Charity shops getting expensive!

Mr_Singleton

cbsexec wrote: »

Oh how I agree about some shops doing themselves out of customers.

I suspect that there are charity shops that are quite happy to do without of certain types of customers.

Pollycat

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

I suspect that there are charity shops that are quite happy to do without of certain types of customers.

And maybe those charity shops will find themselves closing because of lack of customers/revenue.
How will that help the charity?

Mistral001

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

I suspect that there are charity shops that are quite happy to do without of certain types of customers.

Really. Please explain.

oystercatcher

mrsjaw wrote: »

There were reports once near us that charity shops on a small shopping area were paying £70 every two days for a arge 'dustbin' and throwing previously donated stuff out because there was just so much.

:

There are sadly people who use charity shops as a rubbish tip. An ex friend used to take things on holiday and rather than pack and take them home would leave all her dirty laundry and bedding outside the nearest charity shop before they went home. She thought she was doing them a favour !! :mad::mad:

Adding the reason for not packing was disability rather than pure laziness but still utter madness and selfishness.

Mr_Singleton

Mistral001 wrote: »

Really. Please explain.

Am sick of mean people who seem to feel that Charity Shops are there to personally provide them with dirt cheap clothing. Do they haggle in Tesco? Do they offer business advice to Richard Branson? The price is the price pay up or go whinge somewhere else!

Simple really!

Mr_Singleton

Pollycat wrote: »

And maybe those charity shops will find themselves closing because of lack of customers/revenue.
How will that help the charity?

The mind boggles.... you seem to think that charity shops have zero costs?

Who pays the shop manager to run the volunteers?
Who pays the water, gas and electricity bill?
Who pays the rent on the property?
Who pays 20% of the ratable value of the property to the council?
Who pays to clean and assess the donations?
Who pays to get rid of unwated/unsable donations?
Who pays for the head office functions?
Who pays for the banking and bookkeeping?

And the list goes on!

If the people in one area are too mean to support a Chartiy Shop it just moves to somewhere that will. Just like any other business!

Pollycat

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

Am sick of mean people who seem to feel that Charity Shops are there to personally provide them with dirt cheap clothing. Do they haggle in Tesco? Do they offer business advice to Richard Branson? The price is the price pay up or go whinge somewhere else!

Simple really!

The thread is about posters expressing their opinions about pricing in charity shops.
You do not have to agree with those opinions.
But people are entitled to state their opinions.

I've read very few posts where posters say they haggle and I've explicitly stated that I don't haggle.

And actually, if I thought Richard Branson's business model was wrong and I could get to speak to him then, yes, I would offer business advice.

Interesting that you've not commented on the post about one charity binning donated stuff on a daily basis.

Pollycat

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

The mind boggles.... you seem to think that charity shops have zero costs?

Who pays the shop manager to run the volunteers?
Who pays the water, gas and electricity bill?
Who pays the rent on the property?
Who pays 20% of the ratable value of the property to the council?
Who pays to clean and assess the donations?
Who pays to get rid of unwated/unsable donations?
Who pays for the head office functions?
Who pays for the banking and bookkeeping?

And the list goes on!

If the people in one area are too mean to support a Chartiy Shop it just moves to somewhere that will. Just like any other business!

I don't think that charity shops have zero costs at all.
That's a ridiculous thing to say.
I guess the funding for charity shops comes from donations.
That includes what charity shops can sell donated goods for.

And if one charity shop closes 'because people in one area are too mean to support a charity shop' - or looking at it a different way 'because people feel prices are too high' (that's not necessarily being mean) and the shop closes and moves to a different area, they are cutting themselves off from donations in the original town.

'Just like any other business'?
Competition between charity shops is probably more keen than many other businesses.

bertiewhite

It might depend on the items being sold?

For instance, our I picked up some sets of glasses recently in our Help the Aged shop and remarked that they would have been someone's pride & joy once and the assistant told me glasses were the bane of her life as she was inundated by them. The same goes for books.

Mistral001

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

Am sick of mean people who seem to feel that Charity Shops are there to personally provide them with dirt cheap clothing. Do they haggle in Tesco? Do they offer business advice to Richard Branson? The price is the price pay up or go whinge somewhere else!

Simple really!

I do not know what charity shops you have visited or are connected with, but I have NEVER seen anybody haggle in a charity shop. I must have visited dozens.

If a charity shop is not making money, then they should look at the way the are organised instead of complaining about their customers. Though I must say I do not think your views represent the views of any of the charity shops. I know charity shops where the staff say they make a good return and have been in the same location for decades.