Woman talks about how Goodwill is becoming more expensive with examples: 'It's ridiculous'

Goodwill used to be an ideal one-stop destination for shoppers looking to get some amazing thrift deals. However, as of late, it seems like they are increasing prices just like everywhere else. Essie, a cosplayer and Twitch streamer—who goes by @essielesse on TikTok—posted a video where she called out the thrift store for having higher prices than usual. The video has gone viral with 1.6 million views and nearly 240K likes on the platform.

She starts the video by looking into the camera while walking around a Goodwill store, saying, "Okay, everybody, tell me what has happened to Goodwill." Essie talks about how the store did not allow customers to try on any clothes before they bought them, which was a massive disadvantage. What made it worse was that the store went ahead and removed mirrors, so customers could not get an idea of what they looked like when they tried it on over their clothes. She then highlighted how they were pricing handmade items at an astounding $15, showcasing the price tag on one such clothing item.

The woman questions while looking at some overly priced pants, "Why would I spend $15 on a pair of used pants that I can't even try on?" Essie shares that she used to buy many tank tops from Goodwill solely because they were just 99 cents, which is dirt cheap. But things were different now, with a single t-shirt costing $6, which she compares to Walmart, where they give out brand-new clothes for the same price. She goes into a different section of the store, stating how she would pick up "knick-knacks" each time she visited the store.

She points out an antique giant frog and hilariously points out that it's "incredible." After this, Essie picks up a glass cube containing a small logo of The White House for $8. The video cuts to reveal antique "cake things" priced at $4 each. Essie looks at them and remarks, "This entire thing would cost you $20!" She then showed her viewers a used towel priced at $6, which Essie guesses has been used by a big family. She points out how customers could go to Bed, Bath and Beyond to get new "luxury" towels for just $8.

Essie continues, "And don't even get me started on how they mark up anything that could even be considered a Halloween costume." In the video, we get to see her showcasing a used piece of clothing priced at $18, which Essie rejects, saying, "Absolutely not, it's a top." The next item is a brown empty box that somehow costs $6. The final product she showcases is two plastic plants, which Essie had bought for her car from another store for $5. She picks up the pots and thankfully, finds out that they were the same price at Goodwill.

She concludes the video by saying, "It's literally cheaper to go to Walmart than it is to go to a thrift store." People on the site agreed with Essie's observations and put down their observations in the comment section. @txbbw999 said, "It's ridiculous. That's the whole point of Goodwill is it's second hand, but they've gotten so greedy." @spaceoqueso pointed out, "What baffles me is that they don't even purchase those items like a standard retail store does. Those items were donated to them."