13 West Coast Goodwill Locations Shut Down and Laid Off Employees

My family is grateful to have a Goodwill location in our city. We not only stop in to find some cool, retro clothing items, but we also get to drop off unwanted items during periodic cleaning sprees. We drop off our items at Goodwill, knowing that this helps provide affordable items for families who are struggling to make ends meet.

Two Washington Goodwill locations shut down last fall.

Last September, Goodwill closed two of its Washington locations.  Both shuttered stores were located in Seattle: one in South Lake Union, at 411 Westlake Ave N, and the other in the University District, at 4552 University Way NE. 

Goodwill cited a few reasons for the closures: 

• Rising property lease costs
• Increased Shoplifting
• Tent communities near the locations

Goodwill Took Care of the displaced employees at both locations

They offered employment elsewhere to their existing employees at the closing locations in Seattle.

13 More West Coast Goodwill Locations Recently Shut Down

A media organization in the California Bay Area announced the closures of:

• Four Goodwill retail locations in San Francisco
• Six donation sites
• An Oakland warehouse site
• Two regional Bay Area headquarters sites
• Employees affected by the closures are encouraged to apply for other jobs within the organization

What was the motive behind the Goodwill layoffs and store closures?

‘It became necessary to close a few store locations due to their size and operational limitations, as store revenues were insufficient to cover operational and personnel costs.’ - Goodwill’s Rodney Scearce

One of the advantages of shopping for items at Goodwill is the great deals. However, the low-priced items can be a burden for the non-profit organization, which must also manage employee payroll and annual property lease payments.

The Goodwill Employees in the Bay Area who are losing their jobs have been encouraged to apply for other roles within the company.

Is your local Goodwill safe from closing down?

Most likely.

The two Goodwill locations in the Wenatchee Valley are not mentioned in recent reports about closures.

To confirm the status of your local Goodwill, you can:

• Check the official Goodwill website for store updates.
• Don't hesitate to contact your local Goodwill store for the most up-to-date information.

There is no evidence to suggest that the Wenatchee Valley locations are at risk of closure in the coming months. As mentioned above, the two Goodwill locations in Seattle were forced to close, in large part, due to an increase in crime and shoplifting at those two stores.