Wearing it Forward: Goodwill® and the Bon-Ton Stores Encourage Spring Shopping to do Good

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

ROCKVILLE, Md., Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Goodwill and The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT) encourage consumers to think of spring shopping as an early opportunity to do good by "wearing it forward" during the semi-annual Goodwill Sale, which will take place March 7­–22. Before shopping, individuals are urged to donate their used clothing and household textile items at Bon-Ton stores to benefit Goodwill Industries®. Donors will be rewarded with discounts at any of Bon-Ton's 272 stores and furniture galleries. Donations will be sold at Goodwill stores, and the revenues will fund employment placement programs and other community-based services that help people gain dignity and independence through the power of work.

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For each item of clothing or textile donated, shoppers will receive a discount coupon that can be used online or at any Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's, Younkers, and Parisian stores to purchase women's, men's and children's  apparel, shoes, handbags, and more at a 20 percent discount, and cosmetics and fragrances at a 15 percent discount.

Customers who donate during the Goodwill Sale can also take pride in knowing that their donations will help people in their community with disabilities and disadvantages to access job preparation, skills training and community-based services, such as financial education and youth mentoring. Goodwill tailors its job training programs to meet the needs of local employers in high-growth industries. The Goodwill Sale benefits the economy as a whole, both because it encourages consumers to start shopping again and because it provides job training to those who are still out of work.

"Each donation to Goodwill is sold in our stores and the revenues are funneled back into the community to provide job training and placement opportunities for people who face challenges to finding employment," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "The Goodwill Sale enables Goodwill agencies in your area to provide people with a full set of tools they need to support themselves and their families, today and in the future."

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 Closet Clean Out Giveaway Instant Win Game" for a chance to win $25 and $50 gift cards instantly and be entered into the Grand Prize sweepstakes for a $1,000 Shopping Spree.

"We are grateful for the many customers who continually support the Goodwill Sale and help make a positive impact on the lives of people in our communities," said Brendan L. Hoffman, president and chief executive officer of The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. "Our nearly 18-year successful partnership with Goodwill 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). 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 2,600 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 2011, nearly three 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. Facebook: GoodwillIntl Twitter: @GoodwillIntl

About The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.:
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates 272 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, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers nameplates and, in the Detroit, Michigan 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 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: @thebonton

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International