Charity shops getting expensive!

VfM4meplse

I think Pollycat is spot on about hospice shops being the best value for money. They have books out at the front for 30p each / 4 for £1, and I never leave without a good thick bundle. They also have their other stock at reasonable prices, and what I would describe as mad prices when on sale.

The worst shops for prices: BHF, Barnardos and CRUK although the latter vary; I think local staff have more discretion over pricing.

Pollycat

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

Just a quick reality check here.... maybe said through gritted teeth.

The purpose of charity shops is to help those less fortunate than ourselves...people with cancer or maybe people starving or at risk of starving to death in a foreign country maybe child refugees fleeing war zones.

So,

The purpose of a charity shop is not to provide people living in a first world country with dirt cheap clothing thus enabling them to avoid the £1.99 Primark t-shirt made in a far eastern sweat shop by people working 15 hours a day in horrendous conditions because thats such an obvious example of retailers profiteering.

So deep breaths everyone remember Kama and there but for the grace of God.

Do we need a reality check?
I think we're all aware of the purpose of charity shops.

A number of us have pointed out flaws in the marketing policy of some charity shops.

And I've already mentioned that several local charity shops that have spent what must have been not inconsiderable sums of money on refurbishment have since closed.
That would be money that could have been spent on 'less fortunate than ourselves...people with cancer or maybe people starving or at risk of starving to death in a foreign country maybe child refugees fleeing war zones' instead of trying to make their shops more like GAP or Monsoon when a lot of us have been buying from disorganised, fusty-smelling charity shops for years.

Maybe you should be taking those who manage charities to task instead of people who actually contribute to those 'less fortunate than ourselves...people with cancer or maybe people starving or at risk of starving to death in a foreign country maybe child refugees fleeing war zones' by buying items from charity shops.

I think charity shop managers are doing a disservice to those generous people who donate items - include me in that number as I have regular clear-outs - by over-pricing items.
It is they who are not doing the best for the charity they serve, not the people posting on here.

It's not about getting something dirt-cheap, it's about business reality.

[Deleted User]

My DGS Jack volunteers at the local Marie Curie CS bless him during the school holidays, he actually sorts out the stuff that goes on the rails.
The ladies there adore him and will put aside anything they think Jack may like

He is a pretty broke 17 year old and yet he still pays to going rate for his jumpers from them he doesn't mind as he says its far cheaper than trying to buy clothes on his weekend part-time job.His next brother up Ben is at Uni, and Jack and Ben are almost the same size and similar tastes in clothes ,so what Jack doesn't have, Ben will snap up. He says their shop is the nicest one out of the 6 that are local to us ,and its true .Its reasonably priced,spotlessly clean and doesn't have that musty old clothes smell that a lot have, and the clothes are all in good condition.
The stuff that is not at its best is bagged up and goes for rags.They sell few books and as there is a second-hand book shop locally they seem to get few donations

We also have a church charity bookshop locally which raises funds for the church and their books are not too badly priced.There are two Sense shops almost opposite each other which seem to price stuff at really silly prices, and the stuff seems to sit there for months .most folk pop in,look around and then leave again I agree the Hospice shops are pretty good at pricing stuff,perhaps sadly its because they need the money so desperately.

Islandmaid the CS in Cowes High Street the Earl Mountbatten one is pretty good for records/LPs etc, and two of my DGS like to browse around when we are on the island.

DGS Ben's ex-g/f bought a terrific weatherproof jacket in there a couple of years ago ,barely used (no doubt donated after Cowes Week ) for a couple of pounds, and when she got back to the holiday house she found a two pound coin in one of the pockets as she too was a penniless student she got a real bargain that day :):).

I am in favour of CS and have over the years bought a good few things in there,but it does seem a bit short-sighted to have stock just sitting there doing nothing and earning no cash. Sue Ryder's shops I have found have been usually crammed full and not a lot of stuff seems to sell because its over-priced. Shame there seems to be so very few Jumble sales any more though as they were great places to get odds and ends and quirky things

Pollycat

I believe I've mentioned before that our Air Ambulance sells clothes, shoes & bags for £1.
It's absolutely rammed every time I go in there - unlike a lot of the other charity shops.

So maybe BHF, Age UK, Oxfam etc should take a look round at their rails that have stuff that's been there for weeks and have a rethink about pricing policy.

It's not about getting a cheap bargain, they should be maximising their income to use it for the benefit of the people they are supposed to be supporting - and having clothes that have been donated at no cost to them hanging around isn't the best way to support people with needs.

On a slightly different subject, has anyone noticed that some of the national chains now sell new goods?
A lot of it seems to be tat (imho).

Bigjenny

Our AgeUK shop sells everything for £1 we also have a Sue Ryder shop where everything is £1, local Hospice shop is not too bad on prices. Oxfam has shut but plenty of other CS shops.

elona

avogadro

I am so glad you posted as I have just ordered four tee shirts in the sale. Instead of fifteen pounds each they are now £4 each :j

As the weather is getting much warmer having several tee shirts in a cool material that will wash nicely will be a boon especially at those prices.

lessonlearned

Pollycat wrote: »

Do we need a reality check?
I think we're all aware of the purpose of charity shops?


It's not about getting something dirt-cheap, it's about business reality.

Well said Polly. Hope you don't mind me chopping your reply down but I think you have hit the nail on the head there.

As someone who has volunteered in one of the chains I was appalled at the waste and lack of business acumen shown by those in Head Office.

I always felt that the local branch manager should have been given far more autonomy. They know the area, the prices that it can stand, what sells well, what languishes on the racks, how to drum up business with local initiatives and seasonal marketing.

Most of the chains have a dating system at work, roughly a month on the rails. (You can tell the dates, its shown on the tickets)

If it doesn't sell then it gets bagged up and sent to another branch. I really can't see the point. It's a lot of work for no financial gain. Yes the volunteers aren't charging for their time so they are not spending money on staff wages for that task but It is still an inefficient way of going about things. It would be more fruitful to just price it according to local market conditions and get the sales.

A quick turnover, with new stock being displayed more regularly would also maintain customer interest and increase footfall which of course would lead to more sales.

When I worked on site selling new build houses I had to look good but my clothes got wrecked very easily. I used to buy all my posh suits from a nearly new shop which specialised in high end labels. I used to buy suits which would normally cost £200 to £300 for around £30 to £50.

There is a huge difference between a nearly new shop and a chazzer but It seems that some of the national chazzer chains are trying to aim for the the same market, hence the store refits and higher prices.

They should stop trying to compete on that basis and go back to their original model, i.e. Pile it high and sell it cheap. It's hardly rocket science......and let's face it most charity shop customers couldn't give a fig if the shop itself looks a bit "tired". So refitting the shops to make then look like high street stores is a complete waste of money. As long as they are clean and hygienic that's all matters.

Re the fusty smell. It's usually worse when the shop has old carpets.
Replacing with vinyl or laminate reduces it but laminate in particular can be slippery when wet, unless you can have an area by the door for proper non slip coir matting or similar to soak up the moisture. A bit of a health and safety issue I am afraid.

Our shop had old carpets ........we kept the door open as much as possible.:rotfl:

kboss2010

I, too, find that local hospice charity shops are much better value. I barely go into chain charity shops anymore because they just aren't good value for money.

I agree that charity shops are there to raise money for charities but if customers wanted to give them money for nothing, they'd just give them the money as a donation. The purpose of having shops is that charities provide a good value product that they are given for free in exchange for money + potentially being able to claim a tax rebate (gift aid).

If the products you sell are poor quality and/or overpriced, people won't buy them & your shop ceases to have a good business model. That means less profit, poor stock rotation, more waste, more products in landfill than being reused and also pricing the poorest in society out of affordable clothing. Not everyone uses charity shops by choice.

Now that I'm working, I begrudge paying high st prices for poor quality clothes regardless of how much you pay and choose charity shops because they're less wasteful & more environmentally-friendly than buying new but, while I was a student & then unemployed while looking for a job, I had no choice.

maman

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

Just a quick reality check here.... maybe said through gritted teeth.

The purpose of charity shops is to help those less fortunate than ourselves...people with cancer or maybe people starving or at risk of starving to death in a foreign country maybe child refugees fleeing war zones.

So,

The purpose of a charity shop is not to provide people living in a first world country with dirt cheap clothing thus enabling them to avoid the £1.99 Primark t-shirt made in a far eastern sweat shop by people working 15 hours a day in horrendous conditions because thats such an obvious example of retailers profiteering.

So deep breaths everyone remember Kama and there but for the grace of God.

You seem to forget that there are people in this country who are 'less fortunate than ourselves' and rely on CSs to clothe themselves and their families. Plus the pricing structure that leaves stock on the rails which could be raising money for the needy at home and abroad isn't successful.

VfM4meplse wrote: »

The worst shops for prices: BHF, Barnardos and CRUK although the latter vary; I think local staff have more discretion over pricing.

CRUK locally seem to be able to offer lower prices in poorer parts of the city so, I think, there must be some discrepancy.

VfM4meplse

maman wrote: »

CRUK locally seem to be able to offer lower prices in poorer parts of the city so, I think, there must be some discrepancy.

This is what I don't understand! My nearest is in a middle class area and is also very reasonably priced, thanks to the manager.

Go to South Woodford - admittedly an expensive part of the area - and the prices get much higher. Yet go to East Ham, which is swimming in poverty and the prices match South Woodford. Bonkers but my feedback to CRUK fell on deaf ears. (Ditto Barnardos in Wanstead, which again has silly-billy prices).