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I had racked my brain trying to figure out the reasoning behind the new Goodwill pricing - $2.02, $3.03, $4.04, etc., even sending head office an email (they never emailed back), couldn't come to a conclusion.
I overheard one of the Goodwill rats discussing the pricing with someone else. Our Goodwill still uses the grease pencil on almost everything. You'll find the odd couple items that will have a tag on them, but majority of the items are greased up. With the grease pencil, people were manipulating the price - $1.99 turned into 99¢, 99¢ turned into 49¢, $2.99 turned into 99¢. So shoppers are erasing the dollar amount, so they could get the item for 99¢. With the new pricing scheme, erasing one of the numbers will get you nowhere, you'll have to erase the whole price. The guy was also saying, that any item without a price will be priced higher at the desk - as so many people are ripping off tags, messing with prices, it's sort of a "punishment" to overcharge - so they "learn their lesson." I guess that's a good way to combat those manipulating pricing as nothing gets put out on the shelf without a price.
I am assuming the people at the desk will use their best judgment when it comes to a situation with an item that doesn't have a price if what the guy had said was true. I would hate to have someone take a price off an item & then they charge me double what they were originally charging for it, as opposed to the woman who has 6 out of 10 items that are not priced & is in there all the time, just like myself.
Anyway, mystery solved.
I overheard one of the Goodwill rats discussing the pricing with someone else. Our Goodwill still uses the grease pencil on almost everything. You'll find the odd couple items that will have a tag on them, but majority of the items are greased up. With the grease pencil, people were manipulating the price - $1.99 turned into 99¢, 99¢ turned into 49¢, $2.99 turned into 99¢. So shoppers are erasing the dollar amount, so they could get the item for 99¢. With the new pricing scheme, erasing one of the numbers will get you nowhere, you'll have to erase the whole price. The guy was also saying, that any item without a price will be priced higher at the desk - as so many people are ripping off tags, messing with prices, it's sort of a "punishment" to overcharge - so they "learn their lesson." I guess that's a good way to combat those manipulating pricing as nothing gets put out on the shelf without a price.
I am assuming the people at the desk will use their best judgment when it comes to a situation with an item that doesn't have a price if what the guy had said was true. I would hate to have someone take a price off an item & then they charge me double what they were originally charging for it, as opposed to the woman who has 6 out of 10 items that are not priced & is in there all the time, just like myself.
Anyway, mystery solved.
Interesting. I was in the Goodwill a couple weeks ago and didn't notice a change so perhaps it's uber new. In fact I didn't think Good will used tags at all - my experience is that, with the exception of the 'boutique' items that are individually priced, they post a sign at the end of, say, the dress rack, with a sign that says "$6.99 and up". What as always really teed me off is the "and up" part is completely arbitrary and up to the person at the cash. I don't begrudge paying a few bucks more to a worthy cause like Goodwill, but I never really thought such an inconsistent pricing structure was a real feel-good thing, you know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteThe pricing has been around for a few months.
ReplyDeleteI rarely shop at Goodwill for clothing, accessories, so I don't know how they are priced, but I did buy a NKOTB shirt last week for $1.99, so the pricing might not apply to clothing. I have noticed some clothing items marked with a tag at GW, but, you are right, most items don't have prices.
I only really shop for books & housewares. The pricing scheme hasn't taken into effect for books, but it's taken into effect for all the housewares I have seen.
Hmm good scheme lol. This is off the pricing topic, but I do hate those grease pencils, our GW's have a tag and a pencil marking. They are annoying to get off esp on delicate things that you cannot scrub. They mark it on clothing collars, it doesn't come off in the washer, only when I get things dry cleaned. I've left plenty of things behind because of those pencils
ReplyDeleteSomeone had told me that was the reasoning behind the weird prices also. If I find an item without a price I ask a worker to take it back and get it priced, the counter people aren't so good at the prices.
ReplyDeleteLinda - is the pricing the same where you live?
ReplyDeleteChino & Milo's Thrifty Gems - I've never seen grease pencil on clothing - EW! But I don't do much clothes shopping at Goodwill around here.
ReplyDeleteSir Thrift-A-Lot, stopped by the Goodwill on way home tonight and clarified the situation through a shop and a conversation with the manager. Turns out it does apply to just the boutique items - clothing is, unless otherwise tagged, the "$5.99 and up" deal (in the case of the gorg French skirt I bagged for $4.99!). But a neat piece of jewellery under glass was tagged at $10.01! First off, pretty darn pricey for the likes of Goodwill! Too neat to pass up, though.
ReplyDeleteOK cool! Thanks for letting me know grunge-queen.
ReplyDeleteWhen I recall price tags, it was always something over $5.99. Congrats on the skirt! I'm heading on over to check out your new piece of jewelry..
Thanks for solving the pricing mystery! We don't have Goodwill in Vancouver, Canada but the Salvation Army and Value Village stores use stickers.
ReplyDeleteI finally responded to your Kobenstyle question as best I could FYI.