Bon-Ton's Goodwill Sale Event Collects More Than Five Million Items

MILWAUKEE, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Customers and associates of The
Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. donated approximately 5.2 million gently used clothing
and home textile items during its semi-annual Goodwill(R) Sale event, which
was held September 16 - 30. The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., comprised of Bon-Ton,
Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's,
Younkers and Parisian stores, received donations at its 279 stores. Goodwill
will sell the donations in the communities where they were collected, and the
revenues will go to support job training to assist individuals in achieving
economic stability.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090716/DC47803LOGO)

Goodwill expects the donations to generate $12- $15 million in revenues.
Eighty-four percent of Goodwill's revenues are directed into employment
placement services and other supportive services for people who have
disabilities, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges.

"The Goodwill Sale is a great benefit to our customers and our communities,"
said Bud Bergren, president and CEO, The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. "We want to
thank everyone who donated this season. The Goodwill Sale exemplifies our
commitment to the communities in which we operate."

"Partnerships such as the Goodwill Sale engage people in a way that helps
Goodwill expand and enhance its career programs in the community, " said Jim
Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "We are
grateful that Bon-Ton holds this event each season to help individuals in
local communities become self-sufficient."

ABOUT BON-TON STORES, INC.

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. operates 279 stores, including 12 furniture
galleries, in 23 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under
the Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman,
Herberger's and Younkers nameplates and, under the Parisian nameplate, stores
in the Detroit, MI area. The stores offer a broad assortment of brand-name
fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as
cosmetics and home furnishings. The Goodwill Sale event is just one of the
ongoing charitable partnerships that the company has developed on a local
level. Look for more exciting cause-marketing promotions as Bon-Ton continues
to be an active and positive participant in the communities that it serves.
In addition to offering customers a great shopping experience, The Bon-Ton
Stores, Inc. also supports its communities by promoting and raising money and
awareness for non-profit organizations. Through these partnerships, Bon-Ton
touches customers in all of its communities as well as their friends and
family members who benefit from these organizations. Visit www.bonton.com for
more information.

ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL

Goodwill(R) generates opportunities for people to achieve economic stability
and build strong families and vibrant communities by offering job training,
employment placement services and other community-based programs for people
who have disabilities, lack education or job experience, or face employment
challenges. One of North America's most recognized nonprofit organizations and
a leading social services enterprise, Goodwill Industries International is a
network of 183 community-based, independent agencies in the United States,
Canada, and 13 other countries. To pay for its programs, Goodwill sells
donated clothes and other household items in more than 2,300 retail stores and
online at www.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 2008, 1.5 million people in
the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services and
more than 172,000 obtained job placement services. Goodwill channels 84
percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services. To find your
local Goodwill, use the online locator at www.goodwill.org or call (800)
664-6577.

CONTACT: Lauren Lawson of Goodwill Industries International, Inc.,
+1-240-333-5266, Lauren.Lawson@goodwill.org or Christine Hojnacki of Bon-Ton,
+1-414-347-5329, Christine.hojnacki@bonton.com

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International, Inc.

Lauren Lawson of Goodwill Industries International, Inc., +1-240-333-5266,
Lauren.Lawson@goodwill.org or Christine Hojnacki of Bon-Ton, +1-414-347-5329,
Christine.hojnacki@bonton.com