To be annoyed the charity shop called me rude

The whole mumsnet ‘was I rude?’ obsession is handwringing no more or less.

It baffles me why people care so much if some rando takes something they said the wrong way.

I doubt any men even think twice about it let alone berate each other on an online forum.

Explain.

They are businesses and not a lot goes to the charity

Filling up the bingo card... Charity accounts are published online for anyone who wants to see how much they're raising and how they are spending it.

They are businesses and not a lot goes to the charity

Every one of your comments has been unnecessarily aggressive, as if getting someone riled up gives you some sort of buzz. It won’t work on me, unfortunately, I just think you look really silly. I’m sure you’ll want to get another little jab in but I’m finished here, it’s given me a sense of second hand embarrassment I could have done without of a morning!

Yes .Superstores on the edge of town are the future as far as the charity I work for is concerned. All our charity shops are under threat in small towns as greedy landlords scupper our ability to make as much money as we can for the actual charity. I didn’t realise until I worked for one that the actual shop pays the rental and business rates ,all repairs ,not even paid for by said greedy landlords. It will be easier for the customer ,out of town superstores, but my charity shop is a part of the community and we don’t just sell donated goods we support on a daily basis ,our customers. Not kidding but with the lack of support in our locality we have almost become a hub .Sometimes I feel like a branch of Social services,providing a warm ,safe space. Where all our welcome. So, a good charity shop can actually become a lifeline for people. I understand it’s just a shop but sometimes it’s more than that and that’s why our volunteers do reflect society. But our higher ups do see it as a business and we are indeed ranked on a weekly basis for how much we sell,how much we sold that was gift aided,how many volunteers etc. many shops not keeping up are sadly under threat. It has been an eye opener I can tell you.

Somewhat ironic that you said "I’m fascinated why you are so invested in a stranger." 😂😂

I’d be more worried as to why you can’t give your post code without your husband’s permission.

only 2 carrier bags at a time, one no books.

Because we're dealing with so much crap which isn't fit for sale, and clutters up the back room until the waste guy comes to collect.

I wish we had somewhere like this where I live, each charity shop seems to have it's own set of rules, the latest one, only 2 carrier bags at a time, one no books. I have tried a few and all 3 made me feel like a nuisance that I was dropping stuff off that they were then going to have to sort out - not sure what the answer is! I shall look further afield actually, out of my town.

I wish I could believe that but something tells me you don’t.

@ZenNudist charity shops indeed will take clothing that's only suitable for rags - but it makes their life so much easier if the person donating has pre sorted it and put in a bag labelled "rags".
So many people don't though - which is why they will sometimes check.

Ah, you’ve had a wee misunderstanding, that maybe explains your strange overreaction! I’m not invested in a stranger at all, just replying to a comment on a public forum. Really no need for any more histrionics, I’m sure we’re both adults and have better things to do than argue like silly teenagers!

I do gift aid precisely because my tax money is diverted from the government.
My donations go to the local children’s hospice, which should be government funded. By signing up to gift aid, I am forcing the government to spend my tax where I want it to go.
I also set up gift aided direct debit donations to overseas charities when the government cut foreign aid.

I have been told by my local charity shop that they get money per tonne on old unusable clothes so send in the worn stuff.

This is true - but it is literally pennies per black bag. We have such limited storage space and the rag man only comes once a week that we can't cope with donations which are purely rags. Other charity shops with bigger storage areas may make different decisions. Personally, knowing the issues we have with storage, I would much rather people put the odd socks and ripped jackets in one of the roadside collection bags or supermarket recycling bins and just gave us the stuff which we can sell.

So she’s running a cost-effective charity, still not a business.

It still needs to be cost effective.
Gift Aid can be a significant boost to that.

I have been told by my local charity shop that they get money per tonne on old unusable clothes so send in the worn stuff.

You sign up for gift aid. It's the taxpayer that signs up, not their spouse!!!

Still you could just say you can't because you don't pay tax, that is the correct response, not implying there would be a way for her to get gift aid out of you if she had your husbands details.

I'd probably have just given name and address.

We wouldn't pick over donations in front of customers but yes, many people donate stuff which is just not fit for sale and you do wonder what the hell they were thinking. Chipped mugs, worn out or ripped clothing, single shoes/socks, crusty pans, dolls with their heads missing, dried-up felt tip pens, tattered books, etc etc.

If something is in too poor condition to hand on to a neighbour or your best friend, how are we supposed to sell it?

Can you imagine the amount of donations they get that are totally unsaleable?

Some people don't donate out of kindness, they want to use the charity as a free tip facility. And be thanked in the process. Obviously no one from MN would ever do this - hence the distaste of having your donations picked over.

It costs the charity valuable resources to get rid of all this rubbish and can be dangerous and unsanitary for volunteers.

This thread shows how little is understood about Gift Aid.
I don't really quite understand it myself. I'm a non tax payer so I have never signed up.
But then I think a lot of people don't understand what charity shops actually want to sell - no they don't want your stained bedding and broken Christmas tree.

I work in a charity shop and we are under enormous pressure to sign up /take donations that are gift aided. The volunteers I manage do range from shy students to adhd and autism. But all ask politely ‘Do you gift aid ?’
Im sorry you seem to have experienced a tactless volunteer.All charities from the National trust to your local charity shops all can claim 25 % tax back so the pressure is immense for each donated bag or item.

You can't gift aid on just a postcode - it requires personal details so it can be linked to your tax - it isn't the ops personal info, it is her husband's.

they won't keep their volunterring job for long at that rate.....but as she said she is "running a business" I susopect that she is the shop manager and I understand they are often not volunteers but in paid employment.