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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I'm not sure if I am Re a charity shop

169 replies

iknowwho · 13/08/2012 18:13

Over the weekend we had a massive clearout and today I have taken 5 large bin sacks to the local charity shop.
All the stuff in them was washed and ironed except for the shirts that still had labels and price tags on - They were just ironed.

Lots of nice stuff. Dropped it off and the two ladies said thank you. Just on my way out a jacket caught my eye for £3.
I had no cash on me and just said 'is there any chance I could have that jacket please?' The ladies got flustered and said kept asking each other in a Chuckle brother style ' What do you think' 'don't know, what do you think' then eventually one said ' I suppose so'

There were 9 shirts that are this season that had labels on that cost more than £20. (DH buys stuff, doesn't quite fit, loses receipt and then forgets sometimes) , nice gift box sets of toiletries etc.

I felt like I was asking for something hugely precious!!

OP posts:
usualsuspect · 13/08/2012 18:57

No one said that, are you reading a different thread to me?

LurkingAndLearningLovesCats · 13/08/2012 18:57

Just a tad dramatic Owl...Sorry but your indignation is giving me a giggle.

Original poster
iknowwho · 13/08/2012 18:57

If the clothes you were donating were so ruddy marvellous and "this season", why not eBay them?
Because I can't be arsed with all the p&P. I have read some of the posts on the Ebay thread and it scares me!! A colleague from work buys loads of stuff from charity shops and then ebays them to make money. Now to me that seems wrong but hey ho each to their own.

I would have liked to maybe do a car boot sale but I work every other weekend and did one years ago and it put me off.

Ebay is a bit of a black art to me tbh. I have thought about it but never got round to doing it IYSWIM.

But I need to know more about Mr iknow and his inability to buy 9 shirts that were the wrong size.
Every now, usually before we go away and he will pick a few shirts up that he likes the look of and gets home and tries it on, he has good intent on taking it back and then forgets. Not a big deal but sometimes annoying.

OP posts:
OwlLady · 13/08/2012 18:58

yes I am

OhTinky Mon 13-Aug-12 18:48:04
If the clothes you were donating were so ruddy marvellous and "this season", why not eBay them?

usualsuspect · 13/08/2012 18:58

Me too, I genuinely Loled at Owl ladies post.

OwlLady · 13/08/2012 18:58

it's more like indigestion than indignation

usualsuspect · 13/08/2012 18:59

Have a rennie and calm the fuck down Owl lady Grin

zookeeper · 13/08/2012 18:59

lol at all the holier-than-thous on this thread. You were being more cheeky than unreasonable OP

OwlLady · 13/08/2012 19:01

I am honestly calm Blush actually I am not. It's the SEVEN weeks holiday

I need more than rennie, i need valium

IMissPlutoBeingaPlanet · 13/08/2012 19:02

Going against the majority here but I don'tthink you were bu at all. It was a one off and you donated 5 bagfuls that would raise far more than £3.
Don't think you to go to the ends of the earth to give them £3 when clearly you are a good person who has gone out of her way to donate alot to them as it is.

Original poster
iknowwho · 13/08/2012 19:02

Did you gift aid your items? You can check how much they have made and I am sure it will be loads more than £3 No I didn't. I didn't know you could. What do I have to do so they can benefit. I go over to that shop about once every 3 months, usually with the same amount of stuff.

OP posts:
zookeeper · 13/08/2012 19:03

God me too

(wonders idly if charity shop would accept three scruffy, argumentative, frankly feral dcs)

OwlLady · 13/08/2012 19:03

I take mine to barnados and they sent me a letter telling me how much they had received in gift aid (it was £29)

OwlLady · 13/08/2012 19:04

sorry at cross post, I wasn't suggesting zookeeper take her feral counterparts to barnados and makes gift aid off them Wink but it is a thought....

whattodoo · 13/08/2012 19:04

have a look and see if they have an online donation facility (either directly on their website or via justgiving.com).
Donate £3, which will automatically be gift-aided (provided you're a UK taxpayer), resulting in an extra 20% being added by the government.
Will give you a warm and fuzzy feeling, promise!

Original poster
iknowwho · 13/08/2012 19:05

You can check how much they have made I'm not bothered how much they have made for my own interest, just hope they can get some money for the stuff I have given and hope that it is useful to someone that wants it.

OP posts:
OwlLady · 13/08/2012 19:06

it really helps if you sign up for gift aid though (if you are a taxpayer that is...another bone of contention on aibu threads it seems )

WildWorld2004 · 13/08/2012 19:10

You can gift aid if you pay tax. All you do is fill out a small form. The charity shop gets money back for every pound your stuff sells for. So for eg. If u sell something for £1 the government gives the charity 25p i think it is.

OwlLady · 13/08/2012 19:11

yes and I don't so i put down my husband
not literally

VegansTasteBetter · 13/08/2012 19:11

cheeky (as you've admitted) but not end of the world.

PicklesThePottyMouthedParrot · 13/08/2012 19:13

Owl lady! Grin

Original poster
iknowwho · 13/08/2012 19:16

So, you ripped off a charity shop, have 'accepted YWBU,' don't want to spend the money in petrol because 'it's only three pounds' and you have a clear conscious?

What a wonderful person you are.

Hmmmm what's the name of that group I like - LMFAO!!

Don't worry Lurking CA will be getting their jacket back soon + the donation that I normally put in at the till when I get rid of my change + another few bags of decent stuff.

(I normally take the not so great stuff to work so the kids can use it for dressing up and putting on plays etc!)

OP posts:
Coconutty · 13/08/2012 19:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Krumbum · 13/08/2012 19:19

I think yabu, it's about making money for charity. They could have made money on that jacket. You are just taking money away from the charity which is unreasonable. Don't donate if you don't think the charity needs money.

DoItOnce · 13/08/2012 19:21

Don't know why OP is getting a hard time. She did something very generous, then something a bit rash, taken on board people's opinion and is going to put £3 in a charity box, hardly crime of the century. It wasn't a horrible thing to do at all.

I do think it was the wrong thing to do but really not a problem. The ladies could have said no if they wanted.

Gift aid is always a good idea. Smile