Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina

As with any thrift store every visit can either be a hit or miss. I’ve found countless treasures, yet am frequently amazed by the complete trash they justify putting a price tag on. But just like Pavlov’s dog, every time that darn bell rings my eyes and feet are leaping on over to see what goods are on the newest cart or rack they’re wheeling out from the back. Even when I’m attempting to walk out the door. For the third time.
This store has made a great effort in the past couple of months to «clean up» and have pretty drastically remodeled the interior. No more of the old and nasty carpet, and a few knocked down walls in the back have really opened the place up.
HOWEVER, the business practices have changed just as much. They no longer accept ANY returns/​refunds/​exchanges. Which, I know, it’s Goodwill so you’d be returning already used merchandise and it gets iffy on what to take back or not– BUT even legitimate customer concerns and need for an exchange are completely out of the question. The staff is wonderful and friendly, but their store policies make it hard for them to offer the amount of customer service they could (and used to!).
The general prices also seem to increase every other month and all the housewares are so randomly priced. Instead of all plates being $x amount, all bags $x, linens, etc, whoever is pricing in the back that day determines what is of higher quality and gets individually priced if necessary. If they have an item that is of particularly nice quality (by whatever standards the person in the back that day has) they set it aside (before it ever hits their sales floor for local customers to buy) and send it off to be listed on
.
I disagree with their practice of gauging prices and selectively displaying merchandise for local customers in order for them to make an extra dollar or two. By the time they sort, ship, resell, ship again, etc they would have been better off to just let the LOCALLY recycled and repurposed goods circulate within the LOCAL community. Even if you happen to spot an item of interest and request to purchase, if they want to send it off to sell they simply will, no exceptions, and will tell you to wait until it is listed online from the North Charleston warehouse. And then good luck bidding against people from all over the USA that are able to keyword search and pull up particular items in any state and «shop Goodwill» from their computer.
I have loved shopping at this store. I really want to continue loving this store, but almost every time I walk in the door I see new signage with increased prices for clothes (sorry– but $ 5.99 for an item of clothing is not that cheap. What happened to $ 2.99 and $ 3.99? We’re talking about used, most of the time dirty, DONATED clothes here) and my heart sinks every time I pick up a houseware I think is going to be $ 4.99 maximum only to see there’s a 1 snuck in there and they’re asking $ 15 for an old, chipped plate.
I think they may just need a reminder that they are a thrift store, not an antique shop.

Goodwill Industries has gauged its consumers and moved away from its original business model. The concept of thrift has moved away as Goodwill have become more and more profitable. With CDs and books being $ 1.99, pants 4.99, shirts 4.99 and accessories rising, their prices used are now comparable to stores such as Wal Mart and TJ Maxx that sell items new.
Some items even have the original price stickers on them and the Goodwill prices are nearly identical. They offer subscriber email discounts and special days, but it does not off-​set the dramatic increases. The store can be clustered at times as items keep coming in daily.
The one bright spot is the staff. Most of the time, they all have a smile and are so willing to help.

I have mixed feelings about this Goodwill. It is a shame that I focus on my kids first when shopping, but I cannot resist a classic children’s book, and let’s face it– kids can act like swine sometimes. Thus, I am always hunting for cheap, once-​expensive, stain-​free duds for brats. This Goodwill had few gems for kids. Same goes for books. Plus, the books were expensive– $ 1.29 per each, hard and soft. The clothes were not. Each item was $ 2.29, even a big coat for a tween. Toys were nonexistent. Not sure if it is because they pose a potential danger or because kids who have come into this Goodwill destroyed the toys and any future notion of this Goodwill retaining toys for resale. The knickknacks were not too messy. Adult clothes were varied in all respects. You will see a faded Faded Glory shirt next to a brand new Ann Taylor blouse. The whole place was nicely set up, and they are very nice about letting you look at the soon-​to-​be-​hung-​up racks of clothes that they just brought from the back. This Goodwill does exchanges and store credit, and my receipt does not mention that electronics and housewares are excluded. That is great if it is true! They also have a point system, so you can get so-​and-​so off, provided you racked up some points. So, hit those racks and rack up!

The store was super clean and the staff was extremely helpful. Although I didn’t find the labels and designer brands I am used to finding in Goodwill, I will give this location 4 stars for the service. Great shop!

If someone bet me 3 years ago that I’d not only be shopping at, but, loving Goodwill Industries, I would have laughed them out of town (Baltimore) and paying up.
What can I say? I love this store. Yes, I’m a snob and love fine clothing, fine shoes and top of the line serving pieces … but, I know my labels and I’d be foolish to walk away from a killer bargain … think Eileen Fisher. RTW, Ralph Lauren, Ferragamo, Gottex, Brooks Brothers … and all items, within a category are one, very low price … like $ 3.99.
Shopping is easy. Clothing is arranged by category and color. (I’d like to see further sorting by size, but, then again, it is Goodwill.)
Heading up north for a weekend during the winter and don’t want to sink $$$ on a warm jacket … head right to Goodwill. Jeans for tonight no longer zip? Yup, Goodwill has a great selection.
Sure, most of the inventory has seen it’s best days, but if you are a careful shopper, you’ll be very pleased with your purchases. Hint … plan to stop by often as the ‘good’ merchandise goes quickly.

What a great organization, however, those that do pickups leave a lot to be desired. I had scheduled a pickup, time was given 9 – 12 am. No show, no call. Called them, was routed to service then a server who did not pickup. Called again, expressed my disappointment, was told they can only transfer me again. I hung up. I was called later and told that they will call the diver. Told them too late, I had scheduled with someone else that we’re on the way. This is no way to run a bus, especially for such a great organization. Clean up you act.
Frank G

This is an alright Goodwill. They have a huge selection of 2^nd hand clothing which I like because I can find some pretty cool t-​shirts every now and then. They also have a good selection of household goods and furniture.
The best thing I like about this Goodwill is it’s location near my house; it makes it very easy for me to donate stuff which I’ve been doing a lot of lately. They are really helping me clean up my house and get rid of a lot of stuff I don’t need anymore.

Here it is… I shop at goodwill all the time. I’m always looking for costumes for different events that I do. 3 stars is not a bad rating for a goodwill. The staff are extremely friendly, saying hi when you walk in (just like they would at a boutique, which is an extra special nice touch). The store is fairly well maintained, and is by far NOT the worst goodwill I’ve seen. I was looking for a table, but the furniture selection was kind of poor… NOT goodwill’s fault.
Now, why did it not get higher ratings? I’ve been in some goodwills that have painted concrete flooring and are set up to look like everything in the store is brand new. So, by comparison, this one is about average to maybe a little above average as far as goodwills are concerned.

I am a Goodwill junkie, and this is my favorite one in Charleston! I am convinced there is some woman who is my long-​lost twin who regularly donates clothes that are perfectly matched for me; I go there several times with each new season to find nice Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, J Crew, and Old Navy (some brand-​new) tops, dresses, and skirts.
It’s a fun store and fun to even take my kids — no one seems to mind them riding on all of the toys and tinkering with everything! :)