More Charity Shop Bargains for 2018 & beyond!

Magpie100

Good news, Miro, am glad you are reassured. I'm up early and working from home and wondering if I can pop to my local CS at lunch time - it's only 5 minutes away! I'd like to try somewhere a bit different and I might go to a new CS town tomorrow morning, but we'll see.

Have good days, all.

klew356

i think i might have a look in a charity shop tomorrow - one i haven't been in before maybe

Pollycat

Mir! wrote: »

Many thanks everyone for your interest in my latest purchase of the Radley bag. After much searching I have managed to find the bag on't'internet..... this is it except mine is the black version which will be much more useful!

http://www.millermccoy.org/radley-63106-ss16-border-medium-flap-over-tote.html

I'm now pretty sure it is genuine, (many thanks to Artytarty for the links - they helped a lot). It also helped having an authentic bag for comparison. Everything seems to fit from the fabric used for the bag lining to the design and finish of the dustbag.

*heaves huge sigh of relief!*

It's a lovely design bag and £30 for a new leather bag is a pretty good price anyway....but a bonus that it's genuine.

Artytarty

*never had a Radley bag, now want one*

I'm glad Miro, I thought it was the real deal too, enjoy!

Magpie100

Today in the local Sue Ryder:

- A 'St Michael' brand top. A quick look online as although I knew this was M&S and discontinued, I was interested to find out a bit more about when. I see it was discontinued in 2000, which means this is at least 19 years old! It's a navy blue with white polka dots light jacket - it feels slightly 80s in style, although I don't think it's as old as that. Brilliant to pop over things this summer. Even more brilliant it was reduced to £2.37 (?).

- Two primark vests. I hardly ever buy primark new or secondhand, but these were two for £3. They are wide straps and all the way round the hems (arms and included) the material has a punched-out pattern of a flower. Size 8, but I find primark often vanity size so these are fitted on me but fine due to the material. I love finding this type of top to go under things. One is bright red and the other black and I can think of lots of things to wear them under/with.

- The third thing I bought was ...well, I'm not sure what it is! It seems to be a cross between a coat and a dress. All the labels have been cut out but it looks really good quality. It has a collar and feels very smart but also slightly bohemian, if that makes sense. Silk lined, buttons until 3/4 of the way down ( but not all the way down, so not technically a coat!) slub green. Need to work out what to wear it with, but probably black leggings in the autumn. £2.25 in the sale...

M100

dolly84

Today I got a black Nike Dri Fit strappy vest top with built in support for running, £2.50, DH got some stone coloured Vans Chino trousers for £4, a grey and black Nike sweatshirt for DS for winter £2.


My absolute favourite thing was an Old Hall vintage 2 1/4 pint brushed stainless steel teapot, thing of beauty and fits very neatly with my wanabee plastic free sustainable lifestyle - £4.50. I have been looking for a teapot for ages as my old one was chipped then I smashed the spout clean off. In my mind someone will have cherished this all their married life and I will cherish it from now on.

Miró

Up in North Yorks again for the weekend so called into a chazza in Thirsk and spotted a pair of magnificent Dartington crystal, art deco stylee candle holders, about 18" tall (in old money), priced at £10. Much too big for my humble abode so now frantically thinking if I know anyone who would appreciate them in their more spacious abodes.


Ob lawks, been threatened with industrial quantities of strawbs, rasps, & goosegogs ftom friend's garden.... fast running out of jars for jam naking!!

DigForVictory

Wanted some of the lovely IKEA rainbow bags, so hauled away to Ashton under Lyme. It has seen better days and a lot of tough years, but there have been flashes of grace (says she with *almost* all the Denby now stripped out) but a respectful smile at some of the architecture.

So. There are a Lot of charity shops, the chains and the individual ones & the hospice ones. The Barnardos seems to have rails for £1 a time as semi-standard (and free parking for 45 minutes but ANPR enforced)

Anyway, the gem was an undocumented-on-google wooden canal boat shop which was long deep & full of all sorts of things - books DVDs furniture & so forth. Himself identified a single nice mug, which was a fiendishly expensive twenty pence, and that set the tone for their pricing policy. They genuinely hesitate to ask for more than the equivalent of a pound a kilo even for furniture.So the imperial blue lidded pate bowl (you know what I mean? small, round, easy to shrinkwrap a product label on but Gloriously Denby) & the nice little tobacco jar both came home with me.

The Barnardos had a fascinatingly basestamped lovatts coffeepot - chipped alas but the basestamp won me over and a perfect & undamaged, still with its protective mesh on the spout, Regency Green teapot! Why do staff think they need wrap to protect the inside of the pot & not its handles or spout etc? Ah well, I have newspapers in the boot for Just this sort of thing....

So my feet are sore but I am beaming, and about to go research what the devil the War Office crowsfoot is doing on a Langley pot..

Owain_Moneysaver

Nothing exciting, just 6 DVDs for £1 (Red Cross) for a friend who's stuck inside post-op.

Magpie100

Reporting on my adventures yesterday. I was lucky enough to spend the day in charity shop heaven - on Upper Street, Islington. I think I've now been so spoilt I'll only ever want to shop there...

First things first: everything was noticeably more expensive, which I did expect, but was still a bit of a shock. Definitely no chance of finding gems that have been overlooked and accidentally underpriced - but on the up side, nearly everything I saw was in great condition and there was a lot of designer stuff. I know it's probably not everyone's cup of tea or way of charity shopping, but I think it is mine!

The first CS we went to I can't remember the name of and had a lot of mid-range high street stuff. Lots of Zara, Next, Oasis, Mango and a few more expensive brands - Boden, Seasalt, Karen Millen. Tops were £7-9 I would say - where I usually go these would be £4-6. I didn't buy anything but it was a good way to get a feel of the differences.

Next up was the Shelter CS shop. This was hands down the most beautiful CS shop I have ever been in. Beautiful decor and more like a boutique independent shop than a CS. Stripped wood floors, spacious changing rooms, and incredible stock. I bought:

- A white vest with bronze metallic trim. Unbranded, no labels, though made in South Africa. I am a sucker for vests and like them to be a little bit dressy (to ear to work under a blazer or jacket) and I loved this. Only £3, so actually not far adrift of usual pricing.

- A Marimekko tunic for £8 in a black and white pattern. Will need leggings under it. On their website they retail at £115 or so. Looks unworn.

- Navy Zara trousers for £7. Unusual cut - 3/4 length crop with a slit at the front of the bottom so they flare out a little. Perfect condition.

We didn't have too much time and there were two lovely jackets I coveted, but I didn't have time to make a proper decision, so I may have to go back!

After that we went to the Mary's Living and Giving Shop. Again very beautifully curated with some very pricey stock. Trousers for £120 (RRP £400). I do support these pricing policies in places like London since charities should be getting the most ££ they can for their donations. I bought:

- a pair of silky cuffed joggers from arket. Bottle green, and so soft. £15. I like Arket but have never bought anything from there as it is so expensive. These are smart enough for work and feel lovely.

- A white Adidas shell jacket in cream with short sleeves. This is why I love CS shopping. I have a strange fondness for quirky sportswear, and this is the kind of item I would never come across in normal high-street shops (and if I did I would never buy). This was £12. It feels quirky, almost vintage in style, with fun details. I love it!

All in all, I still think most things were worth the prices being asked. And I increasingly don't want to buy new when there is so much good secondhand out there.

Hope everyone is having bargainous weekends! M100