Do people who work in charity shops get first dibs on new stock?

[8tjr9jk47h]

I'm wondering if all the good stuff gets filched before it ever hits the shelves?

My friend works in one. She gets first dibs but has to pay in line with the shop's pricing guidance. No freebies.

I worked in a charity shop as a manager years ago and yes staff got the choice to purchase items (at staff discount as they were helping me out on a voluntary basis) before being put out on display though they had to be paid for which being a charity I totally agreed with that theory.

My mum volunteered for a charity shop (going back a few years ago now) & they did get 1st refusal but they paid the price that it would be in the shop for. I think this is fair enough, surely?

if people do think that volunteering in a charity shop gives you unlimited access to top quality items at little cost or even free, why are they not queuing up to volunteer and get in on the act? It’s so telling that some people don’t think others will volunteer their time for a charity unless there is something in it for them. I’ve volunteered in a number of differ ways for different charities over the years and in deciding which cause to support I have never once thought how much stuff can I get out of it. If you actually saw a lot of the stuff donated you wouldn’t want to touch it never mind take it home.

When I worked there yes unless it was vey valuable (then it went on eBay). But we had to pay 50% cost. And we mostly didn't want it anyway. It's not like there's that much gold in among the primary T-shirts and scuffed heels.

I just want the stuff out of my house as I hoard a bit. If the volunteers get first dibs and give the charity some £ for it, no issues at all. I would like to volunteer in a charity shop but worry I will buy it all 😂

Why? The charity made money, she made money and unusual items didn't get thrown in landfill. Everyone wins.

@PeonyRose80
I feel the same way as you

I dream of volunteering just to have the joy of going through the bags

Do it, @PeonyRose80. I love my weekly volunteering shifts. My fellow volunteers are great, there's often homemade cake/biscuits, and you never know what's going to come out of a bag. You can't buy everything, it's impossible. Lots of the stuff you just won't be interested in. I have no interest in clothes which aren't my size, children's clothes as my kids are all teenagers, DVDs, sporting stuff. We all have "mental lists" of things we look out for and they're all different. My purchases are mostly knitting yarn, history books, christmas decorations, jigsaws for my mum, nice bars of soap.

When I was a volunteer at 16 I came across razor blades (used), dirty nappies and animal bones in donation bags. It's not all Karen millen and jewellery 😂

Do it! Charity shops are crying out for volunteers. I completely agree with @KnittingNeedles . We also love the teenage volunteers who are doing Duke of Edinburgh awards, often because of school/college they’ll do a shift at weekends, which is really helpful!

Just don’t expect every bag to yield treasure. Last week we had a couple of jigsaws, the donor had been kind enough to write how many pieces were missing on each box! Seriously.

@IDontWantToBeAPie I don't think that would bother me

My neighbour caught me going through the bin when someone was having a clear out
😂

Would absolutely love to volunteer do they accept people just to sort out the items as I work for the emergency services so can't always be relied as might get called in

Charity shops get more stuff given to them than they can handle. If the staff get first dibs it will still leave plenty of good stuff for everyone else.

I reckon that would be a case by case basis. Just ask around some shops.

The one I worked in lived having people who just wanted to sort stuff. It's very easy to get overwhelmed with donations and someone popping in randomly would have been an absolute godsend for us.

No @8tjr9jk47h , The good stuff does not get "filched" because volunteers still need to pay for it. What a horrible way to look at it.

Each charity shop has its own rules.

When I was volunteering, there was a guide to pricing items, so you couldn't just stick £1 on a Coast dress and then reserve it.

As a volunteer, you had a 25% but you can only buy the item after it's been on the shop floor for the day.

I had my eye on some Willow patterned soup bowls and I'd put them on the crockery shelf myself. Unfortunately for me, someone did end up buying them.

I was having Coffe with a group of ladies yesterday, one of which volunteers in a local charity shop and she openly stated that she looks through the recently donated items and if “I see things i like, I think “Ooh that’s lovely; I’ll have those” and I stuff them away under the counter to take home later”. There was no mention of payment. When I challlenged her on this, she said, “Oh, it’s common practice”. I was disgusted. I’ve given lots of lovely clothes to local charity shops and this has left a really unpleasant taste in my mouth.

"Filched"?
No. We do not "filch" stock. We sometimes buy it.

How many volunteer hours do you put in, @8tjr9jk47h?