Is it right to Moan about Charity shop prices.

PILES

Pollycat wrote: »

Hmmm.
No, I don't think I've missed the point at all.

My local hospice charity shop sells items (clothes, books, bric-a-brac) at reasonable prices, has good stock rotation (probably partly as a result of their pricing policy) and is always busy with lots of people buying.

No sign of them going out of business, I assure you.
In fact they recently moved to larger premisies.

If I find paperbacks (or other goods) expensive, I do shop elsewhere - see my reply #59.

I don't tell shops that I think their stuff is expensive, I don't think it's my responsibility to do that. Poor sales should tell them they are not getting it right.

Who said the idea of shopping in a charity shop is to help the charity?
Donating goods to the charity of your choice is helping the charity.
Why would someone buy something from a charity shop just to help a charity?
You would be better just sticking some money into the collecting tin.

The first part of your post pretty much agrees with what I said, that charity stores are businesses and will fail if pricing etc is not correct. The ones in your area obviously have the right pricing levels if they are busy.

Your last 4 sentences are bizarre. Why do charity shops exist if not to help the charity?

Moglex

PILES wrote: »

Your last 4 sentences are bizarre. Why do charity shops exist if not to help the charity?

She said: "Who said the idea of shopping in a charity shop is to help the charity?"

That is talking about the reason for BUYING from a charity shop, not why it exists. Some may buy from charity shops with the idea of helping the charity but for most I'd imagine it is trying to source things cheaply (and helping the charity is a bonus).

Pollycat

PILES wrote: »

The first part of your post pretty much agrees with what I said, that charity stores are businesses and will fail if pricing etc is not correct. The ones in your area obviously have the right pricing levels if they are busy.

<<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:

PILES wrote: »

Your last 4 sentences are bizarre. Why do charity shops exist if not to help the charity?

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

PILES wrote: »

However if the idea of shopping in a charity shop is to help the charity then why are you bothered about what you are paying?

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:

Pollycat wrote: »

Who said the idea of shopping in a charity shop is to help the charity?
Donating goods to the charity of your choice is helping the charity.
Why would someone buy something from a charity shop just to help a charity?
You would be better just sticking some money into the collecting tin.

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.

NBLondon

Pollycat wrote: »

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'.

Well it's a bit of both for me...

If I want to support a particular charity, I'll send money or buy raffle tickets. If I want to clear out stuff, it's more likely whoever I can most conveniently get it to. So that's often my local Sue Ryder shop since they have a back door you can park outside to unload.

If I go in and nose around, it's to see if there's anything I like to look of. Last purchase was a hardback book for £2.50, which isn't out in paperback yet. OK, I could order it from the library but I wanted someting to read on a train journey and it will get passed on afterwards.

If there was a book I wanted to read at a price I was willing to pay, I'd buy it. Doesn't matter about a previous price... just because it was once available at The Works for less doesn't mean I can still get it there or that the cost of getting to the nearest outlet isn't more than the price difference.

I agree that some do seem to price higher than others - Oxfam in Blackheath springs to mind; they do have some better quality stuff and rarities which are worth the price but everything gets marked up a bit.

SevenOfNine

Donating to a charity shop is to help that charity, they sell the free items for money & deduct their costs from the profit. That 'profit' is what is ploughed back into the charity.

I don't agree that the role of a charity shop is to sell the stuff they're given cheaply in order to help the needy poor - sorry, can't think of a better description (or those who want a charity shop bargain), thus reducing their 'profit' - which was meant to help the charity.

The charity shops exist in order to try to raise funds for THAT charity, & they can (& do) price as they see fit in an effort to maximise those funds. Who buys, and why, isn't their concern, we all just assume it's to help the general public as well...........it isn't, that is just a by-product of a charity shop's existence (well, it would be if stuff was cheap enough!)

biscit

SevenOfNine wrote: »

I don't agree that the role of a charity shop is to sell the stuff they're given cheaply in order to help the needy poor - sorry, can't think of a better description (or those who want a charity shop bargain), thus reducing their 'profit' - which was meant to help the charity.

Absolutely, very level headed and thoughtful cotribution.

Helping poorer people by selling stuff cheaply is a good side effect of charity shops, and it is OK to mourn the loss of that function, but we mustn't build that welcome side-effect up to a purpose.

Pollycat

Well, that's a different opinion from texolincinerator :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

PILES

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.

OK so we dont agree on very single point but my post only referred to charity shops as businesses.
So my post "that charity stores are businesses and will fail if pricing etc is not correct" in no way matches your assertion above that "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 will bow to the knowledge gleaned from your research that "Most people don't buy from a charity shop to 'help the charity". My own experience tells me differently. I hate cats and would never go into the local cats protection charity shop but I would go to the local water buffalo support centre for battered buffaloes.

pulliptears

PILES wrote: »

I will bow to the knowledge gleaned from your research that "Most people don't buy from a charity shop to 'help the charity". My own experience tells me differently. I hate cats and would never go into the local cats protection charity shop but I would go to the local water buffalo support centre for battered buffaloes.

I shop in them primarily to find bargains and I love a good root. I don't go in there specifically to help a charity. If I want to consciously help I donate into a collection box etc. In fact, I can't even tell you what my favourite charity shop is collecting for I think it's cancer research but I'm not 100%.

The only charity shop I go into because I want to support them is the PDSA and if I can't find anything I'd like to buy I make a donation at the till.

Pollycat

PILES wrote: »

I will bow to the knowledge gleaned from your research that "Most people don't buy from a charity shop to 'help the charity". My own experience tells me differently.

Yes, and while your bowing, do bow to pulliptears as well as they have the same opinion as I do.

PILES wrote: »

I hate cats and would never go into the local cats protection charity shop but I would go to the local water buffalo support centre for battered buffaloes.

Are they deep fried after being battered the same as the Mars bars in Scotland?

NBLondon wrote: »

Well it's a bit of both for me...

If I want to support a particular charity, I'll send money or buy raffle tickets. If I want to clear out stuff, it's more likely whoever I can most conveniently get it to. So that's often my local Sue Ryder shop since they have a back door you can park outside to unload.

I've just left a big bag of stuff at my local hospice shop (where I donate all my goods to).

I carried it to the bus stop and from the bus stop to the shop - passing another 4 charity shops on the way.
So for me, which shop I support by donating my unwanted goods (as well as buying raffle tickets, Xmas cards and diaries from them) is important to me.

I do understand the convenience of dropping stuff off though.