OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — It was around 11:15 a.m. on a Monday when Kristi Hill dropped off some items at the Goodwill of 84th and Center. It was a carload of things that included her parent's old glassware.
"While I was standing by my car I heard a crashing sound, like glass breaking. And so I stepped into the garage entryway through the drive-thru and I addressed the gentleman," said Hill.
The employee didn't answer her so she called the store manager to report it on her way home.
"It was a lot of family dinners and holidays used with those glasses. I wanted somebody else to make memories with those glasses and when this occurred, it was just very sad," said Hill.
Goodwill agrees and told us they don't want something like this to happen again.
"It's an opportunity for us to retrain that employee, not in a punitive way, but for him to be better at his job with Goodwill," said Tobi Mathouser, CEO and president of Goodwill Omaha.
Goodwill is a second-chance employer, meaning they give people jobs who may struggle to find one at other places. After learning this, Hill said she has some grace for the employee and hopes something positive can come from it.
"I really want this to be an opportunity for a learning experience," said Hill.
When donating valuable items, Goodwill recommends organizing them in a box accordingly.
"It's even more helpful if a customer can wrap those items but in this case, the customer did the right thing by pointing out to our donation door attendant that they are fragile items," said Mathouser.
Once donations are taken, they are sorted: clothing in one area, home goods and furniture in another.
Workers at this Goodwill alone have taken items from over 25,000 vehicles so far this year. Goodwill said accidents are bound to happen.
"We try to treat every donation very carefully. They're valuable to us, we appreciate our donors, we appreciate our customers," said Mathouser.
Goodwill has retrained the employee involved and reached out to Hill to apologize.
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