Charity shops

dag_2

Fortunately I've grown out of my designer faddishness, and these days I get most of my clothes from Primark, George and Matalan. You see the occasional bargain at QS, Peacocks and The Officers Club, but Primark usually beats them.

TK Maxx is too expensive. I used to shop there a lot, but nowadays I think the stuff is a bit bizarre, especially the clearance rails. I figure that if you're going to shop in TK Maxx, you might as well go to charity shops, because it's much cheaper.

But I very rarely find anything in charity shops that I actually like - and it's usually not much cheaper than Primark anyway.

Am I not being patient enough? Are there any good strategies for getting better clobber from charity shops - such as, going at certain times of day?

Although I want to save money on clothes, I don't want to end up buying loads of tatty stuff that I'll never wear. I'd like to know your changing shopping habits too - thanks.

silverfoxdude

Hi dag, I think if you have something in mind that you are wanting to buy, then definately go along to some charity shops. I have found some real decent quality clothes (and books, LP's and kitchen equipment) in them, and even 'posh' people give their stuff to those shops often.. lol.... I would be aware that charity shops are getting more expensive now than what they used to be, and the pair of jeans you may wnat could probably be cheaper in George..

Little_Miss_Winner

Hi,

Do you not shop on E-Bay? I use it all the time. I have had a NEW Diesel Denim Jkt for a £5, Faith strappy sandals (new) for £7. Loads of tops by Bay, River Island, Elle, Jasper Conran etc, all no more than about £2-3 each. All these were plus delivery. but I have never had a bad item yet.
I get loads of baby/childrens clothes too. Usually most of their outfits have all been for 99p! Can't grumble at that.

stevebananer

I used to be sniffy about charity shops but an ex changed my mind.
Some of the major retailers seem to supply brand new items, either out of the goodness of their hearts or as a tax write-off, so you can find some good items, though I've not worked out a particular time of day.
Might be worth asking an assistant what day they change stock round, could be a better chance of getting a good deal.
Alternative strategy might be to help out in the shop or get a friend to! My aunt works in a charity shop and as far as I know she buys stuff there the same as anybody else.

mhoc

Certain towns are better than others for charity shops and I often make a day of it, trawl the charity shops and then do the supermarkets to see what the bargains are.

I am always looking for certain labels eg Monsoon, Oasis, anything designer but I also check for basics eg white t shirts, jeans, white jumpers etc, the sort of things that you can never have enough of or always need replacing.

My list of towns with a good selection of charity shops

Nantwich
LLandudno
Chester
Stafford
York
Knaresborough

Anyone got any others?

Mary

sockospice

Head for the posher areas of your town/city. Eg, I'm in Manchester, and the best charity shops are in Didsbury, Alderley Edge, etc (think footballers wives territory)

Allexie

mhoc wrote:

Certain towns are better than others for charity shops and I often make a day of it, trawl the charity shops and then do the supermarkets to see what the bargains are.

I am always looking for certain labels eg Monsoon, Oasis, anything designer but I also check for basics eg white t shirts, jeans, white jumpers etc, the sort of things that you can never have enough of or always need replacing.

My list of towns with a good selection of charity shops

Nantwich
LLandudno
Chester
Stafford
York
Knaresborough

Anyone got any others?

Mary

Wetherby
Harrogate
Thirsk

nightsong

The charity shops in seaside towns seem to be good for some reason. I live in East Kent and do well in Whitstable, Herne Bay, Birchington and Ramsgate. The stuff is cheap, changes fast and some of it is very nice. In every town there seems to be one excellent charity shop, so if I'm short of time I just pop in there.

On the other hand, I was in the 'posh' bit of West Kent recently and trawled round the charries in Sevenoaks. The clothes were twice the price they are over here, and very poor quality IMO. Strange!

So I guess it depends where you are to some extent. Might be worth a trip to another area to check that out - maybe when you're on holiday?

As for what's good, children's clothes are always worthwhile. Men's are hit and miss. I get some nearly-new stuff for my 17-year-old son sometimes which has obviously been discarded by fashion victims not much older than him! For myself I look for plain items in very good condition - jumpers, shirts and jackets are the best bet I think. There seem to be plenty of items in current styles, it's not all 80s horrors.

I enjoy shopping in charity shops so much more than in high street stores. The staff are usually very nice, there's the thrill of the chase, and if all else fails and you buy something disastrous, you know you've donated money to a good cause rather than lining some big company's pockets (and yes, you can always take the stuff back and change it if you want).

Good luck with your searching

mhoc

Allexie wrote:

Wetherby
Harrogate
Thirsk

Yes I've been around Thirsk, a good selection.

Mary

barginunter

You can't beat that Charity Shop aroma mmmm... They smell the same whichever area you shop in.

Tiggerwendy_2

Found this site - it's great for when you're visiting a new town as it lists the charity shops.

http://cgi.charityshops.plus.com/locator.php