retail sales associate

production associate

shift manager

service associate

material handler

Goodwill of Colorado

An example of greedy white collared a**holes taking advantage of the lower class in guise of "helping the needy". Do you know what Goodwill's programs actually go towards? NOTHING! hahaha! Career centers, but that's it. I was ashamed to ask for donations for this company. The career centers helped students get $15/hr jobs but they couldn't dare give managers here even $10/hr. LAUGHABLE.

My first day I was not given any training. I was put on a register and told to "wing it". It was a famous 50% day so imagine my fright when the line went through the entire store and customers said I wasn't fast enough. I got a single 15 minute break that day and no lunch. It was 8 hours. No one told me I was entitled to anything besides a break. (I was later yelled at for not taking a lunch during a 6 hr shift).

Items that look like they're new are marked blue tickets and we claim that we "purchase" them from other marketers. Nope. They're donations too. And yes employee's do get discounts despite what we are forced to tell you. Orange tickets are bought and then sold for 12-15% what we got them for. But we're buying items that are the same price as or more than walmart so what's the economical benefit in purchasing them from us?

Managers recently were moved with little to no notice. Some resigned because they felt betrayed. Many stayed in hopes in advancement. Which is pitiful.

I worked hard because my personal spirit is one of effort. I worked with enthusiasm down to the very last minute. Smiled at every customer, laughed at their terrible jokes, offered my condolences when they shared inconviences. I knew the system better than managers. Could do all the tasks managers do with ease. I came to the store manager regarding a possible promotion. She said "I can give you a list of lead job duties" and never got back to me. Despite the fact that I was doing a lead's job without getting the recognition. Not as though there'd be a pay increase though.

The policies were and are not available online. Payroll makes claims about holidays and vacation but they're shady and no one really knows exactly what policies are required to be fulfilled. Manager's definitions of certain policies vary depending on who you speak to. This is because of poor communication and simply the lack of corporate's compassion. They don't care about their employees. They don't care that we become understaffed. Don't care to create portals or get schedules out before we are to work them. They don't CARE to make information available to employees until it's too late.

Our sales go down and we take the brunt. But the reason for the sales declining is because our shops are SEASONAL. And we keep selling overpriced items. We're located next to a dollar tree, how are we supposed to be selling opened packages for $16?

Plus, the systems we have to use are obnoxiously slow. We have to wait for managers for returns and employee purchases although we know how to do these procedures oftentimes better than management does. The systems themselves crash daily and run with a life-draining slowness. Don't bother calling IT because they'll put you on hold, take control of your system, and just restart it, thinking it's fixed. INCREDIBLE.

I'm so glad I left this place. I feel bad for other employees that will have to be yelled at for problems that aren't theirs and have to deal with angry white women upset about our prices.

When Denver's minimum wage was raised to $17.29/hour, they didn't adjust the wages of anyone that had been with the company for a while & had previously been paid higher or those that started at a higher wage than what was originally offered.  Additionally, we accrue PTO but aren't allowed to use it until one year of employment, and we were never given much notice as to when exactly our hours were changing.  We were only told that the hours change would come up, but we would only be given a few days' notice. Because a significant chunk of our workforce was felons or people needing work visas, the company felt it was okay to abuse the amount of work we were expected to do for minimum wage because they knew that those two communities wouldn't say something out of fear.  We often had meetings where a significant portion of our workforce didn't understand what was being said due to language differences, but no accommodations were made (providing paid interpreters, printing out important information in the needed languages, etc.), which lead employees to be expected to know what information was given when they were not actually given the information.  Instead, one of the other employees that happened to be bilingual was expected to translate without any extra compensation.

There was very little communication from management (particularly store managers and above) and other departments like IT as to changes within the organization.  For example, we had a software and website change, but nothing was communicated to anyone that the changes affected and we had to ask questions ourselves.  No training was provided for the new software, so we also had to figure it out completely by ourselves, which is also when we discovered that many of the features we needed that had been on previous software was no longer available to us, which then meant that we had to create our own individual processes to accommodate those missing features.  This caused our processing times to increase, and we were then held responsible for failures to meet goals that were impossible to meet based on the faulty programs.  

One of my co-workers was told that if she got certified on the register, she would be given a raise.  She did that, in addition to working every department in the warehouse, and was told that she wouldn't get the raise because she wasn't going "above and beyond." She was the person most employees went to with questions because she was not only knowledgeable, but was also extremely approachable, making our fellow co-workers comfortable enough to come to her, despite her not being in management. 

The insurance used by the company is kind of expensive and doesn't cover much.  I went to the ER that Cigna told me to go to and while they did negotiate my bill from $14k to $2k, nothing further was covered.  Most people can't afford that kind of a bill, especially when working for minimum wage, so the bill will remain unpaid.

Management would also hire their own family members to work under them, even when they were underqualified for supervisory positions.

Overall, I would never recommend working for Goodwill.  You deserve better than this company. 

on a typical day at Goodwill I was responsible for meeting with my clients on average 6 to 8 per day, documenting every meeting, assessing the clients current status and needs, maintaining my client files, tracking TANF(welfare) recipients weekly participation documentation, answering and returning a high volume of phone calls and e-mails, communication with other departments within Department of Human Services such as CCCAP, TANAF payment department, Employment First, Food Stamps, Child Welfare, and LEAP, and I assisted my clients with the resources they needed. In addition I was responsible monthly individual status reports for each participant, documenting all activities and reports from each participant, several times a month I did the initial orientation for new TANF recipients, and I also work on other development projects.
I learned a lot about the welfare system, I learned a lot about the resources that are out there for people in our community as well as what resources we are lacking. I learned that most people receiving TANF would prefer not to relay on Government assistance. My clients all brought different experiences in with them and I learned a lot about how different people live and where they come from which I found enlightening and feel enabled me to better look for the resources my individual clients may have needed at job fair events I attended through my job.
In my department there were approximately eight case managers, two lead case managers, one program manager, and one program director. I had minimal contact with the program director, I had minimal contact on a daily bases with the program manager. I had regular daily contact with both lead case managers as well as the other case managers. The lead case managers were also supervisors. We all worked together and shared information regarding resources for clients and we helped one another when needed.
The hardest part of working as a case manager for TANF recipients was when I was not able to help them due to their specific circumstance inability me to do so. I also found it difficult when a client was eligible for an extension of allowed time any one person can receive TANF in their life time but were denied the extension by the extension board panel.
The best part of working as a case manager with TANF recipients was watching my clients confidence grow, seeing them succeed and accomplish their goals, and being able to get them the resources they needed. I also really enjoyed watching them successfully transfer off TANF and not return (because that meant they were doing well).

PROS/OVERALL: I'm 19 & I have been working at a Goodwill franchise in co as a cashier for 2 years now & counting. it was my first & only job ever and actually gave me a lot more experiece than an average retail job in a lot of ways. Plus I got employee of the month & several awards, so even being a teen I never got stereotyped & my hard work was recognized despite being 16/17 and it will %100 help my future & my resume. I could've moved up to management after highschool, but I ended up graduating a year1\2 too late so I lost the opp. I also get paid over min wage from raises,so I make $9 ...I have very close relationships with all of my supervisors, they are very understanding & flexable as long as you communicate honestly.  I mostly love working there because I've literally grown so close to a lot of the regular customers & it's like it's own community that you get to know and love & they make me feel so special. They make me feel like I can make a difference in the world. It really is an amazing organization in so many ways.

CONS: the turnover rate for cashiers (& only cashiers) is just SAD. I'm 19 and I have had seniority for way over a year... which IS sad im just a kid.!!! It doesn't matter who you are or how much experience you have you WILL get FIRED QUICK!!! I give most people 3 months tops! I've seen around 40 (40 IN 2 YEARS WOOOOOOOWWW) cashiers maybe MORE come through here.NOT EVEN AN EXAGGERATION.its too easy to get a write up- 3 in 6 months & youre done. Like I've seen people who were managers at places for 20 years with 30 years of cash handling experience & even THEY don't last long. Doing everything manually leaves a lot of room for typing mistakes & a $2 policy for cc & cash, under or over is tight. Not to mention pressing wrong buttons or stupid stuff like that.. I literally never called in to work for any reason for the whole first year I worked there, & I got the flu once & had a doc. Note.. STILL GOT WRITTEN UP. Its CORPERATE policy but come on once a year should be an acception!!! I had to wait 6 months on the brink of getting fired for the rolling period... but i got through it....I don't know I just find it sad that a teenager that had no experiece can be holding a record of emploment over so many experienced adults that were all good employees... (I miss you all)

So if you like close relationships Co workers, I suggest a different department but I do recommend working here its so amazing! & entertaining!!!
You will never have a dull day that's for sure😊

Working here was stressful at times, but was fun at times as well. Being a donation attendant here means you get to be outside for the most part. The only exception is when it is raining or snowing really bad. 

The worst part of the job was the occasional rude customer. We had some that would get mad when we couldn't accept certain items and didn't understand that we were just following the company's rules. We also had some that were rude when there were only one of us working, and they seemed to think we should be able to help them as well as 15 other cars at the same time. 

The job also requires a lot of heavy lifting. Most of the time, especially during the morning shift, you are left working alone. It was sometimes difficult having to lift lots of heavy things without help. It was also hard to be out there alone because we sometimes had to make trash compactor runs when the trash bin was full. However, when you are outside alone, you're not allowed to leave the donation area in case customers show up. So the trash bin would overflow sometimes, and then I would get yelled at by the managers about it, while at the same time, I wasn't allowed to empty it out.

It was sometimes overwhelming working alone because sometimes 5-10 customers would show up at the same time, and it is hard for one person to try to help that many people. 

The best part of the job was seeing all of the neat items that people would donate. Some of the things were very beautiful and unique. It was also fun getting to work outside, as compared to being stuck inside all day. Although, every now and then, if they were shorthanded inside, they would ask one of the donation attendants for help. That could mean you are either helping run the registers, stock items on the shelves, helping price items in the back, or putting clothes on the shelves. 

Another bad part about working here was how often the rules would change. The rules for the donation attendants would change almost every day, yet management would not communicate it to us. Instead, they would catch us not following the new rules and yell at us about it. Also, one manager would tell us one thing and the other manager would tell us another thing. So we had to make a decision about which manager to follow. When we would follow one's rules, we would get yelled at by the other.

I have worked here for two years and The only reason I stay is because I am a felon and nowhere else will hire me. They offer minimum wage to do a job that is way more stressful than it needs to be. It's all a numbers game to them, if you are not making your numbers you will be treated negatively by management. They offer no guidance when asking for help. They recently cut hours and the pay is minimum wage as stated earlier. They do not offer any sort of raise unless you're promoted. So you can work there for 3 years in the same position and make the same amount of money regardless of your performance. There's no motivation to do better. Management varies from store to store but at the store that I am at it is a nightmare. The store manager herself talks bad about every single employee, behind their back. She claims she is there for her employees but the minute that employee walks away she has something bad or negative to say about that person and how she doesn't like them. She doesn't like anybody. She's extremely unprofessional, untrustworthy, and unethical and almost every person that works there wonders how she even got this job title. Everybody pretends like they care but it's solely because they are scared of losing their job if they don't. It's a terrible place to work. Corporate is extremely greedy. There should be performance-based pay for the employees. The medical insurance they offer is a joke and extremely expensive between the monthly amount you pay out of your check to the deductibles. It's not even worth it. You not allowed to use your vacation time that you start earning right away until a year into your employment. They do not even give you an opportunity on first dibs on buying product that you process. You have to have it on the sales floor for 2 hours before you can even purchase anything. They are not good to their employees nor is there any benefit or motivation to work there in any way shape or form. Unless you're a felon and no one else will hire you. Then Goodwill will hire you.

I’ve worked for the company in three different roles and departments over the past three years. Why did I keep going back, and why did they keep hiring me? I’d say desperation on both ends, but that’s just me.

First off, the company advocates for individuality and the independence of persons with barriers in ability; from my experience however, employees are treated with indifference, INCLUDING those with barriers in ability. After all, they’re nothing more than cogs in the propaganda machine.

Turnover is high, so new hires aren’t taken seriously amongst their peers. “They won’t be here six months from now, so as a long-time employee, why should I bother to remember their name, or greet them in passing to make this alien work culture more accommodating for them?”

Cliques run rampant among all employment levels, and within all departments.

Toxic work environments; combination of new hire anxiety, “old dog” discontent, and management burnout. Issues among employees fester and seethe, yet they shut it out and portray themselves as ambassadors of humanity. I mean, that makes sense, right? If you don’t talk about it, a problem doesn’t exist...until one of them comes to work with a ruck sack full of mags. THEN a problem exists, and people want to talk. I’m not joking. THIS is how THAT starts. Stop ignoring it and be proactive, not just reactive.

Nine times out of ten, management spells compassion “a-p-a-t-h-y”, and they don’t find value in your input. Good employees keep their head down, and their mouth shut. Voicing concerns and observations threatens the continuation of the company’s self-destructive, yet comfortable, existence - and we can’t have that.

If an employee leaves possessions behind when they depart from the company, the remaining employees (management included) pick over the items like grannies at a yard sale. Call me old fashioned, but that just doesn’t sit right with my upbringing.

The workplace community felt great and welcoming to people of all backgrounds, but the management made a few head-scratching decisions that were then blamed on the grunt workers.

On a typical day, we would sort donated product into various bins and stack them into one of three storage trailers in the yard using a forklift, or hold them in the store in a designated holding lane. Oftentimes we'd also receive shipments of additional product intended to "fill in" what we were lacking. Of course, the management that made these orders didn't communicate with us about what was needed, so this caused a few logistical issues. The problem that made me quit was when all of our storage trailers were full, and the holding lane in-store was also full, yet our manager decided that we needed even more product to stuff our shelves with - disregarding the fact that we were receiving loads of donations that day. What were we supposed to do with all the excess? We couldn't leave it outside, so our shift supervisor instructed us to just leave it in the walk-paths and they would handle it in the morning. So we did. Lo and behold, the next morning came and we all got chewed out for "not doing our jobs properly" despite busting our bums and doing the best with what we had.

In short, if you need a forklift certification card, this job will get you one pretty fast if you're constantly accruing practice hours. If you can stomach terrible communication between management and the team, then it's a pretty routine "do your work until the shift ends" kind of job. It can get hectic, especially after holidays, but I never had a problem with the work itself.

The best part of this job would be our donors and customers whose generosity and patronage funds our paychecks. The worst part management.

Goodwill Industries of Denver has a 75% turn over rate, and there's a reason why. Disabled people are made fun of in degrading ways and mgmt does little to stop. Many managers have criminal histories and are self serving. Employees work off the clock w/o compensation in hopes of advancement. Payroll is altered without employee knowledge or consent.Try getting a copy of your hours or even a schedule. Printing is too expensive. Policies are not applied consistently.

This local entity took in almost 46 million dollars in revenue last year, and they cheat their employees out of wages. If you speak up for wages or for any other unethical situations you are punished. After several years and a $.42 cost of living adjustment we don't even make $9 an hour. Most of the non mgt jobs are physical labor, often working with gross unsanitary items that have been donated ( fecal matter, pet hair covered items, mold, urine, smoke etc...). When the job market is tight the disabled and disadvantaged have to put up with a lot to keep a roof over their heads & food on their table.

With all the governmental and private funds, one would think this company would be transparent. If you want to make a difference volunteer for a small, less corporate company that has a tiny budget accomplishing a specific task with limited people.

A marketing mission statement to get your $$$ and donations, but in reality a closer look inside reveals a hypocritical approach to Denver's Goodwill. Sometimes even non profit entities get too big and forget that the founder's mission was to help and elevate disadvantaged people, not enslave them.

Working for the Goodwill is a good choice in job searching but I would not suggest working at any of the contracted campus's for ppcc. The staff is rude and students are very menacing and at every moment they are trying to get under your skin or are trying to harrass you to get a reaction from you or are trying to start a fight. And if female or homosexual males took a liking to you or in my case they became bothersome while i was trying to perform my tasks to the point that it felt like harrasement. It made no sense to me arnt they there to learn and get a degree ? That was a typical day everyday aside from your job you had to perform and there are many more issues aside from what i listed theyre are to many to list. I am happy my supervisor taught me how to use floor buffers and cleaning machines for heavy duty jobs that was a plus. And as for co-workers it varys from person to person. Yet to me the most enjoyable part of my job was mopping alone and time away from the issues the students brought. My supervisor and I caught a student resources lady sprinkling sugar on the ground just to make a complaint about our work ethic we caught her regardless and she stopped but she was not the only one. and consulting with my superisor about work and when we had time we would sit on our breaks and talk about movies or child hood which was very settling after dealing with most of the students. Over all it is not Goodwill's fault there staff and industry boss's and leaders are very good people and very genuine and they are there to help you, but the campus's are horrible environments for working. Apply to Goodwill but try to get a position for them elsewhere and not the campus's.

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