Goodwill of Silicon Valley – Willow Glen Store

Who does the pricing here?! These are donated items, not rare antiques.
Don’t waste your time coming here to sift through USED items when you can go to a discount shop like Ross or Marshalls and find new stuff for the same amount of money.
Really disappointed that this is my closest «thrift» store. What a joke!

I visited this Goodwill on Friday, September 4, 2015. It’s one of the larger Goodwill stores in the area. This particular one had a good selection of artwork. When I was there they had the Halloween costumes and decorations out in the front. A little early for Halloween perhaps but that’s okay. They also had a good selection of vinyl records and furniture. Part of the reason I go to Goodwill is to find things to sell online but the prices at most Goodwill stores are too high to be able to do this. This store is no exception. Most of the electronics are priced close to what they’d go for on eBay. Record prices are okay but the one record I looked at was too badly scratched to sell.

What a sad and greedy establishment. I’ve been going to Goodwill stores and donating to them for the last decade but in recent years what stands out to me the most is how they take advantage of their customers. While you might find an occasional good deal, their price scheme looks nothing like an organization out to help the needy or provide an outlet for those looking for secondhand goods. How on earth do they get away with selling used, damage, filthy, secondhand, DONATED items for nearly new prices? What type if community service is that? For instance, a used, small coffee table with damage is selling at the Goodwill for $ 35. Price when new? $ 29. An oil filter for a car at Goodwill is priced at $ 5. New its $ 4. A cheap, plastic 20 year old kitchen appliance with missing parts, $ 20. An old bike that needs work, $ 125. Who is pocketing the cash at this non-​profit organization?
At least one thing is for certain; your money has payed for those huge flat screen TV’s on the ceiling playing your favorite music videos from the last 15 years like in some bar lounge. Really, Goodwill?

Absolutely annoyed with this goodwill. First, you have a sale on orange marked tickets 20% off you go to the register and the lady said «no» When one employee says yes. You are strongly over pricing items that I have seen in the last few years. Your workers are volunteers from people who got in trouble with the law and they volunteer their hours for reduced fines and they are free to you. Some of your volunteers have given me an attitude like I am some rich person who can afford stuff. The lady at the cash register smirked and said a smart remark and said no discount. The whole reason I shop there is because I cannot afford department store prices.
Please please please work on yr customer service. Stop yr volunteers from staring like everyone is going to. rip the place off. You can feel the tension in the place and you are over priced and you do not honor discounted items. I think I will shop at salvation army or the happy dragon. Awful service! Don’t go here

This is the worst goodwill ever! It smells so bad. Hopefully the manager will read this review and put up air fresheners. I don’t think they wash their clothes.

Who on earth writes a review of Goodwill?
This one deserves a great review! So here ya go.
First of all — it’s huge! Allow some time to explore.
Secondly — they have a great assortment of «Goodwill stuff.» I found more children’s clothing and better quality housewares there than I’ve seen in a while.
Third — the mix of high quality items was pretty strong. I admit it, when I thrift shop I turn into a brand snob. Folks who complain about Goodwill pricing are sometimes right — the prices can be high if you’re picking up something that originally came from Walmart or JCP. But if you can lay your hands on Eileen Fisher, Columbia, Patagonia, or even Gucci (a pair of flats — not my size, but Gucci flats none the less) you’ve hit the motherlode. And all of a sudden those Goodwill prices are pretty darn good.
A couple of other points:
They had more fitting rooms than most GW stores have.
Workers were circulating to keep things neat and tidy — more so than at a lot of TJMaxx stores I’ve seen!
Not a bad assortment of books and vinyl LP’s.
One heads up — the parking lot is small and many spaces are labelled 15 minutes only. Be patient waiting for a spot, and back out carefully! Narrow driving lanes.
There are a number of GW locations in the San Jose area but this one’s my favorite when the mood strikes!

I don’t really understand this store – the front is turning into a weird makeshift dollar store/​bodega/​Walmart type checkout counter with new (?) goods and stuff salvaged from places like Target and Kmart.
However, the prices are whacky. I brought up a religious plaque that was marked $ 3.98 but the girl said it was $ 7.98 because «there was a special code on it». When we asked what code she pointed to a «G» written on the back of the plaque. Supposedly the letters stand for what the prices really are. WHAT. Why not honor the price on the bar coded tag you put on there?!
Then, two purses of the same brand and style if that were priced on the same day were a different price and the manager had to come over and inspect. The price was matched, but what is going on with the merchandising team?
Also, how is it a new wooden dining chair is $ 12 yet a Kmart purse is $ 7?
In the past I remember a lot more housewares and toys without trying to rebrand as a makeshift department store. If I wanted to go to a department store and buy new I would, but I don’t expect to go to a thrift and pay new prices.

I can find all kinds of stuff in there for cheap, everyday i find something new, kinda like a kid in a candy store

The staff is the most unhappy people i ever experienced. I had a terrible experience trying to exchange something one day i was told i needed to have the price tag on the items. It doesnt state that anywhere. I did have reciept. They argued my husband and i up and down. Finally after an hour they exchanged our items. Without a thank you, smile or any courteous gesture at all. So i hadnt visited in over 8 months i did go in the other day and the cashier was zombie like and grumbly. I tried to strike a smile but he was serious and said excuse me. Nevermind. I hope u have a better day. He says oh its fine. I said thank you upon leaving n he stated your welcome. Shouldnt THEY b saying thank you?
Where has customer service gone its sad. And im sad to see it go.

Donating here is so easy! The donation area in the back is opened until about an hour before the store closes. Drive down Hamilton, PAST where you would pull in to walk through the front door, and take the next driveway. It looks like an alley but it will lead you to the loading area of the store. You’ll see signs to direct you to U-​turn and a there will be employees there with bins to put all your donations in. They hand you a receipt with a date and their signature and you fill in the donation info. Easy peasy.

Ok this review is long overdue– sorry goodwill! Recently came here for Halloween items, and left with a cute Issac mizrahi jacket– score! Granted I had to alter it a bit, but total cost and alteration $ 15 but looks like a $ 200 — thank you very much! They have all kinds of good finds but I was only there to buy the ghoul outfit– check it out lots of vintage stuff and just cool different good buys.

Shocked at the prices when I went there today.
Seriously, way too many items started at around $ 8, which is much too high for a thrift. And I’m talking about knick-​knack stuff and things like incomplete, pre-​owned kids’ costumes.
I spent a good 45 minutes, wandering the aisles and not finding much that I wanted to spend their asking price on. I ended up buying $ 12 worth of items: a small globe, a Furby and a bag of Halloween-​themed erasers to give away. Not really worth the trip there.

I like this store. It is large enough to have a real selection of stuff to choose from, but there is a lot of junk, too. It is a lot of work to shop here, so be sure you have the time to spend. The staff are reasonably friendly, so I like going here to look for the usual special finds of antiques and old junk that you might find at a garage sale.

We dropped off some of the boys clothes here earlier this week and though their drop off location is not at all well labeled, we handed his items over and headed back into the store.
I’d been here a few times with the rommates, mostly for clothing as their housewares section is mostly on the cheaper, lower quality spectrum and this visit was no different.
I’ve tended to find a good selection of work casual here, but except for a couple one offs it’s mostly been on the mid to ross esque type quality range. The service is usually fair and for the quality, the prices are reasonable, if not about a dollar more pricey per item than needed.
All in all a good place to stop by if you’re in the area, but otherwise, I’d head to Black and Brown, spend a bit more money and find some higher quality pieces.

This goodwill is pretty clean and well organized. I’ve gotten some nice quality stuff from their women’s clothing selection here. They also have a very extensive housewares section and a pretty nice furniture selection. The people who work here are really nice too.
Only downside is that toward the back of the store, past all the plates and cups, things do start getting a little crazy and disorganized. Otherwise, this is one of my favorite Goodwill locations in SJ.

I shop at Goodwill quite often but lately it seems like their prices have gone up quite a bit. I like this Goodwill because it had a great selection of household items, they recently remodeled the clothing section so everything is nicely organized and and even organized by size (small, medium, large) which is great because I know exactly what section to look in. I also noticed that Target donates their clearance stuff so sometimes I can get a great deal on something I saw at Target months ago. .. you just have to be patient.
Lately, though their prices have risen to the point where it cores not make sense to shop there. They ask $ 9 or $ 10 for a used shirt that is clearly worn. Crossroads asks for the same amount and they have items that are in great shape AND are in style. If it is something new it is more like $ 15 which is crazy because that is basically what I can get it for at the actual store. This is, however, my go to place for building my classroom library. All paperbacks are $ 1 and hardback $ 2 — I have been able to get some great book and sometimes even sets.
My advice would be to only shop for household items unless they are having a sale on clothing. Also beware of the parking lots, there are tiny, cramped spaces and (even though I have a small car) sometimes it is hard to get in and out of those spaces.

Im always a fan of good will and when i go here I always hum the song «I’m going to pop some tags» Haha. But yes, good will is always a favorite thrift shop store for me. This location is a hit or miss, but I do come across nice pairs of levi’s, new target clothing + shoes, jewelery, office supplies, etc. This is a perfect place to go to if you love DIY projects. There are better locations of goodwills compared to this one. Like Sunnyvale or Campbell.
I did not really like this location just because it is hard to find help around here. I had a hard time finding an associate and they always seemed annoyed when asking them to open the displays. I felt rushed. =/​oh well… I guess you cant expect too much from a goodwill.

Donated some books and clothes here a few weeks ago. Although you’re supposed to pull up in the back, I couldn’t figure out how to do it so I came in the front. The guy at the register was very kind and took my small reusable tote and said not to worry about it.
This store has adequate parking and luckily, doesn’t smell musty like a lot of thrift stores. Didn’t really take the time to browse the wares (trying to simplify my life), but from other Unilocaler’s reviews, it’s worth checking out.

Pretty big… and clean. Lots of stuff to rummage through. However some of the patrons were kinda creepy, particularly one guy who kept following me around the store and staring. Didn’t feel safe for some reason… I mean, would you? I know I can’t fault the store itself for this but at the same time, a person needs to feel comfortable shopping somewhere.
One Unilocaler mentioned she saw a few hit and runs in the parking lot… I can see that happening. Parking spots are pretty close together and it can be easy to hit a car parked in the corner space with its front– or back-​side jutting out.

Oh wow, they sure have changed things around here. The store has gone through a nice renovation. The walls are painted, new register locations, nice changing rooms and public bathrooms. What stood out the most to me were the 4 flat screen TVs mounted in the middle of the store playing music videos. Goodwill should no longer be known for being low class, they have stepped it up for sure.
Minus one star, because they don’t have the clothes placed according to size. That would be the frosting on the cake. Savers and the San Mateo goodwill organize their clothes to size and color. Other than that this place is cool.