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Original poster

Appalling behaviour by staff at a charity shop

172 replies

OooohAhhhh · 01/06/2023 22:39

I was in a charity shop today browsing at items near the till and I heard the manager and staff member having a conversation about how desperate people must be to be browsing on the £1 and £2 clothes rails. They was referring to 2 women who had been there for quite a while going through it all and they were saying how desperate they are, in a malicious, slagging off manner.
I then went to the till and had to pay for my £1 cardigan, not because I'm "desperate" but because I love a good bargain, just like so many other people do, and is that not the point of a charity shop? It made me feel a bit awkward paying for it. Surely this can't be the common attitude of staff in charity shops?
Just wondering if I should send a formal complaint higher up maybe?

OP posts:
CherrySocks · 01/06/2023 22:43

The staff/volunteers need better customer care training. Very rude to talk about people in their hearing.

As a separate point though, the point of a charity shop is to raise money for the charity.

Giacomettisrug · 01/06/2023 22:46

It's a definite think it, don't say it moment regardless of whether you work there or not.
I must say though, I've never been in a charity shop but I would expect nothing to be more than 2 or 3 pounds in one.
And no, not because I think I'm too good for them but because I buy one or two new pieces of clothing each year and if I'm buying something I want to know it will last years and not be nearing the end of its life.

CampervanKween · 01/06/2023 22:49

You hear the supermarket workers slagging off and mocking the reductions hunters in a similar manner. It's mean spirited.

Most of them I hear laughing at them are young and perhaps living with their parents, perhaps don't realise that people are currently watching every penny. Not nice though.

Fizzadora · 01/06/2023 22:49

I would just not have been able to resist asking them whether they thought I was desperate for buying a £1 item and telling them that they should keep their nasty, snobbish opinions to themselves in future.

Ihatethenewlook · 01/06/2023 22:52

Giacomettisrug · 01/06/2023 22:46

It's a definite think it, don't say it moment regardless of whether you work there or not.
I must say though, I've never been in a charity shop but I would expect nothing to be more than 2 or 3 pounds in one.
And no, not because I think I'm too good for them but because I buy one or two new pieces of clothing each year and if I'm buying something I want to know it will last years and not be nearing the end of its life.

Yes, you’ve clearly never been in a charity shop. I’ve bought an item for £600 out of the British heart foundation, it was worth a lot more. And 2 days ago I donated 3 teenage river island outfits that still had the tags on, a toddlers Hugo boss cost that was worn for 8 weeks, and a Prada dress that was worn for under 2 hours, they all went to Barnados. Get your head out of your arse

gandalfy · 01/06/2023 22:55

Giacomettisrug · 01/06/2023 22:46

It's a definite think it, don't say it moment regardless of whether you work there or not.
I must say though, I've never been in a charity shop but I would expect nothing to be more than 2 or 3 pounds in one.
And no, not because I think I'm too good for them but because I buy one or two new pieces of clothing each year and if I'm buying something I want to know it will last years and not be nearing the end of its life.

Not everything in charity shops are nearing the end of there lives.

supersonicginandtonic · 01/06/2023 22:59

@Giacomettisrug our household income is healthy and I can honestly say I hardly ever buy anything brand new for my kids, they're all Facebook marketplace, vinted, charity shops etc

LatteOneShotplease · 01/06/2023 23:01

Not quite the same, but I was in a local one recently (as in, for a local Hospice rather than Barnardo's or BHF etc) and browsing close to the till where a couple of volunteers/staff were blatantly bitching about a colleague. Very sad to hear, although people will be people I guess..
(Sadly, they were older ladies)
I left without buying anything, but on a previous visit, got a lovely Next (I think) heavyweight satin skirt, that I shall remake into something else.

mondaytosunday · 01/06/2023 23:02

Love a good bargain! Bought my son a new with tags on Liberty print shirt at one last summer. My teenage daughter got two whole outfits last time she went.
Plus before Kindle I regularly got my books from charity shops then redonated them.
Fabulous places, and very good quality stuff if you go in affluent areas too - you don't know what you're missing @Giacomettisrug!

mellicauli · 01/06/2023 23:04

The shop is there to raise funds for the charity, not to give you a bargain. I guess the charity shop won’t be there for long if you are only prepared to pay a £1. That won’t even cover the electricity. And in terms of service, well I guess you get what you pay for.

Catchasingmewithspiders · 01/06/2023 23:08

mellicauli · 01/06/2023 23:04

The shop is there to raise funds for the charity, not to give you a bargain. I guess the charity shop won’t be there for long if you are only prepared to pay a £1. That won’t even cover the electricity. And in terms of service, well I guess you get what you pay for.

If the charity needs people to pay more than £1 then they should put their prices up not have staff bitching about what the customers are looking at.

Doyoumind · 01/06/2023 23:09

I'd be astonished to find anything for £1 in a charity shop nowadays..

You do realise that people are volunteering though OP? Criticise them all you like but they're there for the benefit of the charity.

MayThe4th · 01/06/2023 23:10

The shop is there to raise funds for the charity, not to give you a bargain. I guess the charity shop won’t be there for long if you are only prepared to pay a £1. That won’t even cover the electricity. And in terms of service, well I guess you get what you pay for. tbh I think this is something which has changed recently. It did used to be the case that charity shops often had bargains, because people would buy something if it was cheaper and the charity makes money.

But now you can find second hand clothes for almost new prices and it’s putting a lot of people off.

I presume that the OP paid £1 for the cardigan because that was the price tag. She’s not obliged to pay more than is on the tag.

sadlittlelifejane · 01/06/2023 23:11

Doyoumind · 01/06/2023 23:09

I'd be astonished to find anything for £1 in a charity shop nowadays..

You do realise that people are volunteering though OP? Criticise them all you like but they're there for the benefit of the charity.

Many people that work there get paid. Not all volunteers by any stretch.

MayThe4th · 01/06/2023 23:16

You do realise that people are volunteering though OP? Criticise them all you like but they're there for the benefit of the charity. and? Even as volunteers they’re the public face of the charity. If they can’t be professional and are just there to turn their noses up at people they think are beneath them then they shouldn’t be volunteering there and if the charity got wind of them they should be let go.

DumpedByText · 01/06/2023 23:17

Giacomettisrug · 01/06/2023 22:46

It's a definite think it, don't say it moment regardless of whether you work there or not.
I must say though, I've never been in a charity shop but I would expect nothing to be more than 2 or 3 pounds in one.
And no, not because I think I'm too good for them but because I buy one or two new pieces of clothing each year and if I'm buying something I want to know it will last years and not be nearing the end of its life.

I took all my mother's clothing to a hospice charity shop yesterday, she passed in August last year.

They were delighted with it all, most of it was immaculate or unworn, and really good brands, and they said it would all sell. Not all charity shop clothes are 'at the end of life' and I'm sure any person who buys her clothes will be very happy.

tailinthejam · 01/06/2023 23:20

mellicauli · 01/06/2023 23:04

The shop is there to raise funds for the charity, not to give you a bargain. I guess the charity shop won’t be there for long if you are only prepared to pay a £1. That won’t even cover the electricity. And in terms of service, well I guess you get what you pay for.

What do you mean, 'only prepared to pay a £1"? Confused

The item would have had a price tag on it.

Zarataralara · 01/06/2023 23:21

The £1 and £2 rails are to move stock on. Date the item goes out is on the price tag usually so after a certain time it’s reduced. Better to sell at £1 than have it go to landfill. Charity shops are trying to be environmentally responsible, as are a lot of their customers.

CrumbliestCrumble · 01/06/2023 23:21

No not all volunteers.
My dsis works in a local one shes on 22k for 25 hours a week.

AzureBlue99 · 01/06/2023 23:23

Even if they are volunteers they shouldn't be mocking their customers. If they are there to generate funds for the charity they aren't going to do that if people walk out the shops.

I am a regular donator to charity shops. All good stuff, including stuff with labels. I have had a fair bit of rudeness from people working in charity shops, barking at me, you haven't got a duvet in there have you? Or, no, don't put it there, said in a sarcastic voice. This was said by a manager, I assume a paid employee, and I was placing something where another worker had instructed me to. I no longer give to those places who are rude. I have found a couple of smaller charities who seem to appreciate the stuff more.

ShanghaiDiva · 01/06/2023 23:24

Zarataralara · 01/06/2023 23:21

The £1 and £2 rails are to move stock on. Date the item goes out is on the price tag usually so after a certain time it’s reduced. Better to sell at £1 than have it go to landfill. Charity shops are trying to be environmentally responsible, as are a lot of their customers.

I volunteer in a charity shop and this is exactly what happens.

LittleMissViolet · 01/06/2023 23:29

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Original poster
OooohAhhhh · 01/06/2023 23:29

I buy my son some lovely tops for a £1 and jeans for £1.50 in most charity shops, so you can get some pretty decent stuff for as little as a £1.
I doubt these were volunteers, and not all staff are that work in charity shops.
The manager was a young woman, must have been in her 30's.
It's annoying me now and I wished I'd have said something there & then.
Yes I know the point of charity shops is to make money for charity, but they are generally much cheaper than the high street. Hence why I think you can get a good bargain in them.
I go in them all the time, love a good charity shop rumble.

OP posts:
Tinkerbyebye · 01/06/2023 23:30

Doyoumind · 01/06/2023 23:09

I'd be astonished to find anything for £1 in a charity shop nowadays..

You do realise that people are volunteering though OP? Criticise them all you like but they're there for the benefit of the charity.

That doesn’t give them the right to bitch about people browsing in the shop

the people at the £1/£2 rail maybe there as it’s all they can afford

Pencilsaremylife · 01/06/2023 23:32

I was in a shop for a local charity a couple of months ago and was flicking through some children’s books in order to see what there was as they were stood up in a box rather than on a shelf. I didn’t see anything I wanted so moved across the shop and selected a jigsaw. I was at the counter waiting to pay for it when a member of staff went over to the books and started loudly complaining about customers who rifled through the books making a mess, I was literally 2 feet away from her. I said “ you could at least waited for me to leave the shop before slagging me off” put down the jigsaw and walked out.
I used to volunteer for that particular charity, not in the shop though, so I did contact them and suggest some additional trading for the shop volunteers might be helpful.
A few years ago I was a volunteer in a different charity shop and would not have dreamt of insulting customers whether they were looking at a 50p item or a £50 item.