What is your charity shop bargain of the week?

GreyQueen

I've just bought a 3 seater leather sofa from a c.s. for £110 in as-new condition. Totally made-up.:D

Bogof_Babe

The best thing about charity shops is that everyone's a winner. The doner who gets a good feeling donating their unwanted items rather than just slinging them into landfill, the buyer who gets a bargain, and the charity, and of course those who benefit from the work the charity does.

I'm always shocked when people haggle. I was in one the other day and a woman marched to the counter with an unopened pack of brand new curtains, and in a strident tone said "I want these, but I'm not prepared to pay what you're asking for them". I was pleased when the assistant gave her a small discount but flatly refused to go down to the price she was offering. She was well spoken, as was her husband, and didn't appear to be hard up. :mad:

As for charity shops becoming more up-market, I don't like the ones that have been "Mary Portas"-ed. They don't offer any hidden possibilities, you can't have a good rummage, and much of their stuff is priced rather too high for your average charity shopper. People go to these shops wanting to treat themselves for a fiver or so, not to fork out £25 on a posh frock.

I'd have thought cheaper prices and higher turnover would benefit the charity more in the long run - after all it's not as if they have to pay for their stock.

jpscloud

Glad you got it GQ :j

BBTHREE

Nice Peach - Congrats on the leather jacket. That is one of items on the virtual list (in my head) of things I would love to find in a CS.

Grey Queen - Congrats on the sofa, sounds fab.

Well yesterday I bought some absolute rubbish and reminded myself how NOT to shop.

First of all I bought (from the CS shop window) a boxed Ernest Jones silver necklace and earring set, and a boxed beaverbrooks silver necklace. It was a bit of nightmare for the assistant to get into the window display, and she said they were both brand new and I had to make a quick decision cos she needed to put the straight back. So with MiL and SiL in mind I paid £6.99 and £3.99 respectively. This was in Oxfam.

Then I went to my favourite CS and bought a black Per Una cardie for £2.00 and a Molton Brown body lotion for 50p.

When I got home and looked at my purchases properly, neither necklace is silver, neither is new, and the one in the beaverbrooks box was green in places. This necklace has gone straight in the bin and I will have to just keep the stuff in the ernest jones box myself.

The Per Una cardie is bobbly as hell, and not even my JML Bobble off can save it, and the Molton Brown body lotion smells like it has gone off so its gone straight in the bin too.

The only decent items I got was a hoody for DS for £2.50 which he had seen and liked recently in BHS, and a Roobarb and Custard DVD all 30 episodes) for £1 which he and DD have been watching ever since.

Oh well, some you win some you lose. I guess this balances out with some of the amazing bargains I have had at other times, and shows that you do have to concentrate and not rush your purchases.

GreyQueen

I totally-agree with you all about haggling. Several c.s. have notices near their tills to say that they don't haggle so it's obviously a problem.

My sofa was priced together with a matching armchair. I'd've loved to have both but there simply isn't room for them. I considered the collective price to be fair and reasonable for the sofa alone so asked the manager if I could pay the asking price but leave the armchair behind? I know I could probably have got a few bob for it as a private sale but my tiny home would have been unmanageable whilst I was attempting to sell it and I didn't think the hassle would be worth it.

My reasoning was that if they had their asking price and still had the armchair to sell, they were winning, and it's all in a good cause. To my great surprise and delight, the manager offered to sell me the sofa alone for £110. I was astonished at my good fortune and very grateful. I've just been back down the road to pay for it and to explain that we'll come mob-handed and carry it away on Tues morning.

I feel very very humble and lucky today. And I always say thank you to the staff when I leave c.s. because without the volunteers the whole shebang couldn't work, and people deserve to have their generosity with their time acknowledged.

P.S. I've just tipped the manager of the c.s. the nod that if the armchair is still there when we come for the sofa there's a strong possibility that my Mum might decide to buy it.............

janb5

BBTHREE wrote: »

Nice Peach - Congrats on the leather jacket. That is one of items on the virtual list (in my head) of things I would love to find in a CS.

Grey Queen - Congrats on the sofa, sounds fab.

Well yesterday I bought some absolute rubbish and reminded myself how NOT to shop.

First of all I bought (from the CS shop window) a boxed Ernest Jones silver necklace and earring set, and a boxed beaverbrooks silver necklace. It was a bit of nightmare for the assistant to get into the window display, and she said they were both brand new and I had to make a quick decision cos she needed to put the straight back. So with MiL and SiL in mind I paid £6.99 and £3.99 respectively. This was in Oxfam.

Then I went to my favourite CS and bought a black Per Una cardie for £2.00 and a Molton Brown body lotion for 50p.

When I got home and looked at my purchases properly, neither necklace is silver, neither is new, and the one in the beaverbrooks box was green in places. This necklace has gone straight in the bin and I will have to just keep the stuff in the ernest jones box myself.

The Per Una cardie is bobbly as hell, and not even my JML Bobble off can save it, and the Molton Brown body lotion smells like it has gone off so its gone straight in the bin too.

The only decent items I got was a hoody for DS for £2.50 which he had seen and liked recently in BHS, and a Roobarb and Custard DVD all 30 episodes) for £1 which he and DD have been watching ever since.

Oh well, some you win some you lose. I guess this balances out with some of the amazing bargains I have had at other times, and shows that you do have to concentrate and not rush your purchases.

Hi- have you still got the receipts because CS will take it back? Worth a try! Good luck.

BBTHREE

janb5 wrote: »

Hi- have you still got the receipts because CS will take it back? Worth a try! Good luck.

Yeah I will have the reciept in my bag, but tbh I have never taken anything back to a CS and I don't think I ever would.

I am not bothered about the money cos that's gone to a good cause, I am just annoyed with myself for not checking what I was buying carefully enough.

Byatt

BB, it's happened to me a couple of times, not checking properly and trusting too much that an item was ok, because it must have been checked, but we are all human and mistakes happen. I haven't taken the items back either, just didn't feel right, but a lesson learned, so no bad thing.

dogstarheaven

janb5 wrote: »

Hi- have you still got the receipts because CS will take it back? Worth a try! Good luck.

the other day, bought a long grandad style cardi with elbow patches on (this the fashion thesedays) for a fiver, but when i got it home, noticed it had a hole at the back. took it back the following day after going on two buses and the blooming manager didn't even bother apologise to me. she just asked me (before i shown it her) whether it was by a certain brand and i said yes, and then went on to get a refund. despite my donating a bag of books, she took my receipt and duly handed me my fiver back w/o a smile nor appreciation of my original custom. think she got the hump with me as i had complained (not that i was negative with her at all) some ppl just don't have the politeness nor professionalism to work in these shops, let alone being a manager..

:mad:

anyway, i know it isn't a CS buy, but at the carboot today, got myself 2 pairs of unworn ankle boots. one by primarnie for £1 and a River Island suede ones for £2. at another stall (same one from 2 wks ago where I got other cheap items), 2 coats. one a knitted jacket and a winter, lightweight polyfiller fitted coat..for £1 and £2 respectively. what a bargain!

nb. most of my clothes are 2nd hand - usually from CS or my sister who unfortuanately has a clothing addiction.. (not good at all, as she's had this prob for years and is in denial about this.. )

since the first carboot visit of the year from 2wks ago, this has spurred me on to go again, tho' i shan't make a habit of it as my house cannot take anymore stuff when i should be clearing stuff out! (not that i have that many clothes)

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I find charity shops round my way are consistently good for jackets (I have cord ones in 3 different colours- I jazz them up by adding new buttons, which can make a cheap coat look much classier). Yesterday I picked up a smart, fitted one that might be described by a fashion journalist as "deconstructed tweed" for £7.50. It was a French label that I didn't recognise, but have just looked it up and it seems to be a mid-range shop where jackets retail for about 60 Euros.