It's no secret that I have a fondness for sort of picking on the Goodwill retail stores, stores…read morethat are designed to support the work of an organization devoted, at least partly, to individuals with disabilities but stores that are all too often woefully lacking when it comes to being truly disability friendly.
So, you can definitely color me surprised when I stumbled into the Rochester, Indiana location of Goodwill and had an absolutely sublime experience.
Note to Central Indiana: This is how you do it.
I was in Rochester for a fundraising event that involved traveling about 100 miles by wheelchair, an event for which I'd planned and was thrown a curve in terms of the weather.
By the time I arrived in Rochester, I really wanted to get my hands on some more weather appropriate clothing and I noticed that this particular Goodwill was across Main Street and down the block from my Quality Inn accommodations.
This location is in a free-standing building, a slightly worn location not far from one of the city's more prominent strip retail centers. While you could think of "Main Street" as a busy thoroughfare, I had zero issues with traveling by wheelchair from my hotel to Goodwill.
While this Goodwill is laid out fairly similarly to most Goodwill locations, it was the staff, the attitudes, and the overall thoughtfulness of the retail experience that made this location truly stand-out.
Did they have the mandatory ADA amenities? Yep. Accessible parking was out front with an automatic door making entrance an easy thing. The aisles were wide enough for a wheelchair, though it was perhaps a bit tighter than some of the newer Goodwill spots.
Then, however, I spied certain intentional choices that caused this rating to start going up. For example, have you ever noticed how frequently the computer set-up in Goodwill where you can apply for employment is frequently NOT actually accessible? Watch for it. It's the rule and not the exception. Here, the computer was placed low and there was a desk/chair combo allowing someone easy access. While I doubt this accommodated EVERY type of disability, this is a significant improvement over the usual Goodwill retail experience.
It's worth noting that I arrived on the first Saturday of the month, a normal disaster at Goodwill but definitely less so here in Rochester. The staff had things organized and they possessed a calm demeanor. It's also worth noting that this Goodwill is not part of Central Indiana, thus my usual Goodwill Rewards card was not effective here. Rather than allow that to be an obstacle, the Goodwill employee worked quickly through the process of getting me signed up for their rewards, acknowledging it would likely never be used again, but wanting to make sure I got all applicable discounts. In other words, it was terrific customer service.
The selection was solid, the prices were fair, and you never felt like they were holding back their best stuff because it was a sale day. I was able to find several items that would make my journey better.
Overall, I was just tremendously impressed. The ADA accommodations were solid, the customer service was top notch, the prices were fair, and I could get in and out in a timely manner. While it's not likely I'll often be in the Rochester area, if I am I wouldn't hesitate to go back to this Goodwill and to point to it as an excellent example of how the Goodwill retail experience should actually be.
