Charity shop joy...

[FourFriedChickensDryWhiteToast]

Any charity shop fiends here?
You will never guess I got a Calvin Klein women's shirt, as new, fine mauve and blue stripes on white, my size, off the POUND RAIL at a charity shop in my local town today...

Then later I found a little Jorli jacket, OK that was a fiver, its like thick matted cardigan wool, but a jacket, in grey.

Then a pair of brand new black jeans, kind of mum cut, high waist.

I look so smart, and spent £13.

Maybe we should have a charity shop tenner challenge?

I got some vintage pure wool ex US navy sailor pants for a tenner in a local charity shop. They look just like this season's Dior ones except they're longer in the leg and they're black not blue.
I am ecstatic, but I havent tried to wash them yet....

In the past I have found an ankle length Hobbs coat for £30 and a bag of plush disney dolls that looked new for a tenner.
I love charity shops.

i think it depends on the area. Where I live, there is economic depression and high unemployment, but also plenty of wealthy people.
Ergo = excellent charity shops.
also most of the volunteers are elderly or have learning difficulties, so mostly no googling.
No I am not telling you where I live...

I remember walking past one once and seeing a lovely looking set of Dora the explorer books for £2.50...so I went in to get them for my dd only to be told I'd misread the price tag and they were £25 . Even the lady working there said it was ridiculous and no one would buy them at that price!

I washed the Calvin Klein shirt by hand and found it had been worn a bit, but it still looks great.
These are the kinds of clothes that give you confidence when you wear them - know what I mean?

I love charity shops. A few years ago it was the only way I could afford to get clothes. More recently I can afford to buy myself new clothes, but I still love hunting for a bargain in a brand I couldn't afford new.

My latest was a couple of weeks ago I got an M&S leather jacket in the softest leather for £14.99.

I live in a fairly affluent area and you can get some good brands, you do still have to look through all of the overpriced Primark stuff too.

Cancer Research is the worst for overpricing items where I live.

former I would love to know where you are shopping? In my charity shop I price dresses around £9, maybe a little more for a designer brand but £15 would be the most I could get even for a brand new White Stuff or similar.
Although I frequently hear the line 'Primark T shirts priced at £7', I have never seen Primark clothes in the charity shops in my town (& we have over 15!). I would only put out a Primark garment if it was brand new with tags & then at half the original cost.

I have an envy inducing wardrobe(s) full of lovely clothes thanks to my charity shop/eBay hobby addiction

Latest bargains include:

All Saints black reefer jacket BNWT £12.50
Mint Velvet coated leggings £4.50
Tom&Kate tan real leather slouchy handbag £15
French Connection black wool/cashmere slouchy sweater BNWT £9

And that's just this week

I found a pair of brand new, still in the box, Marilyn Anselm Hobbs shoes for £4. I love them.

Charity shops irritate me. They are not cheap. They are not for poorer people

I think you have the wrong end of the stick about what charity shops are for. Cancer research shops are there to raise as much as possible for research into cancer. Barnardo's shops aim to raise as much as possible for children's charities. Your local hospice/air ambulance shop is there to raise money for their cause. You get the picture. SOME charities (Salvation Army springs to mind) may have as a side goal providing cheap clothes for people on low income. Most don't though and they would be neglectful in their obligations as a charity if they weren;t doing what they could to make as much as possible.

People trot out the "bobbled Primark t-shirt priced at more than it cost new" on every single thread about charity shops. Mistakes get made. Managers are often part time and can't oversee every pricing decision, especially in a busy shop. All of the big chains are slick retail operations - our store gets sales figures every monday morning with numbers broken down by product category, compared to last year, compared to other stores in the area, average price paid per item etc etc. Managers can easily spot trends in sales. Most shops will also have a method for ensuring stuff doesn't stay out for too long, whether that be week codes, or coloured stickers or different labels.

Charity shop staff on the whole know what they're doing. The same coat might be priced at £20 in an affluent area, £10 in a mixed area, and £5 in a deprived area.

sorry Formerbabe - but agree with PP, charity shops exist to raise money for the charity they are for, not to provide access to cheap clothing for poorer people. That might be what they end up doing in some areas, but that's not their aim, and for most it never was.

Yes I am aware of that.

However, if I have anything to donate I'd much rather hand it over for free to someone who really needs it than give it to a charity shop. I'd rather help an individual than a large charity tbh.

That's fair enough, if you want to hand on your clothes to help the person who will recieve the clothes, that's great. For others, it's about helping raise money for charities they support. (We get people who go past 3 other charity shops to leave their donations with us because they believe in what we do, rather than just trying to clear out their unwanted stuff).

Neither approach is wrong, but it is unfair to expect charity shops to act like clothing banks for the community, rather than what they there for, to raise funds for the charity. (There probably is an argument for setting up clothing banks in poorer areas, but that's a different issue).

That is a bargain! I thought I had done well when I picked up an immaculate Superdry hoody for £10 the other day. It literally looked brand new.

My mum just turned up with a Boden duffle coat for DD. £6.99! They're online for £66!!!
😁

I also got the complete set of hardback Harry Potter books for £3.50 a couple of years ago - I was very pleased with that one as my DS was just about the right age.

I manage a charity shop. We only put out primark stuff if it is pretty perfect then charge between 99p and £3.99 for it. It’s rare for anything in our shop to go for above £10 tbh as people won’t pay it locally.

I've had some great bargains from charity shops - designer stuff and very cheap. It's the only way I will ever be able to wear designer names :)

I also got a fab set of four audio cds for the kids. BBC adaptations of Tom's midnight garden, Moonfleet, Heidi and The Secret Garden. £4 for all as they were BOGOF. The kids have loved listening to them in the car on long journeys. I'm sure they'd be about £12.99 each new.

Oh and a word to the bargain hunters!

Most charity shops in our town will move into "Winterwear" the last week of September/start of October. Any winter clothes donated over Spring/Summer will have been stored, and so then will start coming out. However, due to most shops having limited storage space, only the best quality things will be stored.

I actually resent going and buying clothes in normal shops now!

My wedding dress 😁 £1600 new. Was up for sale at £150. Beautiful sparkling white beaded lace all over.

I agree with pp earlier who said that some stores cooperate with local shops. For example two shazzas in my old town were connected with House of Fraser and John Lewis, so in one new and unworn Linea and Mint Velvet items and in the other new vero Moda items with labels were available. I did used to nab a few items which fit, and one shop staff used to tell me that new bits had arrived

In the charity shop I volunteer in the manager keeps prices very low so as to help those who have very little. Brand new baby clothes 30p each. Today a brand new next 3-4yo girls coat £2. Most primark clothes are £1. A brand new gothic skirt I had last year originally £35 I got for £3. Oxfam , mind and age concern are often high pricers.

I brought a small winged bird trinket box for £1, got home , googled it and put it on ebay.
was a horn snuff box, got £15 for it.

I got a beautiful Phase 8 jumper last week, pale grey, lovely, for £4. I was also happy because it was a size Small and it fit!

Today I'm wearing a fab Jaeger black simple long-sleeved top, that was £3. I haven't been able to fit into it for a few years, so I'm well happy. 😆