North Kent Connect - Rockford, Michigan

Hey B.

very helpful to those in need. Discount food and clothing and a free pantry for people that need help getting food. good selection of foods including milk eggs cheeses and frozen foods too. and some unique one of a kind things that are otherwise very expensive such as my Bragg organic dressing and marinade with apple cider vinegar that i now buy after trying. it’s an oil free dressing that tastes as good as oil and vinegar without the oil! very friendly staff and once you are a client they can give you referrals to other local pantries

Megan L.

Absolutely love the customer service in this store and can find practically anything for very amazing prices! Just went with a friend today and had a blast in this amazing store!

Right O. T.

Fantastic prices, and the customer service has always been top-notch. They just started opening up on Saturday too, with hours similar to during the week (I think?) 9am-5pm or so. Not sure if that's just for the summer though, but it sure is about time - any retail store should always have weekend hours.

Louise C.

Very nice, clean and good quality resale items.

Bill A.

Beautiful big, clean, well-lit thrift store with well-priced clothes and housewares. Separate area with local food. The prices are so affordable and the staff people are so helpful and nice.

Bea L.

Was looking for DVD’s and books. I kept hearing how nice this place was so decided to give it a try. Guys if you haven’t been yet GO. Nice stuff, clean, friendly staff, and the prices beat anywhere else we’ve been. I will start donating here instead of that “other” place. 👍🏼👍🏼

Corinne K.

Extremely clean thrift store! I was happy with the prices compared to other shops. The changing rooms could use a few more hooks, though.

Luc R.

After becoming disillusioned with how Goodwill performs their business months ago, I decided it would be better to donate items I no longer need to a local, non-national thrift store like North Kent Connect.

I never find anything to purchase here, but have donated some small items a handful of times to NKC prior to today, but after today's experience, I will not be donating to them any more, and would encourage people to avoid coming here.

I helped a retired couple clean their home out and they asked if I would donate a large amount of items for them today, so I took some stuff I had to donate as well and I drove to NKC and upon pulling up to the donation door and grabbing a cart to wheel back to my van, a young blonde female employee with thick black glasses and AirPods in her ear emerged from the back door. It was hard not to notice the already angry look on her face and very aggressive body language.

My fiance filled the first shopping cart load and brought it to the door. She set it near the door and said the employee pushed the cart away like she was frustrated it was not in the correct spot. I rolled a small exercise trampoline over to the door where she again approached angry and stated "We don't take that kind of stuff" in a very condescending and angry way. I understand thrift stores have certain things they can't take or stock, but why the attitude, just politely tell me you can't accept it - she implied it was MY responsibility to know their inventory!

I filled a second cart full and pushed it to the door again, and she came and took that inside. I also had a knife block with sharp knives separated to prevent harm to an employee (her) were it to not be noticed. I waited by the door by the reject donation bin for her to come back out, and a hand made ceramic bowl in the bin caught my eye. I handed her the knife block and she went back in, before I could even touch the bowl she came back out and said, again, in an angry, condescending tone "Whaaaaat do you want in our trash bin?!"

Finally tiring of her arrogance and attitude - I asked if this was the trash/old items or rejected donations bin, and if it's just going to the landfill, what's the issue in me looking. She immediately gets another employee to come out, who threatens me that I can't take items from the bin (I didn't), and that they have signs up that say people aren't allowed to do so. They have a gate and close it after hours, so I understand they don't want people trespassing, and jumping in the bin would be a personal injury liability which is understandable.

BUT that's not what was happening. I was here DONATING dozens of items, DURING business hours, in open view of an employee, and the bin was completely stacked full so the bowl was sitting at the top where it was obvious and reachable - no "dumpster diving" necessary. I wasn’t there with gloves, work boots and a trailer to load, I was DONATING. I’m not a homeless vagrant that would break his neck drunkenly rummaging in the bin at 2AM. I was DONATING. It's broad daylight, the gate and the business is open.

Being given attitude for my presence while donating, being chastised because the employee wants me to know how to do HER job, and and threatened when I'm curious about something that they have admittedly already deemed trash is one bad experience too many for me.

Frankly speaking our donations pay these two employee’s paychecks, and keep the entire business running. It would have been far easier for me to just throw everything in my apartment dumpster and save myself the trip. North Kent Connect claims to be a Christian organization, but given that their employees besmirch you for donating your items, it makes sense that they would threaten you for even attempting to take their's (read: their trash).

I suspect the owners are like Goodwill, they operate on donations for free inventory, write off a lot of their overhead on their taxes, and reap most of the profits for themselves.

Either way, won't be donating or coming back. Goodwill without the variety or volume, & more attitude.