Woman goes to the Goodwill, gets asked to round up 1 penny. She says ‘no.’ Then the worker argues with her about it

Shopping at Goodwill has become a mainstay for many people in need of basics or thrifted wares. But one woman had an experience at checkout that “[p—ed her] off.”

TikTok Avid Chatter (@avidchatter) posted a video that received more than 186,000 views. In it, she explained the awkward and tense situation she experienced inside a Goodwill store after an employee tried to insist that she donate a penny to charity.

What Happened At This Goodwill?

Avid Chatter said a Goodwill associate tried to argue with her to see if she’d “round up.” She added that she went back and forth with the associate while trying to check out.

“She said, ‘Would you like to round up for charity? It’s one penny,’” Avid Chatter recalled. She responded, “No, I’m OK.”

The employee proceeded to emphasize that it was just a penny. Then Avid Chatter said she didn’t want to donate, as she saw the donation as a “tax write-off.”

Another woman in line joined in on the conversation and asked whether donations were truly a tax write-off for Goodwill. Avid Chatter said it was.

The associate pushed her—for the third time at that point—to donate the penny. The content creator reiterated she wasn’t going to donate. She then mentioned to the associate that she donates to charity separately. 

Then a fourth person got involved in the conversation. They asked why Avid Chatter wouldn’t donate the penny. By that point, the content creator seemed frustrated with the interaction. She stood by the principle of not donating.

Later, while recording her video in the car, she said, “ I did not donate the penny, thank you very much, and I bought something anyway, and that was many, many pennies worth, 600 pennies worth, and you’re asking me to donate one for free? I just gave you 600.”

Are checkout donations a tax write-off?

Avid Chatter said that a part of the reason she did not want to donate to Goodwill was that the donation would be a “tax write-off.”

But the idea that modern nonprofit institutions get deep tax breaks from checkout donations is misinformed and unfounded. Most gift donations at checkout do not impact a business’s income taxes, despite the preponderance of anecdotal accounts saying so. AP News further confirms that “Stores can’t write off a customer’s point-of-sale donations, because they don’t count as company income, according to tax policy experts.”

In actuality, consumers are the ones who can deduct charitable donations they make at Whole Foods or Goodwill off their taxes. Tax Policy Center reports that “Even with a receipt, more than nine out of 10 taxpayers won’t deduct this—or any other—charitable donation from their federal taxable income. That’s because they do not itemize their deductions.”

Some commenters said that companies take consumers’ money to replenish previous donations they made, but according to the Washington Post, there’s no evidence to conclude that occurs.  

@avidchatter

I swear someone always has to piss me off

♬ original sound – avidchatter

Why are checkout campaigns bothersome?

The longstanding belief that businesses are getting tax write-offs has deterred many would-be donors. But is that the only reason why people are put off by donation requests at checkout? 

For many of Avid Chatter’s commenters, there was more nuance to the situation. Some said that Goodwill’s CEO has made “millions” off the company and should therefore be the person donating. ProPublica reports that Goodwill’s president, Steven C Preston, made $715,528 in the 2024 fiscal year, which is comparable to other nonprofits. Another comparative analysis concluded that Goodwill spent more than $100 million on CEO or executive compensation in 2024.

Some discussed Goodwill’s auction website, Shopgoodwill.com. 

“Goodwill is one of the greediest companies lol. They literally… keep certain donated items to list on their app to sell/auction because they know it’ll bring them more money than in store,” one viewer said.  

Online criticisms of Goodwill’s shift toward Shopgoodwill.com focus on how the platform alienates customers from purchasing products that are supposed to be accessible. 

In addition, Goodwill has received criticism for price increases, which at times mirror other online resellers such as eBay. 

But for others, getting asked to donate when checking out is simply not the right time or place.

A commenter reiterated that not everyone has the financial ability to donate: “The first time I was shamed for not donating was when I was like 12/13,” they said. “People really need to stop with this kind if shaming. Even pennies add up.”

The Mary Sue reached out to Avid Chatter and Goodwill via email for comment.

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