry pieces - if you have time to notice and separate- you place in a 6 quart size or so transparent plastic bag above your computer.
Oftentimes I had an almost full bag
At end of shift you bring it into the manager's Office.
But if not full, Oftentimes you don't even bring it. They dont ask you to.I always brought whatever jewelry found to the Office.

I saw many vintage pieces, probably like worth a good $ 50 or way.more. it's so fast, you don't get time to focus on anything for more than 1 to 3 seconds.

The store didn't sell any of the jewelry.

Supposedly are sent for recycling

 

[pepperj]

" Connecting people to work, Preparing people for Life" plays on the Speakers in the warehouse many times a day. Same as in the store. But the music constantly blaring in the warehouse makes it difficult for workers to hear each other when necessary...
Also back door buzzing sound was not loud enough . The TV screen not working, you have to be constantly tuning your ears for that door buzz while pricing or while separating the shoes from softlines by ripping with fingers the donation bags. You don't have time to look inside the huge bags most of the time! You just rotate them in the air and they are heavy, and you trynto feel with your hands where a hardline object is mixed with the predominantly bunched together clothes. Then rip right there, extract the hardline and either walk some meters or toss it from a distance.
If you see it's worn stuff or soiled. you immediately toss it behind your back in thr garbage bins.
Books are often mixed with hardlines or clothes or both.
The store doesn't sell most books....

Jewelry pieces including genuine silver or similar are wrapped up all the time in various plastic bathroom bags, inside small domestic boxes of all sorts.inside those door shoe or cosmetics hangers with pockets. Most people were quite well to do judging by their cars and most times they don't know what jewelry they are donating. Because the boxes and bags with items have been sitting in their basements for 10 years or more. Their parent just died say 1 year ago orb6 months ago....so the people don't really know what they are bridging.

The jewelry pieces - if you have time to notice and separate- you place in a 6 quart size or so transparent plastic bag above your computer.
Oftentimes I had an almost full bag
At end of shift you bring it into the manager's Office.
But if not full, Oftentimes you don't even bring it. They dont ask you to.I always brought whatever jewelry found to the Office.

I saw many vintage pieces, probably like worth a good $ 50 or way.more. it's so fast, you don't get time to focus on anything for more than 1 to 3 seconds.

The store didn't sell any of the jewelry.

Supposedly are sent for recycling

I understand it's putting bread on the table, but on the other hand why subject oneself to a toxic work environment as that?

 

[Prairie Gazingfox]

I understand it's putting bread on the table, but on the other hand why subject oneself to a toxic work environment as that?

I wanted to try something totally different. Applied lightheartedly..they called for for an interview 2 days after applying.
Then didn't want to leave my coworkers struggling. You get carried away by the environment...

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Because the boxes and bags with items have been sitting in their basements for 10 years or more. Their parent just died say 1 year ago orb6 months ago....so the people don't really know what they are bridging.

Exactly why I find a lot of autographed books at Goodwill and Savers stores. Their parent dies and they see hundreds of "worthless" books cluttering up the house. They donate them all without even looking through them. I've found signed books of Joe Torre, Cal Ripken, Rick Pitino, Brooke Shields, Robert Wagner, Ed McMahon, Giada De Laurentiis, Diane Keaton, Hillary Clinton and many more over the years.

 

[Prairie Gazingfox]

Exactly why I find a lot of autographed books at Goodwill and Savers stores. Their parent dies and they see hundreds of "worthless" books cluttering up the house. They donate them all without even looking through them. I've found signed books of Joe Torre, Cal Ripken, Rick Pitino, Brooke Shields, Robert Wagner, Ed McMahon, Giada De Laurentiis, Diane Keaton, Hillary Clinton and many more over the years.

I had more than a few 50- 55 year old people Tell me outside while unloading their vehicle that some of the boxes had been in closets or basements like 20 years.
And that they are their parents' stuff.
And there is a small group who donated an entire Office space of computers, scanners. Tablets and expensive stuff. They could have easily put it for sale and made 2.5- 3 K easily. But they donated it all...

 

[3RDLIFE]

Youtubers buying the jewelry at 90+% of melt value had already killed much of it. Granted, the last year made initial value irrelavent.

 

[DizzyDigger]

I wanted to try something totally different. Applied lightheartedly..they called for for an interview 2 days after applying.
Then didn't want to leave my coworkers struggling. You get carried away by the environment...

I wouldn't have tolerated that BS for a minute...and would have told that jackass that I was
looking for a job when I found that one, and it'd be no problem to find another. ADIOS.

I've found signed books of Joe Torre, Cal Ripken, Rick Pitino, Brooke Shields, Robert Wagner, Ed McMahon, Giada De Laurentiis, Diane Keaton, Hillary Clinton and many more over the years.

As a former bookseller, I couldn't begin to describe what some folks did in
an effort to add value to a book...like grabbing a pen and signing it with the
authors name. I bought dozens of them from thrift shops, and if I recall correctly
I think that over the years there were two that were legit..the rest were faked.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

As a former bookseller, I couldn't begin to describe what some folks did in
an effort to add value to a book...like grabbing a pen and signing it with the
authors name. I bought dozens of them from thrift shops, and if I recall correctly
I think that over the years there were two that were legit..the rest were faked.

I've been selling autographs for 30 years. The fakes are easy to spot with research. A good sign is when the autograph is personalized. Personalized autos sell for less, so the forgers never add a personalization to the autograph.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Also, many of the signed books I find have stickers on the front stating they are a signed copy or an autographed copy. Here's my Brooke Shields signed book:

 

[DizzyDigger]

I've been selling autographs for 30 years. The fakes are easy to spot with research. A good sign is when the autograph is personalized. Personalized autos sell for less, so the forgers never add a personalization to the autograph.

Good deal...I'm glad you are aware.

Back around 2000 there were several sellers on eBay that were notorious for signing
books and then selling them as "legit". We (honest booksellers) would file a complaint,
eBay would boot them, and a week later they were back under a new user ID. They
took advantage of a lot of people, and in essence stole thousands of dollars by selling
those books.

 

[pepperj]

Books are one of those items as many different items condition is everything.
If glassware isn't chipped, cracked, it basically stands the test of time just sitting.
Books on the other hand, if they get mildewed/wet they're basically wrecked.
Then with paper it really gets into condition also, and like a comic book a little crease or stain makes a lot of difference it seems.
Though folks do make money buying low and flipping it for a high.

 

[Dust-Devil]

They are using AI now to price things and that AI gets it's info mostly from eBay. Totally ridiculous. Half of their customers are resellers. They are trying to squeeze us out.
I'm seeing things priced that are more than brand new, and the things are not even in great shape.

I hope this affects their bottom line fast and forces them to make changes.

YAHTZEE !! I think you are right, I see less to buy there Its all too high

 

[tahomatom]

They are using AI now to price things and that AI gets it's info mostly from eBay. Totally ridiculous. Half of their customers are resellers. They are trying to squeeze us out.
I'm seeing things priced that are more than brand new, and the things are not even in great shape.

I hope this affects their bottom line fast and forces them to make changes.

We have discovered the same thing in once great state of California. During Covid you could find some reasonable priced items. Not anymore … I wrote a letter to their corporate and didn’t receive any response. We have a local Hospice store we patronize and the $ stays local. Even Tuesday and Wednesday 10% off is not a deal anymore. Times they are a changing.

 

[signal_line]

I have said if you donate to goodwill you are only giving money to pay wages for people who already have a job. Just seems it would be better if the items could be given away for free to those who really need them.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Books on the other hand, if they get mildewed/wet they're basically wrecked.

My late girlfriend had some fairly valuable books, but they all have foxing, which kills their value. No easy way to remove it, either.

 

[pepperj]

My late girlfriend had some fairly valuable books, but they all have foxing, which kills their value. No easy way to remove it, either.

That's a shame that it happened as it can be fixed but the cost is prohibitive.

 

[Prairie Gazingfox]

I have said if you donate to goodwill you are only giving money to pay wages for people who already have a job. Just seems it would be better if the items could be given away for free to those who really need them.

1 of the criteria for judging Pricers at that store was by $$ equivalent of the items that he or she priced Per hour ,and were actually sold. ( weren't removed from the shelves in 3 to 6 weeks ). Those items they priced but didn't sell are not counted to this $ amount.
So highest pricers averaged about $ 270- 300 and hour i was told.
I had about $ 140 for 1 short period. Then assignments didn't let me do more than 2.5 hours pricing per day, even if that much.
But for first first 2.5 weeks only $ 80 per hour. Manager said it was nowhere near enough but still acceptable because I was improving my speed.

But typically no more than 3 prices average per shift. Sometimes 2. Sometimes 4.
4 is the max.

And no pricing is typically allowed after 4 30 pm. Except for bulky items just donated because they need to be gotten out of the way.

Slight correction: highest prices their average MAX output was 270 - 300 an hour