Does anyone miss old charity shops?

bartelbe

I mean before they got professional? I know that they are there to make money, but I miss the shops that use to be around when I was younger.

They were piled high with stuff, all priced at about 50p, mostly junk, but there was always a diamond in the rough. I have a load of what would now be called vintage cameras I collected as a kid all from those kind of shops. Couldn't be done now.

The modern charity shop looks like any other shop. The diamonds all end up on ebay, and all that is left is the same stuff in every shop. The same paperback books, all overpriced. The same clothes, the same everything.

I don't bother with alot of the big national charity chains anymore, far too expensive. Also if they are going to be profesional then they also have to raise their standards.

You didn't mind if you got a jigsaw for 20p and some of the pieces were missing. If that same jigsaw costs 2 or 3 pounds you do mind. I saw some technic lego I thought my cousin might like, £12 a box. Cheaper than new, but not that much cheaper.

However before getting it I opened it up and had a look, it was missing pieces. No-one had bothered to check, which at that sort of price is something you can't do.

Own_My_Own

Totally agree. Last week I saw a Harrods first teddy for £12 in a local charity shop. I bought my grandson a new one from Harrods last December for £15.

Enterprise_1701C

Absolutely. Where I live it is considered a prosperous area, charity shops are more expensive than the normal shops, went and saw an old tattered hardback and they wanted £6 for it, found a new one (same book) online for £3.

sayahu

I loved hunting in charity shops (not that they had an overload of stuff put out).

We have 5 charity shops near us, first the one went professional and custom slowed down for them. I stopped going as did allot of their other customers - if I wanted that look and price I would just visit the normal shops.

Then another went professional a month into them going all fancy displays and furnishings the first one had to close due to no profit.
The third was about to go professional but then changed their mind once they found out the flow of customers had reduced for the second shop also.

I love the feeling of finding something special, something I may not normally buy due to the price but the prices are some times higher! One of the shops has a 99p storeacross it and they had obviously cheap things from there donated by customers in used condition priced at £1.99:eek::eek:!!!!!

Had to point this out to the manager who just shrugged his shoulders and said it pays the bills!

bartelbe

sayahu wrote: »

I loved hunting in charity shops (not that they had an overload of stuff put out).

We have 5 charity shops near us, first the one went professional and custom slowed down for them. I stopped going as did allot of their other customers - if I wanted that look and price I would just visit the normal shops.

Then another went professional a month into them going all fancy displays and furnishings the first one had to close due to no profit.
The third was about to go professional but then changed their mind once they found out the flow of customers had reduced for the second shop also.

I love the feeling of finding something special, something I may not normally buy due to the price but the prices are some times higher! One of the shops has a 99p storeacross it and they had obviously cheap things from there donated by customers in used condition priced at £1.99:eek::eek:!!!!!

Had to point this out to the manager who just shrugged his shoulders and said it pays the bills!

That is exactly it, if they can make money that way, more power to them, but I have no interest in charity shops that look like mini versions of BHS, or Marks and Sparks.

I also often wonder who their market is? One of the shops near us has gone the vintage route, which is code for fourfold price increases, and fancy table displays. The same vintage stock in on sale week after week and nobody buys it.

Coopdivi

I used to buy paintings from them. The ones I got were a mixture of prints and stuff done by amateur artists. I never spent more than a Fiver on each but then, about five years ago, prices suddenly shot up to ten or twelve Pounds. I don't bother any more.

I realise that many charities have to pay High Street rents (do they pay Council Tax/Business Rates?) but I do feel some of them are not really much cheaper than the likes of Wilkinsons and Primark.

Twisted_Cherry

We have too many big charity shops in town now... I sometimes look in, did grab a bargain on a set of drawers once, but other things I think are a little overpriced.

Miss my local Oxfam, Mind and PDSA ones we use to have!

CIS

(do they pay Council Tax/Business Rates?)

Providing the charity shop meets the relevant criteria thy get an 80% mandatory business rates reduction and the remaining 20% is discretionary, based on the local authority.

surfsister

bartelbe wrote: »

I mean before they got professional? I know that they are there to make money, but I miss the shops that use to be around when I was younger.

They were piled high with stuff, all priced at about 50p, mostly junk, but there was always a diamond in the rough. I have a load of what would now be called vintage cameras I collected as a kid all from those kind of shops. Couldn't be done now.

The modern charity shop looks like any other shop. The diamonds all end up on ebay, and all that is left is the same stuff in every shop. The same paperback books, all overpriced. The same clothes, the same everything.

I don't bother with alot of the big national charity chains anymore, far too expensive. Also if they are going to be profesional then they also have to raise their standards.

You didn't mind if you got a jigsaw for 20p and some of the pieces were missing. If that same jigsaw costs 2 or 3 pounds you do mind. I saw some technic lego I thought my cousin might like, £12 a box. Cheaper than new, but not that much cheaper.

However before getting it I opened it up and had a look, it was missing pieces. No-one had bothered to check, which at that sort of price is something you can't do.

Yes quite right!! I've donated £2 primark jumpers and £1 t shirts and seen them labelled up at £3 OR £4 whereas I'd rather see them sell for a quid or even 50p. books range from 20p to £2 for the same books in different shops. I think Mary Quant was to blame as once charity shop stated selling new items they started having to pay much more business rate etc as now not just homely charity shops but more commercial shops.

I only ever go into the ones which are cheaper as the others are dearer than new quite often!

surfsister

forgot to say that the dearer charity shops are always having sales in my town which seems a bit daft - if the items were priced to sell they wouldn't need a sale!!

queenlizard45uk

I used to be a manager of a charity shop and they have price lists to follow. Its very frustrating.

I would get told off for putting a primark jumper out for £1.49 because the price list states it has to start at £1.99.

They've become very greedy, but I do still like a look around them.