Goodwill Abruptly Shuts Down 13 Locations, Lays Off Workers

Goodwill has just announced that they have closed 13 locations in California and laid off the staff that worked at those facilities.

KRON4 reports that Goodwill recently closed four San Francisco retail stores and six donation sites, and will close two regional headquarters and an Oakland warehouse soon, too.

You might ask how in the world does a business with a model like Goodwill's, where their inventory is free to them, go under?

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Goodwill spokesperson Rodney Scearce explains: "It became necessary to close a few store locations due to their size and operational limitations where store revenues were not enough to cover operational and personnel costs."

Just payroll and rent and other expenses are higher than their profit, even though they don't buy their inventory. After all, prices at Goodwill are remarkably cheap, so profits aren't too high on each item sold.

The employees are losing jobs due to these closures are encouraged to apply for other roles within the company, but that might require them to relocate.

"We are grateful for the support of our local team members at these locations and have extended them the opportunity to apply for roles at alternate locations," the spokesperson adds.

In some communities, people rely on Goodwill to not only be a spot to drop off unwanted items during spring cleaning sprees, but also as a source of lower-cost goods for families that might be strapped for cash.

Now, folks in the area of these California stores will have to look for alternatives.