Give And Receive By Donating Gently Used Items During The Bon-Ton Stores New Holiday Goodwill® Sale

MILWAUKEE, Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Before you head to the mall in search of just the right gifts, dig out those sweaters you no longer wear or your children's outgrown clothing and donate them during the new holiday Goodwill Sale. When you drop them off at any one of Bon-Ton's 273 stores, your donations will benefit Goodwill's job training programs and you will receive a 25 percent off coupon on apparel, footwear and accessories to use toward holiday shopping from December 6­–11, 2012. For each item donated (20 items = 20 coupons), Bon-Ton Stores will provide a discount coupon that can be used at any Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's, Younkers or Parisian stores.

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"People who donate during the Bon-Ton Goodwill Holiday Sale not only get a discount on the gifts they buy for their families and friends, but they can also take pride in knowing that their donations provide job opportunities for people with disabilities and disadvantages in their communities," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "This holiday season take advantage of this unique opportunity to be charitable and save money."

Nearly 3.9 million pounds of clothing and textiles were collected and donated to Goodwill during the fall Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale. The donated goods have an estimated value of $15–$17 million in revenue and support Goodwill's job training programs, career services and other community-based programs for people with disabilities, those who lack education or job experience, and others facing challenges to finding employment.

"We are thrilled to have expanded our commitment to the local communities that we serve by introducing a new Goodwill Sale event in early December. Customer donations of gently used items or clothing will earn them coupons to use throughout the store, benefitting our communities and rewarding our customers at this special time of the year," said Brendan L. Hoffman, president and chief executive officer of The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.

Goodwill provides a broad array of services that help people identify their skills and interests in high-demand fields, including health care, green industries, financial services and technology. In addition to job training and career development programs, Goodwill also provides access to support services, including child care, free tax preparation, financial education, youth mentoring and transportation, among other family and financial strengthening services.

Customers who donate at any of the Bon-Ton Stores during the Goodwill Holiday Sale can also pledge their support for Goodwill's mission by registering their donations on, www.millionactsofgoodwill.com. When individuals register, they will receive a coupon for an additional 25 percent off to use at any Bon-Ton Stores location and will also be able to play the "Closet Clean-Out Giveaway Instant Win Game," for a chance to win a Bon-Ton gift card instantly, and they will be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to have their Bon-Ton Stores credit card paid off, up to $5,000!

ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL

Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with 14 affiliates in 13 other countries. Goodwill is one of America's top 25 most inspirational companies (Forbes, 2012). Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 2,700 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com. Local Goodwill agencies also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2011, more than 4.2 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 82 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services. To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at www.goodwill.org, or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl, or find us on Facebook: GoodwillIntl.

About The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT)

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, PA, and Milwaukee, WI, operates 273 department stores in 24 states in the Northeast, Midwest and Upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers nameplates and, in the Detroit, MI, area, under the Parisian nameplate. These stores include 11 furniture galleries. The stores offer a broad assortment of national and private brand fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics and home furnishings. The Bon-Ton Stores is an active and positive participant in the communities it serves. The Goodwill Sale event is a long-standing charitable partnership the company developed to support and build strong communities. For further information, please visit the investor relations section of the company's web site at http://investors.bonton.com. Facebook.com/bonton Twitter: @bonton

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International