tobe shocked that my colleague early 60s, who has been through the mill financially, lost a house, never sets foot in charity shops?

[Slartybartfast]

is it just me, when my dc were little lots of their toys and clothes came from there. now i am a regular freegle user. although i dont like car boot sales, but i am shocked that she doesnt ever go in charity shops. am i prejudice because of her age and financial status?

Charity shops books are often wildly overpriced imo, expecially the special oxfam bookstores - s/hand paperback for a fiver anyone?, no thanks I'll use the libary, which she probably does if short of cash. Agree with BIWI, maybe she literally only buys food/toiletries etc so doesn't need to go into charity shops.

I hate charity shops, willing give to them by donating but i wouldnt think of shopping in them. Not everybody like used clothes so perhaps she prefers to save and buy new.

Perhaps she's not into reading books and has no-one she particularly wants to buy toys for?

Especially if she's skint

Business. None. Your. Of.

^rearrange this sentence accordingly.

hey everyone's giving the op a bit of a hard time, don't you think? she's just surprised someone's not been in a charity shop. i'd be surprised too. (probably not surprised enough to head to AIBU about it but it takes all sorts... )

she has a granddaughter. my mum is a volunteer in a charity shop and sorts the toys and loves her job, the fact that people donate and she sorts and people come in and buy her stuff, as she sees it. So perhaps I am biased brain washed

thanks aitch, i think i should have steered clear of ABIU

I think that choosing to shop in charity shops is mot not necessarily linked to income. I can't get enough of them and I know plenty of middle class types who love them. But there are lots of people on much lower incomes who would never set foot in one. In many ways the growing trend to re-use and recycle and avoid filling up landfill sites is middle-class led

the stock answer for all aibu seems to be 'mind your own business'

let's all just leave mumsnet and get on with real life and all mind our own business

quite right southeastastra

I could never set foot in a charity shop or wear secondhand clothes, even from someone I know, because my OCD wont let me, rational or not, even the idea makes me want to cry.

Mind you, I own like 3 outfits so Im not going out buying new stuff all the time!

Maybe she is saving money by NOT buying. There is nothing worse than walking around the shops, even charity shops, when you have no money in your pocket, imo.

Charity shops are expensive!

Charity shops in my area are ridiculously over priced and full of horrible items. one of them sells broken toys! Why pay £10 for a pair of second hand jeans when I can get some for £8 in Asda?

Perhaps she has a similar views?

When I was totally broke I never set foot in a charity shop either.

I didn't need adult clother. The childrens clothes were/are as cheap as chips from George, Ethel Austin (RIP ) and the like.
I didn't need books.
Christmas cards were no cheaper than any where else, the rest of the stuff they sell is just that , stuff that I didn't need. (brass band records and vhs videos anyone?)

The only time I go in now is to hand over my stuff that is no use to me.

The other thing to consider is the type of charity shops in the area. If you live in an area that is not well off the type of stuff in there isn't going to belong to and ex WAG is it?

Jesus Christ in a Datsun Sunny!

I can't believe anyone would waste head space on a colleague's shopping habits. It is none of your business where she does or doesn't buy things from.

Stop being so bloody nosey.

I agree with earlier comment that charity shop usage is not always connected to wealth. I know people on benefits who would never dream of stepping in them and a lot of middle class people on 6 figure incomes who would never dream of buying anything new.

I also agree that charity shops are often ridiculously overpriced but I wouldn't buy a second hand Primark item anyway. I buy a lot of Boden, Monsoon, Zara and Per Una from charity shops.

I don't think you are being unreasonable, OP. Charity shops are great!

They charge a fortune - cheaper and nicer stuff on ebay. I divided my wardrobe clearance clothes into two piles - the best and the not quite so nice. I ebayed the first lot and send the second lot to the Hospice shop. The hospice shop sent me a letter about 6 months later telling me how much they had sold them for - £80 more than I got for the ones I'd ebayed!

Maybe she was brought up thinking that charity shops are "for poor people", or that secondhand clothes are "dirty".

Charity shops do seem to have no concept of the key success factor of retailing which is stock turnover. I don't understand it. The big charities must have people who understand this stuff, so why dont they price the stuff to get rid of it. They have zero cost of stock (100% gross margin at whatever price), so better to sell 10 things for £2 each than waste the retail space (which is there big cost) trying to sell something for £8.

Poor womans been through a rough time & your hoiking your charity shop judgey judgey pants up!

I personally love charity shops, - I like slightly bizarre clothes and they are good hunting grounds. And I always buy things like winter coats there because I can't afford new ones.

But I do agree the pricing can be way off the mark,- things costing more than they did new from Primark or Sainsbos

Also jumping on the Vintage bandwagon, there's vintage, and there's old tat, and I've often seen old tat priced ridiculously high in charity shops (generally in big cities)

thirdly, I love going in them, but I wouldn't necessarily use them if I was budgeting - I often come out with things I don't actually need, because they are a bargain, more books (I'd use the library), clothes which aren't essential, and other stuff which is cheaper than new, but not cheaper than not buying that item at all.

Maybe your friend doesn't feel she actually needs much more 'stuff' and is just set on managing her food budget and absolute essentials.

I also think that charity shops, especially Oxfam, have become more and more expensive.

You have to have a really good idea of what something would have sold for brand new as I find that some shops are charging that or even more for second hand clothing or toys.

For example Primark clothes that may have sold for a fiver some charity shops might try and charge £5.99 for , particularly if they are in a nice area and presume people there are more affluent.

That said I have picked up some very nice children's clothes, books and toys for thereabouts of a pound in my local charity shop. Probably the majority of my DSs toys are charity shop finds but that is because I live on the borders of a nice area and it seems that people donate lovely practically brand new toys and I am lucky enough to benefit from this!

In the small town near me, the best prices are in The Red Cross shop, The Children's Society Shop, and and independent one for a local children's hospice - which has clothes downstairs, and basically a second hand bookstore upstairs.

I try to give them stuff as well as buy things, I like the idea of basically recycling goods that you no longer have use for. I also take them any carrier bags I have spare.

Shocked? Why?

Some people just don't like them. I am always in them for books/clothes/kids toys etc but when a friend of mine bought a top in one her dh 'went mad' and said 'we haven't been reduced to this, have we?'