Goodwill Bins in Minnesota

"I love going here! But not many people do... Here's why: it's affectionately referred too by my friends as "The Dig". Everything is placed into big bins on wheels and you go in, take a cart, and literally start digging! You find something you potentially want and put it in your cart. Once you have a bunch of stuff on your cart, go through it, decide what you REALLY want, toss what you don't want back, and if you want to continue digging, go for it. They roll out new bins about every 20 minutes or so. And it's EXCITING!Stop digging when you like. The pricing is by the pound and per item. (Less than $1.50 on both- I can't recall right now!) 90% of the items are in excellent condition, and I've found tons of name brand clothing (I haven't really looked in the housewares or furniture yet, but I've heard of and seen some people get amazing items for SUPER cheap) I did find a gold and silver heart pendant with a diamond in it on a silver chain in a velvet bag hiding one of the clothing bins. You never know what will be in there! If you're looking for specific items or you want a quick shopping stop, this isn't your place. If you like the excitement of the unknown, go here. You won't be disappointed."

"Potential to get hands down the greatest deals ever but you must like digging and searching. It is like Black Friday every 20 minutes when they bring out new bins and is fun to watch people dog as fast as they can looking for stuff. 0-9.99 pounds is $1.49 per pound, 10-24.99 pounds is $1.29 per pound, & 25+ pounds is $.99 per pound"

"I’ve come here a few times over the past month. I’m new to the bins. I will return because I’ve found some good stuff while digging. I don’t understand why they don’t pair up the shoes here when they get donated with a rubber band like the Salvation Army bins does. It’s ridiculous to have to try to match up a shoe in like ten different bins full of single shoes especially when some people take 20 single shoes out of the bins super quick. It seems like they’d sell a lot more shoes if they paired them up, and stop a lot of needless chaos of people each having one shoe and who gets the other one. I’m very disgusted by the way the security guards treat their paying customers here. We are NOT animals or criminals please don’t yell at us and treat us like we are. We are human beings. The workers here are so disrespectful to their customers for no reason. I’m new to the bins and don’t know all the rules yet and I’d appreciate being told professionally/politely the proper etiquette instead of being screamed at like i’m a naughty toddler. Why is it okay in this day and age for a worker in a store to just scream and yell at their customers??? This behavior from a store employee isn’t acceptable anywhere."

"Great goodwill bins that's bright, open and reasonably clean with ample parking. There's a whole bins shopping protocol that you get the hang of after a bit, I just watched what everyone else did! They bring out new merchandise every 20 minutes or so and they stop bringing out new stuff around 3 p.m. I live on the edge and don't wear gloves when I'm there since it's easier to tell fabric quality quickly when you can actually feel it, but some people do. Lots of people shop there, but it seems like everyone is looking for different stuff and there's plenty for all. I always leave with at least 10-15 treasures for my resale shop."

"NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! These customers are super serious about their thrifting. pro: Super cheap because everything is sold in bulk by the pound or how many inches thick a book is. (I got 7 pieces of clothing, a spice rack, and 2 books for $10) Cons: 1. you have to sift through carts of just piles of stuff and hope you get lucky 2. Things meant to be sold in pairs, like shoes, are not kept together, so you have to keep digging til you find your match. 3. The other patrons literally sift and then wait for new carts to be brought out. They stand in cue, and if you try to start looking through the bins before the whole line has been brought out and ready to go, at best you will get dirty looks, at worst, you will get cussed out by someone. 4. Relatively small parking lot considering the size of the warehouse. If you love thrifting and don't mind putting in a little effort and dealing with insane ppl who obviously enjoy used goods a little TOO much, give it a go. If you like a relaxing, organized shopping experience, stay away."

"I’ve heard about the goodwill bins but I’m not into thrifting and I had no reason to go. That was until I realized I can get so many clothes for under $10. I was there for about an hour and got multiple sweatshirts, all of which were clean and not stained or worn. It requires some patience to find things, especially if there’s a crowd, but for the price I think it’s worth it. Some name brands as well. Clothes are something like $1.50 a pound and they weigh your clothes at the checkout. All items in the picture cost a total of $12. Bring gloves if you plan on really digging in some of the stuff since there are a few dirty items."

"Due to social distancing restrictions, there are only half the bins on the floor and only one person allowed per bin. I understand that it needs to be this way (for now). However, it's true that when a "fresh" bin comes out, one person is allowed unlimited time to sort through the bin. Of course, anything with a tag or a new box gets snapped up so what remains is mostly junk. I'm thinking that once there is a new batch of bins on the floor, there should be a 4 minute time limit to go through that bin, then EVERYONE has to move on. Give more people a shot at a fresh bin...share the wealth. The intent of Goodwill has been lost to greed. The managers, in my opinion, are mostly surly. If you can't be friendly to customers, you are in the wrong job! I have seen a manager "cherry pick" items from a bin for himself as it comes out to the floor. It is NOT an equal playing field for all shoppers. I know things have to change, but this wholesale has taken a turn for the worse. There ARE ways to make it good again!"

"One star the new rules with having the workers dig through the bins completely ruined the bins"

"I shopped at this location today and it was my first "Bins" experience. I read all the previous reviews, and it was a little concerning, but I wore gloves and brought a big bag with me, and I am glad that I did, because the carts were all being used, and you dig through some dirty or sharp things. Parking was easy, the store was busy, clean, and well-lit, and I felt very safe with a security guard at the door. People were moving quickly, but everyone was polite, calm, and respectful. The prices are really good and I found a bag of treasures. Travis helped me at the checkout and he was so kind and helpful. It was great, I will go back often."

"Honestly my first time going there wasn’t that bad.DONT LET THE BAD COMMENTS DISCOURAGE YOU!!i will say it might just depend on what time you go there I went around 4 and it wasn’t 2 crowded so I found lots of good clothes that fit my style (senior in highschool) but I will say MAKE SURE YOU BRING MASKS AND GLOVES AND YOUR OWN BAGS WHEN ITS TIME TO CHECKOUT!!(sorta like Aldi but you can’t buy bags you have to bring your own)When me and my friend went to checkout there wasn’t a line at all and everything costed 20.17$ altogether (2 jackets,3 pairs of jeans,2 tank tops, 1 shirt and one New York hat). ( her stuff was like 6.23$ I forgot what she got) luckily I had brought some Walmart bags so I didn’t have to carry the stuff I bought in my bare hands.Now as far as staff I didn’t have a problem at all and when me and my friend were about to leave there was this old lady that couldn’t find her keys so the employees went out of their way to go to her car in another parking lot to find them I wish I had got their names.Now I will say the place is dirty and they had flies everywhere but what do you expect at a place that sells used goods.Overall experience 10/10"

"Unless one is a thrift-to-resell type of person who doesn't mind digging through dirty and smelly piles of clothing, I suggest not spending any time here. I also suggest reading through the other reviews and not simply judging based on number of stars. The written reviews, even many of the five star ones, tell a story not apparent from the number of stars alone. As for myself, I've made very few purchases here over the years, but I have donated many times. It's the closest donation place to my house. Ten years ago, I could count on a pleasant-enough experience, but times have changed. Please know my review is an average of experiences over the last five years. I think that's a generous span of time to include in a review, plus I feel experiences over five years ago really aren't relevant anymore. Clothing has always been piled up in bins here for as long as I can remember. That means the fabric has no air flow between layers, which can lead to smells and especially mold. Why does Goodwill get away with stocking moldy product when it's a health hazard that wouldn't be allowed anywhere else? Just remember that the donation area is exposed to our outdoor environment, which is often humid, and that creates the potential for mold. By the way, there are other Goodwill locations that do hang up clothing items, which is crucial to keeping them dry and in good condition. Anyway, I have purchased the occasional small piece of furniture here, and had no problems. I, and I'm sure others, have an issue with one person in the donation area who is usually present. They definitely shouldn't be allowed to work in a public-facing position. They are definitely the most ill-mannered person I've interacted with in that their attitude doesn't stem from simply having a bad day. This is their usual state. The clothing I donate has always consisted of good quality, nice items, and my standard practice is to wash, dry, and then neatly fold them in bags or containers. Around that 5-years-ago time frame, the donation procedure was that the people working the donation area would take the containers from donors, and neatly stack them into the gaylords (that's honestly what they're called; no laughing. Look it up!). But years ago, that practice changed into the customer/donor doing the work of sorting the items and placing them into the correct gaylords while the employees stand back and direct. The ill-mannered employee manages to do this 'nothing-but-directing' task while rudely barking orders at donors. Today, I had an even worse experience with them. They were even more unpleasant than usual. I was placing my freshly washed, neatly folded clothing into the gaylord (I didn't know the practice had changed) and they grabbed my tote bag right out of my hand, and said with an unquestionably imperative and rude tone, "This is how to do it!" They overturned the bag of folded clothing, and picked up each piece, one after another, destroying the neat folds and throwing each clothing item onto the messy pile to match the state of everything else in there. The handle of my reusable bag got ripped with this action. Note to anyone intending to purchase any of my items; Sorry, I did my best to keep them neat and clean! I am also dismayed with the fact that Goodwill isn't actually a non-profit business. It just poses as one. I learned this just recently. After what I have learned about this business, I will do my best to donate my items to other, actually non-profit organizations. These organizations want clothing to be clean and neatly folded, and a few of them will even take the items right from my home address."

"Don’t let the bad reviews convince you not to come here! I thought that the employees were very nice, none were rude and did their jobs properly. There was even a security guard who made sure things were in order so no one was acting like animals. Obviously since this is the bins, people will be moving around trying to grab things, BUT that is the nature of the bins. Don’t expect the bins to be like going to a Goodwill store or Savers where things are organized/peaceful. At the bins people have things they are looking for (resellers) but that’s how it is. Just pay no mind to them and do your own thing. I do think if you want to find good items, you’d have to stay for at least 2hrs+. This is a treasure hunt!"