TACOMA, WA (September 12, 2016) – Thursday, Sept. 15 at 8:45 a.m. is the official Olympia Goodwill reopening celebration (ribbon cutting) reveals a new look for thrift stores in southwest Washington
The re-opening of the 40,000 square foot Goodwill Olympia Store at 400 Cooper Point Road SW, Olympia, provides a first glimpse at a new design that is unfolding across 15 counties in southwest and central Washington and the Olympic Peninsula over the next four years. With the addition of Olympia Goodwill, seven stores out of 30 now feature the new look.
The redesign will appeal to a broader customer base, including a younger audience; help people shop for more treasures, creating more revenue for our job training programs in a variety of career fields; and provide for a better overall customer experience.
Goodwill’s new retail venue improves the customer shopping experience by making difficult to display merchandise – one of a kind donations – easier to shop for. Layout features more organization and visible non-stacked merchandise. An electronic testing station, easy to read signage, an airy lit atmosphere, and central spacious fitting rooms complement the effort. Converting cashier locations from multi-line checkouts to a single s-shaped line ensures you don’t end up in the slow lane. And store pricing will not go up as a result of store redesign.
Customers in the checkout line can also browse a new job training kiosk featuring information on free Goodwill job training and placement programs in a variety of career fields.
Store revenue funds free job training and job placement in a variety of career fields through our four regional Work Opportunity Centers and satellite offices. Store employee positions are also designed as transitionary work (with store manager mentorship) for those desiring to move up in the retail field. The 67 part- and full time Olympia store employees also offer $1.1 million in annual paycheck purchasing power within Thurston County. Goodwill’s business model of turning donations into thrift store operations to fund the mission of putting the unemployed back to work also keeps household goods out of area landfills.
About Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region: Getting America Back to Work…
Goodwill provides innovative job placement, career training and education to connect Americans with a higher quality of life. As a unique nonprofit business serving 15 counties, our thrift shop revenue and public donations fuel programs that help people with limited income, disabilities and disadvantages overcome barriers to employment. This year Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region will help 10,000 people with education, job training and placement so they can become independent self-supporting citizens. Of these, more than 3,000 people will be offered jobs including office, culinary, construction, barista, catering, retail, custodial, warehouse, transportation and logistics careers thanks to partnerships with 1,300 companies across Washington. These career development and placement services are funded through generous financial gifts, grants, fees, commercial services and the operation of 37 thrift stores (including our online store) throughout our western, southwest and central Washington operations. www.goodwillwa.org
