I think I’ve gone shopping at nearly all of the Goodwill stores in Southern Maine. And it was at the Goodwill store in Gorham, Maine, where I learned my best Goodwill shopping tip. You should try to shop at thrift stores in college towns, especially after the end of the semester.
That’s because college students tend to leave behind clothes, furniture and more rather than take it home with them. You see, the University of Southern Maine is practically behind the Gorham Goodwill store.
Therefore, you can best bet that each May the store will be filled with tons of great stuff–some unused and new with tags–that the students left behind.
I would think this advice would apply to the Goodwill store in Brunswick, too. Hit it up after Bowdoin College students head home for the year.
Goodwill stores in Southern Maine
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my experience as a Goodwill shopper. Nearly every place I’ve lived, I’ve frequented the nearby Goodwill store.
Now that I’m in Maine, I wanted to share what you need to know about shopping at Goodwill stores in Southern Maine.
Here are the cities and towns in Southern Maine that have at least one Goodwill store location, plus the street address:
Auburn, 939 Turner Street
Biddeford, 5 Points Shopping Center
Brunswick, 21 Gurnet Road
Falmouth, U.S. Route One, Falmouth Shopping Center
Gorham Goodwill Store, 102 Main Street
Gorham Outlet, 34 Hutcherson Drive
South Portland Goodwill locations
- Maine Mall, 555 Maine Mall Road
- Millcreek Plaza
Topsham, 106 Park Drive, Topsham Fair Mall
Westbrook, 200 Larrabee Road
Windham, 31 Landing Road
Goodwill donations
Finally, while most Goodwill stores take donations (though hours may differ from store hours), there are four places in Southern Maine where you can make Goodwill donations. In other words, these are non-Goodwill places that take donations on Goodwill’s behalf. They are in:
- Cape Elizabeth
- Kennebunk
- Scarborough
- Westbrook
All four are at that town’s recycling center or transfer station.
Here is a comprehensive guide to what you cannot donate at Goodwill.
What I’ll cover in this Goodwill article
In addition, I’m going to share some of my best advice for thrift store shopping, such as the college town tip I shared above.
Also, I’ll share the nitty gritty of shopping at Goodwill. This includes shopping based on the “color of the week” along with any special discounts Goodwill of Northern New England offers.
Plus, if you like to shop for Halloween costumes at a thrift store, I’ll let you know when Goodwill puts out Halloween costumes–yes, they know we like to go there for cheap costume ideas.
Shop at Goodwill stores in higher income locations in Maine
The thinking here is that richer people could potentially donate higher quality goods. Then, because they’re at Goodwill, you can get them for lower prices.
I’ve yet to get to the Falmouth Goodwill store, but I’m guessing it will fit this criteria. Falmouth is the fourth richest city in Maine.
To be honest the South Portland store, near the Maine Mall, is also pretty great. However, they’ve gotten smart at that location by creating an in-person version of Goodwill Finds.
In case you didn’t know, Goodwill Finds is the online version of a Goodwill store. It focuses on selling brand-name goods, from Lululemon to Madewell.
Anyway, at the front of the store, you’ll see a cordoned off area with higher-priced items. They’re usually designers or well-known names.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t find good deals by going through the racks, shelves or aisles. I’ve found new-with-tags dresses at Goodwill from brands like J. Crew, Michael Kors and Jones New York.
Goodwill Gorham Maine by the pound
Gorham has two Goodwill locations. I mentioned the traditional Goodwill store at the top of this article.
However, Gorham also has a Goodwill outlet. And it’s at this outlet where you can shop by the pound. Some people call these Goodwill bin stores or just bin stores. (There’s another bin store in Scarborough called Buck Luck. I’ll be checking it out soon.)
Actually, Goodwill does a play on words with their outlets. They refer to them as Buy The Pound (versus By the Pound).
These Goodwill outlets are the last stop for items that haven’t sold in the stores. If they don’t sell from the outlets, they’re usually sold to salvage companies or recycled (as best as possible).
Interestingly, all Goodwill stores take unsellable clothing and recycle them into Goodwill Wiping Cloths. If you’ve ever turned an old, stained or ripped t-shirt into a rag for cleaning, then you know what I mean.
Our plan is to take a field trip to this Goodwill outlet store in Gorham. We’ll report back what we find, likely in a new post dedicated to Goodwill outlets.
Halloween costumes
It was around the time of the housing and financial crisis in the 2000s that we started thinking about getting Halloween costumes at Goodwill. I still remember taking my daughter Annie to get white go-go boots, a miniskirt and shiny polyester shirt for her 1960s Halloween costume.
Fast forward a few years, and now nearly everyone knows that Goodwill is a treasure trove for affordable Halloween costumes. Goodwill knows it, too.
That’s why you’ll find specific Halloween displays in stores during the fall. In fact, Goodwill starts putting out Halloween-related decor and costumes in early September. So, shop early before all the good stuff is gone.
Discounts at Goodwill stores in Maine
Even though shopping at Goodwill is an affordable way to get what you need, you can get additional discounts at Goodwill. These discounts are specific to the Northern New England stores.
One, you can shop the “color of the week.” That is, each week Goodwill identifies a different colored barb (the piece of plastic that attaches a sales tag) as getting a 50% discount.
Or, you’ll find a price tag that features the color of the week.
Here is the order of the colors of the week as they cycle through the months:
- Green
- Blue
- Pink
- Red
- Yellow
- Gray
In addition, on Sundays, another color indicates items that are only $1.50.
Also, seniors and veterans get discounts one day a week. Goodwill considers you a senior at age 55.
However, don’t be offended. You’ll get 20 percent off your purchase. It’s the same discount for veterans.
Finally, you can join the Club Goodwill for $15 a year. This guarantees you a discount each and every time you shop at Goodwill, including on your birthday.
One more thing: From time to time, Goodwill holds special sales, with additional discounts.
For example, during 2022, on Fridays, all furniture was $3. That special pricing ran from the beginning of June to the end of September.
Goodwill store hours
Each Goodwill store in Southern Maine sets its own hours. Also, if there is a donation center attached to the store, where you can drop off or do a drive-through donation, that center may have different hours.
As of this writing (and based on this page on the Goodwill of Northern New England website), here are store hours for the places I’m covering in this article:
Auburn Goodwill Hours
Store Hours
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Donation Hours
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m-5 p.m.
Biddeford Goodwill Hours
Store Hours
Mon-Thurs: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Fri-Sat: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Donation Hours
Mon and Tues: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Wed: Closed
Thurs – Sat: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sun: Closed
Brunswick Goodwill Hours
Store Hours
Mon-Thurs: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Fri and Sat: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Donation Hours
Mon: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tues: Closed
Wed: 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Thurs: Closed
Fri and Sat: 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Falmouth Goodwill Hours
Store Hours
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Donation Hours
Mon: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Tues-Thurs: Closed
Fri-Sun: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Gorham Goodwill Hours
Store Hours
Mon-Thurs: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Fri and Sat: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Gorham Buy the Pound Outlet Store Hours
Mon-Sun: 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
South Portland Goodwill Hours
Maine Mall Store Hours
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
South Portland Maine Mall Goodwill Donation Hours
Mon-Tues: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Wed: Closed
Thurs-Sun: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
South Portland Millcreek Goodwill Store Hours
Mon-Thurs: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Fri-Sat: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Millcreek Plaza Goodwill Donation Hours
Mon-Sat: 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Sun: Closed
Topsham Goodwill Hours
Store Hours
Mon-Thurs: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Fri and Sat: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Donation Hours
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Westbrook Goodwill Hours
Store Hours
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Westbrook Donation Hours
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Windham Goodwill Hours
Store Hours
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Donation Hours
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Are Goodwill stores in Maine open or closed on holidays?
When I visited the Facebook page for Goodwill of Northern New England, it said that Goodwill stores were closed on Christmas Day. Also, on Christmas Eve, the stores were closing at 5 p.m.
On the other hand, another Facebook posting said that Goodwill stores were open on New Year’s Day and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Monday holiday.
Keep in mind that Maine blue laws prohibit certain businesses from being open on three holidays. They are Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. So I wouldn’t expect Goodwill to be open on these days either.
My other favorite store for thrifting is ReStore. Speaking of thrifting, here are some general tips for thrift store shopping.
Finally, here is a roundup of other Southern Maine good causes that take donations.
Free and Cheap Things To Do in Southern Maine
Here are FREE and cheap things to do in Southern Maine in the coming week.