Designer Goodwill

Skanky Vamp

Skanky Vamp

Sniffin' the Slayer
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Aug 12, 2008
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Black Thorn
I think they really needed to change the branding.. if they changed the name from Goodwill, it might do better.. Goodwill just has a... dirty... vibe to it. At least in my opinion.

Goodwill has finally answered the prayers of hipsters everywhere and opened up upscale Goodwill boutiques across the U.S. These luxury outlets are the ‘result of a national initiative by the non-profit provider of employment services to sell more clothing’. So what they’ve done is gussied up the inside of Goodwill stores to make them look more high-end and designer outlet-ish.

In the past four years (I cant believe I never heard of it before), 60 Goodwill outlets have been transformed into luxury boutiques, with some of the stores selling big brand names like Prada, Burberry and Chanel clothing. The Goodwill boutique in Anaheim, California even has a ‘rare collection of flannel shirts and vinyl records’ aimed at bringing in even more hipsters.

$12.99 Stuart Weitzman shoes? Um, yes please!​

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Mr. Pole said:
if they changed the name from Goodwill, it might do better.. Goodwill just has a... dirty... vibe to it. At least in my opinion
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Can I ask why? I'm not familiar with Goodwill as a UKer.
 
Skanky Vamp
Skanky Vamp
They are a second hand store that are generally dimly lit, have a lot of VHS tapes and a peculiar odor.
Mr. Pole: They are a second hand store that are generally dimly lit, have a lot of VHS tapes and a peculiar odor.
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Right. So a charity shop then! I love charity shops. I spend hours of an afternoon visiting my locals ones. A lot of the charity shops here already have designer gear for sale at cheap prices. But there are specific second hand vintage shops which sell things a little more expensive - no money goes to charity though. Is Goodwill charity based, like proceeds go towards a charity organisation?
 
GwenRaiden said:
Right. So a charity shop then! I love charity shops. I spend hours of an afternoon visiting my locals ones. A lot of the charity shops here already have designer gear for sale at cheap prices. But there are specific second hand vintage shops which sell things a little more expensive - no money goes to charity though. Is Goodwill charity based, like proceeds go towards a charity organisation?
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It is charity based, but I no longer go there - another very right wing and homophobic organization. There are plenty of charity shop here, and I actually prefer to shop there. It's not just the money - it's the items that you just can't find retail. Besides, we're poor!
 
Mr. Pole said:
But you have to (well, you dont have to) admit that local and independant thrift stores have a different feel. Goodwill, at least to me, felt ... souless.
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Yes, and now I know why! They are a religious institution and therefore will neither hire or help gays. That's apparently what Jesus preached to them. None of that loving you neighbor and take the log out of your own eye crap - go back to the old testament and point at something as sinful as not washing your hand before you eat your shrimp scampi. Sorry = personal peeves. YMMV
 
Skanky Vamp
Skanky Vamp
this made me think of westboro's favorite slogan..
Ah those lovely charity shops that seem to hire any volunteer, whatever their sexual orientation. My daughter loves going to those charity shops.
Except when dad tells her he is going to take her out for her birthday treat to get her an item of clothing that bears a designer label, I must admit she doesn't seem to be impressed with me then.
 
I never heard that Goodwill was right-wing or homophobic...

I've found some good stuff in there from time to time but it really depends where you are. In my hometown, it's really just used clothing in a kind of dirty environment with overworked, underpaid and understaffed volunteers, truly for people who can't afford clothes. In my college town, a lot of hipsters shop there but the purpose is still to help people who can't afford other clothes.

Apparently in Hollywood there is fancy stuff targeted specifically at hipsters. Huh.

I understand the appeal of cleaning up the store and actually marketing it, but it seems kinda wrong not to market to the people who actually need clothes.
 
nightshade
nightshade
pretty sure volunteers don't actually get paid!
laianna said:
I never heard that Goodwill was right-wing or homophobic...

I've found some good stuff in there from time to time but it really depends where you are. In my hometown, it's really just used clothing in a kind of dirty environment with overworked, underpaid and understaffed volunteers, truly for people who can't afford clothes. In my college town, a lot of hipsters shop there but the purpose is still to help people who can't afford other clothes.

Apparently in Hollywood there is fancy stuff targeted specifically at hipsters. Huh.

I understand the appeal of cleaning up the store and actually marketing it, but it seems kinda wrong not to market to the people who actually need clothes.
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It was news to me, too.Just came out before Xmas this year. I guess no one ever asked them before.
 
I love going to Goodwill when I'm in America, it's proper charity shopping again, a lot of the charity shops here are now stocking so much of there own stuff that you don't get that feel anymore. Plus the Goodwill stores are usually so much bigger than the shops over here
 
Interesting. Goodwills are def. not all created equally. I've been in some awesome ones and some filthy sketchy one. Location demographics make a huge difference.

The goodwill boutique idea seems neat, but how are they going to set themselves apart from the likes of Wastland, Crossroads, Plutos Closet etc.? Seems like the boutique thrift store has been around a while already.

And man, I laughed for a good minute at the "rare collection of flannels shirts" description...it's like a hipster bat signal.
 
Skanky Vamp
Skanky Vamp
seriously.. i would not be embarrassed to walk into the store!
brinkster130 said:
The goodwill boutique idea seems neat, but how are they going to set themselves apart from the likes of Wastland, Crossroads, Plutos Closet etc.?
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In branding.. what I suggested earlier is exactly what they did. They all go by different names. For instance, the stores here are called Vintage Vogue.. they have a cool little storefront
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and a really upscale (for them) interior design... which looks like you could have walked into an Old Navy or American Apparel.. which is not a beacon of high class! but it doesnt feel like the typical goodwill stores..
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Even the branding on their bags conveys more of a retail look
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brinkster130
brinkster130
Ahh! A new name does so much!
Will regular goodwill merchandise go down hill now that the nice stuff is being selected to go to the boutique stores?

Maybe the days of searching high and low for a gem in all their junk will come to an end.
 
brinkster130 said:
Will regular goodwill merchandise go down hill now that the nice stuff is being selected to go to the boutique stores?
Maybe the days of searching high and low for a gem in all their junk will come to an end.
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It depends. As far as I can tell they are only added them around colleges and hipster hangouts. But say they do collect items from other stores within the vicinity though; as to what they constitute vicinity is anyones guess.
 
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