merchandise processor

sales associate

sorter

associate

donation attendant

Goodwill Keystone Area

After accepting the position, the new employee begins a laborious 90-day evaluation period and new hire training.  At the end of the "trial" a supervisor will decide if the employee is a good fit for the position.  For those who receive an offer of permanent employment, there is a great sigh of relief and feeling of accomplishment.  Congratulations, you made it!
However, as a former manager, a friendly reminder that PA is an "at will" state.  I encourage the new employee or potential candidate to research the tax filings beginning 5 years ago. Only one set of numbers saw consistent increase.   Regardless of the year ending profit or loss,  sr management received salary increases double the national average.  The employee is eligible for .5 percent to 3 percent increase.  The requirements for 3 percent make it a goal unachievable.  
Making note of the constant decrease in employees and direct client assistance (currently only 19 in 22 counties) is a good indicator of the value placed on employee retention.  As employee numbers decrease production goals do not lessen.  If the store location is lagging in sales/production, the eye is turned to the employee who once felt secure having passed the 90-day mark.  
As a new store manager, I was going to help all the clients and make my store mission centered.  However, when there are not any clients, the disillusionment of the position dissipates, and the "bobble head" realization takes hold.  From my experience, the road to success lies in the ability to agree and not question.  Thankfully the workload from the once larger employee pool makes it hard to think of anything except surviving another day for low pay only to repeat the same thing tomorrow.  But "tomorrow" depends on the creative writing skills of HR and what narrative has been chosen for you should the annual contribution to sr management be in jeopardy.  
In an "at will" state and a non-profit with upper management that profits annually, every day is day 89!

Goodwill’s mission may be valuable, but there appear to be ongoing concerns regarding professionalism, transparency, and the consistent application of workplace policies. Employees do not appear to be held equally accountable, and Human Resources is perceived as applying company policies selectively rather than enforcing them fairly and consistently across all employees.

Additionally, workplace culture has been negatively affected by unprofessional gossip that has no place in a professional environment. Reports of employees being rewarded or favored for engaging in gossip or speaking negatively about coworkers contribute to a toxic atmosphere that undermines trust, morale, and effective employee relations.

Perhaps most concerning is that employees appear to bear the consequences of administrative errors and procedural oversights made by the organization. In my experience, when legally required leave procedures and employee notification requirements were not followed correctly, the burden of those failures was shifted to the employee rather than being addressed by the organization. Employees should not be disadvantaged, disciplined, removed from work, or otherwise subjected to adverse employment consequences as a result of an employer’s failure to properly administer its own policies or comply with applicable employment-law requirements.

Improvements in policy enforcement, leave administration, disciplinary processes, accountability, and workplace culture would help create a more professional, equitable, and legally compliant environment for employees.

The treatment of employees is extremely disappointing. Management's disregard for employee well-being is evident in the lack of support and resources provided. Promises of professional development and career growth are rarely fulfilled, leaving many feeling stagnant and undervalued. There is a pervasive culture of overwork, with little recognition or reward for the extra effort employees put in.

Communication from leadership is sparse and often misleading. Important decisions are made without consulting the staff, and changes that directly affect employees' daily lives are implemented with little to no warning or explanation. This lack of transparency breeds distrust and frustration across the board.

Furthermore, there is a significant imbalance in how employees are treated. Favoritism is rampant, and there is a noticeable bias towards certain departments and individuals. This creates a toxic work environment where many feel marginalized and overlooked, regardless of their contributions and hard work.

Goodwill Keystone Area fails to uphold its mission and neglects its employees. This creates an unsustainable and disheartening workplace that I cannot recommend to anyone seeking a fulfilling and supportive work environment.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great benefits and alot of paid time off

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Being a cashier on outdated computers and monitors. The horribly slow and unpredictable P.O.S system. The corporation disrespects their employees are always making promises they don't keep. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Our store's employees are a tight- knit family. There are many regular customers we've grown to love. The culture is very diverse. Unfortunately moral is low throughout the Keystone area Goodwills because of new upper management in the corporation, unrealistic quotas, new rules that disrespect employees and a lack of communication. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I clock-in, sign on to my assigned register. In between waiting on customers I keep the return rack and dressing rooms cleared, pick up after customers on the sales floor, assist them if needed, keep the sales racks and shelves neat and orderly, and work on putting the clothing where it belongs from the racks that the production team in the back fills and brings out to us. During our shift we get two 15 minute breaks and a half hour lunch. After my shift I close out my register and count my drawer in the office.

Firstly, I'm sorry some have had bad experiences and I won't attempt to excuse that.  But in my 2 years as a wares sorter I have been very satisfied with this job.  Sure, there's sometimes a miscommunication or conflict of feelings that needs to be talked out, and sometimes a decision that I may not agree with, as there is with any company.  But I am proof that when you put the work in, you definitely are benefitted.  I agree that the base pay is lower than average but the new incentive program, if you work hard at it, can raise your pay to about $17/hr.  I have always felt heard when I have something to say, from the store manager, regional director, all the way up to the CEO.  The schedule is very flexible, paid time off is very generous, everything you need to succeed is provided.  Wares sorting is sometimes cruddy, sometimes a heavy box, and sometimes a just plain WHAT THE???!!  But we're never asked to do more than what we're capable of and there's always help available.

Working at Goodwill was fast paced and often unpredictable, with each day bringing new challenges. I learned how to manage multiple priorities, build clear systems, and support both marketing and finance functions. Management varied, some leaders were excellent communicators, while others lacked consistency, which made the environment difficult at times.

The workplace culture centered on mission, and thrift retail, but could feel overwhelming for someone who processes information differently. As an autistic employee (though I didn’t self identify at the time), I often had to mask and navigate sensory and communication challenges on my own.

The hardest part of the job was the lack of structure and clear expectations in many areas. The most enjoyable part was the people I worked alongside every day, they were kind, hardworking, and genuine. My positive experiences were almost entirely thanks to my peers and direct teammates, Not senior leadership.

It’s a great place to work at if you love being held at high expectations and hearing the 3 assistant managers contradict themselves, and the general manager telling you things you already know/you already heard him say. Or being showed the basics for like an hour then you’re on your own or get told off that you’re not doing something right (never happened to me, just witnessed it). I worked here for 2 years under the old general manager(he was the best) but the new general manager is brand new to the role and he worked at another store before he came to goodwill in shrewsbury. And if you ask to leave early cause your feeling sick or something happened and tell the gm you will make your hours that week, you can get written up the day your making up your hours. Other than that it’s an ok place.

Daily operations demand rigorous oversight of physical assets, facility infrastructure, and vendor logistics. The environment necessitates a proactive approach to preventative maintenance and strict resource allocation. Management focuses heavily on cost-control and immediate operational continuity over long-term capital investments. The culture is mission-driven but constrained by resource limitations typical of nonprofit frameworks. The most significant challenge involves aligning deferred maintenance schedules with strict budget caps. The most rewarding aspect is engineering sustainable physical systems and optimizing spatial utility to support organizational throughput.

I worked for Goodwill for 2 years my opinions never mattered to management. The managers have no idea how to work by themselves and constantly need to call upon the District manager to help them do their job. manager literally sits in the office all day long willing to help out if you ask but other that just sits in the office watching all the employees on the cameras that are installed in the building. you're basically a slave to the company and are constantly on camera your every action is documented. it a very uncomfortable feeling being on camera every single hour of your shift. you basically work your life away i was working and only getting 1 day a week off sometimes 2 if i was lucky. its impossible to get a sleep pattern going with the way the schedules are worked out. not a good company to work for.

You share a building with warehouse workers who act inappropriate and seemingly try to run you over with their forklifts any chance they get. Extremely uncomfortable and unsafe situation every morning while you're trying to walk to your work station.

The job itself is fun and some of the coworkers are great. Unfortunately there are a few old fashioned mindsets as well, who do not act as accepting as they should to certain people.

Management is the worst. A severe unwillingness to listen or change anything that might be causing issues for their employees.

The best part of the job is seeing the interesting items that come in. However the pay, amongst everything else, makes it not worth it.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Merchandise processor 393 salaries reported	$14.45 per hour
Sales associate 306 salaries reported	$13.43 per hour
Sorter 170 salaries reported	$12.17 per hour
Associate 171 salaries reported	$11.67 per hour
Donation attendant 1 salary reported	$15.75 per hour

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