The face of the second-hand store is changing. They are still a place where low income people can buy inexpensive clothes and furniture.
But thanks in part to the Great Recession and to changing attitudes, stores like Goodwill have become a top shopping choice for millennials. And the trend has prompted Goodwill to upgrade and expand locations.
Cash registers ring often at the brand new Goodwill store on Renner Road on Columbus鈥� west side. The redesigned building is one of 5 Goodwill plans for Franklin County.
Tim Salvato is head of retail operations.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to add more stores along where our existing stores are as the opportunities come up but we鈥檙e also looking for areas where we currently don鈥檛 have a presence,鈥� says Salvato.
Goodwill partners with real estate, architectural and construction firms to launch the new stores. The non-profit pays a leasing fee based on comparable square footage for the area.
The Renner Road store will create about 40 new jobs overall. Some of the workers are developmentally disabled and sort the donated clothes and accessories at the back of the store.
Salvato says younger shoppers often reject what he calls 鈥済randma鈥檚 goodwill鈥� as they search for one of a kind clothing or the latest fashion. So, Goodwill Columbus stores will have more square footage, better displays, brighter lighting and a mix of old and new merchandise.
鈥淲e have a lot of younger people that come in because it鈥檚 cool and it鈥檚 trendy. To find out that hey I found this at Goodwill. It may be a dress or a shirt that鈥檚 worth $100 that they might have gotten for $6.99,鈥� explains Salvato.
The popular trend inspired a rap song. It's about popping tags, or buying clothes at Goodwill.
28-year old Steelee Jordan looks for the best deals to stay within her family budget.
鈥淚 believe that if you can get a good price on some quality items, then you should try to do that. And then I also just really believe in their mission and the way they give back to the community and give people an opportunity for employment,鈥� says Jordan.
59-year old Cheryl MacDonald shops at Goodwill 3 times a week. She spends about $50.
鈥淚 love it. It鈥檚 perfect. A lot of thrift stores don鈥檛 have dressing rooms. I wouldn鈥檛 buy anything that I didn鈥檛 try on, especially in jeans. It is very bright. I like the skylights,鈥� says MacDonald.
In 2013, the Goodwill Columbus organization spent more than $41 million of its $45 million overall expenses on programs for the disabled including jobs in retail, janitorial and security services, as well as daily life skills and fitness classes.
Head of Goodwill Columbus鈥� retail operations, Tim Salvato.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really starting a large initiative in our workforce development program to really expand workforce development to help more people that have barriers to employment. And the bulk of the margin or the profit from these stores is going to be pushed toward workforce development to help connect people with barriers with jobs,鈥� says Salvato.
Salvato adds that success will be measured in the number of people served through Goodwill programs. He believes there鈥檚 enough room in Columbus for other second-hand and discount retail stores.
Marketing Professor at Ohio State, Rebecca Walker-Reczek says the thrill of hunting for bargains will keep attracting shoppers.
鈥淚 do think that the popularity of Dollar General, Family Dollar they鈥檙e coming from one of the same reasons that Goodwill is getting more popular which is as a leftover from the last recession; that people started looking more for value and for cheap options, and dollar stores became very popular during the recession and that popularity has stuck around,鈥� explains Walker-Reczek.
And Walker-Reczek says Goodwill鈥檚 strategy to upgrade how the store looks will make the used goods store more competitive.
鈥淭hink about why people like shopping at Target sometimes a little bit more than they like shopping at Walmart. It鈥檚 those big wide aisles, really well-lit. Everything is merchandised and displayed really well. And I think if Goodwill adopts a strategy like that they will be much more successful in appealing to young consumers," says Walker-Reczek.
