Goodwill: Allocating to the Seven Stores

    Continuing with my experience working in a Goodwill Store in 1970 as my two year Conscientious Objector service:

    In the afternoon, it was my job was to allocate all of the clothing to be sent out to the stores.  The clothing was all cleaned and pressed, and put on clothes hangers, then slid along the pipe, hung from the ceiling, that ran to the area where the pieces were inspected and priced.  

    Big Ruth, a tall, muscular, healthy-looking Black women determined the prices of each piece of clothing.  Standing on a one foot high platform at the end of the overhead clothing rail, she inspected the shirts, dresses, coats, or whatever, and then decided which of Goodwill’s set prices it would sell for:  $2.45? $3.75? $5.50?   Once she decided, she picked up the hanging piece and transfer it to the rail that corresponded to that price.  There, other workers would staple the price tag on to its sleeve.  

    Daily, (like the furniture and electrical items) each store was supposed to receive a certain percentage worth of clothing, which changed every week.  The big main store (in front of where I worked) might get 47% of the day’s total, another store, maybe 23%, and down to the tiny stores that would only receive 5% or 3% worth of the total number of items.

        Also, like with the furniture and electrical items, it was my job to figure out and allocate how many pieces had to go to each store to make up the percentages that each store should receive.  I counted out that worth of clothing pieces, lift them off of the overhead rail, then carried them to hang on the designated store’s wheeled hanging racks, which when full, I moved to the designated area set aside for that store.  Overnight, the truckers would load the into the trucks and deliver them to the stores.  

    Thinking back at my experience working at the Goodwill, I am a bit surprised at the responsibility my hippie-like self was given.  It was up to me to make sure each store got the right percentage of products they were supposed to get.  I had never liked math, and always felt a bit insecure in using it, but I surprised myself in being able to figure out the total percentage of clothes, furniture, and electrical items each store would receive. 

You can view my paintings at:  davidmarchant2.ca