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?

I've only been in a charity shop once, the smell of musty clothes put me off and I've avoided them since.

If people don't use charity shops, that's their loss as far as I'm concerned. Means there's more stock for the rest of us. I'm currently wearing a 100% Uniqlo cashmere jumper, pristine, beautiful colour - cost me £2 - and a pair of Armani trousers, equally lovely - cost me £15, both from charity shops.

Maybe she doesn't need any stuff. Something is only a bargain if you need it and really no-one needs 5 coats or 10 jumpers etc

Because things are cheaper in the supermarket or primark or ikea? There are a few near my work and I regularly see things that are way cheaper new. Once it was the same lantern I bought in ikea the weekend before!

Charity shops are good for browsing, maybe finding a bargain but not usually finding essentials. I needed some vests for dd (4 months) so off I went to Barnardo's children's shop and there was one very bobbly stripey vest for 75p. Ended up getting a packet of 3 for £3.50 in a supermarket. When I'm hard up I try to buy essentials only, not tat that I so often end up with from charity shops.

I can't get any clothes there because I'm size 6/8. The sizes are always huge in the shops.

Paul Costello jacket, £7 (just saying)

The charity shops around here are awful. I have gone in a few times as they are a short walk from home but either there is nothing in the right age/size that we would wear or they have primark t-shirts at £3 that cost £1.90 new.

So I would rather shop in a cheap high street shop and get what we want and need in the sizes we need. I work and don't have time to visit the charity shops every day or even every weekend.

It's none of your business, OP. So, yes, YABU.

Well and truly resurrected. Are people doing his in time for Halloween?

I have never set foot in a charity shop and I never will.

What is it with zombie threads lately ?

Whoops!

Yes, charity shops are very expensive now. And some just have that horrid sickly smell Not so many nowadays but it really does put me off unless in dire need - usually of jigsaws!

Oh god who cares. I get so fed up with the drama on MN everytime someone posts on an old thread. Enough of the FFs and thinking its some kind of trolling, just leave it. Who cares?!

Perhaps she doen't like the thought of someone else's stinky armpits having been in a pre owned top or someone else's stinky feet in shoes. I get a lot of stuff from charity shopsbut not everyone is happy to do so.

I never go in charity shops. If I need to buy something I don't really want to visit millions of tiny shops on the off-chance they have the thing I want! I just go on eBay generally.

4 YEARS OLD ZOMBIE THREAD

I went into a charity shop last week to find some stuff for a Halloween costume. The smell in there would knock a horse.
I think someone was smoking?

Anyway, I know they are not all like that, but it did put me off going in again. Maybe something similar happened your friend.

And its not a zombie thread anymore, more than 3 people have posted, its ALIVE.
Alive I say!!!!! Happy Halloween!!!

Even when I was at my most skint I didn't use charity shops.

I didn't buy toys, the kids got toys passed to them from their cousins or got them from for birthday presents.
I don't need books, ornaments or other stuff.
I wouldn't buy shoes from a charity's shop.
That just left clothes. When the children were small there were places like Ethel Austin and Woolworths that did decent clothes. There was the emergence of supermarket clothes for adults.

I guess it also depends on where you live as I have recently been in a couple of charity shops in affluent areas and they did have some nice (but expensive) items. The ones where I lived were clearly a dumping ground for house clearances for decreased relatives old items.

In some of our run down town centre shops often there as undesirable people hanging around in there that made me uncomfortable.

OP maybe your charity shop expierence said have been a more pleasent affair.

Also it could be a generational thing. For my mother's generation and the way she was brought up it was seen as rather shameful to go there and you only went when you were truly poor, nowadays it is seen as a thing to do and people boast about their charity shop bargains.

I don't like charidee shops, overpriced normally although I have purchased a bag, Christmas cards and a really retro set of 1970's coffee cups (a set with a pot) from them over the years. I never bought kids' stuff from them either, just didn't want to (clothes were cheap enough in Tesco or Woolies).
(Plus our main local charity shop has an awful smell, not sure what is is but it stinks).

Love a bargain but never have and never will do charity shops. Ebay is great for new and cheap, all brands can be found. Most shops have great sales plus online codes and cashback sites plus supermarkets equal lots of choice.

I really will never buy second hand when new can be found so cheaply, I also wont pay full price as there is always a reduction, sale and discount somewhere.

Tbh ive given up charity shops now as too expensive.