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Original poster

If I ran a charity shop....

124 replies

Relocatiorelocation · 09/10/2022 07:22

.....I think I'd do a better job than our local one.

They are rarely accepting donations as they have too much stock, but when you go in its the same stuff that's been there forever as its hugely overpriced and most of it is tatt.

The donations of potentially good stuff are given in elsewhere, and the shop cling on for dear life to their junk.....a Primark tshirt for £4, or a single toy car for £1.

As well as making money for the charity I always thought another aim was to provide the community with affordable stuff. Not in this case. If I were in charge I'd do a huge sale, 50% off everything for the next week, and get things moving. I volunteered to help for a few hours a week but they don't need me....Damn!

OP posts:
primeoflife · 09/10/2022 07:26

The trouble is they get given loads of crap and need volunteers to sort through it. Maybe they haven't enough staff.

I know why don't you volunteer and solve the problem!

primeoflife · 09/10/2022 07:26

Apologies missed your last line

primeoflife · 09/10/2022 07:29

I have no advice except agree with you. Sounds bonkers!!

randomusername02 · 09/10/2022 07:31

You're not wrong except when you say you thought their aim was to help the community. It's not. It's to make as much money for the charity. Volunteering won't change that. They will have pricing policies in place. Look for small local charities which have second hand shops to raise funds, I always find these are more reasonably priced.

Mymoneydontjigglejiggle · 09/10/2022 07:33

Yes the best charity shop in my town regularly does 'sales' eg two pairs of trousers for £5 or half price on all dresses or whatever. As you say, it's a great way to shift stuff so that it often looks refreshed and new donations get put out.

AdobeWanKenobi · 09/10/2022 07:34

I’d stop putting clothing out in colour order rather than item and size.
I don’t really look at clothing when they do that as it’s too much of a faff to sort through.

redredwineub40 · 09/10/2022 07:36

Worth dropping an email to the charity HQ?

itbemay · 09/10/2022 07:39

AdobeWanKenobi · 09/10/2022 07:34

I’d stop putting clothing out in colour order rather than item and size.
I don’t really look at clothing when they do that as it’s too much of a faff to sort through.

Yes, this drives me bonkers!

Haudyourwheesht · 09/10/2022 07:40

It would be nice, though, if one of their objectives was to provide affordable, second hand clothes to the local community and help stop people's reliance on unsustainable cheap fast fashion. Big companies have environmental objectives, which aren't always solely linked to profit, why not charity shops?

sixtiesbaby88 · 09/10/2022 07:41

AdobeWanKenobi · 09/10/2022 07:34

I’d stop putting clothing out in colour order rather than item and size.
I don’t really look at clothing when they do that as it’s too much of a faff to sort through.

This! I refuse to look at clothes arranged by colour, life's too short!

Pegasushaswings · 09/10/2022 07:42

Most charity shops have no business acumen, they get reduced rent etc and are staffed largely by volunteers and get their stock free yet they still don't seem to have a good turnover.

id sell everything very cheap, not worry about what the item is selling for on ebay (unless you are actually listing on ebay) and keep the stock turning over quickly as possible whilst accepting new stock.
that way you will get people coming back regularly to see whats in, if the shop is struggling for volunteers id suggest any regular reseller donates a few hours a week in exchange for bundle deals or having a heads up on stock.

THisbackwithavengeance · 09/10/2022 07:43

Haudyourwheesht · 09/10/2022 07:40

It would be nice, though, if one of their objectives was to provide affordable, second hand clothes to the local community and help stop people's reliance on unsustainable cheap fast fashion. Big companies have environmental objectives, which aren't always solely linked to profit, why not charity shops?

I do agree with this in principle but if they price v cheaply as a charitable act, all the chancers and flippers will be there with their elbows out, buying up all the good stuff to sell on on FB marketplace or eBay.

WhatNoRaisins · 09/10/2022 07:44

It's not a great system for repurposing clothes, none of the shops around me seem to have to capacity for managing donations. I wonder if having fewer drop off points and a more centralised system for sorting donations would work better than taking straight to small shops.

AdobeWanKenobi · 09/10/2022 07:50

One of our local ones has everything for £1. It has a massive turnover of stock and is always bustling.
The next one in the run sells Primark T shirts for more than they were new. It’s always empty and the same items are having there week in week out.

PurpleWisteria1 · 09/10/2022 07:50

It drives me mad. Some charity shops here charge extortionate prices for second hand clothes and kids clothes whilst refusing new stock all the time.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 09/10/2022 07:53

My manager years ago was so good. We sold stuff cheap because you can't charge more than Primark or Tesco for second hand. We earned more on bric a brac than clothes so reduced the clothes section. The clothes had little squares on he hangers so everything that went out one week had red square. 4 weeks later all red squares were culled. And she was hot on quality. No bobbles, smells or stains.

inappropriateraspberry · 09/10/2022 07:54

AdobeWanKenobi · 09/10/2022 07:34

I’d stop putting clothing out in colour order rather than item and size.
I don’t really look at clothing when they do that as it’s too much of a faff to sort through.

Our local Oxfam does this, it's so hard to browse!
The BHF do a great job - all clothes sorted by dresses, tops etc, than in size order. Like any normal shop! Really easy to see what they've got that will fit.

NannyR · 09/10/2022 08:03

I hate the displaying by colour thing. A charity shop has just opened in a unit on retail park near me and it's huge. They've taken the colour thing to a whole new level, there's dark pink, pale pink, brown, khaki, orange. It looks good when you walk in but I can't be bothered to spend the time looking in twelve different places for clothes.
When I go into a charity shop, I want to look for tops and trousers in my size, I don't go in thinking I want to buy a random orange item. Funnily enough, the men's section is displayed on rails of shirts, trousers, jumpers etc in size order.

Original poster
Relocatiorelocation · 09/10/2022 08:20

Our local one was selling used asda school polo shirts for a £1 each yesterday, I'm sure they are about that to buy new. These ones were clearly worn and a bit stained. Couldn't they sell them for 10p to genuinely help families out and get the stock moving?

@THisbackwithavengeance I do understand what you mean, but the shops could either get someone savvy to sell things on ebay for them, or else just let the item go for a quid and not worry what gets done with it.....if they are selling something for £6 but it sits on the rails for 2 months whilst they turn down other donations, isn't it better to just pile high and sell cheap?

OP posts:
THisbackwithavengeance · 09/10/2022 08:34

Relocatiorelocation · 09/10/2022 08:20

Our local one was selling used asda school polo shirts for a £1 each yesterday, I'm sure they are about that to buy new. These ones were clearly worn and a bit stained. Couldn't they sell them for 10p to genuinely help families out and get the stock moving?

@THisbackwithavengeance I do understand what you mean, but the shops could either get someone savvy to sell things on ebay for them, or else just let the item go for a quid and not worry what gets done with it.....if they are selling something for £6 but it sits on the rails for 2 months whilst they turn down other donations, isn't it better to just pile high and sell cheap?

I do agree. I actually buy about 75% of my clothes from charity shops and know all my local charity shops well. We used to have one that priced things normally for 6 weeks or so and then once an item didn't sell, it went on a £1 rail. Fantastic idea. It shut down during COVID sadly and never reopened.

My late mum used to volunteer at a well known charity shop and did the bag sorting. She told me that she used to stick all the crappy Primark T shirts and overly worn stuff straight into the bags for the rag man to collect; it didn't even make the shop floor.

Flowersintheattic57 · 09/10/2022 08:41

They would raise more money for their charity if they lowered their prices. It’s not rocket science!
Having stuff hanging about for weeks on end and tipping 80% of donations to the rag man is nuts.
Lower prices equals higher turnover. I often go in with a tenner to spend and come out again with my tenner intact; too expensive for what’s on offer. Hard to believe their managers actually get paid for this nonsense.

inappropriateraspberry · 09/10/2022 08:46

Flowersintheattic57 · 09/10/2022 08:41

They would raise more money for their charity if they lowered their prices. It’s not rocket science!
Having stuff hanging about for weeks on end and tipping 80% of donations to the rag man is nuts.
Lower prices equals higher turnover. I often go in with a tenner to spend and come out again with my tenner intact; too expensive for what’s on offer. Hard to believe their managers actually get paid for this nonsense.

Agree. Sell 10 things for £1 each, or 1 thing for £5? It's a no brainer, surely.

Clawdy · 09/10/2022 09:03

Our local charity shop sells paperbacks for £2 each, whether nearly new, or literally falling apart. Doesn't make sense.

redredwineub40 · 09/10/2022 09:06

Especially in this economic climate you'd think they'd be adapting business models.

MeowMeowPowerRangers · 09/10/2022 09:08

My local one is brilliant, they have a massive book room at the back 3 for £1 even hardbacks. They regularly do sales and never more than £5 I've had to pay for something and I've brought original paintings too! Clothes are 50pence each even the designer. I think im quite lucky going by this thread.