Charity Shops Getting Expensive!

eca_

blossomhill wrote: »

Thay are charging a price that they know they can get - why should they charge less? The point of them is to generate as much revenue for the charity as they can

That is very true and I wouldn't to anything differently if I were running a charity... however, I'm just moaning! I've always bought clothes from charity shops and donated to them, and now I find I can only afford to donate. have a look at the links below... Who is going to buy these?!

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/mens-clothing/coats-and-jackets/aquascutum-50-chest-pure-new-wool-green-mix-coat-849135

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/mens-clothing/coats-and-jackets/daks-size-46chest-classic-jacket-983351

My girlfriend works in one as a volunteer, obviously she's unpaid but she also has to pay transport and pay for her christmas nights out - that might seem reasonable but I had another friend who worked for the same charity in their head office a few years back as a paid intern. She was horrified at the way they spent money, every day there were long restaurant lunches on the charity and all expenses were recouped, on top of generous salaries.

Their use of charity muggers also p*sses me off beyond belief, you can't walk down the highstreet without being pestered by half a dozen or more. :mad:

trukdiver

Techhead wrote: »

But how do they know it's good stuff and what condition its in until they check it. If it isn't then they have to pay to dispose of it.
I've volunteered and you wouldn't believe the amount of rubbish people bring in. A few nice things on top and then the rest is worn out rubbish, often unwashed that was cheap to start with.
Sadly too many people use it as a means of getting rid of old worn out clothes; rather than donating. Charity shops don't have much choice than to check what is being donated. It just costs too much did disposal/ recycling.
I'm sure your stuff was ok, but they aren't going to know until they look through it.

When I worked for a charity shop we were picky but it was mainly hardware we were worried about. We weren't allowed to sell electricals or non "CE" toys so we had to ask if there was anything like that. We could recycle most unsellabe clothes but some of the volunteers didn't seem to realise that and moaned about the things that people donate.

I was surprised at some of the stuff we got - like a bag of leaves:rotfl: People gave us oily rags and paint splattered stuff which we couldn't sell or recycle. Sometimes we got bags of holiday stuff, like they'd come straight from the beach (including the sunglasses, paperback, beach towel etc..). We could sell or recycle most of it but swimsuits went straight in the bin, even if they looked like new.

xxJudexx

The main charity shops near me (Oxfam, Cancer Research etc) seem to have increased their prices. I like to get my books from charity shops but the last few times I have gone it they are selling them more than they are in tesco! I like to do my bit for charity but I'm not going to buy something second hand that I can get new for less.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I think some of the more commercially savvy charity shops, like Oxfam, are now far more aware of the labels that come in and the prices that can be charged for quality/vintage items. The £500 coat linked to above is an Aquascutum whose original price would have been ~ £900. So not a bargain buy for a charity shopper looking for an M&S jacket for about £15, but value if you want posh labels for half price.

trukdiver

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

I think some of the more commercially savvy charity shops, like Oxfam, are now far more aware of the labels that come in and the prices that can be charged for quality/vintage items. The £500 coat linked to above is an Aquascutum whose original price would have been ~ £900. So not a bargain buy for a charity shopper looking for an M&S jacket for about £15, but value if you want posh labels for half price.

They've actually been trying to do that for years. When we got something expensive in good condition, we used to try to sell it for a good price. It was very inconsistent though because pricing depended on volunteers. People have been complaining about the prices for years.

Apart from the things that people bring in, they also get donations of new "old stock" from some manufacturers.

pulliptears

blossomhill wrote: »

Thay are charging a price that they know they can get - why should they charge less? The point of them is to generate as much revenue for the charity as they can

The problem is a lot of them just aren't getting it! I think a lot depends on the location of the shops, prices in a more affluent town near me are twice as much as my local town. Even so folk around these parts are seemingly unwilling to pay their extortionate prices.

I went into one about 2 months ago and noticed a denimn jacket, it was worn and of the brand 'Miss Sixty'. Now, whilst I appreciate that new it would have perhaps been £120 or so this was far from new and was actually quite ratty. The price tag? £30. Needless to say its still there and I suspect will be for quite some time.

I've seen old faded T Shirts from Primark that wouldnt have been more than a few pounds new priced at £5-6. Again, they remain on the hanger week in week out.
Second hand DVD's in cracked boxes for £3-4 when they can be bought new for the same price. The list is endless.

To put it into context there is one local charity shop where everything is £1. The place is always full, stock is different every time you visit and they have a great turnover.

Surely it's better to price cheaply and sell a lot than price expensively and sell very little.

Mrs_Ryan

I have wardrobe clearouts on a regular basis and a lot of the stuff I give is either new (some of it still with tags) or worn maybe once or twice. I noticed that last time I took some stuff into the local charity shop - the woman behind the counter looked at it like there was some sort of bad smell coming off it before proceeding to pick through it without so much as a thank you!
I used to volunteer for Oxfam and know what's acceptable and whats not - the stuff I give is always clean and free from holes and most of it is pretty good stuff! I gave a beautiful barely-worn velvet evening dress to a shop a few years ago and they too turned their nose up at it just because it was from Tesco - they were going to accept it until they saw the label and suddenly decided 'they couldnt take it!' Cheek. The Oxfam shop round the corner accepted it gratefully, it went straight up and if I remember rightly, sold almost straight away.
If something's half decent should it matter where its come from???

EndlessStruggle

I've volunteered in a charity shop and done a bit of everything from sorting, tagging, pricing, window dressing, rotating the stock to working the till. We would accept everything customers would bring in, was how I got a £200 McLaren buggy for £2 that has been used once as they couldn't sell it. Anything that wasn't able to be sold or not quite in saleable condition was offered to the staff for a donation and then disposed of/recycled if unwanted. They were ragging between 400-1000+ kg a week and making money as they sold it as rag by the kg. Some weeks they made more in rag than in sales! But as a sorter I did see my fair share of soiled pants! So it goes both ways really but most of it was not of saleable quality.

A lot price based on the brand and condition. I went into a local charity and they wanted £6.50 for an old fashioned well worn primark top. I left very quickly, the worst part is my nan volunteered for them for over 40 years and agrees they have lost their way with pricing. I don't bother going in there anymore.

The other charity shops are very reasonable and price mostly according to brand and condition and there is one that has very good prices. I usually go in them whenever I am in the town.

Flat_Eric

Mrs_Ryan wrote: »

I have wardrobe clearouts on a regular basis and a lot of the stuff I give is either new (some of it still with tags) or worn maybe once or twice. I noticed that last time I took some stuff into the local charity shop - the woman behind the counter looked at it like there was some sort of bad smell coming off it before proceeding to pick through it without so much as a thank you!
I used to volunteer for Oxfam and know what's acceptable and whats not - the stuff I give is always clean and free from holes and most of it is pretty good stuff! I gave a beautiful barely-worn velvet evening dress to a shop a few years ago and they too turned their nose up at it just because it was from Tesco - they were going to accept it until they saw the label and suddenly decided 'they couldnt take it!' Cheek. The Oxfam shop round the corner accepted it gratefully, it went straight up and if I remember rightly, sold almost straight away.
If something's half decent should it matter where its come from???

I have at least eight charity shops within walking distance of my office. I don't visit them very often mainly because I go in for books and have enough books to well, sink a battleship :rotfl:

I do occasionally browse the clothes but won't buy anything that has for example a primark label but thats not because I don't like primark, its because the charity shop is selling it for more than I would pay for it if I actually visited the primark shop (although of course the item might be longer available).

My best buy in a charity shop was a per una cardigan that was priced at £6.99 - more than I would have liked to pay but it was for the pdsa (i love animals) and the cardigan was lovely. to buy similiar new would have cost £30 / £35 plus.

I do agree charity shops pricing is a bit out but its simple, I don't buy it.

I dont understand how they can justify a large price tag (tens of pounds) just because the shoes have a box and a (sort of) designer name. I also remember seeing an Animal bag recently that did show some wear and tear and that was priced over £20 :eek:

As an aside, I did see some rollerskates in a local shop recently and they stayed in the window for several days. The price tag read £800 although I think they meant £8.00!

CupOfChai

I get annoyed with the clothes pricing too. I can only assume it's often because that shop has a set pricing schedule, i.e. all t-shirts £4, all jeans £10 etc, which is a daft way to run it IMO. Because surely it can't be that none of the staff have any idea what clothes go for in different shops, or that the charity thinks we're stupid and will pay it.

I nearly said something when I saw New Look vest tops priced at £4 in one charity shop when they were still on sale new in the New Look shop down the street for £2!

On the subject of daft ways to run things, I also hate how a lot of charity shops seem to put the clothes grouped by colour. It means you can't find anything, it might work in a regular clothes shop but when it's the mishmash of odd styles and sizes a charity shop has it's much better and easier to look through if they're put out in groups by size. Not that I've ever managed to get any clothes from a charity shop Which is no reflection on the donations mind you, one of my friends is some sort of genius at finding amazing things in charity shops.