Of course it’s someplace like Huntington Beach. In my experience thrift stores are run with the sort of labor that wouldn’t be able to read the labels or would rather not be there at all because it’s community service. This particular grade of store goes up against consignment stores, and would count on a community too rich to bother with consignments so they dump fine clothes on the thrift. Of course, if I owned an upscale consignment store I’d be sure to swing by the Goodwill boutique to see if there’s anything undervalued. I’ve seen thrifts so bad they must be money laundering operations. “Look at some of these great dresses here. We have Development, which is a great brand, we have Lee — these are ones kind of more known in the fashion industry than on the street,” says Eric Smissen, the store’s visual specialist. “Word is getting out, so I think that our more traditional shopper is still here, but we’re seeing a lot more new faces,” Smissen says. He says that’s the idea behind the Goodwill boutiques — to bring in new customers, especially younger shoppers who have fueled the popularity of resale stores like Crossroads Trading Company. “We have Joe’s Jeans. We have Paige denim. All those jeans run upwards to $150 plus for a pair. And they’re about $8 to $14.99,” Smissen says. “What would you guess this Calvin Klein to be? I haven’t even looked at the price yet, but I know I’m going to be excited. Now I’m going to check out that Gucci bag over there,” she says. “Well, we have this beautiful Coach bag, this navy blue Coach bag with some brass accents. And then, let’s see, some clothing here, we have this really great Michael Kors trench,” Smissen says. Frank Talarico, president and CEO of Goodwill Orange County, says the new stores have been very successful. And he says even though the ambiance is more Abercrombie than thrift store, shoppers and donors should know the original mission is still intact. “They can always rest assured, that our Goodwill, for example — and this is a real and audited number — is going to take more than 92 cents of every dollar that we raise, regardless of what kind of store we raise it in, and put it right back into programs that serve people with barriers to employment,” Talarico says. Only at Goodwill can you get broken stuff at inflated prices (so it seems). Seriously, who wants a broken/non-functioning toy for $5 when you can spend $1 more at Walmart and get it brand-new? At least the Goodwill in my town has toys at dirt-cheap prices for my child. But the other Goodwills in the area…they want you to pay through the nose for junk. Not happening. Don’t get me started on the corroded batteries. You have to take a couple of screwdrivers with you and check out the battery compartments if you’re planning on buying anything that takes batteries. There have been a few times where I’ve bought something, took it home…and there are corroded batteries still in the item, and the whole compartment is filled with corrosion. When people donate, they need to take the batteries out…and whoever at Goodwill sorts, I think, should take out any batteries. If I remember correctly this company doesn’t do anything for the poor, like nothing. It just suckers you by its name. Ahh yes, its also the company that hires disabled people so it can pay them… 22 cents/hour. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-hrabe/the-worst-corporati...876905.html This is the breakdown for the Goodwill office that oversees this store in Huntington Beach and the rest of Southern CA: Financial Performance Metrics Program Expenses (Percent of the charity’s total expenses spent on the programs and services it delivers)93.7% Administrative Expenses 5.1% Fundraising Expenses 1.1% Fundraising Efficiency $0.02 Primary Revenue Growth 15.1% Program Expenses Growth 17.4% Working Capital Ratio (years) 0.25 I don’t know what measurement you’ve been looking at but I think that nearly 94% is a pretty damn good ratio of monies spent on the poor. And it only costs them 2¢ to raise $1. Again, seeems like a very efficient charity. (Data from Charitynavigator.org, not a 4-yo HuffPo article) Also, Goodwill’s mission is to help the disabled find satisfaction in employment, not to relieve poverty.