Renovations complete to Goodwill store
Changes will speed donations to the sales floor
CHILLICOTHE — Donations to the Goodwill Store and Donation Center will find their way to the sales floor more quickly as the result of renovations recently completed in time for the holiday shopping season.
The renovations to the store in Shawnee Square have allowed Goodwill Industries of South Central Ohio to move all of its staff from its East Main Street workshop to the store, which will result in a much timelier processing of the donations dropped off there. The floor space for the store itself was reduced to allow for the increased processing area, but the end result is that the donations will find their way more quickly to the 10,000 square feet of store space.
That, in turn, should provide regular shoppers new merchandise to consider almost every time they visit.
In the past, the staff on Main Street pre-sorted donations to get them ready to be sent to the store. The change eliminates the pre-sorting process and allows donations to be prepared for the store almost immediately. The move also brings the entire processing staff together for the first time.
More than 60 employees will be working in the Shawnee Square location off North Bridge Street.
Goodwill’s new e-commerce division will move soon to the former workshop to increase the number of items available for sale on its website. The items come from the donations made at each of Goodwill’s locations in the eight counties it serves.
Started in mid-September, the e-commerce division works similarly to eBay, with new items going up for auction each weekday. Since its inception, the division has generated more than $20,000 in revenue from the sale of items such as vintage clothing, antique toys, jewelry and even a car and a boat. The items can be found at www.shopgoodwill.com/chillicothe.
Donations from residents and businesses allow all of the profits from the stores and e-commerce operation to further Goodwill’s mission of improving the lives and job opportunities for individuals with disabilities and disadvantages. Goodwill is a United Way agency.