What is your charity shop bargain of the week?

Miró

Help please!

I have to find a gift for a 'Secret Santa' thingy later this week. It has been agreed that we spend £10 on the present and I know the person quite well that I am buying for. Now, today in the Oxfam shop I found a lovely pair of M & S black leather gloves...brand new and with the tags still attached for £5, (currently on sale in M & S for £16.50). I purchased them for myself really but I know the potential recipient would probably appreciate them if I gifted them. My dilemma is...is it acceptable to use a charity shop buy as a gift? I feel a bit unsure. Also, should I purchase something else for £5 to meet the prescribed amount for the Secret Santa or is it OK to just give the gloves as the real value is greater than £10? Oh dear....I dunno what to do! Might just be easier to keep them and start again with the gift......:o

Would love to know what others think........

Floss

I would use the gloves for secret Santa (taking the CS tag and price of other tag off), and donate the other £5 to charity, as that's what you would have spent.

Pollycat

If you think you can find something the other person would like for the agreed £10 in the timescale, I'd keep the gloves.

I don't see anything wrong with gifting someone with an item from a charity shop (especially BNWT) if you know they'll really appreciate it.

If you decide to give the gloves, I wouldn't buy an additional gift for £5, but as per Floss's suggestion, pop the £5 in the charity box.

moneyistooshorttomention

Personally - it's a very new idea on me of giving charity shop things as presents to other people. I'd never heard of this until a couple of years ago.

So - my own take is that I would only do so if it the item was in totally brand new condition and is the sort of thing I would give the recipient anyway. If it met those criteria - then I would base my take on whether it was adequate as a present on the "brand new from shop" value and, if that was sufficient, then I would regard the gloves as sufficient.

Anything that had any wear on it or wasn't quite "the thing" for that particular person wouldn't go down well with me if I were the recipient personally.

Just my take imo.

From the sound of what you say - then I am guessing those gloves would count as suitable imo.

phoebe1989seb

We've only recently bought charity shop items as gifts. DS and his GF (27) like their vintage items so we realised they would actually appreciate some of the items we were seeing on our travels

The items in question are definitely not new with tags or in brand new condition, but as we know they shop for clothes/decorative items in all kinds of vintage/charity (and more expensive designer shops ) in Brighton themselves, we know they are not too proud to wear or have such items in their home.

Regarding the secret Santa gloves, I would just give those and not top up with anything else.......

got-it-spend-it

I would certainly give a BNWT item from a charity shop as a gift. I have often gifted CS books in the past, when they have been in pristine condition.

Miró

Many thanks everyone for your thoughts and opinions....much appreciated and has given me some food for thought.

Floss wrote: »

I would use the gloves for secret Santa (taking the CS tag and price of other tag off), and donate the other £5 to charity, as that's what you would have spent.

I think this is a brilliant idea...thanks Floss....never thought of that.:T That would solve the problem perfectly. A brand new gift and two charities benefitting...what could be better! :beer:

silvasava

I have gifted CS items in the past - usually when I've spotted something that was perfect for a particular recipient and I knew it was something they wanted or would like. Equally I would have no problem accepting a suitable CS item. I'd certainly be very grateful for a nice pair of leather gloves (I have a weakness for them )

starsandmoon

Marie Curie had a half price sale and I cleaned up. Got a brand new with a tag of £25 Fat Face top for £2.50, Next jeans £1.50, John Rocha jumper £1.50 and a White Company top for £1.50.


Another fab bargain was a pair of Nike Whoosh trainers, looked new, £100 to buy. I paid £6!

C_J

Today for just one pound I bought a lovely brand-new, unused Emma Bridgewater polka dot travel journal/diary which will be a perfect stocking filler for my younger daughter.