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by Sarah, Marketing Manager for Goodwill of the Finger Lakes

There are many misconceptions, best kept secrets, and little known facts about Goodwill. But for those committed shoppers who know how great our stores are, they can often tell you the truth about many of them.

One of my favorites has always been the idea that Goodwill ONLY has used items. And better yet, VERY used items and only out-of-date trends. I smile of course when many say they won't shop there for that reason - but then I like to tell them that my outfit, always at least 90% of it, is from Goodwill (and I'm a fashion blogger - if I love the clothes so should you!). Of course they don't believe me - but that's the moment I love proving them wrong!

Many of the items that I personally find, or donate, to Goodwill are items of very gentle use, some never worn with tags still on, and many that are acceptable in today's times. And guess what - I'm not the only one. In fact, I never leave a Goodwill store without profiting from finding someone's item that was never used at all, and tag still attached! Don't believe me? Let's look at the evidence, shall we?

Exhibit A:

Brand new Calvin Klein top, tag still attached, current trendy design and color. Our price? $4.99 for a top never worn of a designer name.

Want to see more? Here are some additional finds between two stores in just one trip!

... and that's not all!

It's amazing the designer items you can find in our locations and spend more than half less than you will in store. Additionally, tag or not, there are some great designer brands you can find that may not have a tag on but most likely were only worn once or twice (or not at all) and with a quick wash they're good to go - no one will know, and you'll be walking around looking fabulous for five dollars! Don't believe me?

Exhibit B

(all untagged items of designer label):

It's truly amazing!

My advice? Take a chance - visit your local Goodwill, plan some time, visit us and see what you can find. Tag or not, our items are gently used and our teams look to select our best donations to be placed on our shelves. Better yet - if you have items in your closet you're no longer wearing, donate them and let someone else POP your tag!

And don't forget to tag your upload with #goodwillflx - we would love to feature you!

We hope to see you in stores this weekend - if you see me, make sure to say hi!