I just wanted to chip in with my opinion here. Donations in Bear, DE. FANTASTIC. Unlike the Salvation Army, Goodwill in Bear, DE rejects very few items. Which, I really appreciate. They will help you unload and are generally wonderful. I have been donating their since 2016 and they have been consistently that way for the past 7 years. I went into the store on Phila pike to look around and possibly purchase something. Lets face it, we are not in Neiman Marcus here but, the store was was well organized and I found some glassware I can use. I have also had the pleasure of visiting their main offices on Lea Blvd outside of Wilmington, DE. They are very organized there and contribute so much to the community. Overall from me, Goodwill of DE and DE County get 5 stars. Great job, please keep up the good work. I know it isn't easy! read more

Goodwill Store & Donation Center - Good Job - Thrift Stores Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

One thing I've learned in my many thrifting excursions is that all Goodwill's are not created equal. Delaware Goodwill's are an entirely different beast. With that being said I've been to three Delaware Goodwill's and they all have the following in common. Very rough and messy sales floors, very loose organization, lots of discarded furniture and larger items, poor customer service, and long check out lines. All of the above adequately describe this Goodwill location. Everything is just kinda thrown about. Pillows were on the floor beside a pile of records. Wheeled carts block isles and are filled with donations that didn't make it to the shelves, which for the most part are bare. Probably because of lack of staffing. The check out line was long and there was no one on the floor to provide assistance or clean up. Clothes were on the floor, shoes thrown about on the shelves, and overall merchandise chaos. I will say this location had a good bit of furniture (both outside and inside). While some were covered in markers and stickers other pieces were decent. A vintage French dresser with a sold sticker on it was priced at $20. However furniture pricing was not consistent, as particleboard dressers of lesser quality were priced much higher. They had several bikes and large dollhouses priced at $10 Something I've never seen elsewhere was the looting at the donation drop off on the outside the building in front of the staff. A long line of cars were waiting to be unloaded by Goodwill staff, this line blocked the cars parked in the front row. Some people were getting out of their cars or walking up and rummaging thru the bins that didn't make it inside yet in full view of the staff. It was a free for all. It's no wonder the inventory on the floor is lackluster as the good stuff never makes it inside! Granted the neighborhood wasn't the greatest but this was ballsy! Would I make a return visit? Probably, if I was in the area, after all someone scored a nice vintage dresser that they could easily resell for $100 or more. Would I drive here just to patronize? Nah. SIDENOTE: If you obtain a cart consider yourself lucky. Incoming customers hover over the customers checking out just to secure one. read more

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Dirty, smells and unsanitary! Bathroom is disgusting, items overpriced, inconsistent pricing, careless workers who break items then put them on shelves. Not enough carts! What is that smell? Why do you put ripped, stained, smelly clothes out? Why isn't anyone doing something about this store? read more

Goodwill Store & Donation Center - filthy front appearance - Thrift Stores Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

There's no excuse for the lack of upkeep and enforcement for their carts. Today, a woman utilized the one cart out of maybe 6 FOR HER DOG. Not for shopping. For her medium sized dog to just stand in. Please reinforce service dogs ONLY for your store. This is unacceptable!!! read more

Goodwill Store & Donation Center - Shopping carts that either don't have moveable wheels or don't have a cart seat where you can put a toddler. - Thrift Stores Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

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I wish I could give it -1 stars. I tried to buy a pair of speakers for 5.99 but they said 12.99 for the pair like HOW DO YOU ONLY BUY 1 SPEAKER IF YOU NEED THE SET. So 5.99 per speaker? That's just weird and outrageous. I've had many bad times at this goodwill too. read more

Used to be a fun place to shop A couple of years ago, new management took over. Boooo Hissss. There was a time when racks were sorted by sizes and types of clothing and arranged further by color groups. It was easy to breeze in and find a bunch of things. No more. First, they stopped arranging things by color groups. Now, pants, shorts, short and long sleeved shirts, lingerie, and jackets are tossed together on the racks in mixed sizes. Boys and girls clothes are mixed together, too. One cranky checkout clerk says it is the fault of the patrons. Half of their few carts have stuck wheels, and on busy days, people remove and dump others' articles and appropriate carts for themselves. The floors in the dressing rooms are so filthy that the clothes one wears into the place will gather all kinds of dust and dirt if one miraculously finds something to try on amid the chaos. Beware, though. The crankiest checkout clerk will likely bang on the door and demand to know if you have a cart in there (no, and she could see that under the door if she bothered to look.) She will also demand to know if you have more than seven items (no, and how could one even find seven items in all that mess any more?) Someone in need of a cart will likely dump your things and take your cart while you are in there, too. Let's talk pricing. Although the glassware and kitchen items are overflowing onto shelves that once held books and games, prices have risen to the level of the ridiculous. Several Dollar Tree items are priced at $3, and scratched or chipped serving bowls are $5-$8. Upon arrival at the checkout line, be prepared to be very patient while several bossy clerks gather to chat and try to figure out how to open a second register. Meanwhile, one open register will frustrate the long line of people who just want to escape sometime soon with their hard-earned treasures. No wonder Goodwill earned $5.7 billion last year, according to this article in Country Living magazine! https://www.countryliving.com/shopping/a18198848/is-goodwill-a-nonprofit/ Do you ever wonder about all the training Goodwill supposedly provides? Working in this store would teach employees to be cranky, slow, slovenly, and greedy. Thankfully, there are several nice people there who haven't taken on the attitude of the leadership. Let's hope they get better jobs elsewhere soon and that management follows suit. read more

Goodwill Store & Donation Center - Sizes all mixed together, and this was one of the neater racks - Thrift Stores Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

Book section is great! No grimey, well read romance novels from the 90s here (lol). More like a legit bookstore than any Goodwill I've been to--brand new, recent publications in every genre for $1-2. This store also has a large album collection. Not an ideal Goodwill for clothing. read more

Friendly service but inconsistent rules or poorly informed staff. One guy told me they don't take furniture, another guy took whatever I brought in, and the third guy told me they only take furniture on Tuesday's. This all happened the same day. read more

On 10/1/22 I purchased 40.00 in merchandise from the Gordy Plaza Goodwill at approximately 1:30. Prior to getting in line, I inquired about the price of a hamper from a male employee who usually works the register. He said the price was 3.99. I then headed to the cashier (Arianne). I told her that the employee said the hamper was 3.99. Her response was that it is 3.99. After I had paid and was about to leave the store, the Manager starts remarking about the hamper. I asked her if she was talking to me. She said that the hamper is 9.99. My response was that I was told that it was 3.99. She then proceeds to tell me that there were "prices all over the top of that hamper". I asked her where, because there was none there. She then storms off saying "I'm not going to even worry about it". She then proceeds to walk angrily to the door next to the registers. Arianne then says to the Manager "Well, I was just telling you what was told to me", as if she had not confirmed the price was 3.99. This is so very unacceptable. I have shopped this location for years and spent a LOT of money there. As of 10/1/22, that will never again be so. I refuse to spend my money in a business that accuses me of removing price tags from an item I am purchasing. Customers deserve better than to have to deal with rude and ignorant employees such as Arianne and that Manager. Train your employees correctly and ensure that they realize that if it were not for the customers, they would NOT have a job. What a shame because I really liked this location till now. I'll spend my hard-earned money elsewhere. I don't reward ignorance. read more

I don't know what's going on at Kirkwood goodwill, but this place is dirty, stinks and very disorganized. It used to be one of my favorite goodwills. The floors look like they have not been done in weeks. Many racks needed to be put away and the smell.. read more

I didn't go inside i just dropped off items I wanted to donate. The employees greeted you upon arrival. The area designated for drop off had 2 workers who assisted with unloading your car. They also have the donation receipts ready after your drop off is complete. I appreciate the help and will be donating additional items in the near future. read more

I usually just drop off donations(yes they are very inconsistent on what they will and won't take). About twice a year I go inside to see what I can find. After today's experience I'm not sure when I'll go back into the store! I watch an employee berate a customer for trying to ask which register was open, because there was no one to be found at the registers! He didn't even finish his first word and she yelled at him. I ask the lady, who finally showed up at the register if this was normal practice? She said they have very rude customer that come in there and I didn't know what had really happened! I informed her that he wasn't rude and I stood there an watched/heard the entire exchange. She just blew me off, so I guess this is their normal practice. If she had came at me the way she did that old man, I'd be getting bailed out of jail right now! Also they have very jagged broken items on their shelves! read more

Never go there again!!! Went there to drop off 2 bags of donations. Well if you don't drive up in a car they will not take your donations. They said it was a safety issue. No one was around just the men taking donations. We took our donations elsewhere. Also they were very rude read more

Great Goodwill for drop off of items. Mike never lets you struggle getting items out of your vehicle. He's always quick to help.

I will never go to the Goodwill on Kirkwood Hwy, in Wilmington, DE again!!! There was a large sign at the entrance of the store advertising 50% off anything with a yellow tag... I needed some T-shirts for a project and thought this would be the best place for some cheap T-shirts- I was wrong! Tops are listed as $4 each- this includes t-shirts, even Walmart /K-mart t-shirts that might be $4 when they are new, that is ridiculous! The store is dirty and unorganized and alot of the clothes have stains on them... it is a Goodwill, these are used t-shirts- not fancy blouses or dresses! I figured since they all had yellow tags, I could deal with $2 each. I chose 7 t-shirts and when I got to the register, the rude cashier gave me my total... $28! I told her the sign said yellow tags are 50% off and they all had yellow tags. She told me they had to have yellow price tags or the little plastic thing that holds the tags has to be yellow- WHAT!?!?! The clothes in there don't even have price tags- prices are listed on signs at the end of the aisles and really the little plastic thing that holds the tag? If that's the case, the size tag- which is the ONLY tag on the clothing, should be white or the sale sign should CLEARLY explain the rules of the sale. I was so shocked by the rudeness of the store employee, the ridiculously overpriced t-shirts and the overall experience- I just walked out. This is not an upscale used clothing boutique, they don't even check the clothes before taking them. How can you charge that much for a used shirt with a stain on it? This store seriously needs to do something about their employees and the overall condition of the store. HORRIBLE experience! read more

After calling and speaking with a friendly person about whether they take evening dresses, I came this this place with my very expensive clothes for donation. It was my first time there and I walked in the store with my clothes and although the cashier was waiting on someone I asked her quickly where I drop off clothes and she pointed to a wall. I looked and didn't see anything and I asked where? She then mumbled and pointed again and said "outside". So off I went outside. I walked up to the door and it was liked and women were standing around inside and looked put out that I came to the door (with about ten outfits in both my arms so it wasn't easy) and asked if this is where I drop off and someone huffed to the door and said this was the drop off but I'm supposed to do it my car and should the door and didn't take my clothes. So I turned around and there was a guy standing there watching the whole thing and tells me I needed to come through in my car. I said well I didn't know but I'm here with clothes now what? He took them and through them in a bin and handed me a paper. I just walked back to my car since it was freezing out. Just a really rude experience. I was just trying to make a donation! Forget it. I'll continue to put in donation boxes that are not for the Goodwill! The only reason I didn't this time is they were beautiful evening clothes and I couldn't imagine dumping them in a bin. Of course that's what ended up happening to them anyway!. read more