What is your charity-shop weakness?

tiff

scrabbles wrote: »

I have argued this before. I have a hobby business recycling certain damaged and no-longer-useful items and it amazes me, many of the charity shops would rather bin these items than call me and keep them in their stockroom for three hours until I can come and BUY them off them. And I am in a position to repair and renovate certain of this product for them FOR FREE so that they can sell them at top-whack, but apparently it's not worth their while to give me a call, they'd rather pay to bin it.

I'm trying to get a job as a charity shop manager or assistant manager and have written down loads of things that I would do/change if I was manager. I think if area managers knew how much was wasted/thrown away things might be a different story. If it was me I would be calling people like you when we had things that were considered unsaleable.

angeltreats

Espresso cups, especially vintage, are my big weakness. I love them. I have tons.

Also things like baking tins in nice shapes, unusual or pretty china, cooking utensils, other kitchen stuff.

Cookbooks... I have at least 170, probably more now, and at least half must be from charity shops. I'm supposed to be on a cookbook ban but I can't stop, it's like an illness.

About 80% of my clothes. And I've had some gorgeous leather handbags for next to nothing. Can never resist a nice handbag.

BitterAndTwisted

I had NO IDEA that the high street retailer chains were so underhand and disgustingly unfair. Not to mention disgracefully immoral. How dare they? Yet another good reason to boycott the grasping unmentionables. Still, this could mean that there are places worth investigating which aren't on the streets where these vile chains are present. I'm off for a scour....

Actually, this explains why there are two charity shops within walking distance of Finsbury Park tube station where the prices are "traditional" charity-shop ones and there are no national chains for miles. I need to frequent them more often

I_luv_cats

Cat related Ornamental plates / ornaments.

Ornaments that take a fancy too.

Any bargain cd's or dvd's

tiff

I've found Emmaus to be excellent and I know others think the same so thats one to check out. Mine charges 30p for paperback books, they put out any old item, used cookware/pans wouldnt be put out in our shop but Emmaus do, I bought an egg poacher there.

scrabbles_2

thriftwizard wrote: »

I too used to volunteer in a "high street chain" charity shop, and the pricing structure was explained to me thus by the area manager: the big high street stores banded together & lobbied Parliament that the charity shops had an unfair advantage on the high street, as they often (not always) get a reduced rent and/or rates, they don't pay for their stock, and they don't pay for most of their staff. Therefore, they should stop undercutting "real" retailers & conform to "retail standards" or get out of the high street.

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

I had NO IDEA that the high street retailer chains were so underhand and disgustingly unfair. Not to mention disgracefully immoral. How dare they? Yet another good reason to boycott the grasping unmentionables. Still, this could mean that there are places worth investigating which aren't on the streets where these vile chains are present. I'm off for a scour....

Actually, this explains why there are two charity shops within walking distance of Finsbury Park tube station where the prices are "traditional" charity-shop ones and there are no national chains for miles. I need to frequent them more often

I agree, I'm disgusted! Since when did the high street stores get to dictate who and what could sell on the high street?! I was on the phone to my Dad the other day, we were talking about something else but what he said struck a chord and is relevant here:

"Britain these days knows the price of everything and the value of nothing whatsoever"

Yep, sums it up for me.

thriftwizard wrote: »

...There's often someone out in the back researching whether anything they've been given is actually valuable online, and anything that is will go to an auction house rather than be put out for sale in the shop, unless it's of local interest only & likely to fetch a higher price there...

Well, at least one shop I frequent actually has the reverse of this policy - nothing is sold elsewhere, because they don't want to just be a junk shop. Of course, this means that they let the occasional Radley slip through their fingers for next to nothing because they think it's kiddy bag, but it also means that a lot of people scout it regularly, because you can find quality items at a reasonable price. And buy lots of tat that catches your eye while you scout :rotfl: I do happen to know that they are the charity's best-performing branch (it's not a national charity, but it does has a lot of shops nonetheless) so they must be doing something right. I think it's a fine line that they have to tread, and in a way that's what frustrates me - they're focussing on walking the tightrope when there's easier ways to up their income. It's kind of the equivalent of relying on surveys to up your income when you could be getting a second job (as a random example).

meritaten

Books - followed by china and glassware - I dont often buy them but I do have some very nice quality china from the charity shop!
Books as in cookbooks - quite different from my usual browse among the paperbacks! I do have some fave cooks I am on the lookout for - they will turn up eventually!
Books as in kids books - to keep the grandkids entertained if they wake early on a 'sleepover'!
er - I may buy some clothes - but they virtually have to be on the front of the rail and scream buy me as I am heading for the bookshelves!

Linda32

I always have a look at the books, DVD's and video tapes. I pounce on the magazines if I see them, which isn't very oftern. I love magazines and could spend a small fortune on them, which is why I *hardly ever buy them new, otherwise I would spend a small fortune.


*Hardly ever is about once a year.

DianneB

With me it's bowls, mixing bowls, fruit bowls, glass bowls - any type really! Also vintage pyrex and cake stands, then there's the books, for me and grandchildren, toys for the toy box at my house and nice skirts and trousers only posh ones that I couldn't normally afford. I love a bargain, today I brought 2 x 12 packs of cotton hankies for £4 new!! OH insists on using cotton hankies and they are so expensive.

BitterAndTwisted

scrabbles wrote: »

I agree, I'm disgusted! Since when did the high street stores get to dictate who and what could sell on the high street?

Do you know, there's a tiny corner of my heart which wishes dreadful ill-fortune on those particular chains whichever they are. Then all of those rapidly emptying high streets can be filled with proper neighbourhood stores and as many charity-shops as the local authorities can cram in. Who needs ruddy Pr!mark and others of that ilk anyway? Not me, that stuff's mostly tat of the most appalling kind. Some of it wouldn't even make good dish-rags. Grrrrr! I'm so cross.