Money Moral Dilemma: Should I go back and pay for the mirror I broke in a charity shop?

Notlob77

I think if your actions have deprived a person, business or charity of a saleable item then you should absolutely pay or come to a compromise. 
I dont understand the logic of blaming the victim (the shop) if other people can walk round the shop without breaking things then accident or not it was your fault and you should do the right thing.

Sum0

If it’s damaged but not broken you should make a donation to the charity to cover the difference in price they’ll get for it. 

SunnyJimmy

If you use charity shops I assume that you are not wealthy. Trying to get£100 out of you for an old mirror that cost them nothing shows exactly how charitable they really are.

thedr

The price of £100 seems a little high for a charity shop. Perhaps you should have donated £5.

JayW90

Thanks for all the comments. This was a genuine situation, not a made-up one. The mirror had been placed on the floor leaning against the wall without being secured, and while looking at items on a higher shelf I had inadvertently stepped sideways onto part of the frame which tipped it over.  The mirror glass didn’t break and the frame appeared undamaged apart from a few flakes of paint, so as I was told by a member of staff that it was OK I didn’t think any harm had been done.  I was taken aback a few minutes later to find the same person accusing me of not offering to pay when he had clearly told me a couple of times that it was OK. He was very aggressive, the value he put on the mirror was very high and he wouldn’t listen to my explanation. Instead he told me loudly that I was banned from the shop for life, at which point I left.  However, I do agree with the comments about not wanting the charity to lose out so next time I go there I will try to make amends, if he will allow me in the shop!

AmethystEmerald

The phrase seen a a lot of shops that sell breakable items - Lovely to look at, beautiful to hold but if you break it consider it sold - comes to mind. So perhaps a discussion with the Manager or at least sight of the price tag is needed. 

sheramber

Did it have a price ticket on it to prove they were asking £100 for it?
It seems rather irresponsible to  prop  such a valuable item against a wall with a shelf of goods above it.

Waylaid

Hadenoughofitall said:

Charity is one of the biggest scams known to mankind. The people at the top pay themselves a fortune and expect the workers to work for nothing. I tried to donate a television, blu ray recorder, desktop computer and some printer inks. They had the nerve to ask me for a £15 collection fee. I sold them on Ebay and made £300 which i spent on a weekend in Devon. Pay them nothing.

Many charities do excellent work and don't pay exorbitant salaries. Tarring them all with the same brush is unfair.

A "collection fee"? Did you want them to come and pick them up from your home? If so, a collection fee is standard. They have to pay for the vehicle, petrol, insurance, etc., if they even have a vehicle. 

I appreciate that you were trying to do a good deed, but by law, all donated electronics have to be PAT checked before they can be sold. The charity shop I used to volunteer at paid someone to come in and do it. Eventually, they paid for one of the volunteers to go on a PAT testing course. 

Barneysmom

You did the right thing by walking out. 
If he'd been polite and understanding it might've been different but he was arrogant even though he was partly to blame by not securing the mirror so that an accident like that couldn't happen. If it had been in a beauty salon, hairdressers or gym he'd have been the one in trouble for not applying health and safety measures.