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So what would you tell a charity shop manager?

248 replies

Supersimpkin · 28/03/2019 09:38

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. Grin

OP posts:
nettie434 · 29/03/2019 12:05

Would people really not pay £2.49 for a second hand book? I would! It has the same words in as a new copy that might cost £7.99!

Books seem to be almost as controversial as colour blocking, price and smell! I was in Lancaster for work once and running out of things to read. I went to the Barnardo’s shop which just had books in (or did then). Everything was ordered alphabetically by genre and the books were in great condition. I was happy to pay more for a second hand book In those circumstances. There is a charity shop near me which doesn’t accept books at all. It seems to me that books don’t really keep their value in the way that designer clothes or bags do, unless you are talking JK Rowling 1st editions with misprints on the title.

Re new versus old stock, I used to buy things like Traidcraft in Oxfam (although I don’t go there any more after the Haiti abuse) but agree that I don’t want new stuff that is not associated with the charity.

PS Supersimkin congratulations on your award. Flowers

BrightSpells · 29/03/2019 12:12

I'll add - the best one I go to nothing is over £3.

The stock turns over extremely regularly and it's always very busy.

PanamaPattie · 29/03/2019 12:33

My favourite charity shop sells books at 4 for a £1 and the clothes are all 50p. It’s always busy.

I hate colour blocking, the smell and snooty staff - just like PP.

dancerdog · 29/03/2019 12:36

Changing rooms -
a) essential- I wont buy something I can't try on, and I wont return an item to a charity shop - even if they say it can be returned if it doesn't fit - not worth the effort and also would feel embarrassed at doing so
b) a flimsy shower curtain around an area right in the middle of the shop again means I wont try anything on, and again, wont buy either.

Skyejuly · 29/03/2019 12:51

It has to smell nice...even if it's just freeze!

ShadowMane · 29/03/2019 12:58

Would people really not pay £2.49 for a second hand book? I would! It has the same words in as a new copy that might cost £7.99!

yeah, but its not new is it? i'm spending 7.99 (if I actually spend that much in the first place - amazon anyone, or buy one get one half price, or book of the week ) on a new book, not one that's got a broken spine, or pages folded

BarkandCheese · 29/03/2019 13:08

If it’s a book I really want to read I’d pay £2.49, I quite often buy second hand books on line for around £2.90. However I’m not going to take a punt on something I don’t know if I’m going to like for £2.49, it needs to be £1.50 of less for me to do that.

halcyondays · 29/03/2019 13:08

You can buy most books second hand on the internet for between £2 and £3, apart from those that are sought after and collectible. So unless it's something I really want, I wouldn't necessarily rush to pay £2.49 for a book. I'd be far more likely to buy one on a whim if it's 50p - £1.

MilkGoatee · 29/03/2019 13:20

It is a bit peculiar with the high prices. The bottom line stays the same, as there are no cost of sales, only overheads. You can put through a lot more (in prep) of low priced items as they need less consideration towards pricing. I would say that revenue benefits more from high throughput at low prices, than low throughput at high prices. I should imagine it's also more fun for the volunteers if there is a lot of throughput, although the odd individual comes and volunteers to sit around and natter and rather sees customer leaving than coming in, most would like it to be a bit busier, I'm sure. Doesn't mean you shouldn't price a whole le Creuset set appropriately, but most of the clothing items would benefit from a one-size-fits-all pricing.

I think the rummage boxes are a really good thing, a v low prices (20p items and such). Both for bric-a-brac and for clothing items.

I haven't seen anyone mention the rotation. I saw a few mentions of a coat or other item being in the shop for three months. That didn't happen at the Cancer Research shop I volunteered for a while at, more than 15 years ago. Daily, new stuff would hang out, the labels had a date on, and the older stuff (2 weeks, I think) would go to the back to the swap out rail. That rail would be bundled into the van, once a week, to be swapped with the "old" stock of a different location (usually a fixed pattern). Some stuff would sell in some places, not in others. If it had been in two shops and not sold, it would be ragged, £1 a bag or some such.

No, I don't want to pay £2.49 for a second hand paperback, unless I really, really want it, it was the last in a series I needed, or something like that. Otherwise, I'd prefer it new, actually.

flitwit99 · 29/03/2019 13:28

It's all about the cost for me, especially with kids clothes. I would happily pay £1 for a worn t-shirt for knocking around outdoors in the summer but I'm not going to pay £2.50 for it. New clothes are so cheap nowadays, bad for charity shops and the environment.

There is a massive community run shop near us where every kid's thing is 50p or £1, every adult's thing is £1 or £2. But it's purpose is to reuse and avoid landfill which is not a charity shop's purpose I don't suppose.

HennyPennyHorror · 29/03/2019 13:28

Please don't label vintage things as "RETRO!"

Retro means modern but inspired by a vintage style.

Vintage means old...

reluctantbrit · 29/03/2019 13:32

You can get lots of books second hand on the internet in very good condition so £2.49 for a book with dog ears/creases and maybe marks is not what I want to spend.

Even a kindle edition is often just £2-3 so I think charity shops need to take this into account.

I bought a book more than once when I ended up having to wait for something and forgot my kindle, cheaper than a magazine and more interesting. But I still look at the price.

asparalite · 29/03/2019 13:38

I know people go into charity shops looking for different things and not everybody is interested in clothes, but I really don't understand why in some shops old worn poor quality clothes are even put out because I don't believe most people want to buy tired old clothes, surely they would be better off being ragged.Also too many shops put out Primark and Matalan clothes at too high a price.Definitely prefer clothes put out in size order not colour blocking.Any bric a brac should be clean and realistically priced.
Most importantly volunteers trained to thank people for their donations and definitely never to comment on them on the shop floor!

DobbinsVeil · 29/03/2019 13:39

I stopped using our local charity shop because they kept charging more at the till then what stuff was priced as. Only by 50p or so but it just irritated me.

Kez200 · 29/03/2019 14:28

Have kids books for free when they are in poor condition.

Have old clothes for free for crafts where not good enough to sell.

Watch prices! Ive seen Primark stuff probably for more than they originally sold for.

SileneOliveira · 29/03/2019 15:02

Dancerdog - theft is a massive problem in charity shop changing rooms. We had to move the changing room into a more obvious position because stuff was walking out of the door - literally. Come in wearing a manky old pair of jeans and a top with holes in it, select something you like the look of, swap your clothes in the changing room, put the manky stuff back on the racks, walk out. Or less subtly, just take a whole load of stuff into the changing room and stick it in your bag. It happens a LOT and we're in a "nice, middle class" area. The ideal solution would be to have two people on the shop floor at all times, one on the till and one tidying/manning changing room. But we have too few volunteers for that.

There is a refund policy though and as long as you bring something back with the original receipt we'll happily give you money back.

tabulahrasa · 29/03/2019 16:02

“Would people really not pay £2.49 for a second hand book? I would! It has the same words in as a new copy that might cost £7.99!”

No, not usually...

If it was a particular book I was looking for, I’d not be in a charity shop looking because you’ve no clue whether they’re going to have something or not.

Actually come to think of it that’s my issue with colour blocking as well.

People don’t shop in charity shops the same way they do other shops, because if you actually need something you’d go elsewhere. If I need a black dress, I’m going to go somewhere I know they have black dresses in all the sizes, I’m not going to go to a charity shop instead.

If you’re in a charity shop you more going, well what do they have in my size? Or what do they have in other sections that’s interesting? Layout and prices should reflect that really.

senua · 29/03/2019 16:51

I want clothes ordered by type, then size. I do not want colour-blocking. Why organise clothes by their most easily distinguishable feature? It's bonkers! It's the boutique mentality instead of the we-need-to-shift-this-stock mentality. It is funny, though, when they get to the multi-coloured items and haven't a clue where to put them.

I'm not keen on the idea of creaming off the best stock to put in posh areas. This means that some shops only get bobbly Primani. I don't even bother crossing the threshold of shops like that (we know who you are!) so they lose all trade from me.

CapeDaisy5 · 29/03/2019 16:57

Gonna go against the grain because I actually love colour blocking. It looks better. There are also colours I wouldn't wear so I can just stay away from those blocks, I go in usually thinking I want a black top or blue trousers or whatever, so I would go straight for colours. As long as clothes are on the correct size hangers I don't mind going through them.

CapeDaisy5 · 29/03/2019 16:59

people don’t shop in charity shops the same way they do other shops, because if you actually need something you’d go elsewhere

I tend to look in charity shops for specific things I need before going to a proper shop if I cannot find anything

GVmama · 29/03/2019 17:04

Have somewhere to try things on. So many of our local charity shops have got rid of the changing rooms, it's very annoying!

PCohle · 29/03/2019 17:13

I much prefer clothes organised by size or type.

A changing room is great, but the theft issue hadn't really occurred to me. If the clothes are low enough priced I'm happy to take a gamble tbh.

I love a good book and furniture section. I'm happy to pay fairly high prices for books - happy to help the charity and it makes no difference to me whether someone else has already read it!

TalkingOrmer · 29/03/2019 17:13

We know our customers are happy to pay £2.49 for a paperback. It was £1.99, the prices went up at the start of the year, the figures show there has been no impact on sales

However, I bet if you reduce them all to £1.50 you’d see a massive increase in revenue.

senua · 29/03/2019 17:15

Have somewhere to try things on.
I don't bother with places without changing rooms. There are plenty more charity shops on the High Street, I just move on ...

tabulahrasa · 29/03/2019 17:16

“I tend to look in charity shops for specific things I need before going to a proper shop if I cannot find anything”

See I wouldn’t... they’re not in the same places as other shops, in fact where I am they’re not even in the same town...

If I needed something in particular, I’m not going from town to town when I know where I can definitely get something.

I go to charity shops when I’m near them anyway.