me tell you, I am in LOVE! L-O-V-E! I can't wait to get paid again and go back!
I was so moved by the experience, I wrote an "ode":
Oh Goodwill Outlet Store, how I love thee, let me count the ways:
1 is for random plastic heads
2 is for antique lookin', mirror-covered jewelry boxes
3 is for bizarre ceramic African sculpture
4 is for the massive amounts of roller blades that
I didn't buy but made me giggle when I imagined Lady Fury (of the Nashville Roller Girls) calling them "Fruit Boots"
5 is for the various and sundry bizarre metal objects that I DID buy
6 is for the plastic (decent) recorder I found right after telling someone I could play one
7 is for the Muppet Movie & Great Muppet Caper soundtracks I bought
8 is for the dozen, groovy, nautical themed apertif glasses
9 is for the surly cashier in the wheelchair that couldn't bring me down with his bad attitude
10 is for the Bald Man's Grooming Kit novelty in its original box
11 is for all the awesome stuff I had to throw back
12 is for JUNK BY THE POUND!!!
w00t!
Man I had to walk away after going through only 6 of the dozen or so miscellaneous item bins (not to mention not even getting to clothes & linens). That place could become a habit, a bad habit. If I were more of a clothes horse it could get even worse!! Buying junk by the pound is a glorious and highly addictive activity. The people-watching is good there, too. It's funny to me the things that people are there after (and will knock you down to get!). There were half a dozen mothers with children in tow (kids clothes, blankets and decent toys), a fellow in a medical mask (because of the dust? swine flu? SARS?!?!) who obviously had his own thrift shop (or something similar) somewhere and was a regular (sports equipment, radios, clocks), the lady who obviously had a semi-fancy antique & gift shop (fancy wicker, wrought iron, wine glasses, candle sticks) and so many more characters elbow deep in the discards of others' lives. I love to watch what other people buy, it's almost as fun as shopping for myself...
I also discovered that "hey, hey, HEY!!" is the same in every language. There was a very zealous Latina woman next to me how didn't so much rummage as THROW things from one bin to another trying to race to the bottom, I guess. (if I had known we were racing I would have made a better showing) After I got hit with a rain of plastic toys and kitchen sundries, my cries of displeasure were heard and she moved to a bin further away to toss stuff about.
A "heads up" to any potential cart poachers out there, please be ready with a better excuse than "I didn't know this was your stuff" when I catch you taking things out of my cart. If you are going to flagrantly swipe stuff that other people have already dredged up for themselves, show a little initiative. (I guess if initiative was your style, you would have dug this stuff up yourself) Yeah I know how it could be confusing, the bins being huge, blue, plastic things longer than a person & 3 feet deep and my cart being this small, grey, mesh thing on wheels, they do look alike. I can also see how my standing right next to it with MY HAND ON THE CART might lead you to believe everything inside is fair game, but it's totally not. Why is it strangers think I'm a push-over? Is it the glasses? The chub? The lack of desire to make eye contact? Because believe me I am not shy and I will let you know, in no uncertain terms, when you are taking my stuff/skipping me in line/being rude in any number of ridiculous ways.
A word of warning to those who would swim with the sharks at the Goodwill Outlet, heavy gloves are recommended, glass items are randomly mixed in (I think mostly through people picking them from another glass only bin and deciding later they don't want them) and due to people like the Latina Loot Lobber stuff gets shifted, crushed, tossed and broken, so don't cut yourself! Nothing ruins a good day of thrifting like a trip to the emergency room & stitches!
My local Goodwill Outlet:
Goodwill Outlet Store
780 Berry Road
Nashville TN 37204
find yours at:
Goodwill Store Locator
I LOVED reading this article, it is fantastic. Googling the hours for the same Goodwill Outlet, I very fortunately came across it! I am so thrilled to read another person's opinion and reaction to this place, especially since the enthusiasm is shared! My family refuses to come with me, though I happily go at any given chance, for the experience and treasures. I might be in my middle-ish twenties and bring home a Ken doll, but I pridefully bring it home...along with my other 50 lbs. worth of "junk" (treasures) because I tell myself, " It is around $30 for 50 lbs. of treasure, that is practically half price!" After once standing near a new bin which had been brought to the floor, I have learned to just linger and wait, it is far too reminiscent of The Hunger Games and I am no Katniss. I always love the characters, the women with 4 sheet covered carts still going strong and the man in the corner using his smart phone to check the resale price of the books he keeps grabbing. I have met missionaries with carts full of shoes and ladies who love the thrill of the hunt as much as I do, it is never a boring day at the Outlet (Nashville's best kept secret!) I hope you find many more treasures and I thank you for your fantastic and captivating article on our fabulous Goodwill Outlet.
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