CHARLOTTE, N.C (WCNC). -- If you are in the throes of back to school shopping, we've got a suggestion to help save you money. Goodwill Industries has opened up an electronics and technology store in Charlotte, and it's the first of its kind in the country.
The snazzy logo called The Grid understates the good deals you'll find inside Goodwill's very first all electronics store. Kaylen Boller was shopping TV's, although his purchase today was just a set of speakers, but cheap, just $7.99.
Kaylen told us, "Back to school, yes, because I go to college and I need this for my dorm room."
The Grid can undercut most big box stores that specialize in selling computers and TV's; in fact you'll save anywhere from 15 to 65 percent. The caveat here is that most everything is refurbished. Laptops are under $300, some under $200 -- same with the desktops, all with plenty of hard drive and RAM for the basics.
"We have several generations of laptops and desktops," the district manager told us, and the "technology is current to what people are doing now."
If you are looking for back to school technology without breaking the back of your budget, this is the place to look. And know that when you spend your dollars here, you are getting a deal and supporting the mission of Goodwill.
"We try to make sure all our pricing is competitive, but it's still cheaper, yet we don't give it away. We reinvest this money back into Goodwill to the tune of 90 cents on the dollar to help support our mission," is what Goodwill told us.
This store is the first of its kind for Goodwill, which touts a working relationship with Microsoft. Its 6,000 square feet of technology and accessories sure to help the community, and your budget.
One important thing to note, All the computer hard drives are wiped clean and updated in a secure area before they are brought out to the floor and then sold. The Grid is located at 9605 North Tryon in the University Area and they're open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
