You know it's going to be a good day when you're going to the Goodwill bins! It's always exciting to find good stuff for cheap prices. Make sure you come well fed and well rested. You need your energy to dig through the bins. This location is pretty big with plenty of space. I like that they're constantly rotating bins through the day, so you're not left with the least favorable items mid day. It feels very organized here which is good for the amount of people that shop here. Another plus: pay the pound. We got loads of stuff for only $25! read more

Goodwill - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

DO NOT GO TO THIS STORE. I just came here with my son to donate clothes and shoes and this guy said " no kids allowed ". Now my son is saying " Daddy why did they say no kids allowed? ". It's ABSURD. DO NOT SUPPORT THIS STORE. I left my bag of donations and left. Idiots. read more

This is not your typical Goodwill! I can't make a comment on the whole experience where you start to rummage through the bins at the same time hoping to get something that you pay a per-pound for. Thankfully other Yelpers have described that process. I was too overwhelmed on my first visit to really try to figure that part out, so maybe I will update this review later when I have that experience. I did, however, have a GREAT time buying furniture here. there is a SIGNIFICANT collection, especially when compared to the other goodwills in the area. I found this amazing green ottoman in EXCELLENT shape...for literally 99 cents?? It was marked down from 29.99 and I had to ask the employee for confirmation. She was extremely helpful and nice, and pardoned my ignorance about how things worked at this store. Basically, the furniture is on the periphery of the store, so you can buy it at any time, as opposed to the big blue bins in the center. I would definitely recommend to come here if you are looking for furniture! read more

Goodwill - Green ottoman!! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

There were items all over the floor and you were not allowed to touch the stuff in the bins without permission. It's extremely unsanitary and unsafe. It also has an awful smell of body odor throughout the store. They need to get rid of this location and after reading other reviews of no kids allowed makes me think even worse of this place. DO NOT GO HERE!! read more

So many negative things were said in the reviews I read that I thought I had to respond. First of all kids were not allowed during the worst days of the pandemic - they were before, and they are now. Second, the staff is very friendly and helpful. My only negative about the store is the rudeness, even hostility, displayed by many of the shoppers. read more

If you are fortunate enough to live near here you can truly find goodies. The stuff at other Goodwill locations is no where near as good at this store. LOTS OF REALLY GOOD BARGAINS HERE. Name brands for really dirt cheap prices. I went here with my sister and I paid under 10 bucks for 2 boots that were quality boot brands, some bags and a few other random items. Again all for under 10 bucks. Give it a try there is the variety is very good and you never know what hidden treasures you will find. read more

You gotta fight for your right to parrrrrrrrrtay. It's pretty much the Hobbesian war of all against all at the Goodwill Outlet, so you need to be in the mood to dig, elbow, and take some chances. If you want the slightest teeny bit of refinement and comfort in your shopping experience, skip this one. This is about getting down and dirty, rumbling for what you want and what you didn't know you wanted, and emerging covered with dust but clutching a prized item that needs only minor repairs and will cost you ridiculously little money on a by-the-pound basis. On my first visit, I walked right up to a perfectly fitting designer blazer, needing only minor repairs, that cost me under $2. You can't beat that. Heck, I also got a very nice chair needing only a little work. Do make sure you check for condition as carefully as you can -- a lot of things here will need work, which is fine by me if it's work I'm comfortable doing. Watch out for the drivers who pull into the driveway and stop dead, just sitting there and preventing anyone else from pulling in. They'll sit there and sit there and sit there, while the line of people wanting to make left turns into the lot backs up. Then they'll attempt to back out into State Street. So drive very, very carefully as you approach. read more

The cashier was very rude and had a attitude and she didn't wrap the glass dishes with newspaper. She just place the newspaper on the counter and was like here you go that was unprofessional. I'm never coming here ever again. read more

Do not come here if you are a germaphobe. But if you can handle being patient, digging through some potentially gross stuff, sneezing from the dust, and obeying the rules of the store (don't touch the blue bin when the employees are setting them up!)...then... You've come to the right place for a bargain that is for sure. I immediately threw my finds in the washer/dryer, not gonna lie I was a little skeched out. But the $10 amount of stuff I got would have been at least $100+ at regular Goodwill, nevermind prob $200+ at a reg store. read more

Interesting place that is worthy of visiting but be warned that it is a filthy, dusty, germ filled location, and you can't blame the facility or the staff for that. This is seemingly the last stop for stuff that comes from a variety of locations. Much of it is dirty, has flaws, or is otherwise undesirable. Sometimes not. Rarely they will have thrown the baby out with the disgusting bath water. Bring a mask. Bring gloves. Prices on everything are about as cheap as you can find anywhere. The more you buy the cheaper it is. 79 cents per pound is the cheapest it gets past Maybe 50 pounds? Separate groupings of items come out randomly throughout the day. Some of these groups are shoes, books, all random clothing, and then a bin of everything else you could think of from vacuum cleaners to used litter genie devices to window screens, to bicycle wheels to plastic kitchen utensils. If you come here for sourcing inventory to resell it can be quite a grind but you may find it worthwhile. It is busy, super competitive, and the quality, particularly for clothing is dramatically worse than what you will find at a normal goodwill. read more

I love this place to no end! If you have some time on your hands to sift and rummage through numerous bins of stuff, you will be surprised what you will find. You do have to be a little patient. I go especially for children's books, adult books, cook books. sand box toys, and all the other junk toys (Fisher Price, Tyco etc) that we waste our money on. A bell will ring first to inform the customers that a new bin is coming out. DO NOT touch the bins while the workers are wheeling them out. Sometimes you have to be assertive when you are at the bin and stand your ground. Keep in mind that because it is pay by pound there are, what I call, the "Super Serious Rummagers" who arrive in the early morning with their gloves, sticks and face masks; ready to rip through the bins and fill their carts with anything and everything and spend the entire day at the store.. Once they have collected what they can, they sift through their ceiling high mounds of clothes etc and pick out what they do not want. If you are concerned about bed bugs - check the seams under the arm pits for the little pesky insects. They are roughly the size of watermelon seeds. The minute you get home toss the clothes in the dryer on high heat for 15 minutes and that should exterminate them. PS- Make sure to take along some reusable backs for your newly found treasures. read more

I'd been here about half a dozen times before today and never had a problem. I'd go in, head for the books, pour through them until I had an armful, then check out. Today was different. I was looking through the books this morning, with 4 already in my hand, when some female employee with a silly looking hat started pulling the bins away as I was looking through them. Literally pulling the bin away that I was looking through. I asked what she was going. She said "Taking them away." Duh! I asked why and she just replied "You should have been here at 8:30am." I asked if she was bringing any more books out. She said "Maybe." I sat down and waited. I figured I'd wait 15 minutes, but the time dragged on. I wanted books so badly, I waited for nearly an hour. I watched as people flocked like vultures to the clothing bins. Many pulling out multiple armfuls of clothing. I noticed a couple people waiting for books, but mostly everyone was there for clothing. Hard for me to understand. All this knowledge in books that people COULD be looking through (had the books been out) and all they care about is clothing. Then it seemed to make sense why bringing out (and leaving out) books wasn't a priority for the employees. Most people don't care about the books. So why take them away to begin with? I watched for an hour as the empty floor space where the books had been brought in absolutely no money for the business. About 50 minutes passed and I saw them wheeling out bins full of books. They brought out two bins, so I stood and began pawing through them. The woman in the silly hat kept saying "Sir? Sir? Excuse me, sir?" but I ignored her as she had ignored me when I asked her if there were going to be more books. One of the other book shoppers who didn't seem to mind such inane and truly non-customer service driven behavior helped her in getting my attention. So I shouted "What?!" to which she informed me that I "had to wait" until the rest of the books were out before I could even look at them. I asked "I have to wait?! I've been waiting!" She proclaimed "It's the rules!" So I placed the books I had in my hand on the floor one by one and walked out without buying a thing and without saying another word. On the one hand, it's a great place to go for books. On the other hand, they're insane if they think they can implement rules that allow them to take merchandise away WHILE people are trying to buy it, then refuse to let customers look at anything until they give the okay. Such behavior is not acceptable. Or should not be acceptable. Nothing will change as long as customers abide by such truly ridiculous "rules". Yet if more people simply started walking out in disgust without buying anything, the lost revenue would eventually add up and policies would have to be changed. I opted to walk out without causing too much of a scene, but it was not what I wanted to do. If you're ever in a store of any kind and employees start pulling merchandise away while you're looking at it, then they're rude to you, ignore you, and/or refuse to answer your questions...walk out. Don't spend a penny and walk out. read more

Bring gloves and your poker face. GET READY TO DIG. Don't expect clothing racks and organized sections. This location is made of big blue trays of stuff that are rolled out via a buzzer warning. Veterans line up prior to the newly carted merchandise arriving to get first dibs. This location attracts vintage-seekers, Ebay sellers, hoarders, etc. It's an eclectic bunch, but it's definitely its' own little community. Chairs, desks, tables, bookcases. Books, vhs, cassettes Kids toys, games, dolls TV's, speakers Clothes, shoes, purses Housewares at the front left The real gems are found by testing your patience and exhaustive digging. You buy by the pound. read more

YIKES. Watch out for the regulars. Well, some of them. Okay, a couple of them. Like the short white girl with the bangs and a bad attitude who seems to think she's in a gladiatorial arena fighting to the death for clothes or some nonsense. But, really, most everyone is pretty nice. The outlet definitely has its own little social ecology, though. Lots of junk in bins. Some great stuff in bins. Come in with something to drink, a good attitude, and a few hours. read more

The outlet store is setup in one large building, as an open plan. There are shelves on outer walls with appliances, electronic, furnishing, etc. Larger furniture is lined up along the other wall. And in the center are these large blue bins loosely organized by: 1) clothing, bedding, housewares, 2) housewares, kitchenware, and 3) children's toys, bric-a-brac. I shopped on a busy Saturday. The customers were all picking through the deep piles of second-hand wares, being courteous of others shoppers. Checkout was processed via small counter-scale or large floor-scale since the cost is calculated by the pound. Remember to bring your own shopping bags. read more

Goodwill - front entrance of the Goodwill Outlet Store - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

This is a review of the "bins" during Covid. First of all, there's NO info on the changes they've made during the pandemic that I could find online. I suppose I could have called, but with the lack of info available online I figured much like any other business the mask & 6 ft mandates were in place--and they are. BUT wait, there's more! There's a line that forms outside the store where you wait until the next "wave" to enter. Don't quote me on this, but I believe it's something like 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.. This allows staff to limit the # of people at one time along with giving them time to clean between waves. Well, ok that's great but it sure would have been nice to know that beforehand so we could gear up to stand in the frigid cold. Once inside, my bf and I got yelled at, angrily, by staff. Apparently, there's only one person allowed on each side of the bin at any given time. My bf was yelled at to the point where they told him if he didn't move, they'd ask him to leave. It's a huge joint, and the staff is in the front of the building while we're in the back and it was impossible to hear wtf they were yelling about, so my bf had to go to them to find out why he was being screamed at. So keep in mind, if you came with your significant other / husband, you cannot stand next to them. At all. Even if you guys just woke up in the same bed and came in the same car--6 feet, people. Again, if I knew this, I wouldn't have dragged the poor guy with me. By the way, NONE of the new Covid rules are posted in a conspicuous place. They have giant walls with prices and whatever whatever but not one single Covid rule placed where you can see it. As others had mentioned, no kids allowed during Covid. I get that, frankly I don't think kids should be allowed at all because it's an accident waiting to happen--there's bins and bins of household goods, sporting goods, electronics, etc. One little hand grabs something he or she shouldn't and OUCH. OK with all this being said, it's fantastic for resellers looking to keep their COGS low. I made out like a bandit. But I'll never bring my bf again. Pandemic or not! read more

As a single mom on a budget, I decided to come here because I heard they have affordable furniture. I showed up and was asked to leave because I had a child with me. Apparently no children are allowed. Not sure why as there is no alcohol, xxx items, etc. there no valid reason why I couldn't shop there with my child. should I have left my kid in car or home alone? All bins just had items tossed In them. I observed several people's hands In Them. I'm sure that's pretty sanitary during covid season. I won't come back here. I Went to the Wallingford goodwill and they allow children and were friendly. Go to Wallingford instead. They were organized and clean. read more

I think they manage the bins well and rotate them well! I like that they enforce masks and the 6 feet regulation as well!

craziest goodwill i have been to.. but i have never actually found anything to buy here. i think this is one of those you have have to be in the right place at the right time deals. i am never here at the right time. parking lot is always busy and the driveway is narrow. lots of BMWs and Mercedes in the lot when i was there last. read more

Goodwill - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

If you have patience and an eye for treasure, dig deep enough in the bins of merchandise and you're sure to strike gold. As others have mentioned, this is *not* a retail shop and you need some patience to find things worth buying. Almost everything is priced by the pound, which can be a great deal for some things but not for others. For example, a stack of light, beautiful porcelain teacups could be had for less than $1, but a dirty used flowerpot that weighs several pounds might cost more than a new one at the store. Another thing you have to be able to ignore is the somewhat depressing air of the place, but then again who goes thrifting expecting a boutique experience. Furniture is an absolute steal. Look here before hitting any other Goodwill or IKEA! read more

Not really sure how I feel about my first visit to the clearance center. Wasn't aware of the don't touch until given permission rule. Was able to get some good finds. It was very unclear how much each item cost since its sold by weight. The cashiers don't bag anything, just stand and chat while you fumble to put away change and bag your items trying to hurry since there's a line behind you. Will probably return however. read more

I love the Goodwill Outlet. This one is great for furniture, housewares, toys etc. Not as good for clothing but try to get to the shoe bin first and you will not be disappointed. You can get amazing rewards for your efforts. Be prepared to get dirty. Not over picked and over priced as many of the Ct Goodwills have become. read more

Not a typical Goodwill. This is a warehouse with things thrown in corners grouped by the type or kind of object. There are no aisles, shelves, or helpful staff. Unless you like warehouses, I wouldn't go there. read more

Buyer beware!!! I bought recently hi-fi electronics here, the assistant manager promised me there were working but they did not, one unit, after opening by a technician, was completely blown up (by lightning) and they refused to take it back, the case lies with the credit card company now. Also, the prices are artificially high, some used ones has higher prices than brand new equipment. The stuff I bought was high end but the unit was internally damaged, I believe the assistant manager knew that. read more

Goodwill Outlet has been an adventure and a treasure hunt for our family for the last two years. One never know what special items one can find in a bin. Antiques, clothing, a designer bag, a band T, toys, etc. Plus we found some really nice people. Anyone who visits regularly finds nice customers and the staff, work hard and are very accommodating. Then something happened. The store hours were extended to 9 PM every evening but Sunday. Everything slowed down. The rotations are not only slow but disappointing. Many people look forward to accessories and shoes and they are often put out early in the morning and not in the afternoon or evening. Customers are upset. It used to be crowded with shoppers and the number has fallen drastically. Many people come to the Outlet a great distance and are frustrated. Why drive an hour and a half to wait around for hours? Although they do not express their frustration, it is easy to see that employees are being stretched by these long hours. With so few customers, it does not make sense. It is not because people do not know about the new hours. Regular customers are not coming. At 3 PM today there were very few customers today. It is winter and the Outlet is not in a well-traveled area. Shopping at night when it is cold and dark uncomfortable and dangerous. It also does not make any sense financially for Goodwill. No one profits. read more

I have been shopping at this outlet for about 2 years now and it is a great place to go for rock bottom prices on some fine merchandise. The inventory changes daily so it's always different when I go. The only reason I don't give this place 5 stars has nothing to do with the way the place is run or the folks that work there. It has to do more with the deplorable behavior I have seen by the shoppers especially the "regulars" that spend their whole day their over in the back corner of the place with overflowing shopping carts. I used to think it was amusing that when they brought out new carts of merchandise they had these "do not touch" basic manners rules they tell folks in English and then in Spanish. I thought it was a bit much that grown adults had to be told how to have basic manners. It did not take long to figure out why they have to be told these things. Think of an angry mob being thrown a fresh piece of meat and that is what I have seen pretty regularly especially when the shoes come out. As if the low prices and tons of inventory weren't enough, shoppers will get aggressive grabbing things and stealing each others carts of merchandise. Pathetic. And then they complain that the prices are not low enough. Seriously? As for my "Carmen experience" she has been nothing but pleasant to me so I am not sure why another reviewer had such issues with her. Perhaps that reviewer is one of those obnoxious regulars who always wants something for nothing trying to haggle the prices down even further. I wish these shoppers would remember what Goodwill, the organization is all about and how it helps so many people. The pricing is already very low and these shoppers who try to get the prices down even further should be ashamed of their behavior. They are only hurting the organizations' bottom-line. When something lacks a price, Carmen has assigned a price for me but I have never thought she created it out of thin air. Rather, she chooses a fair price based on her vast experience in pricing this merchandise. Frankly, I think Carmen has way more patience with many of the shoppers than I ever would have based on the type of behavior I have seen. Every time I see her she is smiling. I give that woman a lot of credit for letting so much crap roll off her. At the end of the day, I just try to ignore the poorly behaved shoppers as best I can (which can be challenging when looking at furniture and they are sorting all the clothing on top of it), I remember that Goodwill is a wonderful organization and I get some incredible bargains. read more

I love this place! I've been going for 2 years, and have found many treasures. Note of caution: not for the faint of heart! You've got to pick through sometimes not-so-pleasant bins and many times, unpleasant people who are pushy, feisty and downright obnoxious! GW staff, however, is ALWAYS friendly & helpful! read more

This goodwill would get four stars if not for the rude cashier/supposed and probably self professed manager there named Carmen. I have been going to this goodwill for years probably since the first day it opened. For the past few years I have encountered this woman often telling customers what prices are of things as she randomly thinks them up and does so with a very nasty attitude. And very seldom asking the customers to do the weigh in as it is a bulk weigh for clothes items. Having said that, the real problem I have is with her poor customer service skills. I have managed thus far, to go to another cashier if I see her because my problem is not with the pricing, but with a bad attitude that comes along with it for no reason. "Either you do or do not want it" attitude and "keep it moving" personality. No service with a smile here. My reason for writing this review today was the final straw. After asking a simple question about a suitcase turned into her " annoyed" attitude again, I finally said " why are you treating me this way"? I asked a simple question no need to act like that. Then I said is there another cashier that can help me? And she shook her head no barely speaking it, then I said what about a manager? She said I am the manager, and if you keep it up, you won't be allowed back in the store ever again! To which I replied "exuse me"? I did or said nothing wrong for you to say that to me...not to mention I have been shopping here since it opened and most goodwills in ffld and new haven counties since the early 80's. And I never had a problem for have been given this much of an attitude ever from any Goodwill employee, much less been threatened to be banned for no reason. She basically told me there was nothing I can do and no one I can speak to obove her, and if I caused trouble I would be banned from shopping there for good. Well, I walked to the back and managed to find someone who could help me out with this ridicoulousness. I spoke to a lovely woman named geneene who took me into the back and listened to how I felt I was treated and gave me the phone to speak to her manager bothe of whom were very understanding and supportive. These are the type of people in management that I am use to running into at most all the goodwills I go to. Management and employees overall greet you and are happy to help out. I also donate to the goodwill myself just as much as I shop there. It's a shame one bad apple can spoil good shopping experiences, and frankly I watched this person try to do it for years, but but because of all the nice and lovely people that also work there I never complained, but when someone threatens to ban you from shopping there for merely asking for a different cashier to ring them up or to speak to a manager, then I have to draw the line,,, by the way, a gentlemen named Dana has helped me for years getting me price checks and helping get things to my car safe I asked for him but he was out today,,,, can't speak highly enough about him and the rest of the staff there. Overall, excluding the "Carmen" experience for years,,, it is still a good place to discover unexpected treasures. read more

Worst place ever, nothing but a bunch of trash, empty boxes and some more junk! Been there 3 times and have never been able to buy anything, stay away! Im pretty sure the staff takes all the good stuff and put out the trash so people can clean it up for them, only gave it 1 star because I cant give it anything lower. read more

I will second the review written by "Em. L." of New Haven, which is especially illuminating... not for what it says but what it represents: i.e., the perspective of a certain kind of regular who patronizes the outlet but seems to spend more time looking down her nose at others than actually looking for stuff to buy. It's the classic "Oh my god, look at these animals" sentiment, always uttered as if the speaker herself is not joining in the fray. A little more self-awareness is needed. The truth is that nobody who is not herself joining in the fray would even notice other people getting gladiatorial; you'd simply avoid the most recently wheeled-in bins. Viola. The other thing that's important to note is that there are OODLES of white people being aggressive at the bins, despite Em's awkward apparent need to specify "white" when describing a particular aggressive shopper, like someone referring to a male nurse or a female criminal. Aggressive at the bins comes in all shapes, genders, and hair colors (blonde, brown, red, etc.) and derives from an impressive range of national origins. It's an awesomely diverse place, if one is interested in people, and likes people. One might wish, however, that there were fewer regulars (or semi-regulars) with such an intense need to cut others down, perhaps in order to fight the shame they feel at being at the bins? Who knows. The best people who frequent this place are there to work, honestly and seriously, and don't waste time or energy gossiping or scrutinizing others who are there working. Going onto Yelp in order to physically describe and "out" another patron, referring malignantly to her physicality? Who's the Social Darwinist here? Indeed, as Em says: watch out for the regulars. Well, some of them read more

this place has gone down hill. there's always something going on with the costumers. complains all the time there has been a lot of cell phone pocket book wallet theft the Hamden cops are there all the time car vandalism because the regulars don't like other costumers I was one of the regulars that shopped there and decided that it was not worth having my life but in danger as for some of the employees its time for a change and transfer them to other stores and have some of the people that have been making a lot of trouble band from the store and then people will see a change read more