Charity Shop Shopping

amarillo_2004 · 23 April 2005 at 8:23AM

Can anyone tell me where I'm going wrong?

I need (by next week!) a suit for a job interview & I'm disinclined to buy it new. Can't afford to spend £100s on the off chance I might get a better paying job.

I also need (by August) something pretty, sexy and appropriate to wear for a friends wedding. The cost of the gift, travel, hotel, etc etc means I'm going to struggle to buy that outfit new too.

So I thought I was being clever going round charity shops. Yesterday I must have been into about 10 different ones. The clothes were of the ASDA / New Look / Bewise variety. Cheap tat, badly made, with sweatshop labour. Suit tops didn't have suit bottoms. A lot was very worn or otherwise less-good than what currrently sits in my wardrobe. And it was a depressing day.

But when you read magazines people are always going on about what a great source of unusual / well made / cheap clothes ther charity shops are. Plus you get to feel good about a) saving yourself money and b) helping a good cause. Is this "true" in the same magazine sense of "true" that all photographed celebrities have great skin? Or is it really "true"?

I'm asking: should I give up & break out the credit card?

swampytiggaa · 23 April 2005 at 8:30AM

depends where you are looking to be honest - the town i live in is quite affluent - so the charity shops are pretty good

and in the summer if i take a trip to stratford on avon i always pop into the charity shops cos they even have designer gear in there!

so it might be worth a trip out of town to get something....... I got a virtually new jaeger suit for my graduation for £40 from a charity shop

megasaver · 23 April 2005 at 8:52AM

What Swappytigga says is true, try going to charity shops in more affluent areas. Unfortunately people now don't donate their used clothing like they did, they sell it on Ebay or at car boot sales.

Don't despair how about

1 Could you try and borrow that suit from a friend just to tied you over the interview?

2 Go and have a look in the charity shops today - you would be amazed at the different stuff they put out on a saturday or if you know of any that are open on a Sunday - go then. People often had have a clear out during the week drop off their stuff at the shops on a Saturday..... Some of my best finds have been when the staff have just been putting out the latest stuff.

3 Go to charity shops in more affluent areas

4 look on Ebay

5 For your interview try buying a new jacket from somewhere like Asda - and mixing it with trousers and a top that you already have. The important thing is that you feel confident from the waist up - which is what the interviewers will mostly see anyway

6 Go to a car boot sale!

Have loads more tips, but won't bore you with them just yet. Good luck!

amarillo_2004 · 23 April 2005 at 8:59AM

Both of you, thank you!

Go again. Will do. Am a bit more inspired again than I was when I posted. (Should drink coffee before messaging in future...)

Go somewhere posh: can do! We have some v. swish suburbs and it's a lovely day for a stroll. (But I bet the delis call to me & I end up spending a small fortune on bread & olives you can't get round here. :rolleyes: )

If needed go to ASDA. Hmm. They are SO cheap I do worry about the working conditions of the women who created the clothes. Does any one know whether there is an association between paying more in England and better wages for the workers? Or does paying more mean I'm just giving shops higher profits without actually benefitting people down the chain?

If needed borrow something to wear - that is BRILLIANT!!! But perhaps slightly humiliating. Need to think if I've got the brass neck.

Again - thank you!

squeaky · 23 April 2005 at 9:04AM

amarillo_2004 wrote:

Does any one know whether there is an association between paying more in England and better wages for the workers? Or does paying more mean I'm just giving shops higher profits without actually benefitting people down the chain?

The Co-op have some Fair-Deal trading goods - but I don't know if clothes are one of them. Usually they have saign saying something like "This is Fair Trade coffee"

Allexie · 23 April 2005 at 9:08AM

Agree totally with swampy and mega....

I think you have to approach charity-shop shopping in a slightly different way to proper-shop shopping! You can't just go out one day and say 'I'm going to buy a suit today'...you have to keep popping in regularly and buy when you see. I always keep a charity-shop kitty purse (only £10 - the c-shops here are dead cheap!) for those impulse buys that I know will come in handy eventually.

Not much help for you at the moment...but good luck in your search today and for the interview

P.S. Got a BNWT Per Una skirt from a hospice charity shop yesterday. Price tag showed £39.95...I paid £2.50

furrypig · 23 April 2005 at 9:09AM

Amarillo_2004 I had to go to a charity ball event last summer. I looked everywhere for a dress that I liked in a colour that suited me and a flattering style. I tried everywhere form charity shops, ebay, T K Maxx , Monsoon etc etc but in the end borrowed one in a colour that wasn't the best on me (I don't do black!) but was a good fit and I had accessories to go with it. It would have cost me well over £100 new perhaps more and I have another ball dress hanging in my wardrobe that I bought new wore once and doesn't fit me!! So I borrowed one which meant I could afford to go to the ball and not worry about all the costs and I gave it ack to my sister in law so could borrow it again if I ever get invited to a posh event again (some chance!!)

Good luck and I am sure you will find something, somewhere.

badgermonkey · 23 April 2005 at 10:53AM

To get the best from charity shops you do have to go all the time - my favourite one is on my way home and a couple of times a week I go past while it's still open and have a look in. Often I'm looking through stuff I've already seen but sometimes I get some great things - gorgeous Per Una jeans that fit perfectly for £3.75 and an Antoni + Alison t-shirt (more than £20 in Debenhams!) for £1.50. There is a lot of crap but you need to suss out which are the best ones. I'm waiting for it to get warm enough to wear my £4.50 French Connection summer skirt AND t-shirt outfit I found last month.

katiepops_2 · 23 April 2005 at 11:50AM

Try Matalan - they have some really nice stuff in there and the prices are really reasonable, and it's the first place I head for when I need new clothes for the kids or for Colin (but not for me, cos I'm a big girl and their stuff doesn't fit!).

Kate

Penny-Pincher!! · 23 April 2005 at 12:39PM

Hi Amarillo

I would suggest going to a couple of Car Boot Sales 2morrow.

Im quite snobby when it comes to clothes shopping, especially for the "special occasion". I dont get out much being disabled, but when I do get to a Bootsale I love looking for the designer suits/dresses etc.

Got a lovely cut trouser suit by Jaegar for £4.00 4 weeks ago :eek: Worn once, so im sure your find something. Ask your mates also and im sure your come up with something.

Good Luck with the interview and finding something to wear.

Penny-Pincher!!
xx

nicki_2 · 23 April 2005 at 2:20PM

I buy alot of my families clothes from Asda and their quality is great. In their magazine a few months back I remember a letter from a girl who's dad owned a motorcycle. One day he was out on the bike when he had an accident, his leather jacket was damaged and so was the bike, but his George jeans were still intact and undamaged. I don't think that many companies can say that

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Charity Shop Shopping

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