So what would you tell a charity shop manager?

[Supersimpkin]

I volunteer in a charity shop and want to hear it from the horse's mouth - ie the customers. Colour blocking - yay or nay? Prices? Boutique or rag-and-bone decor?

Am feeling smug as anything as have just won an award for volunteering, so let rip, I can't be offended by anything right now.

Don't have people walking round the store pestering people to buy raffle tickets. Have something by the till about them by all means but the hard sell in one of my local charity shops by an over eager volunteer has stopped me shopping there as I felt like crap not buying any. I'm shopping in a charity shop as I'm on a tight budget, which means I can't be buying raffle tickets every time I go in.

Other thing would be price things accordingly. This varies massively in my town from "could buy it for thee same price or cheaper new" to "omg that's such a bargain I'll put a bit in the donation box too"! Again, I'm looking in charity shops as I'm on a tight budget.

Our local ones annoy me too as they take a lot of adults with learning difficulties and leave them to the shittest jobs while they stand chatting and drinking tea.

I became friends with a lady with learning difficulties there years ago.
She's been there 16 years as a regular volunteer because she loves the customers and regulars but she's perfectly capable of doing nice displays and sorting prices for labelling and even on the tills if people give her time but nope she ends up being spoken to like crap by the young NT paid managers or the older lady volunteers and left to the rubbish jobs. She has debated leaving loads of times but it gets her out of the house and she enjoys it otherwise.

Same with the lady with Down Syndrome who is just shoved to sell raffle tickets by the door each time who customers then complain about because she can get a bit aggressive if people say no. She would be more than capable of doing some of other jobs, I've heard her ask if she can please sort the clothes but they just shove her at the door out of their way.

As a Mum of a child with SN it makes me cross.

but they also need to remember the reason they exist

This comes up every time there's a charity shop thread! Is the purpose of a CS to provide cheap second hand clothes where needed? If it's not the purpose is it a purpose? I'm not sure tbh. I go back and forward on it.

As a Mum of a child with SN it makes me cross

Totally understandable

£2.49 for a book is just wrong.

Thank God for my local salvation army shop then. Books 10p. When I go, I take the last lot back and buy another 20 or so.
Found some fab new authors and the shop gets to sell it twice at least.
I was in a town centre one weeks ago (I think BHF ) and not only are they 2.49 they also have a sticker on entreating you to read and take it back. Well duh, now you put a sticker on and ask nicely.

Also a story about turnover. I loved a orange Longhorns tshirt in the RSPCA shop but it was £16. So I left it, went back roughly every two months for about three years til it finally reduced to a price I would pay. Still have it but if it wont sell for the listed price, it shouldnt take 3 years to reduce it.

I'm a book addict, so you can make money from me by having offers for multiple book purchases - I can almost always find that extra book to make up the numbers!

Don't put jumpers and cardigans on the same rail - separate them.

Agree with PPs - don't use revolving racks for books and order them alphabetically.

Don't try to charge more than £2 for tops from George, F&F, Primark and Matalan.

I also like colour blocking and arranged by size within that. I know which colours suit me and so will look for those and the jumble sale approach is off putting.

I would reiterate clearly displayed sizes especially for children as it saves an inordinate amount of time.

And YY to previous posters about pricing appropriately. Primark and George etc should rarely be above £1 surely? I would pay more for the top end clothes and they are the main reason I shop in charity shops (can't afford full price but like the quality) so I would welcome a different display. I never buy bric a brac or shoes so separate sections are a must for me.

Also a big YES to the poster who said a 50p bargain rail for the hard to shift items to keep them turning over.

Thank you for all your hard work

If you display clothes in the window, have some form of ticket on/near them with the size and price. I can't be the only one who often likes the look of something in the window but does not want the embarrassment of having to ask, wait for someone to undo the whole display to look, and then say no as it's 4 sizes too small and/or more than I wanted to pay.

Similarly please put clear size labels on shoes. I often can't be bothered to search for where the size was originally printed on every pair but if I saw my size clearly labelled would probably buy lots.

Make sure volunteers who price clothes have an awareness of common Primark/supermarket labels (eg 'atmosphere', F&F etc) so they can price accordingly.

Please understand I'm not having a go at anyone on this thread, but I can understand how sometimes volunteers pull a face when people take donations in. A friend of mine is a long term volunteer in a local CS. She told me you soon understand why you are told to wear gloves when opening bags and boxes. Over the years she's had a couple of pairs of soiled underwear, but her favourite was the vibrator, which had obviously been used but not cleaned.

I will never buy a charity jigsaw again, would have taken someone 2 mins to count the pieces.

I used to work in a charity shop and someone asked me to count the pieces in a jigsaw to make sure they were all there and it was either a 500 piece or 1000 piece jigsaw - took me a lot longer than 2 minutes! And that's when I found out that jigsaws don't actually have 500 or 1000 or whatever pieces, it's a slightly different number, which really confused me when I was counting so I counted 3 times to figure out if I had the number right. And then the woman didn't even bloody buy it!

Another one saying please STOP colour blocking. I want to know what you have in my size or thereabouts. . I don't come in thinking "I'd like a green top and a blue dress today" Really I promise you I don't. If I don't like the look of it I won't try it on..

on the subject of which please make sure the curtain on your changing room pulls all the way across and a mirror would be helpful too (some are very good at this but a few near me that are awful)

New items are okay if they’re specific to the charity. I have no problem with Oxfam’s fair trade bits or dogs trust dog toys or handicrafts made by the clients of the charity, but racks of garish costume jewellery and polyester scarfs all imported from China with zero relevance to charity are off putting.

Don't keep changing the shop layout. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

I agree about checking jigsaws and games. Even if it's just the children's ones that are easier to count. Nothing more disappointing for a child than excitedly getting a game or jigsaw home and finding pieces missing and it's useless.
Also check for damage and don't sell damaged goods unless it's clearly stated. I bought a handbag once that wasn't cheap but I treated myself. As I left the shop I noticed it had a hole in the bottom. I took it back in and they apologised and refunded me. Fine, it happens. But next time I went in it was back on the shelf.

clean shop - especially the fitting room
well lit - especially the fitting room
fresh smelling
point out faults on price tag
books in alphabetical order of author
full returns policy

Stop following customers around the shop as if they are pinching. It's really off putting!. You are selling second hand goods- not diamonds.

I can't be the only one who often likes the look of something in the window but does not want the embarrassment of having to ask, wait for someone to undo the whole display to look, and then say no as it's 4 sizes too small and/or more than I wanted to pay

Yes! This is a really good point too

I am clearing my late Father's house at the moment and have lost count of the numbers of heavy boxes I have transported to my local charity shops (the contents are good stuff and labelled up). I understand because of h&s the volunteers may not be able to help carry them, but only once has the door been held open for me by a worker as I have struggled in - it's usually the customers! And I have had the tutting referred to upthread for not having my gift aid card with me. It's not the most fun task in the world so a few courtesies wouldn't go amiss.

Please prop the door open for a while for some fresh air every day!

I would say sort by size but then by style. Put also sizes on children clothes.

Books by alphabet and sorted by type. Put picture books towards the bottom of the shelf so children can have a look, DD spotted often good ones herself.

I like a bit of effort and an inviting shop, it doesn't have to be a full boutique one but clean, not messy or stuffed so you can't walk around. Tidy during the day. A nice window display which changes.

Be realistic what sells in your area and for what price. For example I always find Oxfam absolutely overpriced. Maybe do some research what other shops are asking and what an item do cost new. Our Cancer Research shop sells children items for less than £1, the rack is always empty.

We have a couple on our highstreet and one is very good with school events. They have lots in the window for book day, know about nationwide events like Comic Relief (wear something red), Sport Relief (spotty), have uniform in the window during Summer.

Yes to all of these!!!

Clear details of window items - size and price.

Train staff to be friendly - the ones round here are so miserable.

Don’t charge more than £1-£2 for Primark, Asda, George etc!

Keep toys and kids stuff very cheap and you will sell more. I’ve seen absolute tat priced at £5 or more.

Ps congrats on your award

Making sure stuff is on the right hangers. It's really annoying to flick through, find a size 16 hanger and it's got a size 8 top on it.

THIS! ^^

Saw an unopened, slime making kit that clearly was quite old and battered but unused. It was £8.99. I double checked the price was correct as I was shocked. Off the manager went to check how much it cost new on Amazon!! She returned snootily telling me I was saving a pound so no, the price remained.

Size please
Dresses together, skirts etc etc, in size not colour.
Thanks

For the kids toys/dvd section, if you have say a few Thomas items and a few Fireman Sam items, perhaps group them together? I'm often looking for items for my daughter's latest obsession! Takes me ages to search through everything, looking for anything Thomas etc

I loathe all that made in China new plastic crap that some charity shops sell. Takes up space, adds to landfill and isn't remotely interesting or useful.

I also can't see anything useful about colour blocking as it's impossible to work out sizing and ultimately disappointing.