Goodwill Fires &Presses Felony Charges Against employee For Giving Discounts To poorest

[n2doc]

By Jonathan Vankin, Fri, September 27, 2013
Goodwill Industries says its mission is to help people, but sometimes there’s a limit on how much good will is enough.

When an employee at Goodwill’s store in Naples, Fla., started handing out freelance discounts to the shops poorest customers, Goodwill not only fired the young man, the company called the cops and now has him up on felony theft charges.

"I wasn't actually stealing,” 19-year-old Andrew Anderson told TV station WBBH. “Goodwill is a giving and helping company, so I took it upon to myself to be giving and helping because I feel people deserve it.”

Anderson worked behind the counter at the Naples Goodwill outlet. He would often see the community’s poorest people come into the store, looking to buy clothes but with only a few bucks to their name.


more

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/goodwill-fires-presses-felony-charges-against-andrew-anderson-19-giving-discounts-stores

[wundermaus]

1. He should have been promoted...

Obviously he gets the mission of the organization:
Help people in need.
Seems he was deemed a threat to the organization instead of an asset to his fellow man.
Shame I don't run a charitable organization or he would be one of the mentor's of it.
I sincerely hope the community of caring people stand up for this young man and his ideals.
He is an inspiration to act with compassion.
A lesson lost on those who employed him.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

2. Goodwill hurting

[cbdo2007]

3. Seeing how this isn't from an actual news source, I'm sure it's only one side of the story.

Would be interesting to hear the "real" story here before calling anybody the bad guy.

[niyad]

5. try reading the article, where you will see this:

SOURCES: WBBH TV Naples, Goodwill Industries
Get More: Andrew Anderson | Goodwill Industries | Naples Fla |

[n2doc]

6. Yes walter chronkite, why don't you go find it yourself? n/t

[jsr]

8. From NBC News:

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/23541973/paying-it-forward-lands-naples-teen-in-trouble

[jsr]

4. Meanwhile Goodwill CEO in L.A. made more than a million dollars a year

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/213045051.html

The NBC News investigation found that workers in Pennsylvania made just pennies an hour.

It's all legal, because of a federal law passed in 1938.

Goodwill tells me the CEO in charge of Milwaukee and Chicago makes $320,000 dollars a year.

NBC News reports the Goodwill CEO in L.A. made more than a million dollars in salary and deferred compensation, and that Goodwill grosses nearly five billion dollars a year.

[DURHAM D]

7. I used to donate a lot to Goodwill.

Because I live near I could check them out on a regular basis. Almost nothing I donated ever made it to the floor including furniture, electronic stuff, office equipment, etc. I figured out it was going out the back door as it was stolen by the manager. In fact, I went to a few of her yard sales and found my stuff. I took care of her.

[niyad]

10. good for you.

[Blue_Tires]

17. Yeah, there was a high-profile story a few years ago

where a Goodwill somewhere (Chicago? Cleveland?) was essentially selling all their best stuff to secondhand furniture/appliance/electronics stores and pocketing the profits

[niyad]

9. this organization, which pays some of its employees mere pennies an hour, with ceo's taking home

millions, long ago forgot its mission. the local goodwill was going to sell its distribution center in our neighborhood to kum n go, whining that they needed the money.

still another reason not to ever go there there. just about all the stuff they sell is donated, and some of the stuff is way overpriced.

also, I know this is true for ARC, not sure for goodwill--a lot of their labour pool is community service hours, which are not paid at all.

[NCTraveler]

11. Not a very smart move on his part...

and he clearly doesn't understand the mission of Goodwill Centers. It seems as though he was truly ignorant as to his wrongdoing. Maybe some of the focus needs to be on the people in charge of training him. Way too harsh a penalty for the young man. There is a comment in one article where Goodwill says they are going to follow through with the charges. I hope they have a change of heart. It appears he truly thought he was doing good.

[FiveGoodMen]

13. Maybe WE don't understand the real mission of Goodwill Centers

[NCTraveler]

14. I have a pretty good understanding.

Goodwill works to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.

[FiveGoodMen]

15. Yes, but maybe the folks in charge of it don't really look at it that way.

[friendly_iconoclast]

16. That's what they *say*, but what they *do* is exploit the disabled

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/213045051.html

My ex called places like Goodwill 'sweltered sweatshops'- and she should know as she
was paid pennies an hour to assemble camera parts.

[NCTraveler]

18. There are many instances where I would agree with your ex...

when it comes to Goodwill. I was not trying to make the point that it is some great place. Many people often view it as a place to clothe those without money. That is not even close to what it is. Wasn't trying to make a claim of support for them overall, I am not educated about the organization enough to do so. I do know they aren't about letting associates give clothes away for pennies on the dollar. I don't think a lot of people are aware of their business model.

[bunnies]

12. No good deed goes unpunished.

What a sad story.