Charity Shop Experiences.

Pollycat

EnPointe said:

it is going to  entirely be a function of the amount of volunteers   they have  to stock/ classify and price stock  vs the amount  ( and quality) of donations ... 

hence the stuff you  see/ hear  aobut  charity shops in affluent areas  and 'bargains' etc , they've often got good quality sdtockbeing donated and  have plenty of  volunteers be they  people looking for extra curricualrs for UCAS applications ,  yummy mummies who want to help the poor in a slightly performative way or  the early retirees or late boomer  birthdates with their private sector DB pensions ... 

It doesn't matter who volunteers or why they do as long as they do.

I don't live in an affluent area but all the charity shops I visit in various towns and one city always seem to have sufficient volunteers.

Undervalued

Pollycat said:

EnPointe said:

it is going to  entirely be a function of the amount of volunteers   they have  to stock/ classify and price stock  vs the amount  ( and quality) of donations ... 

hence the stuff you  see/ hear  aobut  charity shops in affluent areas  and 'bargains' etc , they've often got good quality sdtockbeing donated and  have plenty of  volunteers be they  people looking for extra curricualrs for UCAS applications ,  yummy mummies who want to help the poor in a slightly performative way or  the early retirees or late boomer  birthdates with their private sector DB pensions ... 

It doesn't matter who volunteers or why they do as long as they do.

I don't live in an affluent area but all the charity shops I visit in various towns and one city always seem to have sufficient volunteers.

Well it does to some extent if they "staff" the shop. How good or bad they are will, to some extent, affect how willing customers are to buy from the shop, just as it does in purely commercial retailers.

Whilst some charity shop customers will buy there as a way of donating to a cause they support, many more will just be looking for the best deal they can find.

Pollycat

Undervalued said:

Pollycat said:

EnPointe said:

it is going to  entirely be a function of the amount of volunteers   they have  to stock/ classify and price stock  vs the amount  ( and quality) of donations ... 

hence the stuff you  see/ hear  aobut  charity shops in affluent areas  and 'bargains' etc , they've often got good quality sdtockbeing donated and  have plenty of  volunteers be they  people looking for extra curricualrs for UCAS applications ,  yummy mummies who want to help the poor in a slightly performative way or  the early retirees or late boomer  birthdates with their private sector DB pensions ... 

It doesn't matter who volunteers or why they do as long as they do.

I don't live in an affluent area but all the charity shops I visit in various towns and one city always seem to have sufficient volunteers.

Well it does to some extent if they "staff" the shop. How good or bad they are will, to some extent, affect how willing customers are to buy from the shop, just as it does in purely commercial retailers.

Whilst some charity shop customers will buy there as a way of donating to a cause they support, many more will just be looking for the best deal they can find.

It may matter to you.
Not to me - at least not for purchases.
If I find something I want, I'll buy it, regardless of how the staff behave. Or - as you put it - looking for the best deal I can find.

If a charity shop can get volunteers that keep it open, isn't that better than no volunteers?

I do have a slightly different view about where I donate my unwanted items.
I used to donate to BHF as both my parents had heart surgery but one of their volunteers was rude when I took in 2 bags of decent stuff.
I now donate to my local Hospice shop but I would have changed to there anyway regardless of whether BHF staff had been rude or not.

I did find Enpointe's descriptions of 'yummy mummies' and 'early retirees/late boomers' somewhat offensive.