Lightbulb moment re charity shop prices!

Honey_Bear

I heard someone trying to haggle in a Cancer Research shop a couple of years ago. It was a leather handbag, brand new with tags, and that attitude really shocked me, in the same way that someone stealing from a charity shop does.

I donate all my excess stuff through and to a local charity in the hope that they can make something from the items. I've given up on carboots (wet weather, having to get up early, dealers trying to climb into the car at 6.30 am), Ebay (too time consuming) and Amazon (can't compete with non-tax payer companies on price).

A couple of summers ago I thought I'd inadvertently 'donated' a bag of my thick American-brand expensive cotton socks that I'd meant to store for the next winter and from the subsequent conversation with the CS manager discovered some of the 'rules' by which they select stuff to sell from their donations. It was an interesting conversation.

In the past, I've also donated a picnic set, bought it back, used it, and re-donated it. I've given them 'designer' stuff that was by unknown artists and seen it priced at £3.99 on the rails and all in all, decided I know nothing about fundraising, but I do know that charity shop raised £18,000 (clear profit) for the local hospice in one year. I'm really pleased it was that much whether or not they pay the manager. I used to buy stuff in there too, but like a lot of people now, I buy less and manage with what I've already got.

I do, however, live in a city with an 'end of line' Barnados shop - and they don't have any other shops locally. It often smells horrendous, but everything is 99p and the result is I spend a lot of money in there, mainly buying cotton clothing to cut up for patchwork.

GreyQueen

I would never dream of haggling in a c.s. or pointing out to them that what they've priced up is double what they're charging for the same thing new around the corner.

If they can get that price from somebody else, good luck to them, they just won't be getting it from me.

Haggling is clearly a problem in some charity shops as they've felt it necessary to put notices up by the tills to expressly say that they don't haggle. Convos with local charity shop staff reveal that theft of clothes isn't at all uncommon, and one shop was even experiencing theft of the labels from better brands, with the assumption that the labels were being used to add value to secondhand garments being offered for sale elsewhere.

That is extremely low, isn't it?

In this past week I have seen a very small Kilner jar with a perished rubber seal put out at £3, a bog-standard stainless steel small teapot at £4 and a part-used roll of that rubbery grid stuff you line drawers with to stop things slipping for £2 (widely available in all discount stores at £1 or 99p). Another charity shop wanted £1.50 for a pack of 6 tealights (easily findable at £2 for 100).

theoretica

The most sensible charity shop pricing I have seen had a system of coloured stickers marking the week stuff was put out - the first week it was full price (at oxfamish levels) then it fell every week (eg, everything with a blue sticker 50% off) until it at the 4 paperbacks for £1 level. The good stuff sold in the first couple of weeks and didn't all get swept up by dealers to put on ebay, but there was also cheap stuff if you just wanted a book or shirt. It also worked well to get people coming back to see what the new bargains were!

meames_2

There is one little charity shop near to me that always has little trinkets very reasonably priced. There was a lovely little jug in the 10p box, there was a slight chip in the spout, but as it was for decoration it ddn't matter, the charity shop man was horrified by the chip and would only accept 5p for it and took 10 mins for him to accept the 10p and an extra donation.

meritaten

perhaps I am a bit eccentric - but I often buy books at a local CS which raises funds for a hospice - then donate them to my local veg shop. who sell books on behalf of the Alzhieimers Society. and then (much to my OHs disgust, I buy ten or twelve of THIER books and donate them to CS. I love the thought that in this way TWO charities benefit! I just hope the buyers pass them on to another CS (or veg shop).

FairyPrincessk

I agree with you on many points thriftwizard, and by all means I don't mind paying a bit more for quality clothing. I just get so frustrated when I see poorly made clothing priced higher just because of its age. In my view, it needs to have something to distinguish it as vintage, which is where people like you come in.

I'm still wearing "vintage" that I bought 15 years ago. In particular, I have a tweed jacket I got when I was a teenager that is so beloved I've almost worn through the lining. It was probably made in the 70s or 80s, but the cut doesn't make it obvious. I don't mind paying more for things like that! Its when I see a dress from the 80s that is poorly cut, poorly assembled and made of terrible fabric and priced like it is something special that I start to wonder what all this "vintage" is really about.

GreyQueen

Quality is worth paying for, quality in cloth, cut, lining and finish. Such garments last, age gracefully, can be re-lined if necessary and are a pleasure to own and wear.

There was a lot of drossy clothing made in the 1970s and 1980s here in the UK. I know because I was exposed to it in real time. A bishop-sleeved blouse in cheap polyester from the 1970s is certainly old enough to qualify as vintage but it's still nasty sweaty old tat.

In the early 1980s I had an early 1960s skirt suit which belonged to my mother when she was going out with my Dad. Black wool, straight lined skirt to just above the knee, little fitted black jacket with red binding. I used them as separates and wore them to death. I also wore a waistcoat of my Dad's from his Mod days, had that for over 25 years and it picked up admiring comments whenever it had an outing.

Anyone wanting to revist my youthful wardrobe would have slimmer pickings; skinnyrib acrylic polonecks, drainpipe jeans, suede pixie boots, a nylon Heidi dress and batwing jumpers and various other things best forgotten.

thriftwizard

Sad to say, GQ, the latest crop of dinky fashion undergrads round here will kill for batwing sleeves. And rhinestones, and headbands...

GreyQueen

thriftwizard wrote: »

Sad to say, GQ, the latest crop of dinky fashion undergrads round here will kill for batwing sleeves. And rhinestones, and headbands...

Day-um, I knew I shoulda saved my old threads, coulda been rich rich rich.

I used to be an art student in the early 1980s. I used to rock mini kilts in lairy colours and big boots and neon bright tights and a biker jacket.

Thank goodness this was pre faceAche. Most of the witnesses have been [STRIKE]assassinated[/STRIKE] err, I mean emigrated, and I have nearly collected and destroyed all the photies. I keep a few around for giggles in an album, to be shown to special friends.

Whereupon we laugh like loons.........:rotfl:

ChocClare

All this reminds me that I lived in vintage gear when I was a student (in the eighties) and had a wonderful sixties two-piece woollen skirt suit which was the envy of all my friends although very expensive at £5 AND a 1930s silk crepe de chine dressing gown in a creamy colour with flowers painted on it for which I paid about £3. My daughter just saw a similar one and couldn't believe that I'd had one that I'd worn until it literally fell apart. Mine was rather similar to this one which my daughter had lusted after but which sold for hundreds of pounds :eek: