retail sales associate

cashier

assistant manager

retail assistant store manager

warehouse worker

Palmetto Goodwill


When I first started working for Palmetto Goodwill I enjoyed my job, learning new skills, and putting my ideas into reality. I had great working relationships and loved ringing the bell everyday. I was able to put my ideas into action and had the freedom to try new techniques to benefit the organization. Shortly after starting my position with Goodwill it came under new management.

After the management switch, employee rapport was frowned upon and anytime management saw employees build friendships or enjoy their job in general, they were quickly separated. Management refuses to listen to new ideas from employees despite their experience, and have a “my way or the highway” mentality. The sarcasm and condescending tone of certain individuals in management contributes to the high turnover rate of both seasoned and new employees.

Everyone in the organization is terrified of saying how they feel or “stepping out of line” as targeting and retaliation is unfortunately a reoccurring problem. Employees that file complaints are blatantly targeted and eventually fired. Not only does the targeted employee realize what’s going on, but all levels of staff in the organization know it’s being done as well. Staff has spoken up about retaliation and targeting but it appears to fall on deaf ears as there are individuals in the organization that are seemingly “protected”. 

One of the main things that drew me to working at Palmetto Goodwill was what we do for the community and our mission. I love that we provide second chance employment and put individuals with barriers to work, and I’ve enjoyed working and forming relationships with those individuals as well. Unfortunately over time I feel the mission is slowly fading away to non-existent. While our contract sites burst at the seams with the mission daily, I do not feel the store front does like it once did. 

Despite the culture I’m thankful for the skills I learned and the relationships I formed while working at Palmetto Goodwill. My advice to management would be to sit down and talk to to your employees. We’re human too and have some really great ideas that could take this organization to the next level. All we ask for is an open mind and a listening ear. 

I started working there in May 2020 and I quit in October 2020 and they are known for their high turn over rate. The atmosphere in there was kind of depressing and it was pretty evident that no one liked working there. The management had there little issues amongst each other and sometimes regular employees would get roped into it. The starting pay is 9/hr (it's rare that you get a raise. There are people there who have worked at Goodwill for 7+ years and never got a raise) and being a 19 year old who had no work experience at the time it was great but then the work became a bit demanding. Management doesn't particularly care about making the work environment easier on it's employees. It's like either they don't help enough OR they are too involved to the point that they make everything harder. When I was there, Cashiers came in pretty much one at a time so they would be left standing up there by themselves handling customers and hanging up clothes with no lunch or bathroom break unless they asked and sometimes they wouldn't even get that even if they worked a double. I worked in textile so I didn't have that problem but things were constantly changing and you never knew until the day you got there. We dealt with dirty donations that sometimes were covered in dirt, grass, had roaches, etc. People who worked in wares/donation door had to deal with a lot of heavy lifting and it was like no matter what they did it was never good enough. or they were asked to do some ridiculous stuff while being talked down to and people got fed up quickly. The whole store is kind of understaffed even for a smaller location like the one I worked at but always expected you to meet the quotas of a fully staffed team as well as cover areas that aren't your own. For example, if you work textiles sometimes you will be asked to run carts (that is take all the tagged non-clothe items from wares and put them on the shelves for sale.) or you have to answer the donation door (take bags of donations and heavy furniture.) or if they are REALLY short handed you will be moved to a different area indefinitely.

In my opinion, the current CEO at Palmetto Goodwill needs to be replaced or retire ASAP!!! If you don't fit into "his" plans and "his" personal agenda, no matter how long you've been with the company and no matter how good you are,  you will be let go. Over the past 12 to 15 months, several good, honest, dedicated, very hard working and over worked managers and leaders have lost their jobs. It has became a matter of no one knows if they are the next in line to get fired. Managers are stressed, over worked  and walking around on their tip toes because they know they could be next. As a manager, if your employees break known company policies (while you are lucky enough to finally get a day or a few hrs off) without your knowledge, you can stand by because you will more than Likely lose your job because you are "the manager." I was one of those managers myself. At company meetings, most employees didn't want to participate and speak up for fear of saying, "the wrong thing," or out of fear of saying something that didn't fit in with, "his agenda." I feel sorry for the managers that are still there. Some advice to current managers and associates: continue to work hard , pray and support THE MISSION as much as possible. Some advice to those of you who are thinking about working for Palmetto Goodwill from the Hilton Head area on up the coast into Myrtle Beach is to look for another company or being ready to stay prayed up!!! 


I worked as a store manager from Jan 2012 to Dec 2015 at a few locations around the Lowcountry. When I first started at Goodwill I was so impressed and inspired by their mission to help people “reach their full potential through the dignity and power of work” and I loved finding a task that my employees did well and seeing their faces light up when praised for a job well done!  Unfortunately no matter how good of a job they could do, when it was time for their performance review the most I could give them for a raise was a lousy .10 cents and that’s why turn over rate is so high because what is the incentive to stay? They work their employees to death and have ridiculous demands set out to meet daily, weekly, and monthly budgets that cannot possibly be met because you have to keep your labour budget under a certain amount and the amount is set with the company’s greedy objective not what’s best for the store and employees and ultimately…the customer. The only thing accomplished is this companies greed because that’s what it has become…it’s a non profit for profit!  That’s why no one wants to donate there anymore because they honestly do very little to help the local community especially compared to what they could be doing!  I heard there is a new C.E.O. so hopefully things will change for the better!

This was the worst job I've ever had and I would not recommend anyone working there. Everyday is constant stress. Petty people, rumors and liars are spread all over the work environment. No privacy, Lots of drama, Underpaid. Proper training is never given, just gives you the answers or fill out your name. Stressful environment. Poor management (involves cussing you out, including to disabled and elderly) They will always threaten to take your job from you even if it's not your fault for a really good reason. False advertising, Very unorganized, Very biased against race/sex. Whenever work is cancelled due to inclement whether or no supervision or if you're sick, they will make you use your vacation time or don't pay you. They will not let you make up your hours even on days when they really need extra staff. They always get into other people's personal business. Management will not take anyone's word of the truth because they think that they are big enough and bad enough that they don't have to go by the rules. They are all friends and will always have each others backs. Calls and reports to corporate office takes zero action. Therefore, nothing can be done about their inappropriate actions and that's the worst part. You're ether with them or against them.

They drown you with clients.  Workflows are in constant flux.  As soon as you get used to one program it changes.  You have to fit in with the clique or you made miserable.  The clients are good to work with.  Management will not admit when they don't know something.  They have an inability to independently think, they use all the jargon taught in management class.  Make it make sense, To be transparent and other bookisms.  Most compose any email with CHatgtp and ask you to use it to do simple notes.  They are not the brightest bulb in the pack.  Coworkers get along most of the time and make work bearable.  They are consistently changing the process, rules and paperwork required.  GW buys programs for data entry that cannot pull the reports that they need and make the employees do them manually.  They push employees to input false information and turn around and punish them.   Some  program managers do not have degrees even though their handbook says one is needed.  Just be part of the bootlickers and you're in.  Rating=Worst place to work.  Run, you can do better. Look at how many lawsuits are out there.  That should tell you something. 

Although I only worked at Goodwill for a little over a year, the time I had there was definitely a great experience when it came to my coworkers. We were all very much like a family. Everyone supported everyone as much as possible while I worked there. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with management. During my time there, we had two different general managers. The first one I had was very polite, and very invested in having employees working as a team. Unfortunately, he was very disorganized and his mind was often in other places. He left at some point during the summer, and we received our new manager. The new manager was INCREDIBLE. Scheduling was perfect, especially for those of us who went from part time to full time. He did a lot of small gestures for us such, and he was always open to listening to our ideas. It was a great experience. Once he left, the former manager came back, and everything went downhill. 

The typical shift is 8 hours for full time workers, with a 30 minute lunch break. You get a paid 10 minute break though. There’s also a 10 percent discount, which is great. 

Management was my biggest issues while working here, that’s about it.

Having just celebrated 20 years with Palmetto Goodwill, I can confidently say that I made the right choice when I changed career paths and chose this organization to dedicate my time. I’m very proud to work for a not-for-profit that lives its mission and returns close to 90% of its revenues back into the community in the form of programs and services designed to help people find sustainable employment. Effecting people’s lives in a positive way and helping them attain a better quality of life through education and training is why I love the Goodwill mission. The Goodwill culture is about caring and putting people first. To be successful at Goodwill, or any job, you should work smart, show initiative, and take advantage of the many benefits offered such as leadership development training and education reimbursement. If you follow this rule, opportunities for growth will be available to you with Goodwill. There is a saying that “what you put into life is what you get out of it”. The same goes for your job. What you put into it is what you get out of it.

I’ve been there 5 weeks. I was a nurse for 8 years and a nurse assistant for 5 years before that. But I physically and mentally needed a break, so I applied to my local store. Pros: I can walk to work, my shifts are 6hrs not 12-13, I’m home more, I’m friendlier Cons: physically demanding k, pay is not competitive in this market- starting is 10.50. I bust my butt most days, but I also have a dysautonomic disorder that requires breaks when heart rate is high. I get short of breath and dizzy easy, especially when I’mn running racks and cashiering on opposite sides of store. I don’t like some of mgmt but it is what it is. I like it must if the time and they can fire me before I quit over one person. Also they’re weird about bathroom breaks. They only like you to go once during your 6 hour shift on your 10 min break, which literally legally should be 15. But whatever, that’s why I called OSHA on y’all. And you won’t provide staff with hand sanitizer in a pandemic 😷 it’s gross. Get it together Goodwill. 

The eCommerce department is fun to work in because of the manager. She is great. It’s a laid back, no stress, fun job. The co-workers are fun to work with, too.  Unfortunately the pay isn’t sufficient enough to survive in this economy. I’d have stayed if Goodwill offered better pay.  When we would voice our opinions to upper management about what could make the department run more efficiently, it fell in deaf ears and/or was shot down quickly. But the expectations for higher sales is always enforced by upper management. There is a very high turnover rate. It’s sad, because the department could be even more profitable if employees were paid more and treated better. Give incentives to encourage employees to stay. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Retail sales associate 34 salaries reported	$12.09 per hour
Cashier 2 salaries reported	$16.70 per hour
Assistant manager 76 salaries reported	$17.08 per hour
Retail assistant store manager 106 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour
Warehouse worker 3 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour

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