Today my BF and I went to the Goodwill on Fairview Ave. in St. Paul. Generally I am reluctant to go to this thrift store because it is stressful. In the past I have seen lots of broken goods, for example, and stuff is thrown all over the place. Today, things were looking a little more organized. One thing that is odd to me is that their clothes are organized by color rather than size. Now today I happened to want to look for a white sweater, so that was ok. But if I’d wanted khaki pants for work, I would have had to comb through all of them for my size. My BF found women’s clothing in the men’s section. Also, you have to check the clothing very, very carefully. Many items are soiled or torn. The prices are kind of high for what you’re getting.
Now the bright side. I have scored some deals here, mainly on stuff from Target. Seems they must give all their we-couldn’t-sell-it-on-clearance stuff to Goodwill. And it’s ok to pay a little more, I guess, because they do good work. They have a lot of dressing rooms, which is awesome and a positive thrift store anomaly. And they do have a large selection of merchandise, especially compared to other Goodwill stores we’ve been to.
I do, however, like donating to Goodwill, because they have a really easy system. You just pull up
in the back, they help you unload, give you your receipt, and you’re on your way.
All in all, I would go back, but Goodwill on Fairview Ave. would not be my first choice for regular thrifting.
I really like the one on White Bear Ave in Maplewood, right off of 36. I get a lot of my kids clothes there: school uniforms and play clothes. Thursdays at all of the stores are 50% on kids stuff! Also they have colored tag sales over Sunday – Tuesdays I think.
Fairview is totally a headache, especially with the construction there right now.
Cool blog!
I prefer the one on White Bear Ave in Maplewood. It’s right off of 36. It’s a little less chaotic and easier to find things!