Does Goodwill pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Goodwill employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Goodwill. This rating has decreased by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Goodwill?

46% of Goodwill employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Goodwill 3.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.0 for culture and values and 2.8 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Goodwill?

Sales Associate (544) , Cashier (498) , Sales Associate/Cashier (320) , Retail Sales Associate (298) , Donation Attendant (275) , Assistant Manager (203) , Store Manager (179) , Manager (132) , Processor (93) , Production Associate (88) , Employment Specialist (84) , Retail Associate (78) , Case Manager (74) , Store Associate (74) , Assistant Store Manager (62)

What are the pros of working at Goodwill according to real employee reviews?

"Great people and flexible with work hours" ((in 578 reviews)); "Flexible hours and good if you’re in school" ((in 192 reviews)); "They also were great for the employees" ((in 115 reviews)); "work environment is good and" ((in 108 reviews)); "Flexible schedule was nice to have" ((in 100 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Goodwill according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and you must spend time propping up employees who can’t get the job done" ((in 881 reviews)); "Company keeps bad managers in power while the store can’t keep a staff BECAUSE of the bad management." ((in 270 reviews)); "Upper management does not care if you are trying your best" ((in 196 reviews)); "The staff is usually all special needs with no training." ((in 90 reviews)); "Being watched by cameras while getting paid minimum wage" ((in 87 reviews))

What are employees saying about Goodwill layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Goodwill layoffs and their outlook for job security at Goodwill in 2026.

Goodwill reviews

3.2

46% would recommend to a friend

(9,238 total reviews)

Catherine Meloy

50% approve of CEO

39% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (9,238 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Goodwill has an employee rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars, based on 9,238 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Goodwill employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the ONG y Organizaciones sin fines de lucro industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

9K reviews

4.0

Apr 19, 2015

Not bad if you go to school

Donation associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very flexible schedule, training was very easy, 8 hr paid orientation more thourough than it needed to be but covered everything, you get to see the community and assist them in their donation drive, store responsibilties are pretty laid back

Cons

unsafe conditions when loading trucks for donation drives, they tell you to fill a bin and that is when you have to take all the goods out of the 6' bin and chuck it over on top of another pile i personally damaged my shoulder. Use your own vehicle to far destinations and reimbursement for mileage wont be seen till a month after submission of the form. Filling 6' bins on drives by yourself in the summer heat while only being paid minimum.

4.0

Apr 19, 2015

Retail

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very good DM and store associates. A real team spirit on the retail side. Friendly people on the plant side.

Cons

on the weeks you work Sunday (1-5) you will have to work another day and put in 4 hours, so on that week you only get one full day off. Even though you are only working four hours, you can not go off for the day!

2.0

Apr 5, 2015

Decent incentives for what it is, severe issues with management staff.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Decent starting pay for the work. Above average benefits for retail work. Effectively guaranteed to get 40 hours a week if wanting to work full time. Very likely to get along with several individual staff members, no matter what kind of person you are.

Cons

Management anywhere from inconsistent to abysmally lazy. It almost seems like the higher up a person gets, the less that is expected of them in terms of work quality Severe lack of trust between corporate/upper management and middle to lower management in sales department A lot of unnecessary make-it-up-as-we-go-along decision making, causing the company to operate very inefficiently Almost no upward mobility unless you become the favorite of a higher-up Very severe staffing issues. Turnover rate is very high, even with some of the more professional corporate departments If you know very, very little, it's not that bad of a place to work. If you have the swing of things and know what's going on, it is an incredibly frustrating place to work.

Viewing 439 - 441 of 9,238 Reviews

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Not bad if you go to school

Retail

Decent incentives for what it is, severe issues with management staff.

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