Discounts for poorest Goodwill shoppers? "You're fired. We'll press felony charges."

[jjenny]

If you work in retail, you can't just take upon yourself to give out discounts and such. Or you will be fired, or arrested/charged. It's not up to you, and it's not your money. So it's no surprise that he was fired. Like somebody suggested, if you want to give someone a freebee, you can pay for it yourself instead of charging them.

 

[jjenny]

Now, IF they dropped the charges, they need to give him his job back. An organization like Good Will cannot afford to be seen in such a BAD light, IMO

His job back? Seriously? He is lucky they dropped the charges. You can't give something away that it's not yours to give away.

 

[burbqueen]

no, i think he did deserve to be fired. The felony charges I have an issue with. I know people that have actually stolen from their employers and not giving discounts, but actual theft. Not $4000 worth, but caught on camera stuff and they were just let go when they should have been hauled off to jail.

From a PR standpoint Goodwill she have kept this all hush hush. But yeah they are a business and not a charity IMO.

 

[Mira]

in a little town near me is a 'thrift store'. any stuff I have to give away goes there, because I know from experience that they do help people. the ladies that work there don't care if they make a profit, all they care about is the rent on the building and the lights. when I was first disabled, Uncle went there and got a walker, wheelchair, and potty for me, he paid 12 dollars. people that have been burned out can go there and get what they need to start over.
to me that is real charity.

 

[jjenny]

in a little town near me is a 'thrift store'. any stuff I have to give away goes there, because I know from experience that they do help people. the ladies that work there don't care if they make a profit, all they care about is the rent on the building and the lights. when I was first disabled, Uncle went there and got a walker, wheelchair, and potty for me, he paid 12 dollars. people that have been burned out can go there and get what they need to start over.
to me that is real charity.

If you own the store, and decide to give stuff away, more power to you. This guy was an employee. He didn't have a right to give something away that was not his to begin with.
I don't doubt they dropped the charges because of bad publicity. But giving something away that doesn't belong to you isn't legal.

 

[Starry Night]

'Think back Arthur', said Merlin.....'think back to when you were 19 years old.......'

 

[CarolinaMoon]

I dropped off a few bags over a year ago. Months later I went into a goodwill, and seriously it is just like Mardens, or tjmax. Same prices. I realized I just gave someone money. I will not be giving them any business every again. I also did some research and I have moo over it.
I have more clothes to donate. I will look for a shelter, or church.
For this guy. It is a business. Anyone would get fired, but I don't think he needs to be charged. When I did go, the checkout lady asked me if I had a discount card. I wasn't sure what it was.

I am a big donor and browser/shopper there. It all depends on where you live. $12 shoes near my friend in one state are $5 here. One day, I donated a "freebie" I had received in a promotion. It was a nice, china snack set. I didn't need it, nor did anyone I knew. So, I Googled the product and found the minimum price for it was $15.99 (used for tax purposes). I donated it and went in to browse for treasures. There it was, already on the shelf, priced at about $4.

About 10 years ago, I had a chair reupholstered. I paid about $25 a yard for 12 yards of the fabric at a local store. I had enough for the chair, dining room chairs and valences. A while later, something caught my eye while browsing. It was a bolt of the exact fabric for $9. It ended up having just over 11 yards of fabric and I'm getting slip-covers made from it for the very same chair.

Also, there are many antique stores/malls where I live. It's fun to chat up the shoppers with a full cart of stuff. One told me she shops twice a week to stock her store. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Goodwill, even if you don't approve of their mission, is a wonderful way to keep "stuff" out of the landfill.

 

[TrackerSam]

Goodwill is not a charity. It is a business. Just like any other business. They could give a crap about helping people, that is just a myth. :twocents:

And like a business, they have employees and utilities to pay. But it's not about Goodwill, it's about a guy giving away stuff he didn't own. It's only charity if the donation is yours to begin with IMO.

 

[MissJ]

When I worked at a mental health center outpatient, I paid rent for a couple of patients who could not pay their rent and pay for their medications and out of my own pocket. I think this young man was misguided but had good intentions.

 

[Uberfairy]

Insane that this person let people walk out of the store without paying the extremely discounted price for the merchandise. Charity isn't giving away OTHER people's money. If you want to help someone out take it out of your own pocket. Especially when those other people ARE running a charity. Unbelievable. jmo

Thank you for a good, clear explanation of why, what this young man did, wasn't right. Unfortunately, the younger generations increasingly are not taught how and why business (and charities) work regarding money. <modsnip>

:twocents: If this young man did it from a truely good, but naive heart, sit him down, make him pay for merchandise he let walk away, and give him a good stern lecture on how and why charities operate the way they do. But, a criminal record over this, if his heart was good? However, if he did it with the attitude that the Salvation Army is rich and can afford to give it away, so I don't care type attitude, or vindictively, then yes, criminal prosecution is in order.