Goodwill NYNJ Store & Donation Center in
New York (NY)

Original Review: 6/6/2025 I purchased a suit from this location today and when I got home and went to hang it up, a dead bedbug dropped out of it. 6/7/2025 Edit: When I went back, I spoke with the manager, he didn’t seem to care this happened. He didn’t indicate anything would be done to rectify it both in the immediate term and in the longer term. I’m extremely disappointed that Goodwill explicitly is prioritizing their intake metrics over safety. 6/30/2025 Edit: While it would be unethical for me to say that Goodwill gave me bedbugs, I can say with certainty that after purchasing the suit, I started getting bed bug bites within days and am now being treated for a very new bed bug issue at my apartment. It could be just a coincidence to have things line up…but it probably isn’t.

I recently visited this location of Goodwill, which can be found off of 1st Avenue on the UES of Manhattan, to drop a bag of gently used home goods. I had a great experience during my visit!! The staff were helpful when I arrived, directing me to the proper spot for donation drop. Additionally, the store appeared clean + well-kept!!

Went into goodwill and thought I had an amazing find while inspecting the coat in hand, realized it was filled with bed bugs. Staff was very kind but disgusting experience. Don’t try things on. First time having a bad thrift experience..

I had an awful experience donating through Goodwill Greater NJ & NY and Resupply. It’s disheartening to encounter such poor practices when I’m the one trying to donate. Resupply charges $49.99 for pick-up, which is already high for just a few items, but I agreed and completed the intake form weeks in advance, listing all the items, including a full-size mattress. On the day of pick-up, during the 8 AM-12 PM window, the driver, Gustavo Salvador from G&O Expediting Crew LLC (license plate ZVS1981), called midway through to say he was on his way. However, he then demanded an additional $85 fee for the mattress pick-up—something I had already noted on the intake form. It’s apparently up to the driver to charge additional fees and accept tickets, but why would he accept my ticket knowing the item was already listed? It seems like a blatant attempt to upcharge and price gouge. When I refused to pay the additional fee, the driver was extremely unprofessional and rude. He hung up on me and threatened to cancel the entire pick-up, despite me having other items like bags of clothing to donate. Ultimately, the entire situation was an infuriating waste of time. I will never use Goodwill, Resupply, or G&O Expediting Crew LLC again and cannot recommend their services to anyone. Their poor business practices and lack of professionalism make it clear they do not value donors or the process of giving back.

Reading these reviews i can see that their response to donations is erratic. I have been "trained" to only try to donate early in the day and never when i am in a hurry or have to get to my next location on a tight schedule. I respect goodwill as a charity, but there are many times when they aren't taking donations because they say they have too much, or won't take it because it's later in the afternoon. I also donate to housing works nearby at second ave and e 64 st. Some items make more sense at one or the other, for ex only hosting works takes books. However, Housing Works in general, is always much more eager for donations than is the Goodwill at First Ave and E 61 St. I am consolidating two storage units and donating quite a lot of things soon, so the repeated difficult on n donating at this Goodwill is prominent in my thinking. I would be ok with them specifying that they have too many shoes, or sweaters etc and saying what they are looking for, or if the website said no donations within two hours of closing. The frustrating thing is finding out once you get there, you have to find somewhere else to go. I have called this branch directly and still not gotten accurate info on donating. I think in the spirit of charity, when they are not accepting donations they should recommend Housing Works, three blocks away, or any other locations close by.

I experienced a very disturbing interaction with the front desk employee at the good will store on the UES, 1st Avenue location. I walked in carrying two bags. One was full of clothes, a Calvin Klein skirt suit, a NY and CO skirt and a Halara pair of pants. The other bag was full of books. I proceeded to the front desk after coming through the front door. The rep tells me that they do not accept books, I stated that maybe the website should be updated as that is what was stated. And then I mentioned I had some clothes in the other bag, dropping it down on the floor as I was suffering from an onset of asthma. She procede to take the bag stating that I do not drop anything at her feet and that I need to take the bag to the back as she stated . Otherwise she was taking it out the door to throw it out. Not giving me any time and shocked by the behaviour, she throws the bag out the door along with a final kick to it. I left quickly afraid of any further aggressions whereby running the chance of her either kicking me or my puppy.

All goodwills are getting expensive but you can still find affordable gems. Very kind staff.

I love coming here on $2 tuesdays so affordable on other days though some pieces can be a little bit on a pricey side but I do understand that this is a charity shop so they have to raise money and pay their workers so it’s understandable still a really good place to shop can definitely find deals just have to take a good look would recommend

I had several bags of clothes to donate that I was trying to drop off at Goodwill before they would be closed for a holiday. Rushed to this location and arrived at 6:48pm, having seen online that they were open until 7. The doors were locked. Although there were still customers shopping inside, they would not let myself or 2 other donors in to drop off donations. We knocked to get an employee’s attention. A man poked his head out to SHOUT at all of us “We are CLEARLY CLOSED!!” and when someone, rightfully, questioned, “but aren’t you open for 10 more minutes?” we were, again, rudely dismissed with a claim that the store did not need any more donations and “stops taking donations at 6.” There is absolutely no indication online OR on the store frontage that donation acceptance times differ from store opening hours. After reading some other reviews, I’m now learning that this seems to be common for employees to decide this on their own if they don’t feel like dealing with drop offs towards the end of their shifts. It was such an unpleasant and condescending experience, absolutely ZERO appreciation for the donations we were attempting to deliver. What a terrible experience

Today I went to Goodwill to donate a small bag of kitchen supplies. Upon arrival I walked to the fairly empty donation area and was loudly told from an employee that they were not accepting any more donations and that I should try another location. I said "ok" and stood for a moment to think about what to do (try the other location, go straight home, etc.). He proceeded to yell that they were not accepting donations. I told him I was leaving, and that there was no reason to yell. He told me I wasn't listening and continued to yell at me. I left the store and then re-entered and told him I'd like to speak to his manager. He said his manager would say the same thing, that they were not accepting donations. I said it's not about the donations - I do not deserve to be spoken to that way. He then proceeded to ignore me. I asked for his name, nothing. I stood by the door and waited for his manager. He continued to ignore me. His manager eventually came 15 minutes later and apologized. Again, this is not about the donations, but being yelled and berated by someone who is clearly taking their frustration out at you. It's unpleasant and uncalled for.

tldr: unwritten (and questionably real) rules around donation times, will be donating elsewhere. We tried to donate clothes and were told by evening staff that they stop accepting donations at 6pm (1 hour before closing). I cannot find this policy anywhere on Goodwill's website or anywhere related to the location. From the outside, the bins were clearly not full. A store employee said that I should have called and then I would have known. If this is an official policy, put it explicitly on the store and where people look. It sounds like it was something informal for this particular group of staff. I'll be avoiding this location and going to ones without unwritten rules you have to call to know about. We had taken a cab and dropped off en route to another event, so left the items where we usually leave our donations - I certainly hope the staff didn't just throw them out, as other reviewers seem to have noted.

BEWARE of long-faced, balding, disgruntled, middle-aged male employee. As mentioned in one of the earlier posts, this Goodwill outpost is going down the drain. Upon arriving to make a donation, I was not greeted with even the slightest of greetings. A simple hello would have sufficed. Instead, a crotchety middle-aged man condescendingly told me, immediately upon entering, that they would not accept any donations. After glancing at my bag, to add more insult to his piss poor attitude, he snarkily commented, “and we don’t accept any books either.” I ended up throwing away all of my donations outside. Riddle me this: If your job is contingent on public donations, shouldn’t you be a bit more courteous to your customers and perhaps, shouldn’t you ACCEPT donations? Never donating or stepping foot in this location again.

The woman with the blue hair and piercings who works here is incredibly rude. She is so condescending and snotty to costumers. I know Goodwill isn’t your typical store, but I think the people who shop here out of need deserve to be treated with the same level of respect as anyone shopping at any store.

Every time I've ever gone here or called, the people are so rude. One time I tried to drop off clothes and one of the workers told me they were at capacity and I should be more aware of my surroundings. This is supposed to be a place where we can donate and help others, but instead it's very unpleasant going there. I hope these workers can be trained better or others can be found who actually seem to enjoy assisting others, and not be so rude to those who are just trying to help.

this is an awesome thrift store !!! some prices are high but at other stores they are even higher so I believe this is a bargain . i came on a day it was super busy but they were helpful in telling me prices and letting me know about donations , they advise me to call ahead just in case because they do get to max capacity on the weekends .Even the manger on duty with the glasses (i forgot her name ) was helpful in providing me a cart so i wouldn't have to carry my items . i will be coming again !!

I was very impressed with the men's clothing here. The men's section was still smaller than the woman's, but had a better selection than many other thrift sites I've been to. Everything was clean and organized and easy to search. The home goods and other sections were really lacking, but I was impressed by the quality of the clothing there (maybe that's just because I found a suit that fit me perfectly! )

Came here with an IKEA bag filled with clothes to donate, but I was turned away because they said they’re too full for the day (already around noon?) I asked the employee at the front where else I could donate, and she rudely said she didn’t know and to call in the future. I’ve never been turned away for donations. The next day I donated at Salvation Army with no problem.

Just came to donate a bunch of clothes to help people through winter. Got here at 6.45pm when the store closes at 7pm and the doors were locked. 3 employees were at the cashier desk saw me then proceeded to talk amongst each other and ignore me. One kept looking up to see if I was there and then look away. Kept knocking but then gave up. Shocking behavior from not 1 but 3 employees at a store that is about helping the community.

This used to be a good Goodwill store but now its like...meh... The workers have no pride in their store, its was dirty and unkempt. The donations where piled into a heap right in the front of the store. They had shirts for $15.99. Come on now, these are items that are donated or thrown away! The security is ridiculous, the last time I was here I saw a lady shoplifting! I don't think I will be returning any time soon. Goodwill is located on 1114 1st Ave. New York City. Opens at 10am

Today 10/18/21 I witnessed the rudest employee i have ever seen. A lady asked about using the fitting room. The man replied she needed to find a key on her own and kept filling racks with clothes. Myself and another customer were in dis belief . I won't go into more detail, although wow! I left and won't be back. The time was around 11a.m October 18th

We came today as most weekends to donate. Before we put our donations in the big blue bins, a worker barked at us without any form of greeting: "no donation after 3 on Weekends". I am not sure when this new rule was implemented as we always donate on weekend afternoons, but there was no necessity to be rude. I'll simply come back tomorrow around the same time with the same exact bags... As for buying, I find the prices too steep for a thrift store to buy here.

I would like to take a moment to praise the staff at 61 Street. The workers are very friendly and went out of their way to accommodate myself and my companion. The store is very well organized and clean. The store manager Rina is always very cheerful and seems to really enjoy her job. The other managers are equally helpful. I always get major finds at this location. I have read many reviews complaining about the high prices but you get quality designer items. Those will not be cheap. I encourage everyone to visit this location for the great finds and the wonderful customer service.

Worst experience shopping.I live in the neighborhood and finally had a day off to go to this store.. I was excited to thrift. I love getting 7 items for the price of one, retail... I quickly realized I was being followed by 2 of the store employees :THINKING I WAS SHOP LIFTING OR SOMETHING? I really felt my every move was being watched and felt super uncomfortable I could not enjoy my experience. I was so upset. NEVER GOING HERE AGAIN!

. In one quick sentence, their pricing structure here is significantly higher across the board than other Manhattan locations. . The Salvation Army definitely have better bargains if not the good selection that Goodwill does. . Really do suggest people take a close look see, and find some good items and then carefully watch for their color tag markdowns for a real bargain. . Nice layout. Clean spaces, with very courteous staff who can be helpful. . Do better on everyday pricing, and it's a great win-win situation for bargain shoppers of quality items. .

. Goodwill Stores are relatively uniform in their offerings and have a good selection of items for women's and men's clothing. . Staff is friendly and helpful. . Store has a good layout. . Prices here are a bit higher, but there are some good quality items here. . Good shopping trip. .

The location it's ok, the staff is really friendly but the prices are way too high, almost every pair of shoes have some wear on it and they cost between 14.99 (the most damaged and worn shoes) to 29.99 for a pair that seems to be used more than 20 times? Like come on, I was looking for some bags also, and they were all 29.99 used, with stains, damages, dirty in the inside and the outside, seriously? I can find better quality for less and new with tags. I definitely will not be spending my money on that location.

Good variety of good quality clothing. Fairly well organized. Tried on a few lovely high quality dressy dresses. Alas they were too short (and I'm 5'1"!) They must have come from a younger woman's closet! I'll be back!