The Goodwill Outlet Experience

This weekend I decided to visit the Goodwill Outlet. I drove past it on MLK Day while my co-worker and I were visiting our teams doing service at local schools. I saw it and couldn't believe it existed. It looked hoppin'. However, it also looked like just a bunch of bins. I didn't understand how this could actually work. I needed a closer look, so I drove there this weekend to investigate. I wish I had my camera. I walked in and sorta freaked out. It was a bunch of bins with tons of people hunched over picking things up from one and throwing them in the other. This was the process for "shopping" here. Workers would roll in new bins, dump and leave again to get more. I thought of leaving. I may have even started hyperventilating a little. It was very overwhelming and a little sad to me, actually. Then, I thought to myself, "When in Rome" and dug in. Just when I thought I adjusted, I was taken aback. Something was wet. In fact, a lot of things were wet. I did not like this. I moved to the other side of the store. Here, I found more broken, useless, and very dirty things. After about 10 - 15 minutes, though, I was pretty into this place. And, these are two of the four items I walked away with for $4.00 (most items go by weight). FOUR DOLLARS! FOR EVERYTHING!

I'm getting into spray painting plastic things, like these birds on a basket. This was a cream color. Now it's an amazing shade of bright-freakin'-yellow and I love it.

This light is old, pink, gold and black and...awesome. According to the label on the bottom, it was made in Chicago, close to where Tim grew up in Beverly. Tim hates this lamp. In fact, he hates most of my vintage lamps, but I assured him it's going to the office.