Save on Fall Fashion Trends and Help Your Community During The Bon-Ton Goodwill® Sale

Earn Discounts at Bon-Ton Stores while Supporting Goodwill's Job Training Programs

ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Top designers are heading to New York for Fashion Week, so follow their lead! Head to your local Bon-Ton Stores to stock up on affordable fall fashions – and while you're at it, donate what you no longer need to Goodwill®. The Bon-Ton Store's semi-annual Goodwill Sale takes place September 14 – 28, and when you donate your gently used clothing and textiles at any 275 Bon-Ton Stores locations or furniture galleries you will receive a discount coupon toward new merchandise. Your donations will be sold at Goodwill stores and revenues will fund job training programs and other services in your community that help people earn jobs, be independent and care for their families.  

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Shoppers will receive a discount coupon for each item of clothing or textile they donate. The coupon can be used at any Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's, Younkers or Parisian stores to purchase apparel, shoes and accessories at a 20 percent discount; and cosmetics, fragrances and home store or luggage merchandise at a 15 percent discount.

Those who donate during the Goodwill Sale can take pride in knowing that their Goodwill donations are helping people with disabilities, those who lack education or work experience or others who face challenges to finding employment. Goodwill trains people to work in fields with high demands for skilled workers including healthcare, green industries, financial services and retail. In addition to job training and career development programs, Goodwill offers services that strengthen local communities, such as youth mentoring, financial planning and family strengthening.

"Each donation to Goodwill helps our friends and neighbors, many of whom are still struggling to find work in this difficult economy," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "Our donors, including those who participated in the Goodwill Sale, helped Goodwill agencies serve more than 2.4 million people last year—a 26 percent increase from 2009."

Customers who donate at Bon-Ton Stores during the Goodwill Sale are contributing multiple "Acts of Goodwill." Shoppers may also pledge their support for Goodwill's mission and register their donation on www.millionactsofgoodwill.com to receive a coupon for a 25 percent discount to use at the Bon-Ton Stores. They will also be able to play the "Spin-to-Win" game for a chance to win a $100 gift card instantly and be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance win $1000 shopping spree.

"We are grateful for the many donors who continually support our Goodwill Sale and help people in their communities build their careers with Goodwill's help," said Bud Bergren, president and chief executive officer of The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. "We are very excited about the merchandise assortments for this event and believe our customers will respond enthusiastically.  We are also very pleased with our successful partnership with Goodwill which demonstrates our commitment to being positive participants in the communities we serve."  

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 North America's top five most valuable and recognized nonprofit brands as well as a leading social services enterprise (Source: Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100, 2009). 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 nearly 2,600 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 2010, 2.4 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 84 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) 741-0186. Twitter: @GoodwillIntl

About The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates 275 department stores, which include 11 furniture galleries, in 23 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers nameplates and, in the Detroit, MI, area, under the Parisian nameplate. 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, Inc. is an active and positive participant in the communities it serves. The Goodwill Sale event is 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. Twitter: @thebonton Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Bonton

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International