What is your charity shop bargain of the week?

janb5

Icey77 wrote: »

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

I had never heard of these and googled it so thank you!

fairy3

I love CS's in all their glory - agree with overpricing, smelliness and crammed rails as off putting but do enjoy the thrill...
This week I bought a lovely navy straw hat for a late holiday for £1 - had a tatty band on I so also bought a blue and white spotty silk scarf also £1 to replace it - looks great. Second purchase was two single hand made eiderdowns (with real down stuffing) beautifully made for £4 each - to be used for extra winter warmth. Last purchase was a soft leather handbag with shoulder strap for £10 currently retailing at £69.99 on ebay.
For Shereen - I hope the day is a success and well done - enthusiastic volunteers who are happy to help and have a chat make all the difference too.

F x

Ballymackeonan

Hope all goes well, Shereen!

Once you're established, there is another strategy you could try. In one of our local CSs they give you a discount on the prices if you're a regular donator, or even if you buy regularly or offer another service (I can't volunteer for them, as I'm still working pretty full-time, but they keep potential antiques aside for me to price for them..) They have two volunteers who job-share management and they man the tills with authority to give discounts.

Also, make sure all the volunteers who use the tills know how to operate them... not so much for the running of the shop as to make it easier for whoever does the accounts to tie things up!

kboss2010

Swampmonster wrote: »

Brilliant idea Frith!

I have a pet peeve with one local shop who all credit to them have amazing coordinated window displays but won't sell anything out of the window.

Seems pretty pointless. I was in there one day and a young lad wanted to buy a teddy bear with a heart out of their Valentine's day window display as a present on the day for his girlfriend but they wouldn't sell it till after valentines day when they had changed the window display. They lost a sale that day and it happens in that shop alot so lots of much needed funds lost.

The same shop also never say thank you for donations and quite often scowl like you are putting them out. It's not on. Manners cost nothing.



.

^THIS!! I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets annoyed at shops doing this. What's the point of having, say, a Halloween display and then only selling the items late on/after Halloween when no one wants them?!

I went to the charity shop next to the Card Factory near Harpurhey market in Manchester the other day to drop off a bag of donations on behalf of my Gran. The bloke behind the counter thanked me and wished me a good day. It makes all the difference. Same goes for my local ones. If they overcharge or the staff are rude, I take my donations elsewhere.

I don't mind charities benefitting financially but I also think charity shops are also a service for people who can't afford to pay RRP for many items on the high street. I also want the person buying my items to benefit financially too rather than being ripped off.

Frith

Well, I'm confused by my bargain for today! I got some Uggs but they don't seem to be sheepskin, leather or the sort of knitted ones.


They have the logo but seem synthetic? I've looked at images on the web and there is nothing that looks like mine under the Uggs range!


What do you think?

kboss2010

Frith wrote: »

Well, I'm confused by my bargain for today! I got some Uggs but they don't seem to be sheepskin, leather or the sort of knitted ones.


They have the logo but seem synthetic? I've looked at images on the web and there is nothing that looks like mine under the Uggs range!


What do you think?

Well, I've never owned a pair of UGG boots but I suspect, given that UGG only seem to sell real leather and suede boots, you've been sold a fake if they're made from pleather.

The stitching is also a give-away. It's very obvious around the sole, more like the style of Dr Martens than UGG. If you look at similar style UGGs, the stitching is concealed.

I hope you didn't pay too much for them. They're lovely looking boots but I don't think they're genuine UGGS.

This is what a genuine quilted leather UGG boot looks like:

http://cdnc.lystit.com/photos/2012/10/29/ugg-fawn-connor-quilted-flat-boot-product-1-5097852-362907387_large_flex.jpeg

Frith

Ah, found mine online..... Mine have an Ugg metal logo on the sides but looks like it unclips quite easily!


http://www.amazon.co.uk/WOMENS-LADIES-THICK-QUILTED-WINTER/dp/B00BR1NSV4/ref=sr_1_2?s=shoes&ie=UTF8&qid=1411656107&sr=1-2&keywords=quilted+boot

kboss2010

Frith wrote: »

Ah, found mine online..... Mine have an Ugg metal logo on the sides but looks like it unclips quite easily!


http://www.amazon.co.uk/WOMENS-LADIES-THICK-QUILTED-WINTER/dp/B00BR1NSV4/ref=sr_1_2?s=shoes&ie=UTF8&qid=1411656107&sr=1-2&keywords=quilted+boot

Were they a bargain after all?

Floss

Was about to add, both Ugg UK & Ugg Australia both sell waterproof boots as well as suede, leather & nubuck.

bobsa1

i found a massive Emma Bridgewater toast and marmalade mug today. It says it is a quart mug and has writing on it about two pints being a quart. I cant find a similar one online anywhere has anyone else ever seen one? It cost me £1.29