BANGOR – Sluggish sales have prompted Goodwill Industries of Northern New England to eliminate 78 positions in 24 retail stores throughout Maine and New Hampshire, a spokesperson said Thursday.

The number represents 5 percent of Goodwill’s total work force of 1,400, according to Holly Doherty, director of development and community relations.

The layoffs, which occurred over the past week and a half, included truck drivers and workers at the four processing centers where donations are sorted and shipped to other Goodwill stores.

Thirty-two workers had their hours reduced, Doherty said.

People don’t realize that Goodwill is affected by the slow economy just like everyone else, she said.

“They think that when times are tough our sales go up, but they don’t. When sales numbers go down for other department stores and retailers, we fall right in line with them,” she said.

Doherty was unable to provide information on the number of layoffs at each store.

But she said the majority of the lost jobs were part time and that full-time employees who were laid off had been with the company for only a short time.

Laid-off workers were provided with support services including unlimited access to a full range of job search tools, Doherty said in a news release.

“We are implementing a strong action plan that will result in cost-cutting initiatives while building efficiency in every aspect of our operation,” she said.

“We are confident that we can return to our previous track record of consistently generating a positive bottom line.”

All retail stores will remain open and store hours will remain the same, she said.

Goodwill also offers programs for people with disabilities and mental health issues, including employment and residential services.

Those programs haven’t been affected by the agency’s tight finances, Doherty said.

Like other retail stores trying to weather the economic downturn, Goodwill has had to reinvent itself.

So last January the stores began carrying new, brand-name clothing at an 80 percent discount.

Mixing donated clothing with merchandise from Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein “attracts a different sort of customer,” Doherty said.

“We want people to not just think of us as a hand-me-down store. Especially with the Christmas season coming up, we’re hoping to change people’s perceptions and have them think of us as a destination for shopping and a place for presents,” she said.

Still, for more than 65 years Goodwill has been known as a place to stretch a dollar.

“We need our customers more than ever,” Doherty said.

“We need to encourage people to donate goods when they clean out their closets and to shop at our retail stores where the merchandise is clean and trendy.”

Goodwill’s retail store fall hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.