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 (497) , Sales Associate/Cashier (320) , Retail Sales Associate (297) , Donation Attendant (275) , Assistant Manager (203) , Store Manager (179) , Manager (132) , Processor (92) , Production Associate (87) , Employment Specialist (84) , Retail Associate (77) , 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 581 reviews)); "Flexible hours and good if you’re in school" ((in 196 reviews)); "They also were great for the employees" ((in 123 reviews)); "work environment is good and" ((in 116 reviews)); "flexible schedules are nice when they occur" ((in 109 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 266 reviews)); "Upper management does not care if you are trying your best" ((in 197 reviews)); "The staff is usually all special needs with no training." ((in 97 reviews)); "Low salary and not good working" ((in 90 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.

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

Goodwill

Goodwill reviews

3.2

46% would recommend to a friend

(9,226 total reviews)

Catherine Meloy

49% approve of CEO

39% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.6

Diversity & inclusion

3.0

Culture & values

3.0

Work/Life balance

2.8

Compensation and benefits

2.8

Career opportunities

2.7

Senior management

Goodwill has an employee rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars, based on 9,226 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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

9K reviews

3.0

Nov 14, 2013

Unorganized

Retail sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

friendly people, doing good, see fun things coming in first

Cons

unorganized, messy in backstock, scary customers, unprofessional management

1.0

Nov 13, 2013

learning

General maintenance worker

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Oppornity to Learn new skills

Cons

More mentoring needs to be provided

5.0

Nov 13, 2013

Great mission, great service, great products

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids is a nonprofit that has a bit of a unique twist. Goodwill exists to help people from our community gain and maintain employment. Goodwill pays for these services through significant investment from the retail stores. The retail stores are stocked through donations from our local community. Items that are donated are typically sold in the retail stores, sold in a bidding environment at www.shopgoodwill.com, sold at the Retail Store Outlet, or are recycled. Goodwill makes every effort to get the maximum value out of the donation that the community provides. Goodwill provides a values based culture, competitive wages, has a practice of internal promotions, offers extremely generous time off packages, offers a great benefits/insurance package, tuition reimbursement for all employees, and supports employees as part of the mission.

Cons

As with many organizations that are of similar size, obtaining all information I would like to know is sometimes difficult. With 30+ locations, this is not surprising. I know this is something Goodwill is working on, but everyone can always do more.

Viewing 9076 - 9078 of 9,226 Reviews

Jobs at Goodwill