Charity shops. Their noses are turned upwards

Eenymeeny

Very interesting thread thanks. I sometimes struggle with donating clothes that I wouldn't wear to go out but are fine for 'in the house' I hope that the charities don't think that I'm offloading onto them but they are just too good to put in the bin. I'm sure that they'll have a rag recycling programme if not.
To be practical about disposing of donations: I just keep them together until I receive a collection bag through the door or put them into one of those collection bins situated in some car parks. I do take notice of their restrictions but most items can be disposed of this way. (My local council site has bins for books, clothes etc) HTH

Pollycat

Arklight wrote: »

Well, all the books and cds went to the tip today. Or municipal recycling centre I should say. They have special bins for them so maybe some of them might be passed on rather then mulched.

I don't think I can be bothered to complain. The staff are older ladies who volunteer, not work training people, and it's so many shops.

I will just make a mental note that the village charity shops don't want decent clothes, nearly unused Early Learning Centre toys, jigsaw puzzles, books, cds, or department store gifts we don't have space for, and only go in again the next time I have a spare Faberge egg.

They didn't use to be like this. We used to take our little boy round them to spend his pocket money on toys and he loved seeing what they had. Mostly it was tat, Thunder Cats with no legs and broken happy meal toys and things, and I thought it was a shame they didn't have better stuff to sell, but there were a few gems.

One we bought him when he was digger mad was a working battery powered sit on digger, which we got from St Barnabas which made his week (after which he forgot about it and diggers). Which is exactly what I was holding when the St Barnabas woman ran outside ranting, "You can't bring any of that in here!"

I bought it from her shop...

I think you may be doing them a disservice based on your experience.

And an email complaint about the attitude of the staff would take no more time than it's taken for you to post on here.

[Deleted User]

one of my DGS volunteers for the Marie Curie shop and he has to sort out stuff for sale .Any clothes that are of no use goes for 'rags' to a recycling company and they get paid a set amount by weight .saying that our local Marie Curie shop is brilliant and beautifully set out with clothes not only by size but by colour as well. The Sense shop is however not so good There window is always full of furniture etc which always has a sold sign on there, rarely see much worth even looking at in there, and their books are quite pricy.They seem to get a lot of new clothes stuff from companies that couldn't sell normally yet the charity want to sell at regular prices.Why would I want to buy a tee shirt in a CS dearer than I could by in a normal shop ? perhaps its because a clothes shop is a bis ride away and they think people will buy at high street prices stuff thats been donated for free ?.We have a shop where I live that is for books only and raises funds for the local church so my books go there as often CS will not take them ,even if I have bought them from there ,read them and want to donate back :):)

thriftwizard

I suspect the root of the problem is that by & large we live in a society that's just plain overwhelmed with Stuff. We're encouraged to think it's normal, even necessary, to change our entire wardrobe on a yearly basis, rather than wear something out of fashion; so what else can you do with the good stuff that's no longer wanted, if you don't have time to list it for sale or wait in for someone to collect it? No-one wants to see a wall lined with books any more, now you can "keep" them all on your Kindle; a primary teacher friend told me a few months ago that when they go round to new pupil's homes now, they never see books anywhere, even in the homes where kids obviously do get read a story at bedtime.

Our local charity shops are very picky now, as they have to pay to dump stuff (which they do, lots of it) & our Household Recycling Centre has good stuff coming in at a rate they can't deal with; at the moment house & garden plants by the ton, as people rip it all out & replace it with astroturf and brown plastic. Knowing people who have done this, it's so that they have time to sit out & enjoy their gardens, rather than having to mow grass, tend plants etc., which is quite understandable, but it seems very - well, sterile! - to me & just as much of a fad as covering it all with decking. In five years time they'll be overwhelmed by astroturf & defunct hot tubs at the Tip...

We kind of need to stop buying so much stuff in the first place, and stop caring whether we & our home & gardens are bang on trend, then we won't have a problem trying to rehome it all every couple of years. But as our entire economy is based on us buying more & more, and quicker & quicker, even if we have to borrow ruinously to do so, otherwise it's not "growing," no-one's going to mention that idea. So we, and the charity shops, and the recycling centres, will stay stuck with the problem of dealing with vast quantities of unwanted stuff, even top-quality stuff, until something changes. And they will continue to have to refuse donations. But they could, and should, do so politely!

lessonlearned

thriftwizard - Think you've hit the nail on the head there. Turbo charged consumerism run amok.

Most of us in the West just have too much stuff and getting rid of it all is just becoming one big headache.

I had to clear my parents house.:eek: and I've downsized once already. :eek::eek:

I am now buying far less and I'm still decluttering, working towards a far simpler lifestyle.

Yes I noticed that a lot of younger people no,longer have the time and inclination to nurture a garden. They just pave or deck over the lot. What a shame. I wonder how often they actually use the hot tubs once the novelty has worn off. Although I must admit I wouldn't say no to one. :rotfl:

coffeehound

Hermia wrote: »

The woman in the shop said I must be very lazy if I have that much time to read.

:eek: Good grief!

Pollycat

thriftwizard wrote: »

I suspect the root of the problem is that by & large we live in a society that's just plain overwhelmed with Stuff. We're encouraged to think it's normal, even necessary, to change our entire wardrobe on a yearly basis, rather than wear something out of fashion; so what else can you do with the good stuff that's no longer wanted, if you don't have time to list it for sale or wait in for someone to collect it? No-one wants to see a wall lined with books any more, now you can "keep" them all on your Kindle; a primary teacher friend told me a few months ago that when they go round to new pupil's homes now, they never see books anywhere, even in the homes where kids obviously do get read a story at bedtime.

I'm not sure if I fall into the category in bold.
I buy virtually all my clothes from charity shops.
The only things I've bought new this year is a linen dress from Next and a pair of Per Una trousers.

Hermia wrote: »

I have frequently wondered whether they are volunteering simply because no one would employ them! I once bought a bag full of bags as the shop had a BOGOF offer on books. The woman in the shop said I must be very lazy if I have that much time to read. Another time the two women at the counter were having a loud conversation about whether they were allowed to ban Asian people from the shop because "p**** are always thieves"! I know managing volunteers is really hard work, but some customer service training is needed!

Both are truly shocking things to say! :eek:
I doubt that someone serving in a bookshop would have commented about laziness.
I wonder if people serving in charity shops feel they have more freedom to comment on what people are buying than other shops.

My reading time is my bus journey into our local town, which takes 40 minutes and I do it 5 times a week.

The 'P' comment is beyond rude.

Hermia wrote: »

I have had stuff refused before which is very annoying because I have to take stuff there on the bus. I once was given a pile of brand-new hardback books (still all in the book charts) via work and practically got thrown out of one shop because they had too many books. I took them to another shop and the staff were delighted as they said they can get good money for recently released hardback books. I think if the staff at the first shop had known anything about books they would not be so strict about the rules in this instance.

I know I've posted this before but.....

Pollycat wrote: »

Overheard in my local Barnados yesterday:
"I've got some books for you"

"Well, I can take them but I have to tell you that they'll probably end up being scrapped as we get so many. About 250 donations a week and we only sell about 20".

I suggested they have a book sale but she replied that prices were set by head office.

Well, head office ought to be informed that charging £1.99 for a OK condition paperback is - in our area - downright silly.

50 yards away our hospice shop sells similar books for 50p to 75p and the hospice clearance shop about 250 yards away sells them for 25p or 5 for £1.

Unless it's a book that you've been looking for for ages, you're hardly likely to pay 8 times as much for a Dan Brown or Lee Child.

The lady walked out without leaving the books.

FinancialController

I read with dismay your post about your treatment by staff in charity shops.

Just over three years ago my wife died after a long illness and I decided to donate her clothing and jewellery to good causes.

I had struggled with the bereavement and was perhaps not taking as much care of myself as I ought to have done. I approached the local Oxfam shop carrying a large box and announced that I had a donation.

You would have thought from the reaction of the troika of witches behind the counter that I was wasting their time and the statement, "We are closing in twenty minutes, there's no time for further donations today" was delivered in such a horrible manner that I just turned around and walked out.

The single volunteer as the Sue Ryder shop was the exact opposite and took the time to look through the items with me. She actually offered to return some valuable items to me just in case I'd not realised what they were. The items were all of good quality with a lot of designer labels.

The lasting memory is though of someone who saw through the fact that a somewhat scruffy man who could have been donating nothing of value was treated with the utmost respect.

I now volunteer myself to help out and it amazes me the number of "do-gooders" who treat the charity work as a "badge" rather than actually wishing to do good.

That being said; all of the charities need the donations as much as ever.

VfM4meplse

Hermia wrote: »

I once bought a bag full of bags as the shop had a BOGOF offer on books. The woman in the shop said I must be very lazy if I have that much time to read.

If not said in jest then that's a very offensive comment to make. Knowledge is a priceless currency. I'd much rather be well informed than rich.

I remember being befuddled when an EA was trying to guess my occupation during a valuation of my home: "you must be quite intelligent because you have lots of books, are you a lawyer or something?" when my collection was but a fraction of what it is now. Your anecdote kicks mine into a c*cked hat.

lessonlearned

Bless your heart FC. I am glad the lady in Sue Ryder was kind to you.

I too am widowed, three years last Thursday, so I know how hard it is to part with our loved ones belongings.

Chin up and keep up with the voluntary work.....as you say charities do need us.