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Original poster

Should rich people buy from charity shops?

164 replies

CricutKeeno · 04/04/2022 10:46

I saw a post from a well known celeb mum on Instagram, she had bought a pram from a charity shop for her baby. My first thought was wow! That’s surprising and great that she’d buy from a charity shop. But then I thought that it could be stopping someone who couldn’t afford a new one from being able to get it.

This mum has a silly amount of money at her disposal, should people like that not buy new, and leave the cheaper options for those who don’t have a choice? If so, then where do you draw the line? Maybe her buying a second hand buggy won’t make a difference to anyone else, or perhaps it could encourage others to shop from charity shops who might not think to, maybe that’s a good thing?

OP posts:
MummyGummy · 04/04/2022 13:22

Charity shops are to raise money for the charity, they aren’t a social enterprise to provide clothing for the poor

Totalwasteofpaper · 04/04/2022 13:27

@FourChimneys

Anything to raise the profile of buying secondhand is good, surely. As others have said, there are plenty of prams and other baby equipment around.

In our area people often leave things on their drive with a "free, please take" note. I'm sure it is the same elsewhere.

This. If the influencer is removing stigma around second hand good for her.
DifficultBloodyWoman · 04/04/2022 13:28

Charity shops should really be renamed. They are fundraising shops.

I volunteer in one. We have a very mixed demographic of customers in terms of age and, I suspect, income. We also have a lot of regulars.

We recently received a selection of designer handbags which one regular customer pounced on. She ‘looked’ very affluent but confided in the store manager that she was thrilled to see the bags at such a good price because she loved the brand but hadn’t been able to afford anything like it since her husband had been made redundant a couple of years ago. I believe they are both still job hunting.

Looks can be deceiving.

And if they weren’t, what would be the cut off point for being allowed to shop and support the fund raising efforts of a charity? Do you really want to say ‘if you earn more than £27k, don’t support Cancer Research’.

EssexLioness · 04/04/2022 13:28

I think it’s fine. We have a large disposable income but I also hate waste/ throwaway mentality so I happily shop at charity shops (as well as regular shops). The charity benefits from the sale and I always round up to the nearest £5/10/20 so they get a little more. I also keep an eye on eBay for a bargain when I remember. I don’t however take free stuff eg Facebook/ Olio etc as I would feel i we taking something someone else might desperately need.
I also agree with PP who said that there is often more stigma re charity shops in those less fortunate. I grew up poo and there is no way my parents would ever be seen dead in a charity shop. In their eyes it was something to be ashamed of and everyone would know they couldn’t afford to buy things from ‘proper’ shops. Whereas, I don’t have that stigma.I just like that the charity benefits and that Things are being eased.
I also think it is very different if you cannot afford to buy anything other than from charity shops etc. The choice can be limited and it isn’t always what you actually want. It is easy if you can afford to shop anywhere and just pop in for the odd browse.

TypicaIMe · 04/04/2022 13:31

@MummyGummy

Charity shops are to raise money for the charity, they aren’t a social enterprise to provide clothing for the poor
This!
BiBabbles · 04/04/2022 13:33

If you were talking something specifically designed to give to those struggles, I could see the argument that it's inappropriate.

That's not what charity shops are. It's like trying to decide who uses the library or freecycle - yeah, they can be really useful when you have little, but when you set it up as only for those who can't do otherwise, you just add stigma and often make the service/space/options worse for those who are in that position.

Booboobibles · 04/04/2022 13:37

Shopping in charity shops tends to be a middle class pursuit (I read recently)…a lot of poorer people find it embarrassing. Personally I prefer my Jack Wills and LK Bennet charity shop coats to Primark!

2bazookas · 04/04/2022 13:39

Look on the bright side. When affluent people embrace second hand goods, clothes etc, it removes the negative "poverty" status attached to second hand/used goods.

That's a benefit to all other customers of charity shops.

MiddleNameJane · 04/04/2022 13:47

Good for her - influencers usually get criticised for pushing an unattainable lifestyle and encouraging people into debt, so if she's helping to break down the stigma of secondhand, then great.

Also, if it became a widespread, unwritten rule that only poor people could shop in charity shops, you can bet that nobody would set foot in them!

Rosser · 04/04/2022 13:47

Anything that stops the stigma around secondhand is good.

I shop in charity shops for most of mine and my DCs clothes and we have lovely wardrobes. If I’m complimented on something and at where it’s from it’s usually the less affluent people who react negatively. There seems to be this idea that if you shop in charity shops people will think you are poor. It’s ridiculous really. We are drowning in second hand clothes in this country and have such a throw away culture.

Jessasamantha · 04/04/2022 13:49

I agree OP. It's not as if charity shops get two prams a day. It's quite a rare thing for a charity shop to have and could have been bought by a mum to be who is really struggling. She could have highlighted the idea of charity shop buying with a cheaper purchase.

chisanunian · 04/04/2022 13:50

The charity shop is there to make money for the charity from the sale of goods, not so poor people can buy things cheaply.

burnoutbabe · 04/04/2022 13:53

Surely sops like too good to go aren't aimed at those struggling.

Most of the offers are for bakery places where you get 4 cakes for £4 rather than the usual max price of £12. It's not a way to get nutritional food in the cheap (Eve. If you get a Morrisons box you often get an absolute ton of one particular type of food -ie lettuce -and never 5 things that together make a decent meal.

MermaidEyes · 04/04/2022 13:56

@Antarcticant

As a regular user of charity shops. I have noticed lately a lot more young, fashionable people shopping in them - teens and early twenties - which is lovely to see. I hope it points towards charity shopping becoming more fashionable.

My teens and I love charity shopping, they also love going with their friends. It's definitely a real trend at the moment. My local shops are often full, which can only be a good thing.

raspberrymuffin · 04/04/2022 13:56

Many people living in poverty won't touch second hand because of the stigma - they'll take out a high interest loan for a new pram rather than be seen to be giving their baby second best. If this woman can do a little bit to help change that, good for her.

Also, and I'm going to get this tattooed on my forehead I have to say it so often, the point of a charity shop is to raise money for the specified charity, not to provide cheap second hand goods. You can 'in my day' all you like but legally a charity is required to do what it says on the tin, i.e. Cancer Research must raise money to research cancer not provide a vetting programme to ensure the people buying their stuff can't afford new.

XenoBitch · 04/04/2022 13:59

Nothing wrong with it at all. You don't have to be on a low income to appreciate a bargain. It is better to reuse and recycle anyway.
Charity shops are not a service, they are not a clothing/goods version of foodbanks. They exist purely to raise funds for the given charity.
Would this celeb mum get vitriol for buying a second hand car?

Howmanydaysuntilfriday · 04/04/2022 14:02

Course they should that's how they stay rich

SpringLobelia · 04/04/2022 14:03

We are quite well off.

I donate things that I bought as aspirational purchases that I hoped to fit into one day (including a Laura Ashley dress with tags that I bought for £120 and the charity shop sold for £8.00, and a Hobbes dress with tags I bought for £180.00 and the charity shop sold for £30.00).

I exclusively buy from charity shops for DS1 who has disabilities and sensory issues and the advantage is that these clothes are usually so worn and reqorn and so washed and rewashed that they are as soft as butter.

I'm not going to apologise for being a buyer and a donater thanks.

XenoBitch · 04/04/2022 14:04

@Jessasamantha

I agree OP. It's not as if charity shops get two prams a day. It's quite a rare thing for a charity shop to have and could have been bought by a mum to be who is really struggling. She could have highlighted the idea of charity shop buying with a cheaper purchase.
It also could have been bought by someone to put their dog in.
Phormiumjester2 · 04/04/2022 14:05

@Jessasamantha

I agree OP. It's not as if charity shops get two prams a day. It's quite a rare thing for a charity shop to have and could have been bought by a mum to be who is really struggling. She could have highlighted the idea of charity shop buying with a cheaper purchase.
That's just not true! They don't always accept them because they can't store them. The ones that can often have loads! There isn't a shortage of cheap 2nd hand prams
Enzbear · 04/04/2022 14:05

Just because people have money doesn't mean they want to buy everything brand new. They want to do their bit by reusing, recycling etc like everyone else. I'm sure she'll pass it on when it's no longer needed.

TypicaIMe · 04/04/2022 14:11

@Jessasamantha

I agree OP. It's not as if charity shops get two prams a day. It's quite a rare thing for a charity shop to have and could have been bought by a mum to be who is really struggling. She could have highlighted the idea of charity shop buying with a cheaper purchase.
We used to get loads of prams, buggies, cots, etc donated. We didn't have room to store much of it so it would go straight on the shop floor and usually would sell almost instantly. If we had no room to store it and the shop floor was full we had to politely decline the donation and suggest it was taken to another nearby charity shop instead.
AllFreeOwls · 04/04/2022 14:13

At what pay point do you feel someone shouldn't go in a charity shop OP? If you earn £20K, £30K, £40k? What do you think the max salary for a charity shop shopper should be? Would you make different rules across the country based on the average cost of living?!

Supersimkin2 · 04/04/2022 14:15

Charity shops don’t give a shit about the poor. Their environmental benefits are an accident, cos they get more free money from industrial recycling.

Charity shops are worth using cos the planet’s a better cause than any charity.

woodhill · 04/04/2022 14:17

@raspberrymuffin

Many people living in poverty won't touch second hand because of the stigma - they'll take out a high interest loan for a new pram rather than be seen to be giving their baby second best. If this woman can do a little bit to help change that, good for her.

Also, and I'm going to get this tattooed on my forehead I have to say it so often, the point of a charity shop is to raise money for the specified charity, not to provide cheap second hand goods. You can 'in my day' all you like but legally a charity is required to do what it says on the tin, i.e. Cancer Research must raise money to research cancer not provide a vetting programme to ensure the people buying their stuff can't afford new.

More fool them