Goodwill

There is a saying, "Beggars Can't Be Choosers."

It means that if you are getting something free, you can't afford to be picky. No, you should be grateful and thankful that you are getting something for free and express that to the giver.

But apparently, the people at Goodwill have never heard of this American expression. I say, American Expression, because the people at the dropoff of the Sunnyvale/Mt. View and Palo Alto Goodwill are clearly not Americans with very strong accents (and some not understanding or pretending not to understand English), so they may not have heard of this expression. That is the reason for this post. Perhaps if they read and learn about it, they will treat the people dropping off donations more kindly.

First, the Sunnyvale/Mt. View Goodwill on El Camino. The dropoff point usually has a few cars pulling up to drop off donations. I've seen older ladies pull up in their cars with donations.

The 'dude' that works there looks to be in great shape, in his mid forties, with a cowboy hat (but has an accent, so I'm thinking he's not a cowboy...he's certainly no gentleman). As they older ladies get out of their car to drop off their donations, he yells out to them,

"No, not there, bring it here!"

"Put it in that bin over there" he commands.

The older ladies toddle over to him, dragging their heavy bags. He just watches.

Thinking of that scene, which I've seen happen over and over again, I decided to donate my Ralph Lauren tops, italian shoes, library supplies, furniture organizers, jewelry, etc., to a different Goodwill.

In other words, I've got some nice stuff that was cluttering up the house! Liz Claiborne purses (never used) purchased last year, etc.,.

So I pull my car up to the Palo Alto Goodwill at 9:58 a.m. yesterday.

"We don't open until 10" yells a little man from the doorway (I'm guessing about 40 or 50 years old).

"I'm just dropping off, not buying," I said to him. I was a little confused because it was, as I said, friggin' 9:58 a.m. What? Was I supposed to wait 2 minutes before emptying out my car?

I got out of the car and started getting stuff. "It's a lot of clothes," I explained to him, in case he thought I was dropping off, I don't know...live animals, plants, mattresses, a used toilet...although, I don't know how he'd be thinking that since I drive a small car, similar to a Honda Civic.

I pull out two bags of really nice books and he yells at me, "NOT HERE! OVER THERE!"

I realize that he's pointing across the parking lot to a couple of huge bins.

My books are gorgeous...I used them in my classroom last year and they are really nice--I just didn't want to store them.

I trot across the parking lot, hauling my two huge bags of books that the asswipe from the Goodwill is refusing to help me with and dump them into the bins he is pointing to...a huge bin of...SHOES. Pissed off, I decide not to let the asswipe know that he has directed me to haul my bags of books to a bin of shoes and I go back across the parking lot to get the rest of my bags.

Pulling out two huge bags of jewelry, shoes, clothes, plastic organizing containers, I put them down in the spot next to all of the donations.

"NO! NO! NO!" At this point asswipe is jumping up and down.

"Clothes ova here!" he yells. I realize that he wants me to take out the clothes and trot back across the parking lot and figure out which bin shirts go in, which bin pants go in, etc.,

I'm a little bit pissed off.

I wanted to drop of my gently used, thoroughly sellable donations to the Goodwill in an attempt to reuse, recycle...when I could've just sold everything on Craigslist. Hell, if I'm supposed to sort through it all, I could've just taken a little extra time and sold it all myself!

"No." I said, disgusted with Mr. Lazy. "I am not resorting through this. It is not all clothes."

At this point I hopped into my car and left. Because Mr. Lazy Asswipe looked as though he was ready to attack me.

I will NEVER donate to the Goodwill again. Ridiculous.