One TikTok creator recently came out swinging about prices at one of the country’s biggest thrift stores— Goodwill.
“Goodwill is getting greedy,” a text overlay reads on a recent video by Autumn Acord (@autumnacord).
The video has almost 27,000 views and 2,000 likes.
@autumnacord this genuinely fires me UP 😡#goodwill #goodwillfinds #thrifting #thriftygal #thriftfinds ♬ original sound – Autumn Acord
The camera shows Acord shopping at a Goodwill location. She holds up a couple items from the shelves: a $20 glass pitcher from Mexico, and $6 sma ll vase.
“Can we go back to when things were $1, $2, 50 cents?” Acord says.
The creator ends the video with the silent scream of a bargain hunter thwarted by high price tags. She captioned the video, “this genuinely fires me UP.”
Commenters agreed with Acord. The Daily Dot reached out to Acord via email.
“Pair of used grey sweatpants from goodwill that somebody farted in $12, new at Ross, $8,” one person commented.
“Right like, Goodwill these things were donated for free baby,” another commented.
“They’re selling Dollar Tree items for $4,” someone wrote.
“It’s the people working in the back. They price it whatever they want,” one viewer claimed, and Acord replied, “I know. I’m like help a person out n price them lower.”
“Sometimes I find stuff cheaper brand new at the mall like???” another person commented.
“Preach! Girl the places here will be charging $100 for stuff, no lie,” one comment read.
“My fav is when they’re selling something brand new with tags and their price is more than the original price,” another person commented.
Acord isn’t the only person who’s noticed higher prices at Goodwill. One creator found a Zara shirt for $20 at Goodwill that originally sold for $9, and another found a Banana Republic dress priced for $49.99 with an original tag marked at $29.99. And a creator earlier this month blasted Goodwill for selling an $8 pair of plain sweatpants.
The thrift store company says that its sales go toward its charitable mission. According to Goodwill’s website, “When you donate your new and gently used items, local Goodwill organizations sell them in stores and online generating revenue to provide valuable employment training and job placement services for people in your community.”
Goodwill representative Rhiana Sherwood told the Daily Dot on Tuesday that “when a store receives donations, they work to set a price that reflects fair market value for their local community while also making the most of the donated item’s value. The more revenue a store is able to drive, the more they are able to assist people who are in need of job training and other support services, all at no cost to them.”
According to Yahoo Finance earlier this year, Goodwill’s swelling prices can be attributed to higher operation costs like rent and utilities, higher quality merchandise being donated and increased demand for thrifted goods in recent years.
Goodwill Industries International is registered as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit and posts its annual financial reports online, if you’re curious what those donated goods are paying for.
