06/18/2026
Industries of Northwest NC
Today, about halfway down the dress rack, I started taking photos of all the dresses I would have purchased before the recent price increase to $7.99. I’ve been shopping at the Salisbury store for eight years and have spent thousands of dollars there sourcing inventory for my online resale business.
In the past, I regularly filled a shopping cart three or four times a week. Today, I left with one item. My previous trip resulted in only three purchases. Those days of finding enough inventory to fill a cart are over.
For me, the final straw was the recent increase in dress and shoe prices. While prices continue to rise, the quality and selection in the stores continue to decline. Many of the best items are pulled from the sales floor and listed online instead. What remains is increasingly made up of fast-fashion brands such as Shein, LuLaRoe, and similar low-quality merchandise.
First it was the jewelry. Then clothing. Now hard goods are being pulled as well.
Adding to the frustration, Goodwill Northwest NC offers far fewer promotions than other Goodwill districts. There are typically only two sales each year: a Back-to-School BOGO jean sale and a winter clearance event on long-sleeve shirts, sweaters, and pants. There has never been a Color of the Week program, and even Senior Day has been discontinued.
Meanwhile, stores in Greensboro, Charlotte, and other North Carolina districts offer Color of the Week discounts, Senior Days, and better opportunities for shoppers to find bargains.
Another issue is the inconsistent and often unfriendly policy regarding rollout racks. Many Goodwill districts encourage customers to shop rollout racks because it moves merchandise quickly and gets products into customers’ hands faster.
In Northwest NC, the experience varies wildly from store to store—and even from day to day in the same store. The Kannapolis store on Dale Earnhardt Boulevard is a perfect example. One day customers are allowed to shop the racks. The next day they may be abruptly told they cannot, sometimes in a rude manner.
During a recent visit, there were four or five resellers in the store and multiple racks waiting to be stocked. The employee responsible for putting out merchandise was also running the register, so the racks sat untouched. When customers attempted to shop them, we were told we could not. As a result, several of us simply left without making purchases.
I’ve seen rollout-rack shoppers clear an entire rack in minutes. That’s immediate revenue for Goodwill and less work for employees who would otherwise have to stock every item individually. Instead, customers are leaving empty-handed.
As a longtime customer, it’s disappointing to watch prices increase while selection, quality, customer-friendly policies, and overall value continue to decrease. After eight years of loyal shopping, I now find myself looking outside the Northwest NC district for better merchandise, better prices, and a better shopping experience.
