We hope you went to this past weekend’s Goodwill Glitter Sale. If you didn’t, here is a glimpse into the event. If we had to sum it up in one word, it would be I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y. The line was absolutely ridiculous. It was a madhouse inside. And the finds were absolutely unheard of in comparison to a normal shopping trip to the Goodwill. We heard that some people got there at 4 am! 4 AM. Here is an example of the line when we arrived:
This wasn’t even the beginning of the line. It started about another half of the building ahead, to the right of this picture frame. Only one of us could make it, and I got there at 8 am, only an hour before it opened. This was much longer than I expected the line to be, but I was one of the fortunate ones to still be able to get a parking spot in the Goodwill parking lot. I was all the way around the bend, to the left of this picture frame. Here’s a glimpse of what I saw from my place in line:
Luckily, it didn’t start to rain and I brought the December Marie Claire to keep my occupied. Plus there was free doughnuts and coffee (which I didn’t partake in because I was alone) and an MC walking around keeping the crowd alive. The MC was a Goodwill employee and he had some great style:
As promised, the doors opened at 9 am on the dot and the line started filtering in. I was feeling fortunate because there was a line behind me with just about the same number of people as there were in front of me, curving around the block and out of sight. When my part of the line finally got inside I felt a surge of relief and excitement, glad to be out of the cold, thrilled to get my shop on. How it works is they bring you through the regular Goodwill shopping area to a special room where the Glitter Sale was going on. We got to just around the bend at the end of the store, about 30 feet in front of the entrance to the Glitter Sale room, when the line stopped. STOPPED. Apparently, due to fire codes, the Goodwill can only let the first 200 people into the Glitter Sale. If you are not the first 200 people, you must wait in line until shoppers start to trickle out. WHAT?! I know…I didn’t think of this either. So basically, when they say “doors open at 9 am,” they really mean “doors open at 9 am for the first 200 individuals smart enough to get here before everyone else.” So disappointing! So basically, I didn’t get into the Glitter Sale until 10:30 am. I was lucky because I was at least waiting inside, while a ton of people behind me were stuck in the cold. I was unlucky, however, because I didn’t have a companion, so I couldn’t really go shopping in the normal Goodwill section while someone held my place in line.
However, finally, I got in. It was mayhem. Clothes and hangers everywhere. People everywhere. Girls ripping off clothes, fighting for a spot in front of the few mirrors scattered around the room. I saw a girl walking around in sheer tights and a bra. Another wearing just a skimpy bathing suit. It was savage, and I felt like you had to go in with elbows at the ready. It was overwhelming to say the least, and it is essential that you are in the mood to throw down and dig for the good finds. There was a lot of weeding to be done. A majority of the items in my opinion were matronly, or over-the-top ornate. For example, the formal dress section was out of control. The fur section, RIDICULOUS. If you lust for furs, you should attend the Glitter Sale just for its endless selection. I also felt at a disadvantage for having to wait an hour and a half to get in. It felt like a lot of things were already picked through, and they weren’t restocking that soon after the start of the event. I saw some girls with bags upon bags of clothes already, and from what I saw they snagged some fabulous pieces. Also, it seemed that the clothing options ranged in the two different size extremes: a lot of really great finds for super tiny girls, as well for larger females. Oh, and the men’s section was an abomination…represented by TWO clothing racks. Out of about 100. If you are a male, god bless you for waiting in that line.
So after a lot of weeding, I walked away with about 4 items, an $89 spend. I was a bit disappointed I didn’t get more, but that’s not to say I didn’t try on more than that. I also did a few glance overs of the jewelry counter and found nothing besides some sweet pocket watches, but I was convinced I wouldn’t actually use one, so I skipped it. I left with a fur coat, 2 long, formal skirts, and a black floppy hat.
OUR FINDS:
All in all, I was happy I went. I sort of wished I had planned to go again on Sunday, just to see if they really did restock it as they said. My main takeaways from the event: GET THERE EARLY. I’m talking probably 6:30 am. Also, DON’T GO ALONE. I recommend bringing someone if you can, so you can leave the line for restroom breaks, grabbing doughnuts and coffee, and taking turns shopping in the regular Goodwill section if you are unfortunate enough to not be the first 200 people in line. Lastly, WEAR FORM FITTING CLOTHES YOU DON’T MIND TRYING ON UNDER CLOTHING. There weren’t dressing rooms. You were trying things on in the middle of the Glitter Sale. So plan accordingly (I wore legging and a fitted tank top).
If you have any questions about what else I am wearing in my outfits above, ask in the comments. Also, tell us what you thought of the Glitter Sale. Any good finds?
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