To think the owner of this shop is a brazen cow?

[user1477282676]

I live in a tourist town in Australia. It's quite old and pretty and there are two charity shops and one overprices "vintage" shop. The vintage shop sells everything from furniture to clothing and crockery etc...as they do.

Fine.

EXCEPT!

I keep seeing things from the charity shop in the vintage shop marked up four times. I KNOW it's a case of "She knows the value of the items and they don't"

But it's so wrong! The shop she mainly gets things from is a Save the Children FFS!

Last week I saw a nice dress in the charity shop...1960s original party dress. It was priced at 8 dollars. About 4 or 5 pounds.

I didn't buy it as my arse is too fat for it. Today I spot it hanging in the window of the bloody vintage shop for 40 dollars. I go inside and there I see a china teacup and sandwich plate plus matching saucer which I had ALSO seen in the charity shop...she had this trio marked at 22 dollars...the charity shop had 3 dollars on it.

Most of her things, the vintage lady gets from auctions I know...but how can she BEAR to rob a charity shop like this?

Isn't it morally wrong?

[ElsaAintAsColdAsMe]

I don't think it's wrong. The charity shop are getting what they asked for it.

[LuckySantangelo1]

It's not 'robbing'; she's paid for the items. No different from people buying from charity shops to sell on eBay or whatever. It seems a strange thing to get worked up over'

[BarbaraofSeville]

She hasn't necessarily sold anything though. And there's lots of people who wouldn't go near a charity shop, but would walk over hot coals to buy the same items if they are carefully sourced and sold for high prices in a naice vintage shop.

Is the shop

[ginghamstarfish]

It seems wrong but the CS are getting what they priced the items at, and if it means some snobby idiots are happy to pay that markup as something is mysteriously now 'vintage' rather than 'charity shop' then nobody's being harmed.

[Bluntness100]

I don't see the issue, I'm assuming the vintage shop paid for the items, at exactly the rate the charity shop wanted, the vintage shop has to buy their stuff at a number of places.

The vintage shop is not there to advice the charity shop on sale prices, and if the charity shop attempted to charge what the vintage shop does it would probably mean items left on the shelf.

Buying from th charity shop is probably helping the charity shop. I don't see how the owner is robbing them, in fact it looks like they are supporting them by buying their stuff.

[OurBlanche]

I occasionally work in a charity shop and we actively encourage our local tat shop to come and browse.

It keeps us in funds, her in business and helps maintain the variety of local shops in our small town!

That way we all win!

[ILostItInTheEarlyNineties]

In basic terms this is how a retail business works. They sell the product for more than they buy it for and make profit.

Perhaps the charity shop will cotton on and start their own 'vintage' display with heftier price tags to boost their income.

[TiredBefuddledRose]

How do you know she doesn't split the 'profit' with them?
People will pay a price in a vintage shop they just wouldn't in a charity shop.

[OurBlanche]

Many local charities already do have 'other' outlets. The local on I volunteer for has one shop in a very naice Cotswold town. It is all gussied up as a vintage shop and we funnel anything we think might be worth a few bob out to it!

It works really well - and is the part I enjoy most!

[vacati0n]

She bought the items at the price they asked , I don't see a problem with it .

[VeryBitchyRestingFace]

Is your little Oz tourist town otherwise totally crime/hassle free, OP?

This seems an odd thing to brood over.

[Bluntness100]

Yes, there could be a financial agreement between the two shops.

Is there a personal issue here? You call the owner "a brazen cow " and accuse her of robbing a charity, which is fairly extreme and very personal . You're not attacking the business, you're attacking the owner personally.

Do you know and dislike the vintage shop owner? Why are you so emotionally involved?

[sarahnova69]

You aren't just paying for the item when you shop at the vintage shop. You're paying for the owner's time and trouble in distinguishing the 'vintage' from the tat, and for the years it presumably took her to acquire this talent. You're paying, basically, for the assurance that everything in the shop has aesthetic and 'vintage' value. That's how business works.

(Insert comment about the nonexistent difference between vintage and tat )

[SpaceUnicorn]

It's a case of semantics. One person's 'brazen cow' is another person's 'astute business woman'.

The charity shop set their own prices. She sets her own prices. It is not obligatory for anyone to buy those items at those prices, but if they make a choice to do so that's up to them.

[Damselindestress]

It's more business for the charity shop, I doubt they would want her to stop sourcing items there. They need stock to sell quickly, to benefit the charity and so they don't have to store too many donations, so price it competitively. She is selling to a different demographic, some of whom will be snobs who wouldn't set foot in a charity shop but would pay more for the same item prettily presented in a vintage shop, more fool them! She is supporting the charity shop and paying the prices they are asking. I might feel differently if it was a designer items she got at a fraction of the price because they didn't know the value but the price of vintage stuff is subjective anyway.

[KERALA1]

Slightly hmm about charity shops. The owners of our local one drive round in brand new range rovers. They only give their "profits" to the charity they take out their wages and expenses.

[Mishegoss]

How on earth is she robbing them? Ridiculous. She's paying what they're asking. What she does with it after that is up to her.

[ILostItInTheEarlyNineties]

The vintage shop owner may even donate items that won't sell back to the charity shop. It seems like a mutually beneficial arrangement.

I think I know why you're cross OP, you spotted the dress in the charity shop, went home and thought about it and returned the next day to buy it, only to find it in the window of the vintage shop for ten times the price! .
Now that would be annoying .

[SpaceUnicorn]

You're paying, basically, for the assurance that everything in the shop has aesthetic and 'vintage' value. That's how business works

As well as the fact that she needs to draw a wage and cover her overheads. Charity shops tend to be staffed by volunteers and are entitled to tax concessions. Vintage lady is running a business. Therein lies the difference.

[Notso]

I don't see the problem. The charity shops can always put their prices up, it's not as if she is stealing stuff and selling it on.

[ThePeoplesChamp]

This is enterprise.

[Whathaveilost]

I would call that astute business sense!!!
She diesnt have to go far to source her products!!

Anyway the personal attack was nasty. She hasnt done anything wrong.

[fitzbilly]

Your being ridiculous. This is how business works.

No one would buy the vintage dress from the charity shop for £40, the charity would never sell anything if they didn't keep their prices down.

They sell her things, this is good for them, and she can mark it up and sell it to people who might never so in charity shops. Everyone wins.

[ShowMeTheElf]

Slightly hmm about charity shops. The owners of our local one drive round in brand new range rovers. They only give their "profits" to the charity they take out their wages and expenses.
Our local one is managed by a lady who drives a lovely car. She volunteers hours of every week to this charity and takes not one penny. It would be a shame if people thought the same of her as you do about your local charity manager.

[TupsNSups]

She is being sensible imo.

How do you think shops work? I run a shop online and if I sold everything at the price I got it, I wouldn't have a business!