Is it right to Moan about Charity shop prices.

System

Are you both seriously saying they won't delete the off topic posts in this thread at some point? It usually takes 7 days as I was told off for calling a poster a pr1ck 7 days after I did.

System

Yet for a man on block you stalk me round this forum like an obsessive

pulliptears

PILES wrote: »

Without being patronising thats fine, as I say my experience and that of a good few people I know is different. However your sentence above highlighted shows that you do support the charity via the shop, so I guess its never all one or the other.

It's the only shop I actively seek out if I'm passing, I honestly couldn't tell you the other shops I visit or what charity they collect for.
The only reason I support via the shop is because I can't commit to a monthly donation so if I'm passing I put in what I can afford so yes you are right in this instance.

I do think that a lot of people go in there purely to buy and not to support though, but again I think a lot of that is perhaps down to the area the shop is in again.
In poorer areas I suspect people go in for cheap clothing, in more affluent areas they go in for a bargain AND to support the charity I suspect.

missprice

pulliptears wrote: »

I do think that a lot of people go in there purely to buy and not to support though, but again I think a lot of that is perhaps down to the area the shop is in again.
In poorer areas I suspect people go in for cheap clothing, in more affluent areas they go in for a bargain AND to support the charity I suspect.

Not often I go to a charity shop, But
when I do I am looking for summat specific like curtains of a certain size (could care less about the colour/pattern)
or books I go through a lot of books and on occasion the library is not enough/waiting for change around of books, hence visiting the charity shops.
so for books
Sally army cheap as chips 10p/50p
BHF £2 +
PDSA £2 <>
RSPCA whoosh they are expensive
Scope £1 to £2
only problems are Sally army only open 3 days a week and randomly it seems.

oh and I go to buy items not to support the charity per se

luvchocolate

Pollycat wrote: »

<<Sigh>>

You really are hard work, aren't you?

Apt user name, BTW.

No I didn't agree with what you said.
I was talking specifically about one hospice shop who gets it right.
There are some charity shops in the same town that don't get it right pricing-wise.
They are the ones that aren't doing much business.

I've told you that I don't agree with you that it is right that a customer should tell a shop their prices are too high.

So, in summary - not a lot of agreement with you, is there? :cool:



You think they are bizarre because they were in response to your earlier post and you've failed to read them in context with your comments.

My '4 bizarre sentences' were in response to this comment or yours



The 'idea' for most people about shopping in a charity shop is get a bargain or quite possibly because you just can't afford to buy stuff brand new from M&S, Next etc - not to 'help the charity'.

So that is why I said this:


Most people don't buy from a charity shop to 'help the charity' - they buy because they've found something they want to buy.
It doesn't matter if the shop is the Cats Protection and you hate cats with a vengeance - if you want it or need it, you'll buy it.

Helping charities is about deciding which one to give your unwanted items to.

If you want to 'help a charity', stick some money in their collecting tin, don't buy a M&S frock that won't fit you and doesn't suit you because it will 'help the charity'!

And that's why my 4 sentences seemed 'bizarre' to you - you just didn't understand them.

You may be altruistic but I'd bet the majority of shoppers aren't - from the perspective of where they shop, that is, not where they donate unwanted goods to.

spot on customers give their unwanted items to a chosen charity of their choice, customers buying sometimes have no idea which charity shop they are in they are looking for a bargain...I have worked in this sector for 25yrs always been like that.

Pollycat

hollydays wrote: »

The Managers may have to delegate this, or a well meaning person might price it, without any authority from the Manager.
Yes, you know it, I know it, but some volunteers don't know it.

In that case, your comment sort of blows out of the water the assertion by some posters on here that charity shops are being run as businesses.
I doubt many businesses would let someone who has no idea of pricing loose with a pricing gun.

hollydays wrote: »

And I also notice when one shop has a M&S top priced at £5.99 and a different shop a few doors down has the same top for £3.00.

I really don't think you have a point with that comment.WHAT DO THINK THEY SHOULD DO, confer with their neighbours for every single item they price?!![/QUOTE]

No need for capitals, my eyesight is fine.

I'm pointing up the reason why some charity shops are busy and have good stock turnover and some don't - which is something that has also been discussed on here (in between some pretty irritating off-topic abuse by a few posters).
The £5.99 top will still be on the rail in shop #1, but will probably have been replaced by another top in shop #2.

System

Pollycat wrote: »

In that case, your comment sort of blows out of the water the assertion by some posters on here that charity shops are being run as businesses.
I doubt many businesses would let someone who has no idea of pricing loose with a pricing gun.




I really don't think you have a point with that comment.WHAT DO THINK THEY SHOULD DO, confer with their neighbours for every single item they price?!!

No need for capitals, my eyesight is fine.

I'm pointing up the reason why some charity shops are busy and have good stock turnover and some don't - which is something that has also been discussed on here (in between some pretty irritating off-topic abuse by a few posters).
The £5.99 top will still be on the rail in shop #1, but will probably have been replaced by another top in shop #2.

I take responsibility for the off topic abuse. I tend to annoy some posters so they follow me around on threads to abuse me

Back on topic on pricing I would assume charity shops just randomly price on what they think it would sell for. I doubt the manager oversees each price of each item.

I've not bought the tweed jacket yet. That's today's mission!

PILES

Pollycat wrote: »

In that case, your comment sort of blows out of the water the assertion by some posters on here that charity shops are being run as businesses.
I doubt many businesses would let someone who has no idea of pricing loose with a pricing gun.




I really don't think you have a point with that comment.WHAT DO THINK THEY SHOULD DO, confer with their neighbours for every single item they price?!!

[/QUOTE]No need for capitals, my eyesight is fine.

I'm pointing up the reason why some charity shops are busy and have good stock turnover and some don't - which is something that has also been discussed on here (in between some pretty irritating off-topic abuse by a few posters).
The £5.99 top will still be on the rail in shop #1, but will probably have been replaced by another top in shop #2.[/QUOTE]


Not really, at the end of the day the shops are in it to make a profit, otherwise there is no point in being there. As to how they run their businesses, random pricing is an example of poor business practice.

This topic started as a complaint that charity shop prices were too high. If they are not a business why not just give the stuff away?

SevenOfNine

This bickering has become more interesting than the original post! :T I'm entertained, now play nicely. :kisses3:

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I love a charity shop bargain, so have found this thread interesting (ignoring the tedious tit-for-tat squabbling bits).

I live in a nice part of London and there are ~5 charity shops nearby. The one that gets most of my custom is the one in which all kids books are 50p, all paperbacks £1 and all hardbacks £2. At those prices I treat it as a library (my guilty pleasure is crime fiction) and return novels regularly to be resold. The other shops charge ~£2.75 for paperbacks so I rarely buy those. These places are still in business so it could be argued they know their market. A lot of custom may come from people who specifically support that particular charity though.

I once volunteered in an Oxfam and when tagging clothes we used a Pricing Guide which gave suggested prices for tops/dresses/jumpers etc for various labels. Volunteers aren't supervised in the same way as salaried employees, so mistakes will slip through of course. I have actually bought a couple of Atmosphere items- knowing they're Primark and almost certainly no cheaper than new. If I like an item and think the price is fair then I'll still buy it. I have also shaken my head at a George top that seemed stupidly overpriced. This seems contradictory; I can only conclude that one person's tat truly is another's treasure.