What is your charity shop bargain of the week?

happydays89

For me the price is very important,a lot of charity shops here are too expensive,I don't bother going in the Red Cross or heart foundation or Banardos.The charity shops here that are always full of people are the ones that sell clothes at 50p or a £1,books 25p each,and bric a brac priced cheaply.I think if you are receiving the stock for free then price it to sell quickly,a lot of charity shops have the same stock sat there for months because it is too dear.

Swampmonster

Hi shereen.
Just remembered that our local hospice shop has a Facebook page where they advertise their half price and pound sales. It must work as there are huge queues before they open when they do this.

Another thing I've seen done that is useful is a 'new in' rail useful for regular lunch hour shoppers who need to be quick.

I have found it doesn't matter too much about keeping clothes seasonal as you can layer up or down but find having shoes/boots for the correct season is a must as I found out this morning when freezing cold and hunting for boots only to find flip flops and sandals.

Good luck. Wish I lived nearer so I could come to your shop xx

ailz95

We bought an Andrew Martin stainless steel juicer for £7, it doesn't look like it's been used. Now if I can just find a handbook, I'll be all set - though I can probably work it out, it doesn't look particularly complicated

mandragora_2

Size and type of clothing, not colour - yup.
Watch out for the stale smell you sometimes get in CS's - it puts me off as it pervades everything (sadly, I now don't go into the local dig rescue charity shop due to the two elederly, smelly dogs that belong to one of the volunteers and which seem to live in there permanently). Many do this better than others - to do with careful checking of stock and fast turnover I imagine.
Nice changing rooms, well lit, with no risk factors involving curtains coming open, and a good size mirror.
And, for me, well, I love bric a brac - always convinced I'm going to find a bargain (this part of the shop is always busy with customers, too!). I don't like it when CS's have out brand new goods in this area, because if I wanted new, full price, I'd go to a regular retailer for that - I always wonder about the value/quality of these items, and it's not a reason I'd go in in the first place. That might be just me, I realise.

Happy, smiley, confident, well-organised staff who make me feel welcome are rarer than you might anticipate.

Good luck - I hope it goes well!

Pollycat

Ballymackeonan wrote: »

Other peeves - above all some (few) shops where there is nowhere to try on!

mandragora wrote: »

Nice changing rooms, well lit, with no risk factors involving curtains coming open, and a good size mirror.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

It's all very well saying 'Oh, but you can bring it back and have a credit note - or even a full refund - but not everybody wants to buy something, take it home to find out it doesn't fit or looks hideous and have to trail back to the shop.

Bizarrely, one of our local charity shops has just blocked off the changing room with a massive bank of book shelves!

Whatever for?
Probably an idea by one of the over-paid area managers.
I'm betting it will be a short-lived change.

Shereen
Good luck with your day, let us know how you got on.

Chris25

Nor from the CS but market. A chap sells stuff out of boxes - any item 30p or 'fill a bag for £1'.

I got -
1 china Aynsley plate & 1 matching saucer - don't know what the design is but it has fat pink roses around the rims

1 china Copeland Spode triangular shaped saucer with flower springs around the rim - has a tiny chip on the rim but still lovely to me

6 Woods earthenware small bowls in a black & white design

12 very small porcelain bowls with forget me not sprigs around rim

1 china saucer with a mark that looks like 'Bistro' and is also stamped Manufactured For Harrods Ltd London. This design has sprigs of roses and garlands of green ribbon around it - another chipped one but very sweet

2 china Noritake saucers - eau-de-nil with a gold rim & a black and a beige rose on one side. They're not my taste & have been passed on to someone else but the chap selling them handed them to me as he saw me picking up the other saucers & I felt it was rude not to take them, after thanking him effusively

& 6 copies of a 'home' magazine plus 1 Christmas special magazine

I can't believe I got the lot for £1!

toozie_2

Shereen wrote: »

A question for the charity shop shopping MSE-ers:

What do you look for that makes you want to shop in a charity shop? Things on sale, layout, pricing?

And equally, what don't you like to see?

I'm asking because I've joined a work team which is taking part in the Marie Curie shop challenge on 9th October. We will be taking over a Marie Curie shop in Belfast and trying to sell as much stock as we can to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

We're collecting stock like crazy and have loads of clothes, books, games, DVDs, household goods and more. Now we just have to figure out how to make the most of them.

So, with your help, I'd like to make our shop as attractive to customers as possible.

Thank-you

Hi
My friend is a manger of a local charity shop-which has always been out on a limb compared with other local CS because their motto is get it in fast and out just as quick.
Because there is a high turn over there is always new stuff to look at, I only go in twice a week, but I'm sure if I went daily I'd always find new stuff.
Clothes prices are around £1 to £3.
Plastic boxes on the floor labeled £1 or 50p etc, with scarves, hats, strappy tops, purses, make-up bags etc.
This CS is also a bit of a community hub, elderly or disabled local, lonely people pop in for a chat & sit down and of course donate & buy whilst they are there.
Obviously there may be a H&S issue in your shop for this type of thing.

Rails are organised in for example men's coats/jackets-size order. Same for ladies
Same for nightwear
tops size order
trousers size order etc.

At the moment she has a summer sale rail outside mostly full of £1 & 50p T shirts, and a box of £1 sandals & £1 summer handbags.

The bric-a-brac sheves have a range of modern, and retro items, glasses one area, mugs another etc.
The most expensive or collectible things go in the window.
Under these selves there are plastic boxes with £1 or 50p items-such as Tupperware boxes, flasks, place mats etc. The box is labeled-not the item.

Something I have never seen before anywhere else, is the lady mannequin in the widow is dressed in say a T shirt, skirt, shoes, bag & scarf (matching outfit). These items are listed & priced on a plaque next to the dummy, added up, and sometimes the whole outfit inc shoes & bag comes to less than £8 / £10. Obviously depending on the make of the clothes. Shows Joe public how cheap the shop is, especially when closed.
Guaranteed the clothes from the dummy are sold everyday, and they have to start again.

Hope that helps.
Have a great time.

Icey77

My local Oxfam had a baby theme in their window today and I spotted a Gro Anywhere Blind.

I have one already which is fab for when we go away and DD's room doesn't have blackout curtains. Now I have a second one for DS

Even when DD & DS are grown I will keep one for us, utterly brilliant idea and new they are £20-30. I got this one for a fiver

Frith

Shereen, I've thought of some more!


If there are mannequins in the window, some charity shops have the price tags hanging down the back so you can see whether the clothes on the mannequin would fit you. (They write the size on in large figures!)


Also, a comfy chair would be nice.


I like a good tray of rings/earrings etc on the counter. I went to a jewellery making course and everyone there went to charity shops to buy cheap strings of beads to chop up to make new jewellery.

esmy

Shereen, one of the shops I go in always has a great window display, colour coordinated outfits including bags shoes and other accessories that are right for the season.

They also have 'themes' - when the Tour De France came through the town the window was all sportswear in yellows and red white and blue - looked great. They must have a very talented volunteer.

It certainly draws me into the shop (though the display clothing is invariably size 8.....!)