More Charity Shop Bargains for 2018 & beyond!

Doody

Laredouter wrote: »

I have now moved to Norwich, so I have a new range of charity shops to look through, and I was horrified at the prices. £45 for a Jack Wills cape?! I haven't been in the charity shops since I left home, and honestly, with the horrendous change to my local Banardo's, I think I am now retiring from charity shopping. I will continue to read about your bargains, and hope that things change in the future.

Anyway, I bought a Jil Sander jumper in black for £3.99 in Sue Ryder before I left. The care label is removed, but it feels like cashmere, so I guess there's that?

If you go further north, have a look in Stalham. A High St full of CSs

Towser

I haven't been in the charity shops since I left home, and honestly, with the horrendous change to my local Banardo's,

Now that they don't sort by size, I can't find anything.

My chazzers aren't as cheap as most people's. They Google the prices or ebay off the stock.

But still I was happy with a Phaze Eight dress at £15 from local Hospice shop.

Was priced at £7.50 so I had to give the purchase some serious thought but went for it as I knew I would regret it if I didn't.

Wouldn't get away with it 'round ere for less than £30. You are lucky. The charity shops do seem to report a lot of theft.

Pollycat

Laredouter wrote: »

honestly, with the horrendous change to my local Banardo's, I think I am now retiring from charity shopping.

Towser wrote: »

Now that they don't sort by size, I can't find anything.

Our local Barnados has decided to put all clothes of the same colour(ish) together, by size, regardless of whether they are tops, dresses, coats, skirts or trousers.

If I'm looking in charity shops, I want to look at dresses (or coats or trousers), not look for something that's red.

Honestly - who decides these things?
And why?

osbornbiscuit

Unfortunately the way the shop is laid out is not decided by the local managers. Some one in head office far far away thinks of a 'good' idea and then the rest of the shops implement it. I hate shops that don't have it sorted into size. When I go into a shop I immediately look for my size cubes not the colours as sometimes there is a bargain in my size in a colour I would never have considered. Even if the customers voice their disapproval of the layout the managers hands are tied and nowadays it also has to accommodate brand new stock. Nearly every shop sells cards of every sort which I must admit are handy and reasonable priced. My bargain was Tala stacking cake tins in an old fashioned design but brand new for £2.00. Some one had priced each individual tin inside and when I took it to the till to query the price I was told to ignore all the other prices as some one had got a bit confused ! At least my attempts at home baking will be housed in posh tins!!!

VfM4meplse

Pollycat wrote: »

Our local Barnados has decided to put all clothes of the same colour(ish) together, by size, regardless of whether they are tops, dresses, coats, skirts or trousers.

If I'm looking in charity shops, I want to look at dresses (or coats or trousers), not look for something that's red.

Honestly - who decides these things?
And why?

Ditto the Southend branch. But then it's a waste of time full stop.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I don't mind colour blocking, provided the clothes are still sorted by type (ie tops not mixed with trousers) and the hangers have size tags, and are on rails in size order.

In what used to be one of my favourite charity shops in Wimbledon, they now have dispensed with the usual size tags, and have put plain coloured ones on, so you have to reference the label to work out that lilac means size 10, and yellow means size 12. Whose genius idea was that?

VfM4meplse

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

In what used to be one of my favourite charity shops in Wimbledon, they now have dispensed with the usual size tags, and have put plain coloured ones on, so you have to reference the label to work out that lilac means size 10, and yellow means size 12. Whose genius idea was that?

Someone that wants to discourage impulse purchase? Perhaps they volunteer in the charity to be subversive

Or think that M&S rule the world of ladieswear? :think:

robin58

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Ditto the Southend branch. But then it's a waste of time full stop.

Has that reopened ?

Laredouter

Yeah, everything is now colour coordinated, and it has a lot more tat now. They have a 'premium' rail now where everything is priced 3x higher when everything used to be the same price and they now have an eBay page. Absolutely gutted tbh as they were great. Doubt I'd ever get another bargain like my blue handbag in there now.

Miró

Sometimes the smallest spend can give so much pleasure and satisfaction....

Yesterday I 'invested' a whole 20p on some fabric to make a dustbag for my recently acquired Ted Baker leather holdall, (chazza buy), in order to save it from scratches when shoved in a cupboard. Having scoured the charity shops unsuccessfully for a cotton sheet or similar I considered cannibalising a brand new one but decided that was a bit drastic. So....my latest trip to Otley and the strange 20p shop, (about to close...boo hoo!) and my eyes fell on a box of fabric remnants and several pieces of cream, very nice quality plain heavy cotton fabric. I thought it must either be curtain fabric or even very good quality curtain lining but having purchased a piece sufficient for my needs and examining it in daylight I think it must be remnants of bridal fabric! Anyhoo, I spent a happy hour or so last night tailoring a dustcover to fit said Ted Baker bag