FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are Goodwill’s store hours?
All central Indiana Goodwill stores are open from:
9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Noon to 6 p.m. Sundays

Holiday hours vary. For holiday hours, click here.

What forms of payment do Goodwill stores accept?
Central Indiana Goodwill stores accept cash, personal checks (with valid photo identification) and Visa, Mastercard and Discover credit cards for payment. Stores also accept gift certificates issued by Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc.

What is the pricing structure at Goodwill stores?
Retail sales account for the majority of Goodwill's revenue for its employment and educational services. Items are priced consistently from store to store. The prices of all clothing items are reduced by 50 percent within five weeks of display in our stores.

Our managers price furniture and household based on guidelines that take into account the quality and condition of the item in question. The prices of some items also are affected by their value as antiques.

Pricing policies in stores outside central Indiana are subject to different standards.

Do Goodwill stores accept returns?
Goodwill has a return policy that allows customers to return merchandise with the receipt for any reason and receive a full refund within seven days of purchase. Returns should have original tags.

Check refunds require a 15-day wait. Returns are not accepted on the days of our 50 Percent Off Storewide Sales.

How often does Goodwill have 50% Off Storewide Sales?
Goodwill has quarterly 50% Off Storewide Sales, and these sales occur only at central Indiana Goodwill stores.

The next 50% Off Storewide Sale will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, September 18, 2010.

New goods are not included in the sale, and the sale is not valid at the Goodwill Outlet Stores. The 50% off discount applies only to items purchased for the first time on the date of the sale.

For the central Indiana Goodwill store nearest you, click here.

Besides 50% Off Storewide Sales, what other discounts does Goodwill offer?
In addition to everyday low prices, Goodwill offers a weekly 50% off sale on a selected color tag of the week.

Senior citizens (age 55 or older) receive a 30% discount on regularly priced donated goods at all central Indiana Goodwill stores (excluding the Goodwill Outlet Store) each Wednesday.

Goodwill occasionally has other sales and promotions, which are advertised and posted online.

These sales and discounts occur only at the central Indiana Goodwill stores. Goodwill does not give price adjustments for items purchased prior to their markdown.

How can I find a specific item at a Goodwill store?
The best way to find a specific item is by frequently visiting stores. Several store locations are located within driving distance of one another.

Goodwill does not keep an inventory of the items placed in its stores because of the vast amount of donations received at our central Indiana locations.

Goodwill received donations from more than 600,000 donors this past year. The items are processed at the stores where the donations are received. More than 2,000 items are added daily to each store.

For the central Indiana Goodwill store nearest you, click here.

How long do I have to pick up furniture once I’ve purchased it?
Retail stores generally do not have much room for the storage of furniture. Goodwill receives a large amount of donated furniture into a limited amount of space.

Goodwill’s policy, in fairness to all customers, is that furniture sold on the sales floor must be picked up by the end of the business day or it will be returned to the sales floor.

Does Goodwill clean items before placing them on the sales floor?
Goodwill strives to provide a clean and safe store environment for our customers and wants to make your shopping experience as pleasant as possible.

The majority of our merchandise is secondhand, and while our staff does not clean each item before it is placed on the sales floor, they do sort the donations before placing them on the sales floor, checking for damaged merchandise and other flaws in the items.

Goodwill’s consumer research has demonstrated that people who purchase from its stores usually clean merchandise before using it. Goodwill complies with all laws in regard to the resale of secondhand items.

Do Goodwill stores sell items from their back rooms?
It is against Goodwill's policies for any store employee to “hold” merchandise in the back room and release it to the floor when certain customers are shopping. It also is against Goodwill’s policies for store employees to sell items directly from the back room.

Some antiques and collectibles may be held in the back room or in the store manager’s office because they will be sold on shopgoodwill.com, Goodwill’s online auction site.

More than 2,000 items are placed on the sales floor in every store each day. A steady stream of new merchandise comes from donors to the sales floor.

Are Goodwill store employees allowed to shop in the stores?
Store employees are allowed to shop in the stores, but they are not allowed to shop during their work shift or to purchase items that have not been on the sales floor for a minimum of two hours.

Employees also are not allowed to ring up purchases that their family members make.