Goodwill Thrives as Americans Stretch Their Dollars

Goodwill stores are thriving.

That is good news for the nonprofit organization that oversees Goodwill, the world’s largest thrift store chain. But it also signals that Americans in an uncertain economy are trying to stretch their dollars as far as possible.

The organization, Goodwill Industries, said it surpassed $7 billion in revenue — a record — from its 3,400 stores in 2025, up roughly 7 percent from the previous year.

“We are pretty steady in almost any economic situation,” Steven C. Preston, Goodwill’s chief executive, said in an interview. “But when things are tight, we’re probably more likely to get that foot traffic.”

Across the consumer economy, holiday spending remained strong last year, and consumers are still spending on discretionary goods, even if they have to defer the costs through “buy now, pay later” plans. But a cocktail of inflation, slowing job growth and lofty bills for groceries and rent has left American households looking to eke out as much as they can with every purchase.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/business/goodwill-sales-economy.html