Do You Shop in Charity Shops?

anotheruser

Is there a stigmata of snobbishness about shopping in charity shops?
While this is a money saving website, the expectation is that everyone will shop in charity shops but do you feel embarrassed or liberated?

Thoughts if you please.

PasturesNew

I used to ... but I rarely find things these days and the prices started going up 4-5 years ago as wealthier people started using them, so often I find the items either unaffordable, or costing more than one could buy it for new in a cheap shop.

HappyMJ

This is a money saving website but that doesn't mean you have to shop in a second hand/charity shop. This site is all about getting what you normally buy at a lower price so if you normally shop at premium clothing stores then continue to shop there but use a voucher or use a cash back site wherever available subject to the time it takes and the potential returns/savings you can make. You would probably not find a premier league footballer spending 10 minutes trying to save £10 as it probably wouldn't be worth their time...and you wouldn't find me spending 10 minutes to get 10 pence cash back...I have better things to do. You do not need to buy second hand. You may even find that you can buy the same item new with vouchers at a lower cost than it is on sale at in the second hand shop.

PlymouthMaid

Used to but no longer find them very bargainacious.

Older_But_Not_Wiser

I go to charity shops for pleasure and am not in the least bit embarrassed about it!

My best finds recently were an Aquascutum suede coat that was in excellent condition for £15 (RRP would be c£600), a brand new sheepskin coat for £15 and a sixties frock that is stunning. It is the pleasure of spotting a bargain AND not buying the same thing that everyone else has already bought.

cattie

Although I don't need to, I do buy from charity shops. I think I'm so hard wired from the earlier years of financial struggle, that I find it hard to pay a lot for clothes & books. So I choose to buy in charity shops or when the high street stores have sales.

As a voracious reader, most of my books come from charity shops & probably about a third of my clothes do too. I've never been a shopaholic, but every now & again really enjoy travelling to 2 or 3 nearby towns I know that have a decent array of charity shops & having a good look around. I love it when I come home with say 15 books for £7.

I don't tend to use what I term the High St brand charity shops very much, such as Cancer Research & Scope as I do think some of the prices they charge can be pretty ridiculous & often almost as much as the item was new. Most of the shops I use are independent ones, raising money for hospices, animal charities or community groups. These all seem to have much more realistic pricing & you don't feel that you are contributing to somebody sitting in a managment office somewhere with a very high salary.

The one thing I don't buy from charity shops is shoes. I always buy them from new & my preference is for Clarks or Foxglove from M&S. But then I try to buy those in the sales as I do with coats, nightwear & underwear etc.

I have friends who wouldn't be seen dead in a charity shop, let alone buying from one, so I say nothing to them regarding my pleasure in buying from them from time to time, but it is lovely when you come home with a real bargain or a real gem of a find.

dandelionclock30

No because I cant stand the smell in them, they all smell fusty.

Older_But_Not_Wiser

cattie wrote: »

The one thing I don't buy from charity shops is shoes. I always buy them from new & my preference is for Clarks or Foxglove from M&S.

Shoes are some of my best finds! I think some women buy shoes as part of an outfit for a special event and never wear them again, so my local shops have lots of beautiful, colourful shoes that are practically new

RedFraggle

All the time. I buy most of my clothes in them. My friends think I'm mad as a have a high income, I think they're mad for wasting unnecessary money.
The last two weddings I attended I wore "charity shop bargains" including a phase 8 dress I paid £14 for. I abosultely refuse to buy jeans anywhere other than charity shops, why pay £50 when you can pay £3. I'm fortunate to live in an affluent area so the standard of stock is quite high.

Bella73

Apart from books no, where we live you can often get things cheaper in places like tesco or asda. Plus they do tend to smell.

DUKE

Yes I use them to get rid of all my unwanted stuff. My elderly aunt recently visited me from NZ & she absolutely loves them! I ended up doing the rounds with her & I found that they had some great birthday cards. But the smell ain't good, & as already said you can often buy things for new & cheaper than the charity shop.