Shopping At The Goodwill Bins And Advice For Beginners

I went shopping at the Goodwill Bins and I have advice for beginners! Technically this was not my first trip to the bins, but it was the first time I’ve gone to a bins store this good! The bins are also known as a Goodwill outlet store, Goodwill clearance center, or possibly goodwill clearance stores. Whatever you call it, it is not a normal goodwill store!

I know you might have gone to regular goodwill stores, it’s usually on my list when I plan a day of thrift shopping but this is a whole new experience. It is not your typical thrift store and really is a treasure trove of good deals if you are willing to dig!

I Was Curious About The Goodwill Bins

I have seen content creators shop the “bins” on YouTube and I was wondering is it really that good? After visiting one in Houston I was skeptical because it was not a great way to first experience a “bins” store. However, when I was visiting Nashville and visited two of their local goodwill outlet stores my opinion changed! It was an amazing trip and 79 pounds of the best finds later I am hooked!

What Are The Goodwill Bins?

Are you ready to dig and get the best deals on home goods, clothing, linens and books? Hold on to your gloves and let’s go! The Goodwill Outlet store is appropriately named the bins because all the great finds are mixed together with not so good stuff in large bins. 

The variety of items is made up of things that did not sell at the regular goodwill thrift stores. Goodwill Industries International states “Items at our outlet stores come from our retail stores. Items are in our retail stores for five weeks. If the items haven’t sold within those five weeks, they are sent to our outlet stores. This means new merchandise is always coming to our outlet stores.”

However, most of the items I purchased did not have goodwill price tags. And I’m fairly certain staff members are not in the back peeling those off before they are rolled out in new bins. 

These items are put into large rolling blue thrift bins that seem to have no sense of organization. There will be new merchandise, things in good condition and others that are broken or disassembled. The two goodwill locations I visited had bins separated into books, household goods, linens, shoes and clothing. Neither of the bins stores I visited had glass or ceramic (e.g. breakable household items) items available. I have seen in other’s trips that their outlet stores had shelves on the sides of the stores with these breakable items.

One thing to remember is that each store has different prices, schedules for new bin rotations and layouts. 

Pricing At The Goodwill Bins

The pricing at the goodwill bins makes this a worthwhile treasure hunt. The bins are by the pound outlets. The pricing system can vary by location. At the particular location I went to, the price was $1.59 a pound for everything but books. The books were 59 cents per pound. Because of these low prices you can purchase quite a bit for pennies. 

When you get to the checkout you will roll your cart onto a scale at the checkout. This is how they will determine your purchase price. If you do not have a shopping cart, no worries. The goodwill employees have a cart chained to the scale that you can put your things in to be weighed. 

How The Shopping Works At The Goodwill Bins

Shopping at the bins is simply digging through the bins for treasure, this can be hard work but also rewarding. You will find that the other shoppers are pushy, sometimes helpful and mostly there to mind their own digging business.

The goodwill outlet rotation schedules are different at each store. Depending on the schedule old bins are rolled into the back and new bins are rolled into place. During this switch general rules state that you must stay behind the yellow lines on the floor until the employee says go (or something similar). It is a good idea to move onto another area if you encounter a particularly aggressive shopper. The deals aren’t worth it if you are hurt by flying treasure! 

According to my very small amount of expertise, there are fewer shoppers when the bins open, so this might be the best time of day to go if it is your first visit.

When you are going through the bins keep an open mind. It’s a good thing to put every single one of those individual pieces you come across into your cart. During a break or while you wait for the next bins to roll out, sort through your basket. I do this on regular thrift sessions too. A great place to do this is against a wall out of the way of the bins rolling out, other shoppers or near the full bins. 

Tips For Shopping At The Goodwill Bins And Advice For Beginners

Shopping at the goodwill bins can be overwhelming and intimidating. I know I was walking into my first goodwill outlet. I hope these tips help with those feelings and help you feel more prepared.

Tips For Goodwill Bins Beginner Shoppers

Goodwill Bins Advice For Beginners  #1 – Gloves
This is the best time to take care of you, specifically your hands from dirt, broken pieces and sharp things in those bins. These are my gloves – a reinforced gardening glove from Tractor Supply. They were brand new before this dig. Yuck!

Goodwill Bins Advice For Beginners  #2 – Reusable bags Or Boxes
At the bins your treasures will not be bagged. Keep plastic totes or reusable bags in your car to unload your shopping cart into. 

Goodwill Bins Advice For Beginners  #3 – Shopping Cart
Make sure as you enter the goodwill outlet store grab a shopping cart. As you dig through the bins, put everything that might be a maybe in your cart. You can always sort through these later! Speaking of sorting, pull your cart to an out of the way area and consider each of the unique items you have pulled from the bins to decide if it’s a keeper. 

Goodwill Bins Advice For Beginners  #4 – Crossbody Purse or Fanny Pack
Big purses are not a good idea in the bins store! This can get in your way or it’s unsafe to leave it in the basket. A crossbody bag or fanny pack with a small tape measure, wipes, money, and your phone will be the easiest and best option on your goodwill outlet shopping trip.

Goodwill Bins Advice For Beginners  #5 – Have A Plan
As a vintage reseller I went straight to the home decor bins as well as the book bins. I skipped the clothing and linen bins. Although you might be more interested in the clothing or finding an elusive quilt in the linens bin. Decide which section is the most important to you to look through and focus your attention on those bins. 

Finding A Location For A Goodwill Bins Near You

Visit this site to find a bins store in your area. On the site I do not see any outlet stores in central north United States and very few on the east coast. But there are bins store spread out through the middle of the country. 

Before You Fly Away To Shop The Goodwill Bins

Pin any of the images to Pinterest so you can plan your trip to the Goodwill Bins and use these tips – hover over any picture to save the pin to your Pinterest account. So easy!

I’m Kristin, CEO aka Creative & Energetic Owner of The Fifth Sparrow No More. I’m so happy that you’re here! I want you to be able to find the beautiful in yourself and in your home. We will do that through learning what God says about us and decorating and DIYing in thrifty and purposeful ways.

REad My Story