Charity Shopping - bargains galore for 2021!

goldfinches

Rushes back in because I quite forgot to say - 

I snapped up these two reprints of Marguerite Patten wartime cookbook collections with additional photos, cartoons and Ministry of Food posters etc. in the Oxfam shop, they were £2.99 each.



They're fascinating and full of fabulously frugal recipes, the one that caught my eye at first read swears that you can cook marrow and make it taste like heather honey, I remain to be convinced.

Then in the Age UK shop I came across these poaching pouches from Lakeland 49p and this contraption for boiling an egg (I think), also 49p.



Anyway, poached and/or boiled eggs are definitely in my future, night all, goldfinches.

Rosa_Damascena

I have a wardrobe full of Phase Eight beauties...which I haven't work for years but cannot bear to part from them. 

They all fit and look beautiful but I seem to have made a trousers  / long skirt only transition in my middle age. I need to revisit because they do look and make me feel wonderful and ready for business. Just not prepared to get them covered in blood, sweat and vomit when scrubs are so much easier to stick in the washing machine

Brie

Rosa_Damascena said:

Just not prepared to get them covered in blood, sweat and vomit when scrubs are so much easier to stick in the washing machine

I'm in the easy to maintain camp with you!  

Off to google Phase Eight now as I have no idea what any of you are talking about.....never seen a shop with that name and never noticed it in any of the (now mostly defunct) department stores in our area.

(just looked at their website....annoyingly their size guide only goes up to 20 despite them selling up to 26.....someone in marketing needs their wrists slapped!)

Floss

@Brie look at Studio Eight 😉

Brie

Floss said:

@Brie look at Studio Eight 😉

It was hidden!!!  Not that I'm buying anything new anyways as I'm losing weight.  I was just curious to see what all the excitement was about.

killerpeaty

I do think that phase 8 is lovely quality as well. I think I've mostly seen it in JL so if @brie doesn't have one near then it would make sense not to know it. 

I got a Akal green shirt, never heard of it before but feels nice and is a lovely green. Bit nervous though, not sure how this style will look in me and it was £6.50. Also got a white stuff grey t-shirt for £5.

Brie

@killerpeaty
the only JL locally is homewares only so no clothing.  And thinking about it since Debenhams, House of Fraser and BHS closed I don't think we have any similar places any more within about 30 miles.  

PerfectChristmas

CAFCGirl said:

A happy trip to 2 charity shops yesterday. 
Is it weird to get 'vibes' from particular shops? There's a couple I really like visiting, and another couple that just feel odd/strange and put me off and not even for legitimate reasoning - say prices or layout, etc, just the 'feeling' 
 
Anyway, went to the 2 I like. Happily came out with 4 books at £1 each, and DS (11) has a mission each time we visit one (saves him touching the breakables!) and he was happy to have achieved the holy grail of shorts for his Dad, 32inch waist boarders shorts AND then beyond happy to discover he'd found them on the half price rail. I'd have paid full price but HP is an extra joy!
Second shop didn't hold any goodies for me, but the staff are super lovely. So £7.50 spend total, happy DS and a happy DH.

I feel you, love! We have a Women's Aid and it is terrifically welcoming and a lovely shop with very welcoming volunteers (same with the bric-a-brac around the corner from it). There's an age concern and it's so dark and dingy and dirty feeling I don't venture into it (but do the same shop in the next nearby town (essentially one massive town rather than 2 small) that uses most of the same volunteers). Our Scope used to feel like the Women's Aid too but pre-covid they went through some apparent Bad Times Within and all the staff that we knew and had a bond with literally all left within the same month and now we know no one and it doesn't have the same feel at all!

goldfinches

PerfectChristmas said:

CAFCGirl said:

A happy trip to 2 charity shops yesterday. 
Is it weird to get 'vibes' from particular shops? There's a couple I really like visiting, and another couple that just feel odd/strange and put me off and not even for legitimate reasoning - say prices or layout, etc, just the 'feeling' 
 
Anyway, went to the 2 I like. Happily came out with 4 books at £1 each, and DS (11) has a mission each time we visit one (saves him touching the breakables!) and he was happy to have achieved the holy grail of shorts for his Dad, 32inch waist boarders shorts AND then beyond happy to discover he'd found them on the half price rail. I'd have paid full price but HP is an extra joy!
Second shop didn't hold any goodies for me, but the staff are super lovely. So £7.50 spend total, happy DS and a happy DH.

I feel you, love! We have a Women's Aid and it is terrifically welcoming and a lovely shop with very welcoming volunteers (same with the bric-a-brac around the corner from it). There's an age concern and it's so dark and dingy and dirty feeling I don't venture into it (but do the same shop in the next nearby town (essentially one massive town rather than 2 small) that uses most of the same volunteers). Our Scope used to feel like the Women's Aid too but pre-covid they went through some apparent Bad Times Within and all the staff that we knew and had a bond with literally all left within the same month and now we know no one and it doesn't have the same feel at all!

Nodding in agreement here and thinking I know just how you feel. My favourite BHF shop has a lovely team of volunteers and staff and every single one of them welcomes in all kinds of customers.
I especially notice that they're really appreciative of donors too and each of them has a real way to say thankyou and how lovely, whatever someone brings in, and that they'll make good use of that particular donation.
I've seen people going away really pleased with themselves for dropping off a bag of things and I'm sure that's very good for business as well as doing good overall.

Generally, I assume that this comes from the manager of the shop and that mixing paid staff and volunteers must be quite an art and is probably a lot harder than it looks.

Floss

My local Mind shop is great - the volunteers were all very concerned a few weeks ago as their manager was getting married & it was horrid weather. They're always really appreciative of donations & purchases.