A woman is going viral on TikTok after alleging that Goodwill attempted to charge her more for a dress because it came from a name-brand store.
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Kimberly (@pumpkin_spice_girl1), who has a 3-year-old son, says they were shopping at Goodwill when she found the dress of her dreams. The garment, she says, had a babydoll fit and was flowy and sleeveless.
“It was white and blue boho,” she explains.
Ultimately, Kimberly says she decided against buying the dress after she was told how much it cost. She also claims that Goodwill tried to charge her more once the manager learned that the dress was from Free People.
“Goodwill did me dirty!!” Kimberly writes in the text overlay of her clip. As of Monday, her video had amassed more than 546,800 views.
Customer says store tried to ‘upcharge’ her
Kimberly says she’s a regular at Goodwill. Not only does she normally buy her clothes from the store, but she also purchases home goods from the secondhand retailer as well.
As a result, she says she knows dresses sold at her local Goodwill normally cost $6.99. And she says she was excited when she noticed the “beautiful blue dress” in her size.
“I just glanced and saw there was a tag on it, but I assumed that was the Goodwill tag,” Kimberly says.
Without trying on the dress or looking at the tag, Kimberly says she decided to buy it. Upon getting to the register, though, she realized that the tag on the dress wasn’t a Goodwill one but one from Free People.
Since the dress didn’t have a tag on it, a Goodwill manager allegedly said she needed to take the garment to the back and price it.
But when she returned, Kimberly says she was told that the store was charging $29.99 for the dress.
“That’s too expensive for here,” Kimberly says she protested.
The manager was allegedly unfazed. Kimberly says the manager defended the cost by saying the same dress sells at Free People for $300. She also allegedly told Kimberly that she couldn’t return the dress because it didn’t have a Goodwill tag on it.
“My mind wasn’t even thinking about reselling it if it doesn’t fit,” Kimberly says.
Panicking, she says she passed on the dress and that another customer bought it.
The back-and-forth with the manager, though, led Kimberly to wonder whether Goodwill was “up-charging because they found out it’s a name brand.”
She alleges that the store sold the dress for more “because they found out it’s worth something.”
What’s worse, she says she can’t find the same dress on Free People’s website.
Goodwill usually charges the same amount for similar products
On Goodwill’s website, it notes the standard cost for household items and clothing, including dresses. While there are exceptions, dresses should cost $5.99. On the other hand, formal dresses may cost $9.99.
Closet staples such as blazers, coats, and pants cost $5.99, $9.99, and $4.99, respectively.
The website says that “specialty items” are priced individually in-store. However, it’s unclear whether this would apply to the Free People dress. Other items that are priced in-store are pieces of furniture and TVs.
According to a Goodwill location out of Virginia, no two Goodwills look the same. So customers may pay more for a dress in California than they would there. That store adds, too, that Goodwill workers are charged with determining an item’s worth and minimum price.
“Worth can be subjective, which is why our employees participate in ongoing professional development to improve their skills,” Catherine Marston, a project manager for Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, says. “Empowering our employees to make these decisions is an important part of our business model.”
That said, items in better condition or those of higher quality may cost more than average. Items with popular brands may cost more, too.
@pumpkin_spice_girl1 Goodwill did me dirty! #goodwill #goodwillfinds #freepeople #freepeopleatgoodwill #secondhandfashion #designerfashion #thrifttok @Goodwill Industries Intl. @Free People ♬ original sound – ⚡️ Kimberly ⚡️
What viewers think of Goodwill‘s prices
In the comments section of Kimberly’s video, some viewers accused Goodwill of price-gouging. Some wrote this is especially disrespectful, considering Goodwill receives its clothes for free.
“Goodwill is overpricing everything now,” one woman wrote. “It’s outrageous.”
“GOODWILL WON’T EVEN GIVE A HOMELESS PERSON SHOES,” another said.
“Goodwill is not a non-profit. I refuse to shop there,” a third viewer added.
“IT WAS DONATED,” a fourth user said of the Free People dress Kimberly says she wasn’t able to buy. “They paid $0 for it.”
While Kimberly was unable to buy her dream dress, viewers gave her tips for future Goodwill purchases.
“I would’ve told them, ‘Yes, I’ll take it for $29.99, but I’m going to need you to tag it so if it doesn’t fit, I can return it,’” one user said.
“You should have yanked the tag off when you saw it didn’t have a Goodwill tag,” another advised.
“Not gonna lie, I rip off Goodwill tags before purchasing because they always give a cheaper price at the counter,” a third woman said. “The prices are ridiculous for donated stuff!!”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kimberly via TikTok comment and to Goodwill through email.
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