New Goodwill Store Is Coming to South Jersey But It’s Already Facing Pushback

Some areas of New Jersey have more business turnover than others, with certain properties being home to a few different operations over the last 30 years.

In South Jersey, one of those areas is Rio Grande, because you have three state highways that cross over in the main business sector. There is strong traffic volume year-round on the Garden State Parkway, State Route 47, and State Route 9 all bringing potential customers into Rio Grande daily. Plus, don't forget the traffic volume coming in/out of The Wildwoods throughout the year that drive directly through the Rio Grande area.

This is why so many aspiring business owners, and corporate operations have set up business fronts in Rio Grande. But just because your storefront or restaurant is located in a high-volume traffic area doesn't guarantee enough customers to generate the revenue needed.

The latest South Jersey business turnover has locals unhappy

Back in March, the Grocery Outlet on Route 9 permanently closed due to the corporate ownership closing 36 "underperforming stores across the country". The Rio Grande location was one of six closed in New Jersey.

Many people have speculated what is next for the building next door to the Harbor Freight storefront in Rio Grande. But online reports of what is moving in there and opening in 2027 seems to have many people unhappy.

The latest update is that a new Goodwill Store is opening in January 2027. There are approximately 27 Goodwill stores in South Jersey, so the new outlet is the latest in their network of stores in The Garden State.

The "problem" is that many local residents saw this announcement online, and went out of their way to express their "disgust" with what is moving into the 18,000-square-foot commercial space. One post in a Facebook Group has over 290 comments complaining, and another facebook post was removed after some of the comments got too aggressive.

So I copied some of the "best" complaints so you can see how much angst there is about this announcement:

*"Do you really think a Thrift Store will be a wonderful addition when we already have several between Rio Grande and (Cape May Court House)"

*"Could have thought of a million other places that could have gon̈e in there: What about a Cosco or BJ Wholesale or Applebees or Chick-Fil-A"

*"I loooove me some thrifting, but Goodwill is the worst thrift store chain, and 'for profit' business"

*Great, still no Outback Steakhouse or The Cheesecake Factory BUT we get a thrift shop...YEAH...."

*"This is not good news for all the local thrift stores that support local charities."

*"Goodwill is not known for reasonably priced merchandise. I’ll likely stick with the local thrift stores. Truthfully, I’d rather have Grocery Outlet reopened."

*"Sorry, but I’d rather support locally owned and run thrift shops. We have plenty that need our support."

*"Goodwill is a scam in disguise...Another overpriced, money laundering scheme"

*"This is crazy...All we have down here is grocery stores and thrift shops."

*"we need a coscto and target, but Goodwill??"

*"That is the best they could do with that space?? Already a bunch of Thrift stores in the area!! We could have used a Trader Joe’s!!"

The official Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia social media account posted the following statement in multiple Facebook Group threads like Cape May Live and Wildwood 365 Community:

"While we don’t have public details to share on this location just yet, we’ll be sure to make an official announcement on our page as soon as we have official opening dates and updates ready. Since this thread is moving fast, we won't be able to reply to every individual comment here, so definitely keep an eye on our official page for the latest!
In the meantime, if you're curious about what our stores actually make possible, about 87 cents of every dollar goes directly toward funding our local job training programs and career services—with the rest covering general overhead and staff wages."