Goodwill Bins in Houston

"Let's start from the beginning. I decided to stop by Goodwill and do a little well needed shopping, as I was shopping Goodwill employees started placing new Bins out. You had customers losing all their common courtesy. You have customers that were going to the bins and not waiting as Goodwill employees complete placing them in their proper spots for all customers, you had customers being very aggressive and hostile. I have always used common courtesy along with implementing kindness and respect. So it's not a problem for me to just step aside and wait while I watch Goodwill customers display all types of negative and inappropriate behavior such as physically assault, hit, push and shove other customers and even sometimes Goodwill employees. Which is my reasons for placing my Google Review. Not only was I physically pushed, shaved and lied on today by Caucasian male but I was literally assaulted that situation became so intense because not only was I asserted and professional but I had to Stand My Ground, even after this man physically assaulted me over several times in Goodwill because of the color of his skin and after I inform Goodwill staff of the situation requesting for the cameras to be pulled, walking away from the situation and then being followed by this particular man as I'm trying to inform staff of the situation, then this man literally lying to staff and the police as well and he called the police. I had no problem with him calling the police in fact I encouraged it along with I encourage Goodwill and the man who assaulted me for the cameras and the video along with the audio to be produced. The police response what's completed fairly quickly I am form the belief to please speak with goodwill personnel and I would be waiting for him outside whenever he needs me as I was up on his . The man must have changed his story and did not want the cameras to be pulled video and audio to be played because there was no mention of of the video ever again and I peacefully left goodwill with only being pushed, assaulted and shaved without any physical , scars or wounds.This is what may and should expect when shopping at goodwill outlet on South Gessner in Houston Texas. If you are pregnant, expecting or trying to do a little bit of shopping with your children this is most definitely not the place to shop."

"I love thrifting & I really wanted to love this Goodwill bins location but I honestly couldn’t. There were no baskets because the resellers were camped out in corners with about 2 full baskets each. The bins were crazy & had used underwear, broken glass, dirty tissues, & all types of nonsense in it amongst the donations. The fellow shoppers/resellers were very aggressive & disrespectful when new bins came out! Pushing & shoving others like their life depended on it. They only had 1 cashier open with a line to the back of the store & people not being mindful of said line by still shopping while in it. There were also unruly children running around screaming throwing footballs & baseballs across the room & it was also very hot inside! It’s just not ever that crucial for me! I’m just not that desperately in need so I’d rather go to a regular thrift store. I probably won’t be back but I did find a few very cute items in the midst of so much heat & chaos! $2.49 a lb for clothing which is so cheap! 2/5"

"This is a by the pound location. I am not sure if they have ever set rules. The chart says one thing and the register does something else There is a long line and just one cashier. The bins are nasty and disgusting. I go next to the computer store but today maybe the last time. The prices are the same as Micro Center's on sale prices. Heck I can get better prices at Walmart on sale as here. I try to support their job training but it's getting to be too high in prices and the customers are varied."

"This place used to be better. I don't mind digging through stuff or even contending with other eager buyers, but things have gotten out of control. They don't enforce the rules. People are wildly aggressive and it's too crowded to get near the bins without risking an elbow in the face. People also take several carts, as others have mentioned. I actually did manage to find a cart today but I think that was just luck. There didn't seem to be as much good stuff coming out as previously. They are particularly low on housewares, and when they do show up they got separated, tossed around and even broken by the other buyers. It also took a really long time to check out. I did find a few good items after being there two hours, but I'm just not sure it's worth it any more. I'll try another location but this one is closest to me."

"I love this store. First and foremost this is a Goodwill OUTLET, aka 'bins". Merchandise that doesn't sell at other stores is sent here. It is then dumped into bins and sent to the floor for us to rummage through. Yes, it's dirty and things are broken but you can find some pretty amazing deals if you're willing to look. The staff is nice and runs a tight ship. There are rules.....if you bring your kids keep them next to you, don't just fill up carts and walk away, don't fill up 4 carts and keep waiting to pay because other people need carts too. Most of the posts that say the employees are rude are probably from those who don't follow the rules. I have been to all the other Outlets in the Houston area and this store runs the smoothest from bringing new bins out, keeping it fair, to checking us out. Love this place!!!! Keep up the good work! These pictures are just a fraction of my findings!"

"This definitely wasn't the type of goodwill I was expecting when I walked in. Seems like every 20 minutes they wheel out 10 new bins with items for people to look through. It's priced per weight, which is $2.59 per pound for clothes, while items are priced differently. The issue is that the customers go crazy just to look through the items and don't care about hitting, shoving, and pushing buggies into other people. If you come here, just be careful because people in there don't even care if you're pregnant. I ended up spending 2 hours here and found some good deals. I spent $47 for all the clothes, and $4 for a pregnancy pillow, Tiffany and Co baggies, Starbuck cups, and Calvin klein bag."

"This is a fantastic Goodwill bins. You should be aware before coming to this location. This is an outlet store meaning nothing is organized by size, gender, etc. It comes out in giant tubs, and you search through for hidden treasures. I love the staff, they seem to have some employees there a lot, and they’re very nice, they aren’t OVERLY friendly like some expect from every customer service worker, they’re real, and I love it! I’m sure they may be tired from the atmosphere the bins give! (Lots and lots of people) I have never seen the staff be “rude” to anyone who doesn’t deserve so. When you have good deals, people with act crazy sometimes, and these AMAZING employees corral like the best of em! They keep it under control even when it’s packed, and as I’ve always been kind, they’ve always been kind to me. Some people can have improper etiquette but the good outweighs. A lot of the same people come, so you’ll eventually have “bin friends” if you’re nice. I’ve had SEVERAL people notice me looking for certain items, and have gone out of their way to grab a similar one they spotted- that’s so so kind! It is different from a goodwill store, but I am a big fan"

"This place was recently turned into an outlet. They sell clothes, shoes and linen by the pound (I have a picture here with the table of prices). And they have items that have individually priced items. They put the merchandise on rolling tables or bins and there you pick what you want."

"The employees have been making a mess of the bin lines when putting them out. You’ll see random bins just left in places, bins in the isles between bins, bins preventing a checkout line, etc. they used to have clearly marked rows the bins fit into, but I guess the decided they couldn’t stay in the lines anymore. Things here are by weight for pricing - with many huge clearly labeled signs around the store - that breaks it down into: clothes (0-50lbs, then another price for over 50 lbs), misc, media (3/$1), or individual priced items. Individually priced items are supposed to include (according to the huge signs & the online official goodwill website): Bicycles, Lawn & Garden, Furniture, Rugs, Exercise Equipment, Televisions…however at this location all of these items end up being thrown in the bins by weight - except some of the furniture that is too heavy for them to lift or too big to fit... Not only does that leave these usually extremely large & heavy pieces being way too expensive to purchase (never seen anybody get this stuff, so they’re just going to end up literally having to dump it), it leaves them in the way of actual digging in the other stuff. The bins are usually overflowing to begin with. Throw a giant rug or tv or whatever on top of one & suddenly nothing under it is really accessible. Do not buy furniture here unless you can immediately take it with you. If you leave it they will break it. And not even other customers - the employees do not care that you already paid for it - if it’s in their way, they are shoving it down & around. Of course, the reason it’s in the way is probably their own fault (they put it there/do not move it when sold, etc) but that is, again, irrelevant to them. There is a blonde woman who works here - not sure if she is actually a manager, but she acts like she thinks she has authority. But I really can’t fathom why she works here. You can feel the hostility rolling off her in waves from across the store - not directly at anyone specifically, just general attitude even when not engaging with a customer. To most customers she is incredibly rude & snappy. However she seems to ignore the usual campers completely. Maybe she just got tired of trying to deal with them and no longer bothers, I can’t know for sure, but it does make her harassment of any other customer stand out that much more. I know it’s not a fantastic place to work & all that jazz…but like lady it is YOUR job right? Like, you applied for it & collect the paycheck? And you were aware that the job was to service your customers right? Because if that’s not your thing, I’m pretty sure there are other jobs out there. Or at least there’s other employees Goodwill can hire, ya know who might actually want the job. Which leads me to the new mid day close. That is not anywhere on the goodwill website, the google info, the yelp info, or anywhere but on little flyers at the store. It’s the stupidest thing - they start kicking you out at like 11, so they can close -nearly an hour later- for about an hour. They start the kick out well before the posted times, then get really mad when people don’t just want to stand in a massive line waiting to check out for over half an hour. Like. No duh. What are they even closing for? Not to restock, the trucks come at all times, & they do the bin rotations the whole day. The amount of anxiety at the crowded check out - on one register before finally opening a whole second register… - was unreal. Makes you feel so rushed & confused, people packed together like sardines with carts, line jumpers like we aren’t all having to check out at the same time, the blonde lady going around yelling at everyone... The campers go party in the parking lot for the hour before mobbing the doors again. But the person who drove an hour, only to find out on arrival they only have 30 mins to shop (and probably not even that because the whole kicking out routine) is totally out of luck. If you’re going to shut down your business mid day - the fact that it’s a stupid decision aside - have it posted on your website!"

"I agree with some other reviewers that being here for the first time you would get a little horrified. Things are just packing on bins with questionable hygiene conditions. However, when I saw how they charge, I began to think this as a scavenger hunt :) so still a very interesting shopping experience. You kinda have to dig to find the stuff. I realized that charging by weights are not exactly that cheap if you look for heavy stuff like winter coats. The staff did organize the stuff into different bins, but overtime they got messed up. I found children' cloths are usually in better shape than adults. Also they do have newer stuff on home decorations (especially holiday ones), table cloth, sheets, and curtains. If you wanna buy affordable adults' cloths, I think there are better choice at this price."

"Really wish this location was working out for me since I source for my business. There's a group of young guys and men that literally go every day of the week and the staff let's them put lawn chairs up and keep multiple baskets. When the new bins come out they will walk around looking for vintage shirts. They will stand right in front of you like you aren't even there and will block the bin til they get what they want. I get that people are looking for things but there's no staff controlling the area. They will say you can't touch the bin until they say go and people will grab things anyway and they don't do a thing about it. At least at the other locations they monitor the new product coming out and you get a fair shot if you line up. Staff seems to know all the regulars and tell them what's coming out. Alot of really gross bins at times. They dump product on top of old product. You can still find a lot of things, but you don't have shot at the good stuff alot of times because there's no one monitoring the customers."

"This location is a mess. Everything is in large bins and mixed together. You must dig. Dig through shoes, books, sheets clothing. All mixed together. This is unsanitary in my opinion. Hanging clothes, keeping dirty shoes out of bins along with everything else would be better. Everyone is digging through the bins. In one bin, I saw dirt, a piece of gum and 2 pennies in the corner. Just gross."

"I was pleasantly surprised! Although it can get a little “peoply”! And by that I mean people will pull up right next to you and dig and through stuff around! My 1st day there 7/18/25 a Friday around 1pm and parking lot packed to! Dressy cool because it’s get rad warm even though the huge fans in ceiling did a good job I was never uncomfortable. If you find a bakery outside take it! People hog the baskets and they are literally camped out I guess waiting on different new bins to be pulled out! My vibe is to not struggle and I will find what Finds me! I don’t really go for “clothes or shoes” but found vintage Tupperware and alot of Good Condition dvds! I enjoyed my time there but I was guarded! Soon as I got to my 1st bin there was a Verbal argument Mainly a woman telling off some young man. There are people of all walks and ethnicities. Stay neutral! Be courteous, keep a basket to keep others at bay! I like my Elbow room! Also very important take a water bottle w/ cool water to keep you cool!"

"LOL! What Fun! This place is a treasure hunt! Piles of clothes to dig through, very crowded and noisy. you are charged by the pound which is a great deal if find something worthwhile. A lot of it is trash but some things are brand new with tags. This is NOT a good place for small children."

"I’m easily thrilled by the hunt of thrifting so this was so fun! I spent 1.5 hours and came out with some gems. I’m glad I brought gloves as the stuff is literally fresh from being donated; I didn’t come across anything questionable but it was easier to dig through with them on. I went right when they opened so finding a shopping cart wasn’t an issue but next time I’ll bring a big bag (like an IKEA blue one) just in case they’re out. I stuck with the bins that were already out so it didn’t feel as competitive. Definitely will be going back!"

"The bins used to be my happy place, but this new location is honestly an embarrassment. First, the parking situation is terrible — it’s not designed for retail at all. Sure, you can put your store in a warehouse, but you’re still a retail business, and you need to act like it. Then there’s the smell. The moment you walk in, you’re hit with the stench of sweaty BUTT and body odor. And it’s not hard to figure out why: there is no air conditioning. Not broken. Not “waiting to install.” They really opened a massive warehouse in Houston — of all places — with no AC. Employees are literally dripping with sweat. The few fans they have going make little to do difference. What’s worse is seeing how miserable the staff is. I recognized employees from other locations who used to be friendly and upbeat. Now they just look defeated. And who can blame them? No one wants to work in that kind of heat. I had a chance to chat with a few of them and they are as miserable as they look. Customers can leave, but the employees cannot. Goodwill’s mission to employ people who may have a hard time finding other work — whether due to criminal records or developmental delays — is something I genuinely support. But putting people with limited job options in an uncooled warehouse for very low pay feels borderline exploitative. I used to spend hours here. I couldn’t even make it an hour this time. It’s so disappointing to see Goodwill shut down multiple locations, only to open one big, miserable warehouse that clearly cut corners at the expense of both staff and customers. Just because it's legal not to provide AC in a retail setting doesn't make it moral or right. I’ll be finding another way to source inventory for my business. Shame on Goodwill for this."