London - Goodwill Outlet

Ty Gg

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

2 weeks ago

They care about e-commerce more then the physical in store sorting now, they have a sheet on there wall where workers are told to pick out certain clothing brands, electronics, etc unfortunately for someone like me that enjoys going a few times a week kills it. In the last 2 months I’ve gone 3 times a week & haven’t been able to walk out with a single thing that interests me, we all used to find stuff for each other, do trades that we were all happy about, now someone might find a decent coat or shirt through out the week. I’ve caught on to there system about about 2-3 week they’ll bring out garbage, the next few days they will include the odd good item but 98% of there “higher” end items go on there eBay store such a shame what this company has become

Ann Davies

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

3 weeks ago

It's not the same place as it was last year or two years ago. Clearly management has changed in front and especially in the warehouse where they are picking things out not just for the website but for family members and friends. Corporate definitely better start watching what leaves the back because it's not going in the bins upfront. No place changes this much without big reasons.

John Smith

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

2 months ago

Since the new management, the experience has gone downhill, fast. Rule enforcement is pretty much non-existent. Many people start grabbing from the bins before the full set is in place, ignoring the normal start point. A small group of regulars who focus heavily on brass items are often the most aggressive, especially around new bin rotations of metals and handbags/shoes. Unfortunately, staff rarely step in when basic rules or etiquette are ignored, which has only led to a rise in this behaviour. There are countless other instances of shoppers who behave unpredictably, aggressively, or appear impaired on the sales floor. Combined with the lack of rule enforcement, this creates an environment where safety concerns are inevitable and situations feel increasingly out of control. Worst of all, it’s hard not to feel like items are being completely pre-picked with a fine-tooth comb. What does make it to the floor is tagged, unsold retail overflow, while anything of quality items appears on the eBay, or reserved for preferred clientele. What used to be a fun experience a few years ago now feels like a (sometimes dangerous) waste of time. I fully expect the standard response from the “Owner” about safety being a priority. Unfortunately, that doesn’t match the day-to-day reality inside the store. Regular shoppers are well aware of the ongoing issues, and the lack of meaningful enforcement or intervention speaks louder than any generic reply that can be copied and pasted from the corporate handbook.

steve

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

2 months ago

The store is unsafe Don't waste your time going to Goodwill to complain. Report them to the better business bureau. So many complaints are exactly the same. Management doesn't care. I often come shopping here the price for certain items are good. The bin idea is good. However the store has become very dangerous. Goodwill sorts out Lego and high value items for maximum profits for there auctions very effectively. However I frequently find razors, razor blades, fishing hooks, broken glass Christmas bulbs, broken picture frames. I've found bullet shell and meat slicer blades and open knives. I've seen spilled wet paints, oil, glue, chicken feed and medication tablets. Even a used penile medical pump and used litter boxes. You have customers, who push, steal from carts. Have there children run up and take things while your sorting and steal items like a piece of brass right beside you. You see kids going through bins with sharp objects and people throwing things around. People frequently fighting. You rarely get a cart. You have to cover it up when you do with a blanket. If you need to use the bathroom you risk losing your items. Don't ever set down your jacket or hoody down. Even with a pop on top full of personal items clearly someone's actual belonging. The thieves will steal it as what happen to me. Which in minus -14 if your taking the bus you need heavy clothing but if your shopping it's pretty hot. Atleast the thieves had the decency I suppose to dump the pockets out and leave my personal items and leave the pop. Given the lack of decency of some of the people here. I'm surprised they didn't drink it. This store is turning into more of a scrap yard for a handful of regulars who smash everything for silver plated trash. They smash throw and whip everything around for what seems to be a pewter common collectible spoons that they bend and break verify they are yellow and brass on the inside. You do not get enough time to go through the bins in my opinion safely without needing to aggressively sort and it is way to aggressive. If you wait for the aggressive brass collectors to be done damaging things for souvenir spoon verification. Then you have the bins taken before you have a thorough look. I'm my opinion this leads to more aggression. More damage and loss of sales from damage and time limitations. This also leads to more smashed items and sharp edges. The front counter staff are nice, but it's clear most not all of the cart pushers completely hate there jobs and are miserable. Probably as customers get frustrated with the timing catering more to the aggressiveness. This feeds a poor frustrating shopping experience. Goodwill should ask uncontrolled children to leave the store with there parents. This is not a safe place for uncontrolled children. Certainly customers shouldn't be encouraging kids to run up and grab people's items. It's a new low. As well as the bio ( paint, glue, medication, tablets ) and sharp hazards and aggressive sorting. In my opinion this is not a appropriate store for young kids and an accident waiting to happen. Goodwill should consider the customer base they want to bring into the store. They can improve the aggressiveness greatly by bumping the price of brass up to match the scrap yard prices or sort the brass out of the bins. You may lose the aggressive sellers but build up a better customer base on other items would more then make up for the loss of brass sales. The goodwill could just sell the brass off to the scrap yard themselves or auction collectible pieces off for a much higher. If you can remove something as small as Legos for money from your bins for your auctions. Then you should be able remove big meat blades knives razor blades broken glass or glass items you know will be smashed etc for the safety of your customers. Simply for sake of keeping a store Id like to see continue going. If the ministry came in on a regular basis and saw what goes on at this store. They would shut it down and it would look extremely bad on the goodwill if that happened.

Gwyn E.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5 months ago

This outlet has really gone downhill. Six months ago, it was a good place to find usable, affordable items. Now, most bins are full of broken, damaged, or even literal garbage. It’s frustrating to dig through trash only to find that anything worthwhile—books, clothes, or housewares—never makes it to the floor. Goodwill runs entirely on free community donations, yet it’s hard to see how this location benefits the community anymore. Many people count on this store to stretch tight budgets or make a modest living, but with so little quality stock left, that’s become nearly impossible. Profit seems to have replaced purpose here, and it’s disappointing to see a once-helpful place lose its integrity. To be fair, many of the staff here work hard and treat customers well, even when the conditions aren’t great. Unfortunately, the direction the store has taken in recent months suggests that the decisions being made from above are not focused on the community, but rather lining corporate pockets.