When I was a younger man I remember shopping the local Goodwill and second hand stores for what we termed “old man clothes.” Inspired by the likes of Kramer, we’d go hunting for shirts and pants that tended toward the unique for our age group. However if I wore the same clothes today it wouldn’t seem nearly so out of place as it did back then. I did recently pay a return visit to the Goodwill Superstore in Tyler however. While I’m not sure what I expected to find, I was rather disappointed. The selection wasn’t terrible, they had a good variety of clothes, but the quality didn’t seem to be what I remember. I was also a little spooked by the presence of second hand underwear. That was enough to make TLC’s family the Duggars (known for shopping at thrift stores), head to the mall.
While I respect the charitable mission of the goodwill store, I would be hesitant to say I found much of interest there lately. The store had a little of everything, (including books by the way) but the merchandise was clearly second or third hand and not always worth the price. The building itself seemed to be in a state of disrepair as well. There was a yellowish tinge to the floor and ceiling which made me vaguely uncomfortable and led me to question the overall cleanliness of the place.
One other thought that struck me was that apparently we, as a community are not giving as much, or as well as we used to. While I’m sure the economic slowdown is at least partially responsible; it makes me more conscientious about what I drop off there. Overall, I give the Goodwill Superstore a three out of five. But don’t simply take my word for it, check it out for yourself. The store is located on the loop just up from Cavender’s and next to the China Cafe.