Charity Shops getting cocky with their prices.

bengal-stripe

Pollycat wrote: »

Did or will someone pay that?

Most (maybe all) charity shops will mark the ticket with a code for the week the item was put out for sale. If it doesn't sell within a certain number of weeks, the item gets marked-down and then marked-down again until it sells (or gets taken off the shop floor and sold as rags for recycling).

Don't forget like everyone else, charity shops have access to the internet. Ten years ago many workers in the shops would only have known the names of most popular brands/designers and the more esoteric (and expensive) brands would have gone under the radar.

Now you just check on-line how much a new suit by abc or a new pair of shoes by xyz retails for and you price accordingly.

Pollycat

bengal-stripe wrote: »

Most (maybe all) charity shops will mark the ticket with a code for the week the item was put out for sale. If it doesn't sell within a certain number of weeks, the item gets marked-down and then marked-down again until it sells (or gets taken off the shop floor and sold as rags for recycling).

I've been shopping in charity shops for many years so I'm aware that most mark items with a date for stock rotation purposes.

I've often seen something that I feel (imho) has been overpriced and have waited to see if it eventually makes its way onto the sale rail.

If it sells before it does, then I don't mind because (imho) it wasn't worth the price I personally thought it was.
If, however, it does go on the sale rail, I'll buy it.
Because, in the end, it's the individual who decides how much they are prepared to pay for something.

bengal-stripe wrote: »

Don't forget like everyone else, charity shops have access to the internet. Ten years ago many workers in the shops would only have known the names of most popular brands/designers and the more esoteric (and expensive) brands would have gone under the radar.

Now you just check on-line how much a new suit by abc or a new pair of shoes by xyz retails for and you price accordingly.

I do appreciate how t'internet has made things easier for pricing designer goods.

The problem I see is that often they don't take the fact that something is second-hand and may be visibly in a used condition.

So - I've amended your statement below:

bengal-stripe wrote: »

Now you just check on-line how much a [new] suit by abc or a [new] pair of shoes by xyz retails for and you over-price accordingly.

GrungeMeister

redmike123 wrote: »

Simple solution, if you don't like the shops, or their prices then don't go there.

There's something terribly wrong with our country if ordinary folks are getting priced out of charity shops.

jaylee3

Agree. Many charity shops do charge too much. As little as 2 or 3 years ago, the stuff was much cheaper, and yes they do get given the stuff, so it's a bloody cheek! And that woman in the OP sounds like a real b1tch!

ThumbRemote

GrungeMeister wrote: »

There's something terribly wrong with our country if ordinary folks are getting priced out of charity shops.

Why?

If a charity shop is donated a load of designer clothing, should they sell it as cheaply as possible so 'ordinary folks' can afford it? How does that benefit the charity?

Pollycat

ThumbRemote wrote: »

Why?

If a charity shop is donated a load of designer clothing, should they sell it as cheaply as possible so 'ordinary folks' can afford it? How does that benefit the charity?

Grungemeister was responding to this comment:

redmike123 wrote: »

Simple solution, if you don't like the shops, or their prices then don't go there.

He/she didn't say anything about designer clothing.
This thread isn't specifically about the pricing of designer clothing in charity shops, it's about charity shop pricing in general.
None of the things the OP mentioned seemed to be designer goods.

I agree that it wouldn't be sensible from a maximising of fund-raising perspective to price a genuine Gucci bag the same as a Primark one.
In my view, it's the pricing of a used Primark bag at the same or higher price than it was originally sold for that is the issue.

seven-day-weekend

SpammyTheSpammer wrote: »

Hmm, I and many of my family have regularly haggled in charity shops, usually on the line of:-

"This £5 item is a bit battered and worn, I will offer you £2.50. Do you want that?"

or:-

"This £2.50 game has no instructions and is missing a few pieces, will you take £1?"

This often succeeds where the person on the till has some sense. When they refuse, we say OK and walk out of the shop. Everyone should be happy with this approach, the shop gets money and the customer gets what they want at the 'correct' price. It is a shop after all, even if a charity shop, much of whose take still goes to pay rent, managers salaries etc. However I have noticed that many of the items, whose offers were refused, are still on the charity shop shelves months later....

I tried to barter a Wedgewood dish down from a tenner to £8 on the basis that it was faded and the other items in the same range were £8 and not faded. I was refused (impolitely), so walked off without it. A month later, the item is still there and still priced at £10. They could have had an extra £8 in their coffers.

Pollycat

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I tried to barter a Wedgewood dish down from a tenner to £8 on the basis that it was faded and the other items in the same range were £8 and not faded. I was refused (impolitely), so walked off without it. A month later, the item is still there and still priced at £10. They could have had an extra £8 in their coffers.

I saw a lovely maxi dress in a charity shop that fitted me perfectly but the side seam very near the hem was split.

It wouldn't have been an issue to me as I would have shortened it to above the split anyway (I'm very short ).

I just happened to mention it to the assistant when I took it to the desk to pay and she said 'Oh, sorry, we can't sell it to you as it is damaged'.

Despite telling her I was willing to pay full ticket price and that she could remove the shop tag & not give me the receipt so I couldn't return it for a refund, she would not budge.

I even asked her what she was going to do with the dress and she said it would go for rags.

I told her that I would take the dress and put a donation into the collection tin but there was no way on earth she was letting me buy that dress.
So - no dress for me, no money for the charity.

hollydays

"In my view, it's the pricing of a used Primark bag at the same or higher price than it was originally sold for that is the issue."

You seriously expect charity shop staff to known the exact price of a primark handbag?

Pollycat

hollydays wrote: »

"In my view, it's the pricing of a used Primark bag at the same or higher price than it was originally sold for that is the issue."

You seriously expect charity shop staff to known the exact price of a primark handbag?

You appear to have taken my comments literally.

I seriously expect charity shops to at least have a basic understanding of what price level branded goods fall into.

If I know that a Primark vest top sells at £2, why shouldn't people who are responsible for pricing second-hand goods have that same knowledge?

Maybe that is my opinion because if I were a volunteer and was expected to price goods, I'd do some checking.
Maybe I just have a different work ethic than some other people.

And, if I were responsible for pricing, I certainly wouldn't price a brand-new item complete with price tag higher than the original selling price.

Just expecting a degree of common sense, that's all.