Charity shops

LizD_2

Can anyone recommend the best ones? Christchurch ones are pretty small and full of rubbish! Has anyone found any others nearby that seem to get good things? i.e more up to date stuff, decent CDs and books?

Looking in Dorset. Posted on local moneysaving, but no response! :mad: Thought I might find more charity fans here

dorry_2

hi,

i am a charity shop addict, the hospice shops are normally very cheap and help the aged, if their stuff is reduced.

hth

dorry x

cmjohnson_86

Can talk more about them here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=227272

jazzyjustlaw

PDSA Poole High Street can be good. There are a few other good charity shops down there. Winton High Street and of course Bournemouth at the Lansdowne.

ChocClare

Not to offend any dedicated animal lovers, but I've always found cats/dogs homes ones astonishingly better stocked than others for poor old humans!
Cat Rescue in Charminster is jolly good and there's a huge selection in Winton, practically every other shop. Boscombe is a bit of a mecca too. Christchurch is just too full of wrinklies to get rid of any up-to-date stuff, although it's great for vintage. Mind you, having said that, my mum swears by Sue Ryder in Highcliffe, which apparently has the oldest population in England...(Highcliffe, I mean, not Sue Ryder).;)

VickyA_2

Go to the "smarter" towns around you - there's normally a difference in the quality of clothes. The town that I live in is quite "smart" (not me, we're just renting, can't afford to buy here ) and the Oxfam is a haven for me! Decent paperbacks at 99p, good quality clothing worn a handful of times from "named" stores.

I buy alot of basic clothes from Asda and Tesco because once they hit the charity shop, the pricing seems to go a little doo-lally and you end up paying more for a cheap t-shirt form the supermarket! :rolleyes:

Edited to add: Oxfam do a good range of new presents for children.

culpepper

Our best ones are the animal charities too. My kids always used to want their old things to go to the animal charities.
I think it depends very much on the management though as we have a couple of shops where the prices are silly and their excuse is that the item is 'as new' or tell you how much it is in Argos' catalogue but forget that they give no guarantee while you would get a refund or replacement if you bought it from Argos or where-ever.

dolly_day_dream

I am lucky in that we have 19 charity shops in our town. :j There is a huge difference in the prices. I shop in charity shops out of principle and not because of the prices (although to be honest it does help:D ) however I cannot afford to shop in Oxfam even though I would love to. :mad: My daughter works for them and explains that it is their duty to get as much as they can for the charity and I can understand that but feel that they outprice several of us from shopping there.

The animal charities are very good and our one has an excellent choice of books at very reasonable prices. :j The Hospice is lovely I rarely get clothes there that my children will wear but the household goods are fantastic. The Sally Army are one of my favourites and always have a good choice. I know that they send their donations to a central warehouse and then they are shipped out to the different shops as they are needed. That means that you are less likely to see the person who donated your wonderful jacket in the street.:o

Have just got back from town with a haul of a game for my class £1 from Mind; a mini version of Mastermind 50p, a Kookai bag £2.50,a new shirt for next term £2.75 from Sallly Army; 2 more lovely summer blouses £5 and a ball of thick black wool for a display 85p from Arthritus Research. This was a very small load because of the heat. I buy everything I possibly can from charity shops on principle and have never made it a secret. It would be a bit difficult really because on a Saturday morning the town is always buzzing with children I teach with their parents.:D

The way I look at it is this; today I saved many goods from going to the landfill, I saved precious resources from being used to create new items, I did not give my money to the big multinationals, I donated £12.60 to charity and I gained some things as well.

Stratford_Bill

I, too, think that area is important. Stay clear of towns or cities that have a university: anything good in those shops have been snapped up by the students. And I mean ANYTHING. After a hard night out at the student union bar, students sleep late. What do they do when they wake up? The turn on the unlicensed TV. What's on? Bargain Hunt.
Example. One of my sons, when he was a student,was raking about in the loft of the rented house he was living in. He found one of these SAS books there, that one of the previous occupants had left behind. He rang me and asked how could he tell if it was a first edition or not. It was a first. He had also noticed that the author had signed it. He got £12 for it on ebay.