Is it right for people to rummage through goodwill?
By dloveli
@dloveli (4366)
United States
February 10, 2008 5:37pm CST
I have seen it all. This morning my friend and I were getting a coffee at Dunkin Donuts and I look over and there is a woman in a 2007 pathfinder rummaging through the goodwill bin. What made it suspicious was that it was 5 a.m in the morning and here is this woman in pajamas stealing poor donations. If that wasnt bad, she was literally ripping the bags open and throwing what she didnt want all over. I know what its like to need. My problem is this: If she was so needy, why was she rummaging in the dark? Obviously so no one would see her. For those who dont realize there are people who really have nothing. Those donations are the only light at the end of the tunnel for them. Am I wrong for feeling this way? From the way the woman's hair was so finely done and the car she was driving it was plain to see she was being GREEDY! Shame on HeR!!! If she needed something that's one thing but the way she was tearing through them throwing things all over, you could tell she was being sneaky. Have you ever seen something like this? WHat did you do?
3 people like this
11 responses
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
11 Feb 08
Those donations do nothing for the poor, all they do is line the pockets of the BUSINESS called Good Will - the goodwill is from the donaters not the store. They get all their goods donated, they probably get a reduced lease on the building because of the common misconception that they are a charitable institute. They mark the prices rather high on their items for them being used and hardly no overhead - they do not help the poor in this manner. They do not provide vouchers for the destitute.
The salvation army and some other church sponsored thrift shops do contribute to the needs of the poor.
all that aside, I do not think it is okay for the woman to rip through the sacks haphazardly - but as far as her taking - on a moral level it is probably stealing from the "goodwill" however, it is likely that those who donated it would not mind her taking - and also believe the misnomer "good will"
1 person likes this
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@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
11 Feb 08
The Goodwill store down the street from me does provide vouchers for people with no clothes and no furniture. The prices in the store are awesome especially for myself since I'm on a very low fixed income, was homeless only a few years ago and have had to start accumulating furniture from scratch. I bought a practically brand new Ethan Allen couch for $20 and end tables for $2.00 each. There may be some Goodwill stores that work the way you say they do but not all of them do.
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@shewolf52002 (1214)
• United States
10 Feb 08
I have never seen it but I have heard of it and I think it shameful at the least and possibly criminal at the worst! If she can afford a 2007 vehicle she can afford clothes and such. If she can not she needs to get a cheaper car. One thing I have found that is worse is the volunteers working at such organizations who go through the stuff and keep the best for friends or family! There was a small town goodwill near us and that is what a couple of the women would do!
@dloveli (4366)
• United States
11 Feb 08
We have the same problems where I am from. I couldnt believe this was a problem until right after thanksgiving when I had stopped into a 7eleven and there was a woman and child going through a bunch of bags, grabbing stuff and running back to there truck. Mind you the engine is on with the husband sitting in drivers side. The owner of the store got so mad that he told the husband to put it all back or he would call the police. He made the wife and daughter get out and put it back. Can you believe this? When I saw it today, I pulled up and told the woman I was calling the police. She took her stuff and left. I gave her tag number to the police and the donation company along with a picture of her doing it. Shame on her.
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
11 Feb 08
too many rash judgements here....
for instance, the woman may be borrowing the vehicle
or
consider this - her husband took a load of bags down to the goodwill and amongst the items was an important sentimental object from her deceased parent or..... stuffed in the book hidden away was an envelope of savings bonds or wHATever
all she is doing is trying to retrieve what was accidentally donated - do not expect the "goodwill" to return it.
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
10 Feb 08
It is not right, it is theft and in this case destruction of property.
Once items have been placed in these containers; they belong to goodwill.
In my town, they do not have containers that you can leave things in. They have specific hours that you can drop off things at the shops OR they will actually come to you and pick the donated items up at no change.
If someone is so poor that they cannot afford to pay the small price that Goodwill and other organizations charge; we do have organizations who give people free clothes and food and there is freecycle.
Also, some stores policies will not allow them to donate unsold clothes or shoes to a charity; so they put it in the stores dumpsters. Dumpster diving is not illegal in most places and some of our homeless citizens have replaced their shoes by visiting the shoe store dumpsters on a regualr basis.
If I had seen that woman; I would have notified the police. If she was not poor; maybe some jail time would have taught her a lesson; and, if she was poor, most police have contacts with the local charities and social services and they could have helped her.
@dloveli (4366)
• United States
11 Feb 08
Thank you for your response. I have alot better things to do with my time, but today I simply lost it. I agree wholeheartedly that people have to start asking for help, rather than taking what they need. If for one second I thought this woman needed anything I wouldve offered information and probably breakfast at that point. She was in her PJ's at 5 am in the morning. The only reason for that is she was doing in a hurry and in the dark so she wouldnt be seen! My friend and I tried to follow her to get her address. lol. my luck we wouldve gotten hurt so I decided against it.lol I felt like STarsky and Hutch!lol Dloveli private eye.
@p3halliwel2005 (3156)
• Philippines
11 Feb 08
Oh that's not nice. I haven't witnessed anything like that. She really is greedy if she's rummaging on poor peoples donations and in your description on her she doesn't look poor to me at all. I don't see anything wrong on your feelings towards her...I think it's just right for anyone to feel that way.
@lisado (1227)
• United States
11 Feb 08
It's wrong. It's a donation and it's stealing. I've lived in my car and needed donations and gotten them the right way. I swallowed my pride, filled out the paperwork and was given donations and or vouchers for what my family needed. Yes, places like the Salvation Army charge for some of those donations, but how else would they pay for those vouchers, food and other things that they give? I worked at Motel 6 for a while and when a family had something come up (eviction issues, flooding issues or whatever) the Salvation Army would come down with the family and pay their bill for a night or two so they had a roof over their heads until they could work something more perminant out. They also help people pay their utilities and such. Paying for the donations, or donating to the bell ringers, helps out in so many different ways that a lot of people don't even know about.
Once something has been given to the Salvation Army, or any church or donation center, it belongs to them. Period. What they decide to do with it is up to them. If they want to give it away, they can do that, but they get to decide who to give it to, not some random person who picks it up themselves because they decide they need it more than the next person. You pull up in your car and take a bag of clothes because your children need them. Okay, well the people who were going to get those clothes might not even have a car to keep their children warm in to come and get the clothes in the first place. I've lived in my car, and it sucked, but at least I had a car to live in. Some of the people that we saw that winter didn't even have that.
Those that take from those bins without donating or asking permission first need to remember that when they think they need something. There is always someone else out there who may need it more. Just my two cents.
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
11 Feb 08
I live 2 blocks from a Goodwill store and many times when I'm going to the store and have to walk right by it there are people going through the bags that have been left in front after closing hours or before they open. They always seem to have the best cars don't they? lol....One or two times I've made a remark in passing but if you knew my neighborhood you would know why I don't come out and say anything!
@4monsters4me (2569)
• United States
11 Feb 08
Based on your description my first thought was maybe she had donated a bunch of stuff the night before then realized something that wasn't supposed to get donated got put in the bags. Maybe she was looking for something specific.
I donated a bunch of stuff once and then afterwards my kids realized something they really wanted had got put in the bags. I felt bad but didn't go look through the donation box to get it back. I told them they needed to keep their prized possessions picked up or they would get thrown away.
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
11 Feb 08
There is a drop off box near the supermarket where I shop. Sometimes the bin is full and people leave bags beside it. What upsets me is to pass by there in the morning and see the bags torn open and clothes and other items strewn all over the place. Sometimes it is raining or snowing and the items which were perfectly good before are now caked with mud and wet. I think people who do this sort of thing are very selfish.
@sherrir101 (3670)
• Malinta, Ohio
11 Feb 08
If I am no mistaken, it is illegal to do this. This is not the property of the people who dropped it off, but the people that the bin belongs to like Goodwill. I think distruction of property and theft work their way into it somehow. I have heard of things like this, but never personally witnessed it going on.
@dlkuku (1935)
• United States
11 Feb 08
It's stealing, plain and simple.
Considering there are people who really depend on those donations, it was wrong. You did the right thing, even if she really did need those things, (you never know, maybe her or her husband just went through a job loss) she should have gone through the proper channels for help.
@Shylor (53)
• United States
11 Feb 08
you would be surprised at how often that happens, my mother worked for the Salvation Army and did her best to help those in need, the peticular store had such a problem with poachers that they had to fence in the donation boxes to keep people from driving up and poaching when the store was closed.
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