Goodwill Bins in New Jersey

"One of the employees kept following me around and harassing me she kept pointing to my Motorola fire radio microphone on my chest area attached to my radio strap asking if it was a body camera and if it was I had to turn it off or leave the store I proceeded to explain what it was and all was fine and she walked away not even five minutes later she’s asking again only this time points out the flash light on the microphone saying it’s a camera lens so I explained it’s a flash light and turned it on to show that it’s a led light and indeed NOT a camera lens and ok I gave her the benefit of the doubt and kept looking around for things to buy but she came up to me 2 more times trying to insist I have a body camera ok annoyed at this point thinking to my self if she says something again I’m walking out the store and bringing my business elsewhere granted i should have made a complaint and asked for a manager but given I was in a department uniform jacket I didn’t want to draw unwanted negative attention while wearing a department patch on my shoulder and yes she came over to me and was saying stuff about the microphone again so i just left the cart in the middle of the store didn’t bother purchasing anything or putting anything back in the bins and left probably for the last time never to return to this store Rewind 3 years I was at this same goodwill outlet I was never going to complain about this but given the recent situation at this location I am now I was there on my birthday with family doing a thrifting trip around the SJ area there was a WW2 USMC footlocker up by the register being used as a storage bin for items for sale so I asked the employee at the register if by any chance would they sell it because I collect WW2 items and have a very extensive collection she looked at it and thought about it but unfortunately I was told no because it was a store fixture and couldn’t be sold because they needed it to hold the item that were in it for sale I said ok and went on shopping disappointed but not surprised since it was being used as a storage bin but fast forward about 30 minutes I’m in line waiting to pay the person in line right in front of me asks the same thing and was told sit tight while she got a manager to look at it and get there opinion at this pint I’m a very annoyed now but thinking she’ll get the same answer from the manager that that cashier told me but when the manager came out they said yes they would sell it for $20 i said something to that manager about how i asked that same cashier about 30 minutes ago that i was interested in buying that same footlocker all the manager would say is that she could prove that I ask that cashier and the cashier told me oh well not my problem it sold to somebody else and to make matters worse the customer buying the footlocker kept laughing at me and saying oh I’ll sell it to you for $50 laughing as if she was excited she got over on me I would’ve usual paid $50 for something like that but i refused to give that nasty customer the satisfaction after laughing at me because she got over on me I ended up leaving the line I was in and checking out with a different cashier only because one item in my cart I really wanted and couldn’t make myself put back or I would have left after all that went down to remove myself from the harsh environment l should have learned my lesson that time but nope l had the Motorola fire radio incident that I talked about above in this review happen recently I’ll probably never again step foot in this location i wish i could leave a - 5 star review but ill just leave a 1 star since that’s the lowest allowed and the pictures l left in this review are of the Motorola speakers microphone and the radio that it attaches to that the female employee kept harassing me about insisting it was a body camera and photos of my collection to prove I wasn’t just gonna resell the footlocker that I actually collect this stuff and wanted it for my personal collection this store has definitely lost a frequent customer for a very long time unless things change"

"I've been to other Goodwill Outlets and what makes the experience at this location particularly negative is the competitive shopping grabs that management makes possible by providing large shopping carts to customers. Not only are they used by many to empty the contents of new bins before anyone else can look through them (often separating shoes from their mates, never to be found again) but the carts block the bins and aisles, making it extra chaotic and difficult. The only thing management cares about is people "not running with the carts." Prepare for no rhyme or reason and being asked to pay more for heavy items than they would have sold for in the regular Goodwill store."

"Sooo good. This one has both clothes and a robust selection of furniture and home goods. All for ridiculously low prices (you pay by the pound bb!) Are the clothes thrown in dirty bins? Yes. Does it sometimes smell kinda weird in there? You damn right it does. But that's the beauty. Goodwill Outlets separate the men from the boys. I've heard that some folks camp out all day. I will never go to a regular Goodwill again."

"While you CAN POTENTIALLY FIND some rlly cool stuff in here for a good price DO not expect to find parking especially first thing in the morning. It’s a joke especially bc theyre in an industrial park so you’d have to walk miles to get there if you don’t just wait forever for another person to leave… also rules aren’t rlly enforced there, I mean the employees will firmly tell you stand behind a line and dont run which is confusing if it’s you’re first time and some of the resellers are just rude or just incompetent ppl just have no spatial awareness at all and won’t apologize theyre just aggressive about it. Theres also an employee who hits on girls there and makes you feel weird. It’s still a cool place to find some interesting trinkets. But I’m sure there’ll be a story to tell"

"I came here(probably like a lot of people) expecting to find some good brands. It was a lot of junk like Walmart, kohl's and target brands. I found a few pieces, not very exciting. They brought out the new bins and I thought that this is where I may finally find some good brand names.. wrong.. it was the same junk as in the bins that were already out. It takes them forever to bring out the new bins and there are a couple of employees that seem to love the power trip of yelling at people waiting for them to finish. The worst part is they have to announce their 'rules' every time they bring out a new rotation in english and then Spanish like they are talking to stupid children. The speech goes on for about 10 minutes. It's just rude and condescending. Post the rules on the wall and treat your customers with respect not like criminals. I would go to another location, this place had nothing good to offer. Also, 1 employee to check everyone out, so bring a book.. you will be on line for a while. While I was waiting on line an employee went to the front of the line and purchased a Hermes blanket that she found in the back storage area. That just seems wrong that employees can pick out what they want while they leave everyone else digging for scraps."

"I decided to update my review after giving this place another chance( by chance I mean continuously spending my hard earned money here ). This is an honest review, this place has gone downhill even more since my last review. There is less customer service now then there was before. The tone of voice used when dealing with paying customers is ludicrous. This is not a military school, it’s a place of business. I do not work for the employees, the employees should be providing some basic type of costumer service. Guess what, if the regular shoppers and the first time shoppers don’t like a specific rule change or way of doing things you should take that into consideration. Being told, in a huddle setting like school children, “ if you don’t like how we do something here then go shop somewhere else “ is demeaning and disrespectful. Add that to the obvious fact that donated items are being picked over in the stockroom before being made available to the shoppers ( all good items have a rejection sticker on them or never make it to the bins in the first place ) and you have a recipe for disaster. The “ random “ choosing of the line experiment just keeps getting wackier and wackier and has turned into a power trip/favoritism type of situation. Let the people who have supported your store shop with some respect and dignity. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel and if you really want to do something random and fair then do it. I’ve noticed less and less people coming to shop in the last few weeks as well. When I personally ask people “ where have you been “ the responses have been consistent. “ This place is going downhill and they don’t respect us “. I will be back to update my review in a few weeks. ————original review below———— This place used to be good. Now if you are not a favorite of the workers there good luck being treated fairly. Also, don’t come here if you expect anything that resembles customer service. You are treated like a prisoner here, it’s actually absurd. One last thing, people put rocks and other garbage outside the door the night before to hold a spot for the next day. God forbid you move these items, a gang of ladies from Washington Heights will emerge and attack you for moving the place holders they have placed for friends who are on the way. Other than that I find good lamps and art here. I am a designer."

"Well. It's a tough go. Tight parking... and it's a sell by the pound place as all outlets are... just bins. No sorting. But that's why it's cheaper that regular goodwill."

"I do not think the other reviewers understand the concept of being able to view donations before they are sorted. This is what this place is, for some this is amazing because you get first pick and great stuff. But you have to work for it. They change bins in shifts so you always have some new bins to look at. That being said, you may come across things that should not be donated…just MOVE ON and find your cute stuff bc it is all right there you just have to LOOK."