Thrift stores are the great equalizer. With a little time and a good eye for style, you will be rewarded. But even these places are not immune to the temptations of corporate greed.

Loyal thrift shoppers have been taking to the subreddit r/ThriftGrift to share stories of overpriced goods that miss the mark.

This Reddit post showed many items at Goodwill, remarking how unfairly priced they were, stating: "I was absolutely disgusted by the prices. Used boots were $30. Used shoes were around $30." Furniture was also going for hundreds of dollars.

Goodwill's business model is simple. The public donates all of the product, and Goodwill sells these products at a discounted rate, making enough profit to cover their overhead, hire staff, and provide community services like career coaching. The business is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity.

This provides a service to individuals who want to get rid of almost any kind of item (clothing, books, electronics, housewares, furniture). The benefit to the customer is clear: lightly-used goods for a fraction of the cost of buying new. Goodwill has always been a great place for style-spies and vintage-hunters, but more importantly, it provides a dignified place for people living in poverty to shop, and it saves tons and tons of items from landfills.

However, as this Redditor reported, consumers have noticed prices going up. While the salaries of leadership are not public information, Goodwill has long been the center of internet rumors about its CEO profiting billions from the company.

"Goodwill organizations are locally controlled and operated, and each of those 165 organizations in North America is an independent nonprofit that has a board of directors comprised of volunteers from that community," said a spokesperson for Goodwill, interviewed for CountryLiving.com. "The board hires an executive director or CEO to operate Goodwill in their territory — so it's really owned by the community. They're all autonomous, independent nonprofit organizations."

However, this isn't the full story. Power might not be centralized, but these local branches have come under scrutiny for major pay disparities. For example, in 2004, Oregon's Department of Justice launched an investigation into the CEO of Goodwill in Columbia-Willamette.

"In 2011, the lowest paid worker earned just $1.40 per hour. Michael Miller, the president and CEO, earned $742,875 in total compensation," reported Huffpost. To put this into context, the median salary for non-profit organizations in 2022 was "a new high of $132,077," according to non-profit expert Candid.

Thrift shopping is an amazing way to get big markdowns on basic items you need for day-to-day life, as well as well-priced luxury items and priceless antique finds. If your Goodwill has higher prices than anticipated, it isn't the only option. You could locate another thrift shop in your neighborhood or turn to secondhand online retailers like ThredUp.

What's your primary motivation in shopping at thrift stores? Cheaper clothes 🤑 Trendier items 😎 Reduced environmental impact 🌎 I don't thrift 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"They [Goodwill] have gone so far off the rails it's not even funny. I won't donate to them anymore either. I donate to the thrift store down the street run by the local Teen Challenge group," said one commenter.

"I haven't donated to them for years for this very same reason. I have an ARC in my community that is my favorite. It's a smaller store but the inventory seems to be curated better," commented another Redditor.

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