Oxfam: BOGOF on some books online

Ianna

Oxfam is having a BOGOF on some fiction books, see here for details. Don't forget quidco at 10%! Delivery is free although they ask for a voluntary donation.

Great deal, and also a great charity so you get to save money and the world!

lofielectronic

Thanks.

I don't know where they get the pricng in Oxfam though, one book I searched for was £1.499 - a paperback I could get for a third of that in Waterstones.

I remember my local oxfam used to be all paperbacks 99p and I used to go in there quite often and buy several, We have an 'oxfam music and books' here now and I don't even go in due to the high pricing, generally £4-6 per book. Its a shame because as you say, its for a good cause and the books are given free.

Still, top offer if you can find a book for £2.99 on there you want.

silly_sausage_4

I agree with above that charity shops are pricing themselves out of the market... shame really as I used to buy loads of books from CS and then re-send them back but now at £3 to £4 a go makes it more expensive to buy random ones that may or may not read...

fazeypie

I agree, it's better to go to car boots or eBay now. You can even pick up some good books from people on your local freegle group! I'm guessing you could probably buy some titles new online if you shop around for what some charity shops charge for CDs and books. It is a shame, I wonder if it's because people dont donate As many items nowadays because they prefer to sell online?

katybassett

i think oxfam is a joke its pricing is stupidly high especially when its given to them for free!! Would rather get mine from a less greedy charity x

daveybea

well as a charity shop manager (NOT OXFAM) I understand why some shops do put higher prices than the other charity shops...the rents n rates are becoming higher and higher each year...n dont forget the wages,stationary,electric, bags etc...it all has to be paid..charities dont get these for free!! also we have to pay for rubbish (that can't be recycled) to be taken away (biffa bags cost around £4 each). As managers we do get "guide" prices from headquarters and we sometimes "play" with them depending on clientele!
I must admit it does look like oxfam have lots of stationary items to pay for cos there are always leaflets etc which we keep as a minimum!

sarahg1969

I suspect the wages at Oxfam are significantly higher than any of the local charities, which will explain why their prices are sometimes ludicrously high.

Ianna

I used to volunteer at an Oxfam and I can guarantee you workers aren't paid a lot considering the volume of work that they do in a large brand high street store.

Oxfam rely heavily on volunteers who can be problematic. When someone's volunteering they've usually got other commitments, for example they have a main job which has to be their priority or they have children and this can lead to them being unreliable. People don't tend to give up spare time for years, IME they do it for up to one year and then their circumstances change and they can't do it anymore. This means a constant turnover of staff meaning constant staff training and recruiting. When you're not paying staff you often have to put up with a lower standard of work than you can get from someone who you pay because they're tired from their FT job and so on. Don't get me wrong, some volunteers are fabulous but having managed shops myself I would find charity shop managing a lot more stressful because you're monitoring staff far more.

I found this advert for an oxfam shop manager in Lancaster at 9305 for 24 hours. When I looked at private in similar areas the wages were often much much higher and Oxfam seemed mid to low range price wise. I really can't see that they're getting paid more.

We priced our items based on guidelines and other stores. With books we priced them inline with a major second hand book company, bear in mind a lot of the books have been read once or never! We might be given the goods for free but we've still got rent and bills to pay just like any other company, and unlike other stores we have to sift through our donations and throw out all the tat (you would not believe the rubbish some people give us!) and all this costs time and money.

I never found Oxfam a greedy company at all, they never trampled on their workers or had unethical dealings like other private companies I've experienced. They did what they needed to do to make money for people in absolutely desperate circumstances.