More Charity Shop Bargains for 2018 & beyond!

Pollycat

Our local Sue Ryder shop - that occupies a very large space - has been open for about 3 years and has changed pricing policy a few times.
It was expensive to start with, then they priced everything at £2.00 and now stuff is randomly priced with Dotty Perks, Next etc items being £3.00 and other stuff more expensive.
The rails are crammed and often I can't be bothered to look through it all.

They used to have a lot of furniture but the place is currently looking a bit bare.
Not sure if this is lack of stock or because they're running it down.

dolly84

It bothers me too that they price too high it doesn't sell, they don't reduce because people will wait for that to happen, then it all ends up in landfill. I want to see things being re-used and it pains me when they overpice, we are at saturation point with most stuff.

osbornbiscuit

I work as a volunteer in a well known chain of charity shops. Every shop has a list of guide line prices but it is left to the manager to make the final decision. In our shop clothes are not put out for sale if they are bobbly or worn. We are governed by an area manager who makes inspections to check on the range of clothes available, prices etc. It is just like in any organisation. Each layer is accountable to the one above and you have to make a profit. We can't just decide to do a flash sale, we have to ask the next layer of management. The shop managers have an annual appraisal to review whether they have achieved their targets and this does not just include money for the shop, it can be new goods sold, number of gift aiders signed up, donations etc. I am sure it is like this for most of the chain shops.
I think we have to realise it may be called charity but it is a business and a big one at that.
Yes I have been in that place when you put your hands in a black bin bag to find used socks and underwear and you know not to bother going to the bottom as everything smells so you do just rag it.
I am envious of some of the prices that you pay here but a lot of it is down to where you shop.
Perhaps if we just remember its a business and sometimes we can come away with bargains. I can remember almost running out of a shop because they didn't realise what they had and priced accordingly.

Miró

My weekly trip today to the St Gemma's 99p shop produced..... a BNWT Primark cotton cardigan in cream with navy Eiffel Towers all over, (or could be Blackpool Tower:D)! Also a fluffy, lightweight shorty dressing gown from Debenhams in a rather icky powder blue colour. May well be b/n as it has those small circular sticky things on the care label. Will be great for reading and using the iPad in bed without getting frostbitten arms & shoulders.

Happened to arrive at the shop just as the van was unloading the next consignment of donations so there was loads to look at. I just love this shop...although they are supposed to have a 'good' rail for the better clothes you still find expensive makes in with the Primark and Tu. Today I spotted some Ted Baker, Jaegar, Hobbs & Monsoon and last week a Hugo Boss mens suit which looked as new...all 99p!!!

Miró

Has everyone seen this?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5957494/13-charity-shop-bargain-hunting-tricks-blog-discussion

Re the surge in donations recently that's mentioned in the blog....strange cos lots of peeps on this thread have been complaining about the distinct lack of bargains lately!

VfM4meplse

osbornbiscuit wrote: »

I work as a volunteer in a well known chain of charity shops. Every shop has a list of guide line prices but it is left to the manager to make the final decision. In our shop clothes are not put out for sale if they are bobbly or worn. We are governed by an area manager who makes inspections to check on the range of clothes available, prices etc. It is just like in any organisation. Each layer is accountable to the one above and you have to make a profit. We can't just decide to do a flash sale, we have to ask the next layer of management. The shop managers have an annual appraisal to review whether they have achieved their targets and this does not just include money for the shop, it can be new goods sold, number of gift aiders signed up, donations etc. I am sure it is like this for most of the chain shops.
I think we have to realise it may be called charity but it is a business and a big one at that.
Yes I have been in that place when you put your hands in a black bin bag to find used socks and underwear and you know not to bother going to the bottom as everything smells so you do just rag it.
I am envious of some of the prices that you pay here but a lot of it is down to where you shop.
Perhaps if we just remember its a business and sometimes we can come away with bargains. I can remember almost running out of a shop because they didn't realise what they had and priced accordingly.

Good post, makes me even more appreciative of bargains.

Mir! wrote: »

Has everyone seen this?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5957494/13-charity-shop-bargain-hunting-tricks-blog-discussion

The article hasn't told me anything I didn't already know, but I like MSE Martin's final quote.

Mir! wrote: »

Re the surge in donations recently that's mentioned in the blog....strange cos lots of peeps on this thread have been complaining about the distinct lack of bargains lately!

Perhaps the universe is conspiring against you

Today the universe was definitely on my side, I found a copy of this which I have coveted for years: (Not everyone's cup of tea admittedly, but sends my pulse racing).

Pollycat

VfM4meplse wrote: »

The article hasn't told me anything I didn't already know, but I like MSE Martin's final quote.

Here is Martin's final quote:

Martin's view is: "This is about charity, so it's the one time paying full price (if it's reasonable) is a good thing to do. Yet if you're on the breadline and this is your only route available, then offering to pay what you can afford isn't wrong."

I read Martin's final quote to be a comment on # 13 of the MSE charity shop bargain hunting tips:

You CAN haggle - but whether you SHOULD is an open question. Many do report haggling in charity shops. This is more a moral decision than a financial one.

My opinion is that it is unfair to put what is likely to be volunteer staff in the position of having to say 'no' to a lower offer on an item.
We've already had the discussion about prices often being set by regional managers.

Unless of course, there is some flaw/fault with the item but you still want it.

How are staff to know that a customer is 'on the breadline'?

To me, haggling in a charity shop is a big 'no-no'.

VfM4meplse

Pollycat wrote: »

How are staff to know that a customer is 'on the breadline'?

To me, haggling in a charity shop is a big 'no-no'.

I think there are subtle signs that anyone who has worked in retail will pick up on. Someone with very stretched resources wil agonise over a purchase.

I saw it just the other day when I bought my wicker chairs. The middle-aged buyer was not wealthy but she haggled over a pram that she could have afforded to pay full chazzer price I'm sure (she did not exude desperation to buy). She just came from a haggling culture.

CAFCGirl

I didn't mean to p@@ p@@ the efforts of charity shops. My apologies for being a negative nelly.
It's always easy to 'put right' from the outside on many things. Lots goes unseen though inc a lot of the abuse volunteers deal with. A close family member volunteers in one. She's almost 80 and been threatened, and assaulted by another volunteer, so I don't mean to offend by any means.

As was said, charity is now big business. I just miss the days of old.... Although admittedly when I was a child I hated being dragged into them because they were the lifeline for my family in terms of clothing us, I hated having to use them because it meant we were effectively what's now known as living in poverty. I guess I'm also sad that nowadays they're not quite the same lifeline to those in poverty now....

On that note though, i've built a huge stockpile in my spare room of donations so hopefully someone will get some bargains from that when it goes out

Happy bargain hunting to all

Pollycat

VfM4meplse wrote: »

I think there are subtle signs that anyone who has worked in retail will pick up on. Someone with very stretched resources wil agonise over a purchase.

I saw it just the other day when I bought my wicker chairs. The middle-aged buyer was not wealthy but she haggled over a pram that she could have afforded to pay full chazzer price I'm sure (she did not exude desperation to buy). She just came from a haggling culture.

If the experience I had in a national charity shop yesterday is anything to go by, I wouldn't bank on that.

Christmas stock reduced.
I decided to buy 5 boxes of shortbread biscuits at £1.10 per box.
£5.50 right?
Wrong.
"£7.24 please." :eek:
They'd obviously had a problem with the till and £1.74 was on the till before they started to scan my items.
I pointed out that 5 x £1.10 was £5.50.
"but the till says £7.24"
I suggested that they get someone else to check.

Next person came, voided the 5 x £1.10 and re-scanned my boxes of biscuits.
"£7.24 please".
My "£1.10, £2.20, £3.30, £4.40, £5.50" was met with blank stares and a point at the till total.
I suggested that they got someone else.

The manager came down and voided everything and I paid my £5.50.
I really do doubt that these 2 people (as nice and pleasant as they were) would pick up on any signs, let alone subtle ones.

And - in my experience - they are not alone.
I'd say the majority of volunteers in the many charity shops I visit regularly would be non-plussed and horrified to be asked if they'd take less for an item that had been priced up.

I really don't think that volunteers should be expected to judge the level of desperation that a buyer exudes.