Giving Tuesday - Goodwill Industries

I had not heard of "Giving Tuesday" until I saw it promoted by our local Goodwill Industries of North Georgia - a very worthwhile charity/cause. Since this is in fact Tuesday and this is the day of the week that the stores offer a serious 25% discount on all purchases to seniors aged 55 and older, I thought a visit to several stores would be appropriate.

I just returned and am posting to report on my experience and promote this day which seems like a very nice follow-up to the frantic consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I thought I would research this day's designation but found no history or origin information. I did find that all charities/causes seem to be promoting the day to support their particular interests so it is clearly not just a "Goodwill" thing.

My first stop this morning was at the Buckhead (Roswell Road) store which is probably my favorite. As readers of my blog know, my purchases at Goodwill stores generally fall into the following categories:

Heirloom quality (good bones) upholstered furniture ready to be refurbished and sold

Down/feather pillow inserts in good condition 

Paperback books 

Brand name purses 

The premium bag display (behind counter - you have to ask to see them) was not well stocked - I am guessing that there have been a lot of sales there lately. The store was a little quiet this early in the day but you can see how well maintained and organized it is.

A sign which always makes me smile is their goal sign - to put people to work and give them workplace skills - simple but powerful!

The Sandy Springs store (Mt. Vernon Road near Roswell) was a little busier and had several interesting pieces of furniture. Probably the nicest was the camelback sofa but too big for me - I don't do anything over the size of a moderate chaise or loveseat. I did see several people buying holiday trees.

The Dunwoody store (Abernathy Rd) had some great accessories and gift type items. The jewelry box on the bottom was in great condition and I loved the tall glass pieces - I would definitely have bought the latter if it was a pair. A friend is looking for a set of family room tables (and loves chickens) so I do plan to share those ideas with her.

I was getting ready to leave (sort of congratulating myself on not buying anything), when I spotted one of the stock people walking around with this tall (22-24") metal holiday centerpiece which looked new.  It was marked $14.77 (25% off!) and I loved it but have NO SPACE in my already decorated house for this piece. The employee put the piece down and I immediately photographed it and sent it to my daughter who is off today. I asked if she was interested.

I stood my ground near the piece and several potentially interested buyers walked over to admire it as well. That did it! I picked it up and carried it to the cash register rehearsing what I would say to my husband and reviewing what I would need to get rid of to make a space for it. I did discover that there are three places for tea candles to illuminate the windows. WOW!

As I carefully walked out with my treasure, my daughter responded to my text and said "sure" she wanted it. So I just drove over and dropped it off. She lit the candles and we stood around admiring it. She also started walking around looking for a good place and has even less space than I do to work with. BUT, a good buy for a good cause!

If anyone knows the origin/history of this Giving Tuesday tradition, please let me know!