This Goodwill is consistently excellent. I've shopped here for decades, and can usually find something (usually sweatshirts and t-shirts) that fit me or my kids, and it's all quite clean and well organized. One star off for prices that are frequently a bit higher than I'd like, and sometimes offering inventory with stains, that though clean really don't come up to a resale level. But while you might have to paw through the entire rack to find it - there are lots of fine quality, clean items that will save you lots of money. read more

Definitely sub-par by thrift store standards (especially in Berkeley). I have a feeling all the good stuff gets picked over pretty quickly here. That being said, I have found a few things that were worth the search. Browse often for the best finds. Remember that you're competing with other college students, many of whom hold dear the motto "MINIMIZE, MINIMIZE, MINIMIZE!" and have wet dreams about used hunting caps. If you don't find anything, go have pizza next door at Royal. Good people, good pizza, straight from New York. read more

This place was just ok for me. I know it's a goodwill and all... But I was going thrift store shopping to find some guy tshirts and girl jeans to cut up. A lot of the tshirts were the same which was really weird to me seeing as how it's a thrift shop? Prices seemed good though (tshirts were $2-$3). Their jeans were anywhere from $6-$15. If you are looking for something specific I would say go to Buffalo Exchange or Out of the Closet. read more

This place is okay, but please please, MANAGER: PLEASE consider CLOSING the front door because the fitting area is FREEZING and I feel like I am going to get pnemonia everytime I change in there. :( read more

Dissapointing - it's very pick over. I find the pricing for donated items to be priced high and sometimes higher than buying a new item like a Marshalls or Ross. Such as kitchen ware the pyrex is $6-8 for the pan and new at Marshalls at $5! sometimes the original price is on and the Goodwill is higher ! Clueless pricing... I find this one boring and playing some loud music.... Hit and Miss! Books are price high! same as Half Off Books! Staff: Hit and Miss they need to be more customer service friendly and lose the "sass" read more

Weak sauce. These folks put torn, stained, stretched, & otherwise haggard clothing on the shelves in a thoroughly randomized manner, and expect money for it. read more

SO I went here to donate a few things and came in with a luggage . I walked right up to a woman standing behind the cash register and she didn't acknowledge me at all! She knew i was there but didn't say ' i can't help you right now' or ' someone else can help you'. Another woman who was not in my vecinity yelled from across the room 'may i help you'. sheesh, i just wanted to know where to drop off the stuff! This is my second bad drop off experience at a bay area goodwill. Next time i'll go to out of the closet for donations -_- read more

I have only checked the back of the store for non-clothing items today. Household items are much higher priced than any other Goodwills that I know of. This place did not have a sense of organization and things were just mixed into a basket. A lot of broken items that no one will want was being sold at a high price. Trashcans had some rotting foods inside, and yes they were for sale. Some new sneakers had a Walmart tag that said $7.99 and they were being sold at $10 here. Some items were tagged higher than the actual price, but the nice register girl who actually worked checked individual item corrected it for me. That was nice of her. I am mostly thrilled about coming to a thrift store for treasure hunting but this place did not have much. Maybe I came on a bad day. I will come back a few more times and decide. read more

This Review Is About The Goodwill At 2058 University Ave Berkeley In May 2011 We Were Quoted A Price of $12 For A Lamp/Table Combo & When We Went Back The Next Day To Purchase It A Black Older Lady Was Mean & Rude Saying That We Couldnt Have Been Quoted A Price OF $12!! She Then Raised The Price to $29.95!!! Lets Me Know She Wanted The Extra Money To Put In Her Pocket! We Left Without The Lamp Of Course!! Signed Tracie & Daniel Lewis read more

Terribly rude! NOT worth the hassle of dealing with the angry guy in the front of the store who goes out of his way to be rude. I was on my way out of the store and he had to make a snide comment. I tried to get over it and leave it with a 'no worries' but he just kept on being rude. Also, it is small and the selection isn't great. The prices are random, some crazy high and others seemingly normal. As mentioned in other reviews it isn't like other thrift stores where if you point out something they might have missed (a hole in something or buttons missing) they just say 'tough'. It has that cheap thrift store smell too. Out of the Closet down the street is much better. They are always nice but it is a little pricey though. read more

i'm a life long thrift shopper, and this is my favorite goodwill location ever. i've found some truly magical treasures here over the months. whats even better is i've gotten to know some of the amazing staff who work here - eric, the store manager, for example, is one of the most charismatic and kind retail managers i've ever encountered. he greets every customer walking through the door with a bright smile that makes everyone feel at home. i love shopping here, and i love supporting the lovely people who keep this store running. keep up the good! read more

i figured this place would be ridiculously picked over, being in thrifty-trendy-hip Berkeley, but I found a cute purse for $4, a skirt for $5, and a flour sifter (for my recent baking binge) for $0.49. That is half a dollar, people! Sure, thrift stores are hit or miss, and there is plenty of horrendous junk here too, but well worth a shot. I think it's official: I have a crush on Berkeley. read more

I get most of my clothes here, I think. I have to take off a star because there's sooooo much crap you have to wade through--super-crowded racks, tiny aisle spaces...as others say, it can get quite overwhelming. Still, it's the best thrift store in town, imho. read more

Came here a few times when I lived in the apartment upstairs. I rarely find anything good, but walked away with a candleholder and 2 tshirts (one of which still had deodorant stains on them ick). Not as cheap as you would expect. But very organized and seems cleaner than other thrift stores. Though it still has that "secondhand store" smell in the air. read more

Friendly staff, they were very kind to me during my recent dig for records, which was a pretty eclectic mix if classical, rock, soul and some scattered hip hop and edm. Overall, a nice visit but the stores a mess. It's very big but understaffed. I appreciate the challenge this must be so I think 4 stars is a fair rating for my experience read more

i like this place, they have a neat and organized section of shirts by colors etc. I like old clothing from the 60's 70's and 80's and you are bound to find something totally retro here. I wish the staff were a little more friendly but other than that its great. read more

Lots of housewares and clothes, a couple pieces of furniture (but don't go there for furniture). Employees are super nice.

This is one of those Goodwills that makes no sense. Their prices are stooooooopid high (hello: this is USED JUNK, not new retail items). Their clothing is all 1980s C list junk that nobody in the 80s even wanted to wear. Why the hell is Goodwill even still around? The Salvation Army is like some high end boutique experience by comparison. read more

I have enjoyed this store as one of the better stores in the recent pass, and as staffing changes often, so does the merchandising and customer service. The crew I encountered recently were some of the worst I've ever encountered. I was having a good time at first changing some of the dresses on the window rack that had a bunch of things that it seems customer put there that they did not want There were so many very high quality and fashionable styles for the college set I couldn't resist and hung some other things. The woman who was in charge on the floor agreed and seemed to like what I put together Then I started to shop around and found some things that I wanted to try on. It was not long before one of the other women on the floor seemed to be "working" where ever I was and the floor manager started too. Both were looking at me every time I glanced at them as well I had my backpack sitting on the floor and had an eye on it when I noticed one of them near it and went over to indicate that it was mine, and then said "here, let me move it over here out of the way" and put it against the wall. As the surveillance continued, I went over and in a discreet way said that it was clear that she was watching me and said that I understood that to monitor the store theft was probably a non-stop thing.. I asked if there was a problem with me and I never got a cogent response, I shopped around some more and then heard one of them ask who's pack was sitting there ...they said that it looked like it was for sale I thought this was odd because I felt that I had already established that. (and how did they establish that it was not for sale) I claimed it again. I then continued to shop with eyes still on me (it was so obvious) and tried on some boots. I have trouble with my balance and have had several foot surgeries and needed to walk around for a short time to test them for comfort....I will know if they are OK within 10-15 min. It was then that I noticed another employee who had been in the back the entire time I was there out on the floor and communicating with hand signals and pointing at my shoes. I went over to tell her they were mine and she said it was not OK to leave them there. I had to speak up at this point and ask "what's going on? Why are you all focused on me? The manager came over and stepped in front of the woman from the back of the store (who looked tense and off guard) very abruptly before she had a chance to say a word. The manager was very defensive and said that they were just doing their jobs. once again I said that the issue was: "why doing their jobs seemed so focused on me, and why someone from the back of the store knew there were errant shoes out on the floor." She still kept repeating the same thing. I said that I was done shopping for the evening and placed my unzipped purse and backpack on the check out counter and asked that she look at their contents before I left....she was smug and walked off. I came home and crashed and noticed around noon next day that my wallet was missing. It was in my backpack. I'm not saying that that is a sure thing....I just know that I went in with a wallet and no one had access to it or me from then on until I discovered it missing. Then I realized that the fuss over the pack could have been a rouse to cover what was really going on. The cash in it would have divided nicely among three people too. read more

Today, on the recommendation of an employee of Out of the Closet in San Francisco I ventured across the bridge to Berkeley and what I thought would be a long arduous drive (it's raining finally in northern California!) took, at the limit, 20 minutes. While there I was told to check on 'Savers' which was just two blocks to the west and I did and then finally, tired and hungry and maybe a little bit cranky I entered the Goodwill store. Right away the realization came back that each Goodwill manages their store differently and while I don't know all the details this Goodwill in Berkeley for example doesn't have 'color' weeks where tags of clothing if they're 'orange' would be half off...they do offer a 55 and older discount every day of 10% most other goodwill's I've been too offer it once a week, on Sundays, for 20%. Oh well. What I'm really writing about is the customer service I received today from an employee at this store. Her name was Christine. She was there to answer any questions and to help by making suggestions (once she knew what I was shopping for) and in a very unobtrusive and professional way. She rung me up and while I was hoping it would be under $100 the total was just $70.70 and of course I didn't account for my senior and the no tax so I left very happy. If you're in Berkeley and your a thriftier ... University Av is a great place to spend an afternoon and if you do when you go to the Goodwill you can tell Christine that Tom from the city sent you. ; ) read more

I guess quality control must be a thing of the past because 90% of the clothing i find at this store (and many goodwill stores in the east bay) are stained or torn---and cost even more than you would pay at Ross or a similar store. Waste of time for clothes. read more

this is the best goodwill store i've been to. it's HUGE, organized, and clean. i'm definitely going back.

Pretty lame. Looking for clothing and the selection is poor. Nothing interesting about this store. The workers were chatting loudly and annoyingly the whole time I was there. read more

This place is awesome. Tons of name brands and clothes in great condition. They often have sales that take 50% off of items in certain departments. Staff are super helpful and friendly. read more

I used to like this location a lot better before they remodeled it this summer. The layout just doesn't work for me. I don't like their book selection. Sometimes I find things I like in housewares and clothes. What I do like is the fun staff who love to sing along to KBLX. They are a lot of fun to watch. Otherwise I find that you really have to dig to find something good, often more work that I am willing to put in. read more

This was a very well organized store...though as any discount or thrift store - it takes more time to look.....but my young adult kids found some great finds....we got a bagful of stuff for under $20. The shirts, sweaters, athletic jersey and misc. items we bought were in very good shape and you would never be able to tell they weren't new. They had fantastic prices on coats....if I didn't already have more than I need I would have picked one up! read more

I was a little disappointed by this goodwill. I love thrift stores and most goodwills, and expected Berkeley to provide some unique and cool things. I've found a lot cooler things at other goodwills, but still some good stuff. read more

good mplace, overload, but hit or miss