Frequently Asked Questions

The U.S. Mint has stopped making pennies, so many stores are rounding cash totals to the nearest nickel. At Goodwill Store & Donation Centers, your total will round down to the nearest nickel when you pay cash.

Debit, credit and mobile payments are not rounded – only cash. 

No. Please take your donation to a Goodwill store & donation center near you. 

No. Please take your Goodwill Cares Community Assistance Voucher to a Goodwill store & donation center near you. 

We accept cash, credit cards and debit cards. We also accept Goodwill gift cards but do not offer them for purchase. 

We have scales at the registers to weigh your purchase.   

All merchandise, except for electronics, glassware, and oversized items, is intermingled on the rolling tables. We recommend wearing sturdy gloves when sorting through merchandise. 

We recycle or sell unsold items as salvage. 

Additional discounts, including Goodwill Perks Plus sales and promotional offers, do not apply. Outlet purchases do not earn loyalty points. 

All items are sold “as is” and all sales are final. 

We send unsold items from our stores to the nearest outlet for one last chance to find a new owner. The outlet provides a final opportunity for the items to be taken to a new home.

Most items in our outlet stores are priced by the pound. Other items, such as DVDs, CDs, computer games, albums, VHS tapes and books are priced per unit. We price bikes and other oversized items individually.  

Shopgoodwill.com sells items from Goodwill organizations across the country including those donated in the Greater Milwaukee and Chicago areas. 

Unfortunately, online orders can only be handled through the website where the order was placed. If you’re not sure how to proceed in getting help with your order, please contact us. 

Please open a ticket through the website where your order was placed. Our customer service team works quickly to respond to tickets as they come through. 

Unfortunately, loyalty rewards points, discounts and the ability to earn points only apply to purchases made in Goodwill Store & Donation Centers and cannot be used or applied to any online purchases. 

We select items that are donated to participating Goodwill Store & Donation Centers to be sold on eBay, Amazon and Shopgoodwill.

Although we don't have the capacity to launder donations we receive, Goodwill stores check the quality and cleanliness of each item and places items on the sales floor that meet our standards for great quality and value. 

Thanks to generous donations from your friends and neighbors, we restock merchandise every day!  

All sales are final. Merchandise is sold “as is” and Goodwill does not accept returns. We recommend that you test items and try on clothing before making a purchase. 

We offer gift cards available in any amount you choose. Gift cards purchased from a Goodwill Greater Milwaukee and Chicago store and donation center are valid in any of the stores in the Greater Milwaukee and Chicago areas. Check to see if a store near you is in our territory. Gift cards are valid for 5 years after purchase.  

Unfortunately, Goodwill does not accept donations of socks or underwear. 

Goodwill accepts VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs, records and cassette tapes. VHS tapes, albums, DVDs and CDs are sold in stores, including our outlet stores where they are sold for $1 each, and online.

Goodwill accepts all types of books. Books are sold in stores, including our outlet stores where they are sold for $1 each, and online. 

Goodwill accepts TVs, with the exception of CRT televisions. We accept both working and non-working televisions. Working TVs are sold in stores and online. Non-working TVs are recycled. 

Goodwill accepts donations of toys, games, dolls and puzzles. These items are sold in our store and donation centers, outlet stores and online, which helps to keep toys out of landfills. 

Goodwill is happy to accept rugs without stains or tears. 

Yes, you can donate printers to Goodwill. Working printers are sold in our stores or online. Nonworking printers are recycled. 

Furniture pick up can be arranged through one of our donation pick up partners. You are welcome to include other items in your furniture pick up. Although Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago does not accept furniture donations, our partner will ensure your generous gift will go to a local nonprofit that accepts furniture. If other items such as clothing, electronics, or housewares are included with your donation, those items will be donated to Goodwill.  

Goodwill is happy to accept donations of laptops, desktop computers, keyboards and other accessories. Learn how to donate your computer or laptop to Goodwill.

Old cell phones can be donated at any Goodwill Store and Donation center. To ensure your phone can be safely sold, please prepare your device for donation. Learn how to donate your cell phone to Goodwill.

Although we accept a wide variety of donations at Goodwill, we need to refuse some items. See our donor guidelines for a detailed list of items we cannot accept.  

Yes! We accept most vehicles. It must be in one piece and towable, have an engine, and be tow truck accessible. To learn more about donating a vehicle that doesn’t run, visit our car donation website. 

Goodwill accepts donations of cars, trucks, motorcycles or mopeds, boats, trailers, RVs, campers, off-road vehicles, planes, heavy equipment, farm machinery and most other motorized vehicles. Help support job seekers in your community by donating a vehicle.

Unfortunately, we do not accept car seats because we are not able to verify if they meet all current safety requirements. 

Although we do not directly accept furniture donations, they can be included in donation pickups scheduled through one of our donation pick up partners. Our partners will also pick up donations of other large items, including:

• Chairs, stools, or couches
• Mattresses or bed frames
• Desks or office furniture
• Tables
• Dressers or bookcases
• Pianos

If you have large items to donate like the items listed above, consider scheduling pickup and delivery service. We’ll sort through what we can accept, and our partners will ensure the rest goes to other local nonprofits.

Through our partners, you can schedule pick ups of vehicles or other donations. Through our partnership with ReSupply and Chicago Furniture Bank, you can schedule convenient home pickup for your items. We’ll sort through what we can accept, and our donation pick up partners will ensure the rest goes to other local nonprofits.

Yes. After your generous donations are given the chance to sell at our retail stores and our outlet, we make every effort possible to keep goods out of landfills. Some items are sold to other organizations who repurpose them. Other items are recycled. As a last resort, we will responsibly dispose of items.

Nearly 99% of the items donated at one of our store and donations centers donated are sold in your local Goodwill. Some items are selected to be sold online in one of our ecommerce stores.  
 
Merchandise that does not sell in a Goodwill store and donation center is transported to one of our outlet stores where it is sold at bargain-priced, by-the-pound rates. Any unsold items from the outlet store are recycled. In 2024, Goodwill Greater Milwaukee and Chicago kept over 136 million pounds of materials out of landfills. Not only do your generous donations support the Goodwill mission, they also show that you care about the environment. It’s a win-win. 

Please email [email protected] with any account questions.

Points will be added to your account within 24 hours of purchase. If you believe your are missing points, contact [email protected].

Yes, contact [email protected] to earn points for that purchase.

Simply provide the phone number associated with your account at checkout and your purchase will be credited to your account.

Goodwill Perks Plus points can be earned at any Store & Donation center within our territory. Points cannot be earned online or at Goodwill Outlet Stores. 

Goodwill is proud to offer competitive wages, incentives and benefits. As the largest of 165 Goodwill regions, we serve as a best practice resource for other Goodwills in the movement. As such, we offer a very competitive salary structure along with a benefit plan and a generous paid time off program.

Goodwill is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that offers jobs in a variety of sectors – including human services, retail stores, ecommerce, supply chain, food service, business services, and information technology to name a few.

Because we operate in such a wide variety of sectors, we offer more job opportunities than you might think. We are seeking dedicated employees from entry level to professional, from donation attendants to managers and directors, and from administrative support to executive level positions. We have diverse opportunities throughout our business operations, and the support and training to help our employees succeed at every level.

Yes! With a few rules to ensure employees do not shop during work hours, we encourage our employees to donate, shop, and support our mission! Employees enjoy a discount in our retail stores too.

We have a variety of remote or hybrid jobs, as well as jobs that are onsite or that travel to various locations. Check out our open jobs to see if an position is right for you. 

You can apply for open positions through our online application portal. 

Goodwill has many different jobs across our two-state territory. Some jobs require a high school diploma or GED, others require some college or a degree.  At present, Goodwill employs people 16 or older for specific jobs, while the majority must be 18 or older.

You must be at least 16 years old to work in a Goodwill Store & Donation Center. For all other divisions, candidates must be at least 18 years old.

Goodwill offers medical coverage, dental, and vision insurance, as well as flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, and dependent care spending accounts. Your individual benefits are based upon your role and eligibility. 

Goodwill strives to maintain a comprehensive and competitive benefits program for its employees and family members to help ensure we attract, engage, and retain diverse staff. 

There are several benefits available based on your role and eligibility. Our variety of businesses offer benefits tailored to each employee population – including retirement account options, health and welfare, short-term disability, and paid time off.

Yes! Choosing a career at Goodwill provides you with many opportunities for professional and personal development, including access to tuition reimbursement. Full-time employees who have completed their orientation period (6 months of employment), are in good standing and have an interest in their professional and/or technical skills development are eligible to apply for the tuition reimbursement benefit. The tuition reimbursement program helps employees gain their GED, a college or university degree, and professional training by covering a part or percentage of the cost each year enrolled and upon achieving a passing grade, certificate of completion, or passed test.

Goodwill issues paychecks on a bi-weekly schedule (or every other week) for all permanent staff. Employees* also have the option to access a portion of their earned wages earlier through a mobile app before pay day, providing more control over when and how they use their earned wages. (* temporary staff and meal drivers are excluded from this program.)

According to employee surveys taken 2023 - 2025, employees enjoy working at Goodwill. Here are the top two reasons why:

• Goodwill sets employees up for success by giving them access to the training and resources that they need to do their job effectively and create a safe work environment. Employees know what is expected of them at work and report working well with their teams to get the job done. 
• Employees value the people that they interact with most frequently – their coworkers, managers, and customers. Coworkers are cited as the top reason why employees stay at Goodwill.
  
  

 

Yes! Goodwill employees enjoy store discounts as well as a variety of other perks available through our benefit providers and partners.

Goodwill employs over 5,500 people across our territory. We are the largest among a network of more than 150 Goodwill organizations in North America and serve 23 counties across the Greater Milwaukee and Chicago areas.