charity shops

lisyloo

In My Honest/Humble Opinion

BTW (by the way) IANAL (I am not a lawyer)

cattie

One of the things that really annoys me about the high prices at a lot of the charity shops is the fact that sometimes they have so much clothing stock that they put up notices to say they can't accept any more donations. Surely it doesn't take much common sense to realise the cheaper your prices, the quicker your stock turns over & ultimately the higher your returns. Most charity shops are full to bursting with donated items, especially clothing.

A local Cat's Protection League shop sells all clothing for under £1, including a Versace top I bought recently! Books are about 25p each. They do a roaring trade, being well supported by donaters & customers alike & have a very good turnover. I donate all my unwanted stuff to them as I believe in their way of operating. Oh, & because I love cats too.

philc_2

Hi cattie!

Yes, I agree - that's a very good point. I think the idea somebody else will benefit from your donation is one of the main reasons people donate. I mean the benefit for the buyer in addition to the profit for the vendor. It is 'going to some use' rather than getting chucked.

I suppose any such shop is capable of getting overwhelmed at times, however, like you say, I believe they should deal with donations with a view to turning it over as best they can - what else will people do with it? Chuck it or just wonder whether or not to bother next time...

I think big operations like Oxfam etc. will always accept textiles though and then just recycle them if no good - like at their banks at recycling points - not sure though.

Phil

Allexie

We have a hospice here that has its own 'shop' on the premises a couple of times a week...very good prices. Also got a cafe - yummy cakes! You see the same people there all the time so is very lively and friendly. Only realised it existed when a dear friend was in the hospice.

Agent_C

I'd be interested to know people's views on this - near me there are a couple of cheaper charity shops but on a couple of occasions I've seen people there buying large amounts of clothing, all in different sizes and a mix of men's and women's stuff... I am guessing that they are either clothing a whole family... or are buying to sell at a profit, eg on eBay. Today I saw a woman with so much stuff the shop assistant had to find her a bag to put it all in while she went round and got more, and when I had a sneaky look it seemed that she'd picked all the top quality/expensive brand stuff. She didn't try anything on either so looks like she was buying to resell.

What do you think about this? Is it a canny way to make money, or is it ripping off the charity shops that do price their stuff reasonably, as well as denying people (like me!) who couldn't afford to buy the expensive brands it it wasn't for charity shops, the chance of a bargain?

System

Well, Agent C that made me think.... In my opinion I don't think people that maybe buy to sell on are ripping charity off. The charity sells the item for an asking price that they are happy to receive
And they got there before you ......... get there earlier :-* early bird and all that
Fairy :-*

Leothecat

Where I live, we are totally overrun with charity shops. Our town centre is wick, with very few decent shops due to the out of town centres we have dotted around the outskirts. I have heard that another reason for this is that the rates are simply so expensive the the indepentant trader cannot afford to pay them. There is quite a lot of resentment towards the charity shops as their rates are very low. Everyone complains that we don't get many visitors to the town, but why would we when all there is to do is look in charity shops. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that this is the fault of the charity shops, but perhaps the council need to look at their rates system. I personnally love charity shops but you can have too many.

(sorry - this rant is perhaps a little off subject!)

16011996

went out to a town bout 10 miles from me here yesterday, they were selling mills and book at 5 for £5 in one charity shop. barking mad. still can't quite beleive it.

Furniture_man

??? ??? ??? ???

Local Charity Shop advertised in the local paper for furniture, beds,etc etc.

I had a lovely L shaped computer desk which I wanted rid of.

Rang them, offered it to them (for free) thought I was being public spirted.

They said 'not much call for L shaped desks'

I put it for sale in the local rag and it went for £40.

So much for trying to help the poor and needy.

s@sha

Slightly off-topic (but sort of linked): Charity shop bags that are delivered through the letter box for you to fill, then left out for collection.

I don't know if it's just my area, but I seem to go months without a bag being put through, then you get three or four within about 3 weeks. It's really stupid, a total waste of their time, as everyone has put all their stuff in the first bag, and no-one has anything left for the others.

Last year I got in touch withsome of the charities concerned and told them the problem. I suggested that maybe they could all co-ordinate themseves with each other so that they all know who is doing a collection & when, so they don't clash.

Only one charity (British Heart Foundation) even bothered to reply, and said they would "consider my suggestions"...but one year on and nothings changed.

What an absolute waste of time & resources.