Is it right to Moan about Charity shop prices.

Hermia

The price of paperback books in some shops annoys me. One charity shop near me prices all their paperback books at £2.99 even if they are in bad condition or if they cost less than that new (for example, I saw a few of the Wordsworth £1 classics in there). The book selection never seems to change in there so obviously no one is buying. I think some charity shop staff think that people should be prepared to pay more because it's for charity. But, the town I live in is not well-off so I think they need to be realistic and look to the other non-charity shops in the town to get an idea how to price things. We have three bargain book shops in our town that sell new paperbacks for 3 for £5 so why would anyone pay £3 for a knackered old paperback.

Pleaseadvise

I'm sure there was an idea once that charity shops were helpful not only to the cause they're named for, but also to the local poor, by selling donated goods cheaply... or is that something I imagined?

They certainly don't do that now. You can buy stuff much cheaper on eBay and often it doesn't even smell of mothballs.

hippygran

I agree that some charity shops seem to be out pricing themselves. I have not bought a book from BHF for quite some time now, as it is true that often their books are dearer than new ones! Even ones which were free in the first place (magazine offers).

The most local to home (Age UK), also seems to get confused on occasions as to the value of items. Good stuff can be cheap, and awful tat is sometimes over priced.

I think that BHF has become more 'business-like', and therefore have a policy of pushing their prices upwards. In the present economic climate, they probably have a more 'well heeled' customer than previously. Whether they will retain this client band once the economy recovers is another thing! One of my friends who is quite solvent, who previously would have not entered a charity shop, has done so on more than one occasion recently!

In some charity shops I am convinced the lack of consistency in pricing is because the staff don't always know the worth of stuff, and often price by 'instinct', so if they 'like' something it gets marked up, and if they don't it gets marked down, hence a recent example whereby an 'atmosphere' primark top was priced £2 dearer than a monsoon top, which was only last seasons!

In the past I often shopped at charity shops, primarily to support the charity. I am a lot 'poorer' nowadays, so now shop where I can afford to! and the BHF is not it!

I would never dream of haggling at a charity shop though! If they can sell overpriced tat, for a good cause, then good for them! I just would not buy it myself!

The best charity shop I have been in recently is not really local to me, but to my mum-in-law. Its for the air ambulance, and sells things at pretty decent prices. Furniture and clothes. This is in a town where there are 3 second hand furniture outlets in addition to the air ambulance. The charity shop always has the biggest selection at the best prices!

They seem to price according to condition, and the prices for more worn stuff are incredibly cheap! (Ideal for upcycling as 'shabby chic')

Anything I now donate goes to the air ambulance, because
a) I do believe its a worth while cause
and
b) I would rather the items I donate get recycled at a reasonable price to someone else!

pmduk

I blame Mary Portas for giving them ideas above their station.

pulliptears

Oxfam is by far the worst for ridiculous pricing locally. Their books are extortionate, second hand DVD's are often more expensive than brand new copies from Play and clothing is also more often than not overpriced.

ukjoel

Charity shops are big businesses now.
The charities pay their top people over 100k (if you look in the ads in the Sunday papers) and its all about cash generation.

Our local ones are targeted and tracked in the same way as any other franchise is, and area managers are round regularly to check all is as it should be. Most have professional managers on a decent wage and everyone else is volunteers or free labor.


With the recession they have been able to move into empty shops on mass, make a high street look a bit busier, and many now stock new products and compete directly with local businesses (who have bigger overheads)

I still like browsing through them but very rarely see a bargain these days.

Appreciate the above sounds very negative but actually think its a positive thing.

Kite2010

Oxfam is silly, the one in Reading charges £3.99 for CDs.

Even when those same CDs are some of the ones Magpie won't touch as they are so common, some are the ones you can pick up for £1 in poundland and for £1.27 from Amazon.

Although some charity shops are closing, 2 have gone in the past couple months in the town where I live.

Rubisco

There are huge pressures on charity shop managers to make the shop perform. They have to justify themselves far more than normal shop managers as it's charity money they're paid in. They know what makes the most money, and sticking things out for a quid isn't it. OK, you don't like it that they're not giving you cheap stuff but we're MSEers, we have a skewed view of things, knowing the lowest price of everything, most people aren't like that.

jc808

pippascountrykitchen wrote: »

I have just replied to another thread about the overpricing of the BHF electrical shop in Maidstone. Frankly i find most of the charity shops in Maidstone overpriced.

I am of course aware that they need the money they get and they do a bloody good job.
Yes they should have donations
Yes they should have a good property
Yes they should get reduced rates, free staff and giftaid but....

I still feel they are taking the *** on their prices tho. Am i bad or do i have a point?

What does everyone else think?

Ive complained on these boards about BHF Maidstone before - and got shot down... best of luck

montymud

Honestly I get overly wound up by charity shops. I thought they were there to help raise money for needy charities whilst at the same time being a place that the poorer people in society could find some much needed bits and bobs at prices they could afford - how wrong was I!!

We hit some really terribly hard times a couple of years ago. We moved into a little flat and we needed to furnish it so we went to the CS close by. The prices were stupid, really honest to ^ stupid. A washing machine was if I remember correctly £150, a table and chairs upward of £100 and there was an old tumble dryer in there - you know the teeny ones with the teeny door and it looked prehistoric (only a slight exaggeration ) and that was priced at £80.

This is really a topic that I get irratioanlly peeved about, one of my little igniters - that and when someone says they went to the shop and 'brought' something. Perhaps I just have too much time on my hands