processor

customer service representative

merchandiser

assistant store manager

material handler

Goodwill Easter Seals Minnesota

Typical day at work
I would clock in early and check out my Bed and Bath department to tidy up and take inventory on what products would have priority to restock my shelves first to make sure my department was full of product for the shoppers. I would start my daily quota first by looking for a cart/bin and start going through it for the product that I needed to stock my shelves. I also tag and print my tickets and put all the finished product on a cart to roll to the sales floor. When i roll the product to the sales floor place it where it belongs tidy up again and start the same routine again until the end of the day or if I reached my quota because i was cross trained in multiple areas I would then help my co workers if needed or where ever the supervisor directed me.  

What I learned
That everything can be used and receyled to be then again reused. Goodwill is more than just a place to work, it has a variety of different opportunities for each individual. 

Management is very resourceful and willing to help you grow.

Coworkers are key we all are team players and each of us have a position to participate in that helps the community.

The hardest part of the job would be unloading the truck when we are short handed people.

The most enjoyable part of the job is that everyday you can find a new treasure or learn something new and it was not just a work place it felt like a family at work. During holidays we would celebrate and have fun by dressing up for customers and still working our daily routine.

I worked at the Winona store for 5 years, since they opened in 2016. I enjoyed working with my coworkers here. I also enjoyed working with the GM. The people I worked with were the reason I stayed here as long as I did. The work was simple and straightforward, though customers made it stressful sometimes ( it's retail and Carens exist ).

As a donations attendant, I met more people than I could ever count. I've seen so many unique items I'd previously never heard of or seen. On a busy day, I'd interact with over a hundred people donating items. On slower days, I'd be processing goods, loading and unloading a truck with a forklift. 

The work as a donations attendant can be fairly labor intensive. Expect to repeatedly lift boxes and bags full of glassware, books, clothing, and other goods. Some boxes and bags may require team lift. Multiply this by tens or hundreds of vehicles driving through and you have a good workout. So, make sure you're able to lift objects repeatedly and use proper form.

Expect to work every other weekend, or one day each weekend. May vary by store. You may be cross trained to perform other functions, both in the back room and sales floor. You may become forklift certified, cashier trained, etc.


I could write for hours here. I enjoyed my time here, but had to move on to a better paying job. If you need a job with flexible hours, that has a bit of variety to it, a donations attendant at Goodwill might do it for you. Especially if thrift and nonprofit is your thing. I enjoyed it, and maybe you will too.

I have a learning challenge and the higher up's don't tell immediate supervisors of this issue. The Supervisors in that department couldn't help me cuz they didn't know of my  issues. I had to tell them of my situation and I asked for compensation. They still refused saying they didn't have the time to help. This is a company that is suppose to work with people with disabilities and they refused to help. Only if you're a volunteer person with a disability will they help you. This goes against what Goodwill stands for. Goodwill would hold daily meetings showing how much money Goodwill makes. They say this is a non profit company but this is not true. Everyday they are making hundreds upon thousands of $ daily. The money goes to the CEO's of the company and very little goes to helping the poor and disabled. The Supervisors treat you like children by watching you clock in to make sure you are not going to your lockers first then cloicking in. They also time you on your productivity so there is a lot of pressure to do things quickly. If you don't add up they might fire you.You can't even be a minute late for work and if you have so many late days they write you up. The Supervisor in the Jewelry department is horrible. She barely speaks to you and if she does she is demeaning. I addressed this with upper management and they did nothing. I don't reccomend this job at all and I refuse to give my clothes or other items for them to make a profit. The best place to donate in ARC of Veterans organizations. The Brooklyn Park Hub has a place to donate items..

Whatever you do think twice about taking this position. The manager is a micro manager and she is very judgemental and not helpful. When you have a question she doesn't explain things well and if you question it she acts very frustrated with you.  If you make mistakes instead of training you further you are demoted shunned and looked poorly upon. This  goes against everything Goodwill stands for. Training people and keeping them at work. In the Jewelry room they made it difficult for me to stay. Stop donating and don't take this job unless you don't mind being treated like a child. They are making hundreds upon thousands of $ a week supposedly for the mission. I saw nothing come my way.They have staff meetings everyday in an environment which is loud and you can barely hear the managers speak. They talk about how much each department is making. I could care less how much they were making and I had to listen to that but secretly I never listened to it. By the looks of others I think they were spacing out the meetings as well.

Been working at ecommerce for a few years and  it just gets worse as years go by. They don't value their employees nor do they even care. Pay is horrible and new employees even with no experience get paid more than those who've been there for years. The director gets a bonus every month while employees are working for low wages and can't even get good equipment to do the job. They budget for so many stupid things that aren't necessary for us to work and then they make budget cuts. Management team loves to lie about certain issues to justify themselves.  There is no leadership in the company. All the leadership does is sit in their office or parade the warehouse without doing anything, which then makes an example for the supervisors to get away with doing nothing. Those who work hard within the building just gets more work piled on while those who do nothing has no consequences. The company is a joke and so is the Management team. The managers are way OVER paid for very little work they do. Communication is horrible within the organization. Only plus side is being able to work M-F. 

The managers are under pressure from the higher ups and therefore turn around and put that pressure on us. The daily/weekly goals for the processing team are unrealistic. We workers all end up stressed and start turning against each other, blaming each other for not reaching the goals. So much for teamwork. To top it off we are not fairly compensated for the amount of pressure they place on us. There is no way I could support myself on $10.96/hour. This was my first full-time job that offered health insurance, PTO, and guaranteed hours. The health insurance wasn't even that good, as it only covered preventative care, which I didn't understand until I went to the doctor when I was really sick and it cost alot of money. I would only recommend an in-store non-management position to someone who doesn't need the money to survive. Like a high school student or someone bored and retired. I could not make it work for me. I was forced to work a second job, adding up to 50+ hours a week, just to barely get by. I know that Goodwill does some good things as a non-profit, but if they can't even pay their employees a living wage then what's the point?

This job was surprisingly demanding with a focus on high volume sales and assorted inventory quotas. I never felt accepted by the majority my coworkers and there were simply too many managers. This resulted in conflicting directives. One of my favorite assistant managers was promoted and moved to another location which immediately impacted the atmosphere and culture of the store.

The head manager is fond of offering unsolicited medical opinions and asks strange personal questions that one might expect from a motivational speaker. If you are not a doctor, or a certified dietitian, then stop what you’re doing. It’s inappropriate and it’s only your subjective opinion (which no one asked for). I didnt come here for medical advice, I came to sell used goods to customers.

Managers here are quick to point out failures while almost never offering encouraging statements. I heard the phrase “good job” a single time while I worked here.

Given the pay there is no reason to endure such a thankless position.

I liked when I first started working there. Most everyone was nice and very welcoming. Then I got to see what goodwill was really about. PROFIT. Goodwill is supossed to be a non profit place. I get that they need to make enough money to pay employees and some other things. But then I found out how much the CEO makes a year, and compared to what employees are actually getting paid is ridiculous. I should also bring up that our goal was to help people. One day a man came in and I knew he was homeless because I have talked with him a couple times prior. So I asked my manager if we were able to give him a pair of pants and a sweater because it was starting to get very cold out. My manager said that we were not allowed to do that. And that make me question what goodwill was about, because its not really about helping people at all. If Your looking into this job I would recommend applying somewhere else.
Management was also very poor. I was verbally harassed by a co-worker 2 times and nothing was done about it.

I worked as a Store Manager for Goodwill in St Paul MN for 4 years
The leadership is by far the worst I have ever worked for-unprofessional, unmotivated, and in no way deserving of leading this organization.  They have no connection to the mission of this organization and have made working here unbearable If you do not make their crazy sales projections they will yank you in a room in front of you peers and take turns attacking you, your job performance and your personal character.  Meetings they hold  are for their egos only-you are not allowed to speak-the behavior of leadership is the definition of workplace harassment.If you are starving and need a job take it until you find something else but I could not recommend this horrible culture and environment for anyone as a workplace Their constant and extremely high turnover in managers is due to one reason and one reason only -horrible and incompetent leadership

Management and supervisors will consistently ignore responsibilities to gossip and stand around, expecting other employees beneath them to pick up their slack. A lot of arrogance and ineptitude displayed by the supervisors, who barely do anything. Expect the most out of their employees when barely providing enough compensation to live. Will flaunt their high sales numbers but the workers whose hard work earned those high sales will see nothing for it. Raises are insultingly small. You can go above and beyond and still be treated as disposable. Will ignore complaints about other employees, leading to tense and hostile work environments. Will constantly play favorites and give preferential treatment to a small handful of listers who basically don't need to follow rules, but will massively scrutinize everyone else. The only time they will step in is if you report a supervisor to HR, which will almost always result in them finding any way possible to discipline you for having the audacity to report their misconduct. Awful place to work.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Processor 369 salaries reported	$17.34 per hour
Customer service representative 408 salaries reported	$17.41 per hour
Merchandiser 133 salaries reported	$19.04 per hour
Assistant store manager 65 salaries reported	$64,954 per year
Material handler 41 salaries reported	$17.40 per hour

Working at Goodwill Easter Seals Minnesota: Company Overview and Reviews

Goodwill Easter Seals Minnesota

Goodwill Easter Seals Minnesota Ratings

Popular jobs at Goodwill Easter Seals Minnesota

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected