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AIBU?

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Original poster

200 charity shops closing (cancer research)

261 replies

lebopbop · 05/10/2025 17:59

AIBU to be sad about this as a charity-shop lover?

I don’t have a nearby cancer research shop but lots of other charity shops and I’m worried this is signalling a general trend :(

I do like Vinted etc for pre-loved clothes but it’s so much better to see things in person, be able to try on and not pay postage. It’s also just fun to go and rummage.

OP posts:
Wavescrashingonthebeach · 05/10/2025 18:25

BettysRoasties · 05/10/2025 18:19

Because they stopped helping both ends of the issue.

They stopped being cheap so those who needed them rather than wanting them stopped going. Those who donated get turned away as stock isn’t shifting. They also sell anything really good on eBay so hoping to find some rare bargain is a thing of the past.

Sure they were always for fund raising but the actual on the street was helping the poor as well as their cause.

Yes it's ridiculous isnt it, surely if they have too much stock then lower prices!

OtterlyMad · 05/10/2025 18:23

Eh, I know some people enjoy rummaging but sometimes it’s too chaotic… a few of the charity shops near me group items by colour (rather than by size or type) because it looks pretty but I just find it infuriating! I’m afraid I’m a convert to Vinted.

SeaAndStars · 05/10/2025 18:23

PersephoneParlormaid · 05/10/2025 18:10

Too often I go to mine to drop off, and there’s a sign saying that they aren’t accepting donations. So it goes in the bin, and I don’t waste my time trying again.

If it's good stuff why not try another charity shop?
What a great shame for the environment to just bin useful things.

Tiredofwhataboutery · 05/10/2025 18:20

I think the way they generate funding is changing. Main source of funding is from legacies in wills. I used to think shops were a way of raising awareness buy, donate, volunteer leave a legacy, I think the way we consume information has changed though. Maybe it’d much more cost effective to encourage legacies through other means.

Original poster
lebopbop · 05/10/2025 18:19

CrostaDiPizza · 05/10/2025 18:16

People are buying less, donating less, selling and buying online.

But then the likes of home bargains and the range etc seem so busy, maybe I have a slightly warped view with my social media algorithm but it seems like people are buying clothes and homeware more than ever.

OP posts:
BettysRoasties · 05/10/2025 18:19

Because they stopped helping both ends of the issue.

They stopped being cheap so those who needed them rather than wanting them stopped going. Those who donated get turned away as stock isn’t shifting. They also sell anything really good on eBay so hoping to find some rare bargain is a thing of the past.

Sure they were always for fund raising but the actual on the street was helping the poor as well as their cause.

ThisCanFuckOffToo · 05/10/2025 18:18

They sell anything half decent on Vinted anyway so it’s no wonder people aren’t going in them for shelf after shelf of Primark & shite from the supermarkets.

PersistentRain · 05/10/2025 18:16

The quality of clothes we buy are so poor now I’m not surprised.

CrostaDiPizza · 05/10/2025 18:16

People are buying less, donating less, selling and buying online.

Bananalanacake · 05/10/2025 18:13

There's a good one in Lewisham, is that closing?

PersephoneParlormaid · 05/10/2025 18:10

Too often I go to mine to drop off, and there’s a sign saying that they aren’t accepting donations. So it goes in the bin, and I don’t waste my time trying again.