“Everyone comes out ahead at Goodwill bridal sale” |
| Everyone comes out ahead at Goodwill bridal sale Posted: 14 Feb 2011 04:56 AM PST PENNSAUKEN — The designer names were familiar. The bridal gown prices were not. Dresses with labels for Vera Wang, Demetrios and Alfred Angelo were being sold for as low as $49.99. And there was no shortage of buyers on Saturday at the annual bridal sale at the Goodwill store on Route 70. The dresses, many brand-new and others that were samples, were donated to Goodwill by local formal wear stores and outlets. Most usually retail for anywhere from $900 up to $5,000. Jenna Champion of Delran had tried one on for a special barbecue wedding reception that will be held in September. It's an outdoor event for friends and relatives who won't be able to make her ceremony in Cancun, Mexico, in April. Champion and her "moving shopping cart," fiance Gary Pollak, who was laden down with wedding veils and other garments, were looking at a dress donated from Angelina Bridal. Originally priced at $2,200, Champion's gown ended up costing $49.99. "The gown has a little mark on the back of it, and the bottom of is kind of dirty," Champion said. "But I'm going to go with it. You can't beat (the price)." Goodwill Public Relations Manager Julie Lundberg, of Medford, said the store had more than 140 dresses available this year. The huge discounts were certainly a big draw as evidenced by the line outside that began forming at 7:30 a.m. for the 9 a.m. opening. "People are trying to stretch their dollars," Lundberg said. "I saw a statistic that said the average wedding in this area ranges from about $30,000 to $35,000." And, she pointed out, after a bride buys a dress, she still has to spend hundreds to purchase shoes, the slip and other undergarments, jewelry, and a purse. All of those items were also available at Goodwill Saturday. Pennsauken resident Tara McCray, who is engaged but hasn't set a wedding date yet, said she and her fiance were "trying to be efficient with costs. We don't want to put ourselves into hock right as we get married." Buying a dress for only $99 will certainly help. And, as McCray said, "with a dress hanging around the house, it will force us to get moving (on setting a date.)" (2 of 2) Bill Madden, a former New Jersey state trooper and the Loss Prevention Director for Goodwill, was handling the throng of brides-to-be at the door, keeping the excited buyers in order by letting in groups of five or 10 at a time. "We want it to be an enjoyable experience for everyone," Madden said. "It's an exciting day," Lundberg said. "There are a lot of happy women here. We're glad to make them happy, and they make us happy because it helps Goodwill. It's at the heart of what we do. "The unknown part of Goodwill is that people think it's a place to donate, a place to shop. But everything you buy, the dollars go into job training and education for people who are disabled and disadvantaged. It's a win-win." Lundberg said she works the entire year to prepare for the sale, soliciting donations from stores in the tri-county area and even Philadelphia. "We were blessed this year," Lundberg said Saturday. "The stores were very, very generous." Lundberg said women from as far away as Reading, Pa. and Maryland came to the sale and about 250 potential buyers had entered the store by the end of the day. Goodwill COO Michael Shaw, of Marlton, said he was really happy with crowd. "It's a great success," Shaw said. "This is the best turnout we've ever had." Reach Joe Cooney at (856) 317-7830 or at jcooney@camden.gannett.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Content Keyword RSS To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment