Shopping Hackers Share Secrets On How To Squeeze The Most Out Of Goodwill In Harlem And Beyond

If you’re like more than half of your neighbors, you shop at Goodwill at least sometime during the year.

But, do you hit up Goodwill enough to know all the ins and outs? All the insider tips?

ConsumerAffairs went searching for those who might know those insider secrets. Theit first visit was with shopping hacker Kyle James of RatherBeShopping, who decided to see if he could get some of the folks who work at Goodwill to spill their guts on what those secrets might be. And what he found can save you a considerable amount of money as the country tries to fight inflation.

The 25%-30% discounts

There are three areas where James’ insiders pointed out as having 25% discounts: 

Student Discounts

“One employee told me to always ask about a student discount,” James noted.

“She said it does vary a little bit by Goodwill store as some locations have a 15% student discount good for every day while some offer a 25% discount only on Sundays. All you need to do is flash a high school, college, or even a trade school I.D. card.”

Senior Discounts

Senior Discounts are usually for those 65 and older, but Goodwill rolls that down 10 years for people 55 or older to get their 10%-25% off senior discount at Goodwill.

Those discounts usually happen early in the week – like Monday or Tuesday.

James added that not all offer 25%-30% like his local store which only offers 10% to seniors, but they offer it every day of the week.

Tip: So call in advance to ask. 

If you don’t buy it, someone else might

In her how-to Goodwill YouTube video, thrift shopper Niky Foster says that if you see something that you “think” is worth the price, you might want to snatch it up and take it home before someone else does.”

Tip: “You can always return it.”

Be nice

One tip that a Goodwill employee shared on Reddit was about the importance of courtesy.

“Being nice is key. I’ve seen managers price things higher because someone was rude. I’ve asked a manager how much something should be and they’ve said ‘if they’re nice it’s $3, if they’re not go $5,'” the employee wrote.

The inverse is true, too, the employee said. “Also, if you’re being a [a not nice person] and you need items repriced, they’re probobly not going to get repriced lower.”

Look for mismarked items and negotiate your own deal

“One of my favorite tips is to look for items that have the wrong price on them and ask an employee to reprice it,” James confessed.

“So, for example, if Goodwill has three identical Pyrex bowls and two of them are priced at $9.99, and one is at $14.99, politely ask an employee if they can mark the more expensive bowl down to $9.99 and you’ll buy all three. I’ve had several thrift store employees happily do this for me and they usually tell me it’s not a big deal at all.”

Look for a coupon but don’t always use it

Here’s where James says you can get Google in on the action by searching for “Goodwill in [Harlem]” and going to their website and sign up for their emails and they’ll send you a monthly 20% off coupon on your $20 plus purchase – essentially a minimum $4 discount.

“So, if you’re only buying $15 or $16 worth of stuff, it’s worth it to grab another item to put you over $20 as it’ll be free,” he says, when you can’t find enough stuff to make the $20 minimum.

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“But with all of that said, keep in mind that you cannot stack coupons or offers at Goodwill, so only use it when you can’t take advantage of a 25% off discount like the student, military, or senior discount mentioned above,” he cautions.

Find the nicer stuff online

“Our nicer stuff goes to shop.goodwill.com, and it’s [sold via] auctions,” the employee said in a Reddit post.

“Sometimes that means things are way cheaper than what they’re worth, sometimes they’re way more expensive. But processors in the back don’t always know when something’s worth a lot,” the poster wrote.

“I got a pristine 1929 Bible for $3.29 once, and it’s like $120 online for really beat up ones. I sold someone a brand new $500 North Face jacket for $19.99 once. It’s somewhat luck and somewhat knowing what to look for.”

Better deals may be on the other side of the city

James says he often ventures outside of a concentrated area like Harlem depending on what he’s looking for.

It is his belief that affluent areas have better brands, but the prices are better outside of town. “If you have the choice between a Goodwill downtown in a city, or in a smaller town, always opt for the smaller town location,” he remarked.

“The prices in cities will almost always be more expensive than at your Goodwill stores in smaller towns.”