I have been going to this Goodwill since the day they opened and have been shopping at Goodwill stores for about 25 years for both personal and resale items. 1000's of visits to many locations. Shakopee has been on a steady decline of quality goods, cleanliness, and customer service with an inverse change in pricing. Common used baseball hats for $9.99? $1.99 to $4.99 at many comparable stores within a 10 mile radius. So many other examples of poor pricing, dirty/damaged/incomplete merchandise, employees hanging out instead of tending to the store, bare shelves, etc.
I'm very comfortable paying up for quality goods but the level of change in this specific store is beyond inflation and beyond ridiculous. Between pulling almost all the very nice items/brands for their e-commerce site and these other negatively distinct qualities I am not sure I will return to Goodwill in general. I would guess overall I am in the top 10% of customers when it comes to spending per year with the organization. I also donate a ton and am very happy that some of the proceeds from my purchases help people develop into more confident skilled employees. Chanhassen, Savage, Bloomington, and others in the region do a much better job in my opinion. There pricing has spiked but not in comparison to Shakopee. The median income of Shakopee I believe is below Minnetonka, Apple Valley, Eagan, Golden Valley, Cottage Grove, Plymouth, Edina, Lakeville, Prior Lake, Woodbury, Chanhassen, and others that have Goodwill locations or Goodwill competitors located within or very close to each city with better pricing.
I 100% understand running a business to make the most profit as possible but when merchandise sits due to pricing at retail/resale or above that's probably not the best plan. The mission "to eliminate barriers to work and independence" is a noble one. One that should be focused on more instead of employees on their cell phones or having super inappropriate conversations within earshot of customers. Those probably aren't the skills that will help someone succeed in their next position. It seems like in the past not only has the mission been to help put people to work but is has also been to supply goods at a reasonable price for normal people. My Mom introduced me to Goodwill from her experience as a kid. Many changes since being founded in 1902. The original mission has absolutely changed. Hopefully Goodwill notices this and takes it under advisement. Possibly survey many levels of customer to see what they can do better. I don't really leave reviews but just had to. Very disappointed. read more