Charity shops have lost the plot

Sunak has a degree and Masters from 2 of the best universities in the world. He then went to work for Goldman Sachs, one of the most successful financial institutions in the world then moved into politics and ended up in the single-most important job in the country. What is this job you refer to that he has 'no obvious qualifications for'?

Never let the truth get in the way of a rant, especially if you can get in a bit about how much the CEO is paid and would it not be a lot better if Sid and Doris Bonkers were in charge. Nobody is forced to buy in charity shops if you don't like the prices shop elsewhere

Not all charity shops I agree, there are some which are well run and price appropriately. Unfortunately there seems to be more of the other kind around, and that trend seems to be growing.

One town I used to visit for work (well off, affluent area) had about 4 charity shops. 2 were fantastic, I didn't mind paying what they asked as it was reasonable and appropriate for the quality of the items. The other 2 were dreadful for over pricing, not just clothing but things like a single sundae bowl, the kind you used to get free when you filled the car up, priced at £10. Or incomplete boxed games at £8. The first 2 were run by local charities with just a few branches, the over priced ones were owned by "big" charities.

If their prices are more than the market will bear, then outlets will fail. The charities in the main are run just like businesses, so there will be business plans for their retail arm, and within this will be information about what margins they need to make in order to cover the overheads and make enough of a profit to feed into their cause.

My broader point was that charities operate within a legal framework. If we wanted to make it mandatory to include care for the environment and financial inclusion in the objects of every charity in the UK, that’s a different conversation. Something worth considering, although a lot of charities are already overstretched, and mandating them to do more may cause some to stray too far from their key purpose, or even contribute to their failure.

I love a charity shop. But I use it to buy brands I can’t afford in real life - yesterday I picked up a Mint Velvet shirt for £9 that would have cost around £70 new. I recognise that if I want to buy a Whistles, Hobbs, White Company dress in a charity shop I am going to be paying £15.

Vinted is a lottery as you don’t know the condition, how it will fit, whether it will suit. And by the time the ‘protection fee’ and the postage are added, that’s another £5 on the price, making prices very similar. The main advantage is the choice of course but I’ve had far more disasters from there than charity shops.

It isn’t just about price or good causes, it’s about sustainability. I get fed up with all the knocking of charity shops as they certainly have a place in the retail landscape of today.

Totally agree. In the past poor people used to buy from them but now even they can't afford them.

A lot of people use charity shops instead of the tip. We used to get dirty underwear for example. Anything I donate will have been washed

I no longer donate to or buy from charity shops since they made it clear they feel no responsibility to the local areas they occupy or the people that live there whatsoever. As they repeat over and over they exist only to make the most possible money for their charity and nothing further.

I buy almost everything I need secondhand from either facebook marketplace, car boot sales, Vinted and ebay.

For donating unwanted items I find the best way is to sell or give away on facebook marketplace. This puts the items directly into the hands of people that will use them and stops them ending up in landfill or an incinerator. It's also so easy as people will collect and in my experience are so grateful especially for free items. It's amazing what people can find a use fro that you may have thought was at the end of its usable life.

If you saw the volume of perfectly usable and indeed saleable items that charity shops throw away (I used to dumpster dive as a hobby so saw this first hand) you would be scandalised. They are clearly overencumbered with stuff and unable to sort it effectively and feel no responsibility to the environment either so I no longer feel any responsibility towards them. Why they can't have a table of free items outside rather than paying to have more waste taken away I'll never know.

Wow, you must be scintillating company at parties...😁

Eh? Are you in the wrong thread Dear?

No, but I think you think you''re at a local council or tenant's association meeting going by that rant...😂

I think @hamsterchump made a sensible, well worded contribution to the debate, @Bargarran - I’m not sure why her comment deserved such a snide reply from you.

And if you saw the volume of donated items we receive that are:
broken, nicotine stained, dirty, torn, smelly, have parts missing..you would also be scandalised!

We're both on Mumsnet currently, it's an internet forum, are you confused?

Not at all, but it's a relatively minor subject to get overly hot and bothered about. Just give your stuff to the charity shop and forget about them.

'poor people...' 😂 Your effusive concern is so touching...

You are posting on a thread debating charity shops, @Bargarran - yet you do not wish another poster to engage in the debate in the way she wants to. If you don’t like the way the debate is going, why carry on reading the thread?

The shop I volunteer in isn’t in an affluent area, lots of buses pass through from even less well off parts of the city, and we’re pretty busy. School uniforms, with logos, steamed, in reasonably good to perfect condition, do well every year.

Stock rotation takes a lot of time, it’s physically hard work when all the storage and sorting rooms are upstairs. Also how many items in an ordinary retail shop need to be inspected for minor flaws; steamed if fabric, washed if glass or china (a lot of items are very dirty); then priced and tagged? Even sorting, bagging and weighing rags is time consuming and brings in very little money. Students like us too, if they want to buy one mug, or a couple of glasses, we’re cheap.

I think there’s a view that donations come in, in good order, ready to put all the clothes on hangers, job done. None of the toys have bits missing, the china is perfect and clean. If only.

I'm not hot and bothered at all, I was just outlining my opinion and position, this is a public forum so you'll find that's what most people do here. Maybe you should have a little lie down to recover if you find that so shocking. I wouldn't like to think of the reaction you might have to other parts of Mumsnet let alone the internet!

Aye, okay, dear...lol...

Echoing the point that managing a charity shop is certainly not an easy task. I think some people have the perception of it being a "cushy" role, but from seeing the state out manager gets into, I can say it's certainly not the case for her.

She is under a lot of pressure (she has often mentioned waking up in the middle of the night worrying about everything.) Charity shop managers have targets they are expected to try to meet and she is reprimanded whenever the shop is closed due to staff shortages, meaning she has often felt pressured into giving up her one full day off a week to come and cover when there haven't been enough volunteers there on that day.

Volunteers have the flexibility to take time off whenever they want, and as much as they want, and that can be quite challenging to manage.

@Allergictoironing

The CEOs of at least some charities are paid quite a bit under the going rate for CEOs in the private sector.

https://www.stoneexecutive.co.uk/knowledge-and-insight-blog/ceo-salary-uk-2026-what-do-chief-executives-actually-earn

This website breaks down what CEOs might typically earn (in the private sector.) The CEO of an organisation that brings in between 100million and 1 billion can generally expect to be renumerated somewhere between £400,000 and £1.2 million.

In 2025, Oxfam reported a turnover of around £330 million. The reported salary for Oxfam's CEO was £135,000.

So that's a big cut from what a CEO in the private sector would get.

Are you feeling better now? Less confused? Do you know where you are?

In Gran Canaria, and feeling great. You?
😄