Her name is Sandy. I had a bowel resection and I consistently loose weight every year so I drive to Goodwill locations to find quality and value. More importantly my heart dropped to see that a non profit donation based industry actually raised their prices. Thats enough to make my heart race but I calmly and respectfully ran into Sandy... holding my temperament down and keeping an open mind I politely asked why? She has a heart of GOLD and responded in kind with reasoning and for me to return in the future and not to give up. I also wanted to find out her name and stood by watching how she treated other patrons. From what I experienced, she put her best foot forward and showed great balance informing the customer not to give up searching as she explained where other Goodwills are located, like Alpine, Santee and others. Im just floored by her impeccable customer service skillset and I promised myself that she earned this review single handedly. I see greatness in her, plus she smiled throughout and I recognize the balance in her heart. She wins my vote for Employee of the Year. Goodwill Industries should be proud of recruiting amazing talent. Stay blessed everyone, and you also Sandy. read more

The drop-off guy, Brandon, was ridiculously unprofessional. I arrived exactly at 6pm, and when I got there, a car was ahead of me. He took that person's items, and when it was my turn, he claimed he was already closed despite having accepted the same-time arrivals. He then told me I could park and drop off the items myself. read more

Customer service, friendly and helpful associates, personable shopping experience! Found some much needed items! Thank you!

I honestly cant tell you why but Ive been thrifting at goodwills since I was 18- thats 45 years now, and for me this is the worst goodwill in the county for finding treasures of ANY kind. I come here a lot, living just a mile away, and more than 9 out of 10 times I walk out empty handed. At veterans around the corner I always find something good so its not that Im picky. Either they dont get good donations or someone inside is diverting them elsewhere. Much better luck at the Santee store. Something is wrong here, I wish I knew what. read more

Seriously the best goodwill with the most cool junk and I always walk out with so much practical and fun stuff. The clothes especially are really nice. There's cool art, lots of shoes, and always tons of kitchenware. It's great that you can find household stuff here instead of buying it new. I got a bunch of beautiful dresses, all less than 10$ and shoes about the same price. And most of the stuff is practically new, if a little dusty. People are always nice there. : ) read more

We had a bunch of used clothing that's been in the trunk of the car for a couple of months. We finally got around to stopping at this thrift store. They have a drive-in area so you can just pull up and they take all the stuff that you have for them off your hands. They're very nice about everything and very friendly. Do you have a bunch of things that you don't need? Bring them down here and drop them off. read more

There is some guy that is at the donations drive up that I need to speak on. Once I was dropping off old electronics and watches. He rips the bag open and takes a couple of skull candy ear phones and av watch them places them to the side. I thought it was strange but I was donating and didn't think know the procedure however it looked like he was saving it for himself. Then recently I was dropping off clothes and furniture. He made me pick up the bags and place them in the bin then told me there was a few snags on the chaise arm and he wouldn't take it which was ridiculous. So I had to drag it back home. I'm not using this location any more due to this guy or I'll go to a different company. Your loss! read more

This may be the best Goodwill store in the greater San Diego area. I only go here for puzzles, Blu-Ray movies, and books, and the place usually surprises me by what it has in stock. I used to go here a lot when I worked in the area. My workplace was maybe a ten minute drive from this place? Now I can't come here as often because I work far away from here, and that makes me a bit sad. I wish I had discovered the place earlier than I did. read more

Clean store and nice staff but that's all it is. I am a avid thrifter from the Bay Area and find plenty of worthy items from clothes, toys, collectibles, and electronics. For this Goodwill though, there is too much filtered from the e-commerce website. All the donations from the back does not go to the store immediately. It goes to the headquarters first so they can filter out all the good stuff and sending all the scraps to the brick and mortar stores. Good news is donations are easy to drop off over here. You can drive in and drive out one way. If you are looking for treasure, look else where. If you need a quick workout clothes/dress and 3/4 the price, you find some luck. read more

I visited this Goodwill store over the weekend and immediately upon entering, my eyes spotted the "Friends" DVD Complete Series Collector's Box Set!!!! It was shining in the glass case! I got it for roughly $30 which is not bad considering it retails on Amazon right now for $195 for a new set! This one looked hardly used at all! I'm so happy with my treasure! I actually had been wanting to buy all the seasons since I only had seasons 2 and 3, but now I have the full set! I assume someone donated it because the series is now on HBO Max haha, well their loss is my gain! read more

Goodwill Thrift Store - Friends Complete Series for $30!!!!! Retails on Amazon $195 for a new set!!! - Thrift Stores Near Me - El Cajon, California

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This store is well stoked, organized and clean, you can find brand name clothes but it will cost more than the Salvation Army prices $8 for dresses and $6 for everything else, there is boutique prices that are higher depending on the brand. Lots of shoes option. I have found some good stuff here. And as other reviewers have said . . . security guards at goodwill? Never seen that before. Parking on the front of the store gets busy. read more

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I like going to the Goodwill Thrift store on Second St in El Cajon. They always have good things from clothing to kitchen stuff and their prices are reasonable. I always go in for one thing and come out with many. It is a good store for sure. read more

When I went to the cash register I was trying to purchase a bag the tag of the bag said it was 1999 the manager then saw the bag and ripped the tag off and said it was 60 I said no you price it at $20 be careful her name is ameera she's a manager and she changes the prices on the bags on whatever you purchase always double check. by the way she told me oh I forgot someone else is going to come get it the bag I'm guessing she sent someone to buy the bag for her. read more

I like to go thrifting from time to time because I think it's pretty fun like treasure hunting for the gem in a pile of random stuff. They actually had quite a number of goodies here. Although some of the prices seem a tad bit high for used items. But I was able to go home with two pieces of clothing that were in good condition. Overall, good place to check out. read more

I needed to be able to save money due to rising gas prices so I decided to empty my storage. I called ahead of time to makes sure they were taking donations and they assured me that they were. Approximately 20 minutes later I arrived with a pick up truck and a car load of donations. I pulled into the line and after waiting several minutes was told by the store manager trumpus that he would only take some of my donations. I could barely move in my car how was I going to just give him some of them. I ended up going to another goodwill where the entire team at Del Cerro bookstore and donation center treated me with respect. read more

Finally, a Goodwill with reasonable prices! So glad they aren't following the recent trend of other GW with crazy price hikes. The staff are friendly and store is well kept. Will shop here again. read more

It was a good day for me! I went in just to check it out and I came out with more than what I anticipated to buy and they were great deals! First, the place is super clean and it doesn't have that second hand scent. It looks like an actual retail store and the racks are color coded and so organized. There wasn't any litter or anything like that and I felt safe picking up the items because it was clean. I scored such a great deal here! I got tan, almost new shoes (check my pictures) for $5.99 and it is super comfortable. I was actually taking pictures of it to post it here and when I noticed it's my size, I tried it on, walked around with it and walked out with it! I even got the military discount, so it's additional 10% off of it's already killer price! I also found a beautiful glass box, something I have been looking for everywhere! The price is also very reasonable, since this box does not have a single scratch or chip on it. I inspected it everywhere and there was none. For $12.99, yes please! Right before I left, I looked through the bins again that is meant to be put out on the shelves and I'm glad I did. I found a Yankee candle, unlit so it was brand new, for $3.99. It was a large candle that would easily be $14 brand new, but I snagged it for about 1/4th of its price...yeeeee! The whole time I have been walking around this place, I didn't know they have a cased glass in the front as well. I wish I checked it out sooner as there was a purse that this lady beat me to. It was this natural tan, leather Dooney and Bourke leather sachet. I'm not a purse person and to be honest, I'm not even really a fan of Dr, but this purse/sachet/crossbody is so cute, I wanted it for myself. Man, like I was so jealous of that lady and I kept eyeing it/her until she walked out the door with it. That beautiful purse had only cost her $14.99. I think that's what surprised me even more. Even if they sold it for $20, it would have definitely gone out the door with that price...heck, probably even at $25! Well, at least that's how much I'd pay for it, had I gotten my hands on it before her. There's also another one in there, but it looked more worn out. In a way, I'm glad she got it before me, because I already have too many purses, I don't need another one to confuse me in my decision-making on what to use. That's just what I tell myself to console my soul lol. I would come back here again...and again. Hopefully not too many times. I need to stop finding great deals! :p read more

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This used to be my go-to Goodwill, with great finds, and killer deals. But as of recently their prices are just a little ridiculous. Their Lululemon pieces were priced at $15-$30, some had stains, clearly used (a lot). I couldn't believe it! Other things have their original tags, and they would price it at the same or sometimes over, so weird. And just because something has a new tag from Target, doesn't mean its BTQ, lol. read more

This is officially my favorite Goodwill! I agree that maybe the prices seem a little higher than I was used to, but it seems comparable to other Goodwills that I recently visited. The parking is super easy, and the store is SUPER clean, VERY well organized, and the staff are amazingly helpful! The selection here is better than I am used to, and the whole store is just really well done. I am super impressed by how clean it is and how spacious it is. I would totally come back here! read more

Great selection of items at this thrift stores. Goodwill prices are usually higher than Salvation Army prices in my opinion and I am an avid thrifter. Most of the time, I can come here and find something that I'm interested in. The numerous times that I have been here though, I can never find skinny jeans in a size 6. They don't really have alot of popular name brands like Hollister but I guess that's ok. Their high prices items are meh. Not really intriguing or worth looking at. Customer service is nice and friendly. We go here almost every week. read more

The store is fairly organized except for the hard goods and easy to find what you're looking for. It's kind of crowded going down the isles not enough space for two people going the opposite direction. The store is pretty clean with big dressing rooms. The prices are to high for used donated items. They don't even do tag sales!! There is plenty of parking. read more

This review is purely on the service I received here. I recently sprained my ankle and was in the market for something to improve my mobility. I called ahead of time and asked what they had available. The employee promptly told me and I headed over. I must have looked like a weirdo entering the store in the rain hopping around on a wooden bar stool (It was the only thing I could find). I made it to the registers and explained myself. One of the workers offered to grab the crutches and bring them to the front. While I was being rung up, another worker even adjusted the crutches to my height. That same person took my stool to my car for me in the rain. I was hoping for some help but what I received was so much more. Me and my cankle were so grateful! read more

For an establishment that gets their goods for free AND knowing that they don't do any goodwill, the prices are just getting too high. A pad of paper that is currently selling at Target right now that sells for $1 was marked $3! Plus all the overpriced used clothing your buying will have holes in it from their staple price tag system! I'm officially done shopping at Goodwill. Go to Salvation Army, where prices are still insane but they have deals and goes to good cause. read more

Goodwill Thrift Store - Staples through plastic! They're going out of way to ruin everything. - Thrift Stores Near Me - El Cajon, California

This particular Goodwill has a limited selection of goods (aka:junk) compared to the other locations. I visit once a week and sometimes score on some little treasure...but don't get your hopes up to high if your a collector. The staff is very friendly and helpful. It is nice to see Goodwill in this location. read more

Goodwill Thrift Store - Lots of nick nats - Thrift Stores Near Me - El Cajon, California

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What a great shopping experience. Great selection and Nuha Al Trahan was so nice as she checked us out at the Cashier. She made me and my 83 year old Mom feel like valued customers. We found some great items; clothes and household goods. Thank you so much~ Carol Lovejoy March 2018 read more

I've gone to a BUNCH of Goodwills around San Diego and this one blew me away! It's HUGE inside, with tons of racks of clothing to look through (for those of us dedicated thrifters). Also in the front of the store there were a few adorable color-coordinated racks of seasonal clothing with color-coordinated books and shoes displayed alongside. What a nice touch :) I barely made it halfway through the store my first trip, and I'll be back for SURE! read more

Will not be coming back. The security guards that have been hired for this location are such terrible people. The obese male was eyeing me suspiciously the whole time I was there. At one point he even came up to my cart and inspected my things, he touched them! What?!? It just made the whole experience very uncomfortable. I did nothing to deserve this kind of treatment. Who would think of stealing from a thrift store? It was all just so bad. read more

This is actually one of the worst Goodwill thrift stores. At most goodwill stores clothes are anywhere from $2.99 - $4.99 before taxes. Here the amount is $4.99-$6.99. Which is ridiculous when you can go to Walmart or Target and get a shirt for a $1 more and it's never been worn by anyone else. The parking at this place is always packed. They share their parking lot with a bar, a Dollar Tree , a grocery store and a few other small businesses. My mother asked me to buy a little pair of pants for my daughter one day and gave me her credit card. I told her I would rather just pay for it myself or have cash but she insisted on the credit card. Now, I've worked retail for 10 years and also know it's become a law now to have the customer swipe the card because of fraud that's been happening when employees scan the cards. Most businesses know this already so you hardly ever have employees swiping cards anymore. Not Goodwill apparently. I gave my mothers credit card to the employee by the name of Lisa. She forgot to ask, "Is this debit or credit?" And just swiped the card. Than she asked me to sign the receipt, and asked for my ID. I told her it was my moms credit card and she told me she would have to return the item. I told her, "By law, this is already paid for and I can walk out of this store and you can't do anything about it. But I'm a good person and will let you return it on my moms card. You didn't ask me if it was debut or credit and you swiped and paid for an item with that card already. " I could tell she looked dumbfounded. I had no problem paying for it with my own card or cash but I was upset with how Lisa had handled the situation and wasn't doing a great job. Taxes and prices are to high at this Goodwill, not very many options to look at and if you do shop here, avoid the cashier name Lisa. read more

clean and neat. donations accep in rear 10-5 and after 5 at front.

I have been donating here for the past year since it is close to work, however today was horrible customer service experience. The only had one young kid getting the donations, but three other people standing and chatting inside the back. Horrible slow, asked for help and said wait in line. Will never donate here again, go somewhere else where they appreciate your donations and the workers are actually helping eachother and courteous. The inside usually looks put together but I didn't go inside today after the horrible experience donating. A metal donation would have been more helpful like they use to have. read more

Came in here the other day and it's pretty clean and the items they have don't smell gross. Everyone was friendly and i overheard they give senior discounts during checkout. They have pretty big fitting rooms which is a big plus for me. Not many kids items to choose from I took away a star because everything in this store is getting really expensive!! When it first opened everything was very fairly priced and now it seems they are getting greedy read more

Extremely rude staff when dropping off donations. Not only one service person, but two service people in the drop area. I've dropped off donations at goodwill many times. this was my first time at this location and I would actually just drive further to avoid these peoples rude attitudes. When asking for a donation slip the gentleman acted so inconvenienced. It's self-serve drop off, honestly how hard is it to provide a donation slip. Never again! read more

Gabriel!!! :) Such a friendly and polite young man!!! It makes a huge difference these days when you walk in a store where the first person gives you a big huge smile and friendly conversation. Five stars!!! read more

It's great to see that the staff are all wearing masks and gloves because we are in the middle of an pandemic and goodwill has always been an enjoyable shopping experience that I have miss during the past two months closure. Over the past month I have found myself at goodwill because of the great deals I've been lucky to find. I have noticed a couple times of few mishaps of people coming in without wearing masks or arguing with staff about facial wear politically because of COVID 19. It's not nice , I trust them to enforce their rules so we as people can continue our shopping experience. It's extremely rude for people to not care about their health in small thrift shop where people are limited to come in due to this virus. I as an customer will continue coming back and they continue to satisfy my shopping experiences. read more

Lots of stuff and we'll priced. Would come again staffed greets you well and leaves you alone to look around which I love!

Poorly run no consistency to donations acceptance called ahead to verify accepting donation and hours. Arrrived 45 min before time. Found sign out front saying no donations. Have had problems with this store in past being extra pick about what the accept and inconsistent from one drop to another Would recommend find some else more diserveing read more

Best decor in any store I've seen...ever! Out of this world service, and nice employees all around :) definitely will be going back and will shop regularly. read more

Love this place! Such a huge collection of things and affordable. Great jean selection for woman, and nifty Knick knacks that are clean and notttt broken!! read more

I come to this place all the time and I always find something interesting or special. The customer service is amazing, they always greet me with a smile and a welcome. Very clean but small. Always something new inside. read more

I must say this thrift store is one of my favorites! But only because of the cleanliness and associates. Space is quite limited. I know some like the over crowding and 'digging in' feeling of bargain hunting but it can take on a 'messy, junky' vibe. The front right hand corner of the store seems to be the 'showcase' and it is quite pretty but in my opinion this isn't what our neighborhood is looking for. The back left hand corner seems to be a waste space Clothing prices are high and racks crowded Very few books and toys But hey I am there 2- 3 times a week and always leave with a treasure. read more