Charity Shops getting cocky with their prices.

trukdiver

SpammyTheSpammer wrote: »

It really does appear that the charity shop was not being run in a n efficient/business like way.....

Was that on purpose or just pure slapdashery?

I don't see your problem. If you drop the price, what's wrong with changing the price ticket so it matches the receipt?

You don't seriously expect a charity shop to have everything held on a computer with barcodes and EAN numbers do you?

Out,_Vile_Jelly

My pet hate is old, battered Wordsworth Classic paperbacks, which everyone must know were originally 99p new (and a lifeline for Eng Lit students) being sold for £2.50 in Oxfam.

Floss

hollydays wrote: »

....
In an ideal world there would be one knowledgeable person always on duty who could only do the pricing for consistency , but charity shop managers aren't the best managers as we can see on this thread

I think you are tarring all with the same brush - and quite wrongly too. There are many CS managers out there who manage the varied range of staff & volunteers, the challenges set by their head office and the variety of quality stock extremely well, making money for their organisation.

In my 15 years of CS shopping & donating experience I have come across lots of volunteers and staff across the UK and spent many £s. Yes, some shops can overprice things, but at the end of the day, there are beneficiaries for that money.

Nobody is forcing anyone to shop in charity shops - it is a free country and we are all able to shop where we choose to suit the budget.

Gingernutty

That "label on a sheet thing" is a Gift Aid record. The label should have the Gift Aider's unique number on it.

adandem

I don't donate as many of our clothes as I did, my mom was volunteer for some years and said the volunteers get first dibs on the donations for a 'voluntary amount'. She said some of them were then re-selling for personal profit.

usefulmale

Azari wrote: »

The problem with charity shops is that because of the low rates, free merchandise, and virtually free staff, they can afford to pay very high rents.

This - by basic supply and demand - enables landlords to keep charging said high rents meaning that many other types of business are no longer viable.

High streets are filling up with hairdressers, estate agents, solicitors, accountants, expensive coffee places and knicky-nacky-noo shops.

In our high street - quite a big one - we have now nowhere to buy stationary, electrical goods (inc. plugs, cables, etc) or decorating supplies. We don't even have a mobile phone shop (no great loss but odd considering how many you get in other places). We do have eight charity shops, though.

I went to my local town high street for the first time in a few years and even the charity shops have packed up and left. Well over 50% of the shops were to let.

hollydays

Floss wrote: »

I think you are tarring all with the same brush - and quite wrongly too. There are many CS managers out there who manage the varied range of staff & volunteers, the challenges set by their head office and the variety of quality stock extremely well, making money for their organisation.

In my 15 years of CS shopping & donating experience I have come across lots of volunteers and staff across the UK and spent many £s. Yes, some shops can overprice things, but at the end of the day, there are beneficiaries for that money.

Nobody is forcing anyone to shop in charity shops - it is a free country and we are all able to shop where we choose to suit the budget.

Have you actually read the thread??!!

Morglin

Many of these charity shops are being paid to give dole claimants so called 'work experience'.

Dole claimants are forced to work there, with no increase in benefits, and under the threat of sanctions, and the charities got rid of a lot of enthusiastic volunteers, to take part in this.

Result: reluctant and disinterested people staffing charity shops.

Lin :doh:

adouglasmhor

I got 2 vintage cravats from a charity shop yesterday, paid what I was asked for for them and put one of them on the bay with a percentage going to RBL. People in the shop couldn't have been nicer.

hollydays

Morglin wrote: »

Many of these charity shops are being paid to give dole claimants so called 'work experience'.

Dole claimants are forced to work there, with no increase in benefits, and under the threat of sanctions, and the charities got rid of a lot of enthusiastic volunteers, to take part in this.

Result: reluctant and disinterested people staffing charity shops.

Lin :doh:

I had heard the job centers were forcing people to volunteer but I didn't know the charities were being paid. Do you have a link?