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Goodwill specifically markets itself as a thrift store to help the working class while also helping homeless and disabled people get retail experience to get normal jobs.
Instead we've found out they get their product donated, they pay less than minimum wage (sometimes 22 cents an hour), and they sell at market prices. So that was all a lie. That's why people are mad. Changing what they say they do now isn't going to work without a massive PR campaign to show people the out of store projects they do. And then we're all going to ask where the money for that PR campaign came from. They are a shit company, and a shittier charity.
Can you link some of these ads you're talking about? I don't really see any ads for them ever.
I don't think they hide that they sell things that are donated, since they want people to donate. They also dont sell things at market prices, especially not from what I've seen personally. I bought a $600 snowboarding jacket there for $85 once. It wasn't $8.50, but 80% off for a coat in pristine condition is nowhere near "market" prices. I've got tons of things from years of thrifting there that were wildly under "market" prices. I still go regularly and think the prices are very solid for thrift, if occasionally bonkers.
It sounds like you have specific issues with Goodwill, which is fine, but the above is how all retail charities work. The store prices are not the charity. The charity comes from the profits from the stores, so all retail charities are incentivized to make a profit. The fact that the prices are much less than market, and that they do some great environmental things as well via recycling is the extra positive bits of retail charity like goodwill or habitat for humanity.
If you don't care to support the model that's fine, but that's why they price things the way they do.
https://www.goodwill.org/press-releases/goodwill-celebrates-national-thrift-shop-day/
It's literally their entire marketing scheme. And if the Goodwill near you is offering good prices still then that's great. But this is something people have noticed.
My local one has a banner up for Halloween costumes, but that's about it. There are some generic "feel good" images of people being happy to work inside on the walls, but it's not like it rotates or has ads or anything. Just generic cheerful "thank you's."
There is nothing about how the store is there to sell cheap things to the working class, just that their charity helps people get jobs.
That's just inside the walls too. I've never seen any kind of actual ad for Goodwill in print or online.
You can easily find video ads of goodwill on YouTube. And I linked you their literal strategy.
You said earlier that "Goodwill specifically markets itself as a thrift store to help the working class while also helping homeless and disabled people get retail experience to get normal jobs."
They certainly advertise the second part in that link, but I didn't see anything about the first part, which is what you seem to mainly be upset about.
They are pretty up front about selling donated goods to pay for their charity work of job training. They don't claim to be a "thrift store to help the working class" at any point.