More Charity Shop Bargains for 2018 & beyond!

mcculloch29

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

Not strictly CS related, but there are some knowledgable posters on here:

Which coat do you think best for a funeral please:

-black, but parka style with fake fur hood, worried it's a bit casual.
-cream mac, much smarter, but not as warm.

How important is black these days? Deceased is a distant relative of my partner, who I never met.

I would always choose smart lighter colour over casual darker colour for a funeral. People rarely “expect” mourners to wear black now. The chances are that they wouldn’t even notice that a more casual outfit was black, but would notice that it was casual.

Of course, the most important thing is to be there.

Having said that, the mourners I saw at an early Nineties funeral who wore stonewashed double denim left me speechless - others were in black, it wasn’t a “go as you please” funeral. That was just so disrespectful.
Any chazzer could have togged them out more suitably.

Lucy5781

Mir! wrote: »

Looks like you don't actually have to have one now.....from their website:-

Do I need a reward card to shop?

No, however why not pick up a form while you’re in store or visit our dedicated reward card site; https://www.matalancard.co.uk and check out the great benefits of being a Matalan card holder.


I'm sure I remember, yonks, ago having to pay £1 to get a membership card in order to be 'allowed' to shop??!!

I haven't needed a membership card for Matalan in my adult life and I'm a few months off 37 now....

Been really pleased with them recently as I've splurged on Star Wars themed baby girl outfits for No.2

Floss

The quality of Matalan stuff has improved of late - they are good for inexpensive office wear & Falmers stuff, as well as summer holiday stuff & bathers. They also have some nice homeware stuff - I bought a set of earthenware crockery (6 each of mug, small & dinner plates, cereal & pasta bowls) when me & the DSs were setting up house on our own in 2000 which DS2 & DDiL still use today!

dolly84

I hadn't been to Matalan for years until Christmas just gone when I bought DS some PJ's and slipper boots, the quality of them is poor really and I regret buying there, they still ask for the membership card in my experience, I think you can do much better elsewhere in that price bracket. Plus there are no rewards from being a member except a sales leaflet in the post.

Miró

Lucy5781 wrote: »

I haven't needed a membership card for Matalan in my adult life and I'm a few months off 37 now....

I now feel as old as Methuselah!! :rotfl:

VfM4meplse

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Are no longer mine. Mum tried them on last night and they look better on her, so they belong to her now

What goes around comes around. My sister clocked both this morning and now they're "hers". As well as my mum's other 2 chazzer finds.

Winner takes all around here :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Wednesday2000

I had to go to the town centre today and I did stop in the £1 charity shop. I was in a bad mood so I thought I would look. I did set myself an aim of not buying clothes this year so I have broken that now!:rotfl: Oh well.:D

I got a very nice black jumper, a men's flannel shirt to sleep in and a sparkly light grey scarf. Very pleased with all of that and I know I will use all three items.:)

Wizzbang

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

Not strictly CS related, but there are some knowledgable posters on here:

Which coat do you think best for a funeral please:

-black, but parka style with fake fur hood, worried it's a bit casual.
-cream mac, much smarter, but not as warm.

How important is black these days? Deceased is a distant relative of my partner, who I never met.

Personally, I'd go with the darker colour - never mind the style. I went to my neighbour's funeral recently and I don't own anything black (just not my colour or style). I wore a smart navy blue dress, tights and shoes and there's no way I could wear my fuchsia pink, smart wool coat over it! So, I opted for an admittedly old and more casual style navy blue parka style jacket with fur trim. It blended in perfectly with my outfit and so I did not feel out of place. (It was a Catholic church and almost everyone was in black, particularly as my neighbour was nearly 90 - I just felt it more respectful to stick to the rules of wearing darker colours and I was glad I did. At the end of the day, you could always take your coat off as soon as you get inside the building).

carlislelass

I went to one where dress code included "a touch of yellow"Covered everything from a tie to scarf, bag gloves etc

Wizzbang

Pollycat wrote: »

I think most of the posters on here buy their stuff from charity shops and then re-donate to the charity shop of their choice.

I don't look at the style of label to date a garment.
I'm not a fashion victim or fashion junkie.
I buy what I like at the price I'm happy with.
I can't remember the last time I bought anything new - my choice, not necessity.

For sure, if I could afford to just re-donate I would. But whether I buy anything new (always in the sales) or second hand or if it's given to me - I have to try to sell it as a first port of call. We just don't have enough money not to. Especially as I can see from other people's comments, where I live, I have to pay high prices even for second hand items.

I think it's as important to look at the labels on a garment, as it is to feel the fabric, examine it, look at the stitching etc. But I'll admit, in another life I would have studied fashion and I spend a good deal of my own time reading about fashion history. Not that I keep up with current trends, or anything - for one, I'm far too old for that and for two, it's not about fashion - it's about design, quality, the cut, the fabric and so on. Labels can help you to date a garment - fabric ages, just like anything else. So buying, for example, a 20 year old White Stuff piece, it unlikely to be a sound investment of my money. It also helps to be aware if it's a vintage piece (vintage is now anything from the 1990s or earlier). Often these pieces need more careful washing and repairs than more modern garments. So for example, I always hand wash them because the fabrics will be far more delicate. Sometimes they need attention from my sewing machine, holes darning etc. I would bother doing all of this on a vintage Laura Ashley for example, but not a vintage New Look or Monsoon piece. All of which I can tell from the labels!

You can also use labels to help know if you've stumbled across a real, early gem. Often designer, but not always - but probably of no interest to your average shopper, but to a fashion history geek like me, it can be terribly exciting. I've an eye for it now and can pick out pieces that have even had their labels removed, just from the style, cut, quality of fabric, pattern on fabric etc. I then can get them home and use my books to identify the piece, name of the fabric print etc. But I doubt that would interest many.