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Charity shops getting expensive!

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  • I went in one national charity shop which had a rail marked 'Designer' Items included M & S. BHS etc. and expensive.

    I heard 2 workers talking saying they were following Head Office instructions, they had been given a full list of what was considered 'Designer' but were not happy with the policy.

    I notice now the 'Designer' rail has gone.
    If you go down to the woods today you better not go alone.
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 34,579
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    The prices at my local charity shops are mixed but they have been going up for years. I work on a high street with 5 second hand shops and when they get something new in it's often priced at £5 or more even if it's primark. Because they don't sell much at these prices all of them have a pound rail or 50p rail which is where I end up getting all my clothes. One of them has 1.99 per item or 10 items for £10 on all clothes in store. I still get some really good bargins, my favourite book is Good Omens and I got a first edition hardback for £10 in one of the charity shops.
    That's a really short-sighted policy. :(

    I doubt that anybody is going to buy a Primark item for £5 - fooled by the 'Atmosphere' or 'CedarWood State' label - when it probably only cost £10 to start with.

    They'd be better putting it straight on the £1 rail.
    I think these £1 rails bring people into the shop and they may just find something a bit more expensive that they want to buy - which is a bonus for the charity.
  • Only 3 out of the 5 second hand shops on the high street near me are charity shops the other 2 are second hand shops, they look identical, get all the stock from donations and are staffed by volunteers but the money goes to the owners.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,077
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    The trouble is, most of the big "chain" charity shops are bound by national pricing policies which can't be varied by local managers. The prices are set at national level and that's that - for example, a top has to be £3.99 or it doesn't go out onto the floor at all, even if it only cost £2 to start with! Some of them have "outlet" shops where everything is £1, £2 or £3, which is much more reasonable, but there aren't any anywhere near us.

    That is interesting to know.

    I no longer shop in charity shops, but prefer to shop in the sales. For example, you can get nice t-shirts in Milletts at the moment for just £5

    https://www.millets.co.uk/womens/womens-clothing/shirts-t-shirts/osa:view-sale-items/

    It makes no sense to pay £3.99 for a used top when you can get a quality brand new one for not much more.
  • Prinzessilein
    Prinzessilein Posts: 3,257
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    Having lost a fair bit of weight, I have had a few items of clothing to dispose of...I chose to donate many of them to a local charity shop.

    We have a fair number of charity shops in this area. One of them has recently been taken under new management - many of the volunteer staff have been told their services are no longer needed, a dynamic new manageress (on a full salary) has been drafted in, the place will now be staffed by unemployed people on 'placement' (and some of them are downright grumpy about it!), the place has been 'refurbished' and prices are going up.

    The place I choose to donate to is different....lovely friendly staff who actually chat to the customers. Prices are set at a reasonable level - just low enough so that you still feel you are getting a bargain!...the manageress even arranged free home delivery to an older woman who bought a dining table....The stuff I donate never seems to stay on the racks for very long...in fact my old fleecy dressing gown never made it that far! (The staff knew someone was looking for an extra large gown for winter nights and let her know when one came in)....This shop is visited by quite a few people on reduced incomes (we are most assuredly not an 'upmarket' town - no designer labels here!) and some of them are definitely feeling priced-out of other charity shops. (Another reason I donate here...I like to know that my old clothing is going to someone who will appreciate them!)

    My main gripe price-wise is with books. I collect books, and used to trawl the charity shops , and picked up some absolute 'steals' for my shelf. (I collect School Stories, Guide Stories and Evangelical fiction for Children - Sunday School Reward type of thing)....Some years ago I could almost guarantee I would not leave empty handed...these days I am lucky if I find a tatty paperback reprint. Someone who worked for a major charity shop told me that they were told to put all 'likely' books to one side, not on the shelf....and an expert would come and cream of the books worth more than a few pennies and they would be sold on to specialist shops. ...I accept that this means the charity gets a higher profit, but it makes collecting for an impoverished amateur much more difficult - and MUCH less fun! (It was a real thrill to go in and rifle through the book box in the hope of finding something good!)
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 34,579
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    Having lost a fair bit of weight, I have had a few items of clothing to dispose of...I chose to donate many of them to a local charity shop.

    We have a fair number of charity shops in this area. One of them has recently been taken under new management - many of the volunteer staff have been told their services are no longer needed, a dynamic new manageress (on a full salary) has been drafted in, the place will now be staffed by unemployed people on 'placement' (and some of them are downright grumpy about it!), the place has been 'refurbished' and prices are going up.

    The place I choose to donate to is different....lovely friendly staff who actually chat to the customers. Prices are set at a reasonable level - just low enough so that you still feel you are getting a bargain!...the manageress even arranged free home delivery to an older woman who bought a dining table....The stuff I donate never seems to stay on the racks for very long...in fact my old fleecy dressing gown never made it that far! (The staff knew someone was looking for an extra large gown for winter nights and let her know when one came in)....This shop is visited by quite a few people on reduced incomes (we are most assuredly not an 'upmarket' town - no designer labels here!) and some of them are definitely feeling priced-out of other charity shops. (Another reason I donate here...I like to know that my old clothing is going to someone who will appreciate them!)

    My main gripe price-wise is with books. I collect books, and used to trawl the charity shops , and picked up some absolute 'steals' for my shelf. (I collect School Stories, Guide Stories and Evangelical fiction for Children - Sunday School Reward type of thing)....Some years ago I could almost guarantee I would not leave empty handed...these days I am lucky if I find a tatty paperback reprint. Someone who worked for a major charity shop told me that they were told to put all 'likely' books to one side, not on the shelf....and an expert would come and cream of the books worth more than a few pennies and they would be sold on to specialist shops. ...I accept that this means the charity gets a higher profit, but it makes collecting for an impoverished amateur much more difficult - and MUCH less fun! (It was a real thrill to go in and rifle through the book box in the hope of finding something good!)
    The bit in bold is common in our area.
    2 charity shops that underwent refurbishment have now closed.

    Now, why would that be, one might wonder?
    Because you put the soddin' prices up, of course!
    Not a good use of charity funds.

    OK, stepping down from my soapbox :D - anyone reading this thread who doesn't already post on the 'charity shop bargains' thread, come on over & join us. :)
  • lessonlearned
    lessonlearned Posts: 13,337
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    edited 16 July 2017 at 1:32PM
    I used to volunteer for a charity shop which was part of a chain.

    The charging policy set by head office. The shop was in an area which simply could not stand London prices.

    The manager used to have several run ins with head office over the pricing policy but her hands were tied. They had an area manager who used to do random spot checks......

    Oddly enough when we had half price sales the rails were cleared within days.....:rotfl:

    As for books....why turn them away. Just slash the prices and get rid.

    Better to sell 4 For £1 than have them marked at 1.50 or even higher and have them sit there indefinitely.

    The other thing that really used to get me is that only "perfect" stuff could be sold.

    Why not have a 50p rail for items that need a minor repair. Yes they get rag money but the charity would make more from the 50p rail than the rag man.

    The other thing that people might not be aware of is that the council charge commercial waste rates for rubbish collection, no discounts for chazzers.

    Every time the chazza chucks stuff away they pay for waste disposal. So why not display slightly damaged bric a brac etc at bargain basement prices and get something.

    A few years ago I picked up a beautiful Denby vase at a school fete for 10p. It had a small chip out Of the lip. It still held water ok, I just turned the damaged side to the wall so no one ever saw it was not perfect. . It looked lovely. Surely it's Better to get 10p or 20p for a slightly damaged item than the shop have to pay for its disposal.

    Some of them seem to have no business acumen whatsoever.....

    Ps books.....the chazzers do get "pulp" money for the books that are too damaged to sell but it's not much. One local independent charity shop I know had a load of quite tatty books. They decided to sell the big fat paperbacks for 5p and the big hardbacks for 10p.

    They were snaffled up by people who had wood burning stoves.
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 34,579
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    Sadly (for the recipients of the charity funds), I fear we're preaching to the converted, LL.

    But if we can see it, why can't the charities themselves?

    On the subject of slightly damaged items, I tried a maxi dress on but noticed it had frayed at the side hem almost at the bottom.
    I pointed it out to the staff who immediately said they couldn't sell it.

    As I would have needed to take it up (I'm small) & that bit would have been cut off, I was prepared to buy it.
    I asked what they would do with it & they said it would go for rags.
    I suggested they threw it on the floor & I'd pick it up and donate £1.
    It took the assistant a while to catch on but in the end, we were both happy.
  • lessonlearned
    lessonlearned Posts: 13,337
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    edited 16 July 2017 at 1:45PM
    Great story Polly. Well done on your quick thinking.

    Yeah the items I'm talking about are say a button missing....(there is often a spare one anyway) or a broken zip or a hem that's come down. Silly little repairs that take no time to fix.

    One day we took in a stunning pale pink silk dress - turned out to be a famous designer one, whose name escapes me. It had a tiny mark. We couldn't sell it so I gave them a donation. I gave it to my niece who wore it to her school prom. She was ecstatic. No one spotted the little mark.

    Similarly a pretty little Laura Ashley sun dress, perfect except for one shoulder strap had come unstictched. It took me a couple of minutes to sew it up. She loved that dress.

    Another time a pair of riding jodhpurs......again just a few stitches on a seam. Jodhpurs don't come cheap, again my niece was thrilled.

    These were all destined for the rag bag had I not rescued them. Such a waste. I'm sure plenty of people would have been happy to pay £1 for them.
  • I usually pop into the charity shops when I go in to town and last week the BHF shop which is usually very expensive had lots of items in a 'sale' at half price, the original price being crossed out with a very large cross on the label. If they'd started at that price I feel there would have been no need for the sale!!!
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