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Charity shops. Their noses are turned upwards

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  • theoretica
    theoretica Posts: 12,691 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I fear it reflects in part on a charity shop's other donors. If people are using them as a dumping ground for unsaleable tat it will cost them to get rid of then that will work against their charitable aims.

    I find what charity shops want varies a lot between them, and all have been very pleasant when I check if they want a donation before bringing it in.
    But a banker, engaged at enormous expense,
    Had the whole of their cash in his care.
    Lewis Carroll
  • jackyann
    jackyann Posts: 3,433 Forumite
    Of course they have to refuse sometimes, they can do it graciously.

    I would definitely use the Family / Children's Centres and Refuge - they will be delighted. They may know of a charity such as Home-Start that may find them useful as well.

    I use Freecycle / Freegle a lot. I am very clear about giving a time frame for message replies and when I am happy for stuff to be collected. A lot of local charities use these sites to get stuff for sale.
  • sairy2010
    sairy2010 Posts: 45 Forumite
    Sorry to hear you are having trouble with donations to charity shops. I work in a charity shop and we are grateful for all donations.
    However we are in a town which has a lot of such shops (7 I think in a very small area). Most of them are better known than us so they get the pick.
    We always except every thing (apart from baby car seats which we are not allowed to sell, and records which don't seem to sell).
    If the clothes are not suitable for the shop we get money from a rag man, not much, but we are glad of any thing. Unsold bric a brac goes to another man. Books can be a problem because we can't really get rid of them if they don't sell. I put them in the paper recycling.
    There is a way of saying no thank you without being rude, but we don't often turn any thing away.
    Try one of the lesser known charities like us who don't get so many donations. I am sure they will be happy to take them.
  • In fairness - and it probably depends to some extent on the area the shop is in - but I certainly notice a high proportion of donations that have actually been taken in and put up for sale are clothes that have clearly had a noticeable amount of the wear used up on them.

    My idea of what clothes to donate to a charity shop are basically mistake buys/things that are the wrong size for me/etc - not things I've obviously worn a noticeable amount. If I have worn something a noticeable amount - then it gets chucked and not donated.

    Things I give don't have to look like I've only literally bought them yesterday - but they do have to look as if I only bought them a couple of months ago (not a couple of years ago).

    So I presume a lot of charity shops get fed-up with the proportion of donations given by those people that have clearly had a couple of years worth of the wear from them.
  • monnagran
    monnagran Posts: 5,284 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 12 August 2017 at 5:11PM
    I find that local charities are more welcoming that the large national charities. Our local hospice shop is delightful and I'm sure that they can't sell everything donated but they always thank you sincerely when you turn up with a bag of extraneous items.

    Clothes that they can't sell are disposed of as sairy says, to someone who gives them a few pounds a sack, so they stil win.
    I believe that friends are quiet angels
    Who lift us to our feet when our wings
    Have trouble remembering how to fly.
  • Torry_Quine
    Torry_Quine Posts: 18,874 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    In fairness - and it probably depends to some extent on the area the shop is in - but I certainly notice a high proportion of donations that have actually been taken in and put up for sale are clothes that have clearly had a noticeable amount of the wear used up on them.

    My idea of what clothes to donate to a charity shop are basically mistake buys/things that are the wrong size for me/etc - not things I've obviously worn a noticeable amount. If I have worn something a noticeable amount - then it gets chucked and not donated.

    Things I give don't have to look like I've only literally bought them yesterday - but they do have to look as if I only bought them a couple of months ago (not a couple of years ago).

    So I presume a lot of charity shops get fed-up with the proportion of donations given by those people that have clearly had a couple of years worth of the wear from them.

    If I only gave things I'd bought a few months ago then I'd never donate anything!
    Lost my soulmate so life is empty.

    I can bear pain myself, he said softly, but I couldna bear yours. That would take more strength than I have -
    Diana Gabaldon, Outlander
  • freyasmum
    freyasmum Posts: 20,597 Forumite
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    The past few times we have donated, it has been to the local women's refuge. They have graciously accepted everything we have given.

    Most recently, we gave my baby's first sleepsuits, which were barely worn at all. And all the baby foods which had been given free in bounty packs or on various shopping apps.
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 35,804 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Savvy Shopper!
    I recycle my clothes quite often (I post on the 'charity shop bargain' thread.
    All my stuff is clean, in reasonable condition & good makes.

    I've never had my local hospice (where I take my donations) look through what I've brought them before accepting them.

    I would be inclined to write to the head office of both charities and recount your experience.
    There really is no need for rudeness to people donating items.

    I once took 2 bags full of decent makes of clothes to BHF, smiled at the woman behind the counter and said 'where shall I leave these?'.
    She grunted and snarled 'there'.
    I picked both bags up, replied 'Tell you what, I'll take them to Save the Children across the road.'
    I walked out & they never got another donation from me.
  • Check which charities supplement their income with people forced to work there through the Work Programme. That'll most likely get you the majority of miserable people, who don't want to have to sort through bags of poo stained underwear (yes, it happens regularly), flea infested cuddly toys, mouldy books, jigsaws with bits missing, toys which are broken, have leaking batteries of sharp bits and stuff stinking of cigarette smoke for the equivalent of £1.79/h.
    I could dream to wide extremes, I could do or die: I could yawn and be withdrawn and watch the world go by.
    colinw wrote: »
    Yup you are officially Rock n Roll :D
  • VfM4meplse
    VfM4meplse Posts: 34,269 Forumite
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    !!!!!!?
    Arklight wrote: »
    I still have a loft full of barely played with Early Learning Centre toys, a Mamas and Papas cot and travel cot, mint condition, and hundreds of perfectly good books and barely worn toddler and baby clothes. Do I just have to throw all this away?
    No you must not. There is a population boom and many young families in desperate need of quality items. Please give these to deserving recipients. People often ask for this kind of stuff on a Freecycle.

    As for not accepting books: Philistines! For a chazzer is nowt without books :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
    Value-for-money-for-me-puhleeze!

    "No man is worth, crawling on the earth"- adapted from Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio

    Hope is not a strategy :D...A child is for life, not just 18 years....Don't get me started on the NHS, because you won't win...I love chaz-ing!
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