First, I'm asked which store I shop the most. My primary store is Simpsonville because of convenience. It is the closest to my house so I can swing by there a couple times a week with no problem. I also frequent the Woodruff Road store in Five Forks and like the Anderson (Clemson Blvd), Seneca, and Greenville (Pleasantburg Dr) stores, too. All the stores in the Upstate are grouped together as a region and run by the same management. Any sales or discounts will be the same at all locations within the Upstate South Carolina region.
While everything at Goodwill is priced well under full price, they also run sales that can save you even more. As items are donated they are sorted and tagged with a specific color. The color changes every week and there are five colors in rotation. The oldest merchandise is then put on sale as the “color of the week” to help make room for new products. For example, all items put out this week will be tagged yellow and in five weeks those items will go on sale. Textiles tagged with the color of the week are half off Monday through Wednesday, $1.00 Thursday through Saturday, and only 50c on Sunday. That being said, if you see something you really like, chances are someone else does too, so it's better to grab it when you see it instead of waiting for it to go on sale!
In my experience the stores are usually pretty organized. Learning the layout of your primary store will help maximize your shopping time and keep your trips short. At my store all the Target goods are on shelves towards the front. If you didn't already know, Goodwill buys Target and Walmart clearance items at bulk prices and resells them at a fraction of the price. I've found everything from lamps and throw pillows to kitchen sponges and clothes. I always check this section first, before walking the clothing aisles looking for Target tags hanging.
Next, I look through the furniture. I've found some great deals on chairs, plant stands, coffee tables, and more. A lot of these pieces are perfect to rehab! Finally, I look through the housewares for any pots or planters for Sprouts with Clout. With a trained eye you could check the whole store in less than five minutes, it just takes practice!