While donations have slowed in recent months, Nelson says new stores drive increased thrift shopping in a community.
Goodwill Arizona’s Director of Marketing and Communications Courtney Nelson says the non-profit has had a lot of success in the Flagstaff market in the last few years, in step with a nationwide growth in the thrifting industry. Nelson attributes this trend to people needing to be more thrifty during the pandemic, along with an increasing appreciation by Generation Z-ers for the uniqueness and sustainability offered by thrifting. Goodwill recently opened new stores in several other locations across the state, including a third store in the Quad Cities.
Statewide, Goodwill resells or recycles 200 million pounds of donated items every year, keeping them out of Arizona’s landfills. Across the U.S., Goodwill Industries’ 3,300 stores divert around 4.6 billion pounds of reusable goods from landfills annually. That’s still just 6% or so of the textiles, furniture and other durable goods Americans toss out annually, so Nelson urges people to donate – even if items are ripped or stained. Nelson explains that everything donated is reviewed, and while only around half of items or less make it to the sales floor, the rest goes to salvage vendors for repurposing into everything from insulation products to sports courts surfaces.
Goodwill’s policy is for 99% of resaleable-quality donated goods to be sold at the donation store. However, Goodwill has become much savvier about marketing vintage, collectible and high-end items, creaming off selected premium items to be sold online including via shopgoodwill.com. Both new Flagstaff locations will be like the existing one on east Route 66. The former “weigh-and-pay” outlet on West Route 66 is now closed for good. Goodwill also has no plans to reopen its stores’ changing rooms, which were closed during the pandemic. Nelson cites staffing shortages as a major reason for this.
Goodwill uses its revenues in part to fund its Career Centers. The existing one at Flagstaff’s eastside store sees between 18 and 25 job seekers daily. Staff members provide a variety of job skills programs, including a Digital Literacy Training program and financial literacy. It teaches how to communicate during conflict, give presentations and dress professionally. Classes are open to anyone wanting to build skills and improve their job prospects. Goodwill also runs a virtual site, mycareeradvisor.com, where job seekers can get one-on-one support with resume writing, mock interviews and help connecting with potential employers.
While donations have slowed in recent months, Nelson says new stores drive increased thrift shopping in a community. With donating often about convenience, she says Goodwill has found that it’s good to have stores distributed throughout the community.
Hodgepodge Manager Pete Notar says he hopes that’s the case. His store is near the new Goodwill coming to East Route 66. Notar says that while there might be an impact on incoming donations, he’s hoping Hodgepodge’s connection with the only non-profit hospice in town, Northland, will keep his clientele loyal to shopping and donating with Hodgepodge.
At Savers on East Route 66, front-end Supervisor Matthew T. says the prospect of the two new Goodwill stores does concern some of his donors. But he, too, says the store has a loyal customer base that shops at Savers to support its affiliation with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. FBN
By Diane Hope
