To be angry at this??

[Yummymummyyobe1]

So I sorted out the family wardrobes and placed the items in various carefully selected charity bags and placed them outside the front of the house. On coming back into the lounge there is a women stood in my front garden pilfering items from the bags (mainly baby clothes and bits). Anyway I go out and ask her what she on earth she thinks she is up to and to return said items as what she was doing was theft and trespass. She reluctantly handed the items back and I said I was more than happy for her to purchase the items and then money go to the charities in question.

She asked how much an item and I said 20p for the vests, 30p for the babygrows (there were some still with the labels on) and a £1 for everything else (about 60% had the labels on and cost a lot more than a £1). She walked off muttering.

WIU to refuse to let her take the items for free as they were things we no longer wanted. I felt that it was paramount to theft from the charities we had chosen not to mention from us.

Do you not think she was a charity case??

I would be more than just a little bit angry if a random woman was stood on my garden rifling through my bins. Especially in my area, I would have called the police.

I think you were more than reasonable.

YANBU to have offered her the items at low prices.

Personally if anyone was desperate enough to do this I would happily hand over the bags and ask them to donate the rest to charity. But perhaps I am strange that way??

Dropdeadfred she didn't look like one if that makes any sense.

Justme23 I have never seen this woman around before and was as to how she had the gall to stand in the front garden going through the bags. I did consider calling the police but in the scheme of things it is a minor crime.

Maybe she thought you were throwing them out? Still a bit of a cheek to be going through your "rubbish" (if that's what she thought), but not quite theft in that case.

As Dropdead said though, if she looked like she needed them, you'd have been just as charitable to let her have them rather than lugging them to a charity shop.

Why did you leave the bags in the garden?

goingtoofast I didn't think what I asked was a lot for the items she had selected a lot of Emile et Rose and John Lewis items.

cansu that is very nice of you but then the charities would loose out on the money from the items and gift aid.

What would it take for you to have the gall to do this? you will probably say that you would never do this and the reason would be because you have never needed to! I can't believe you even thought about calling the police. have some bloody compassion fgs!

EarnestDullard how would the fact we were throwing the items out make it any less a theft then leaving them for charity.

Portofino they charities were collecting today and we were due to go out for the day.

I would feel happy that someone in need had the benefit of some lovely. Things for their children. To my mind that is what charity is all about helping those who need help. Whether that is by raising money for named high street charity shops or simply helping someone who doesn't have much surely the point is someone else benefits.

They are all collecting on the same day?

cansu I'm not without compassion but she was on private property and was essentially committing a crime.

She may have been in need or she could have been taking the stuff to sell on. I think you were being reasonable to offer to sell her the stuff cheap. If I was in that much need then I would have knocked the door and asked if you minded if I had a look before you got rid of it all. It was stealing, whatever her circumstances.

I'd have just let her take them.

Once I've decided I don't need stuff any more, I don't care what happens to it.

Most of the stuff going out in those charity bags ends up being sold by weight to make rags, or sold on by people who are less inclined towards charity than you might imagine.

And there is a lot of sense in what cansu says.

but it wasn't "rubbish" - they were left in bags for the charities.

In fact this thread is making me feel very sad. I am fortunate enough to be able to buy decent clothes and new school shoes without it making me poor for the rest of the month. It sounds yummy that you are also fortunate enough. Why would you begrudge someone the things you no longer want or need?? I really don't get it. Is it because giving the bags to charity is somehow more acceptable to you than to actually give them to a person?? please explain this to me.

cansu I see your point but surely it doesn't make it right.

MrsKeithRichards the local charity shops collect together as it saves on fuel costs for them and other expenses to boot.

MrsKeith, where I am we always get about 3 on the same day all to be picked up the same day. I've got 2 already today both for Monday collection.

I know nickel, I put "rubbish" in inverted commas because I was wondering if the woman could have thought it was rubbish.

Ah right so its the actual shops collecting. I wish mine done this. I prefer donating when I know where it's going. The only bags I get through the door are less specific.

Anyway I dont think yabu to not like someonem doing this.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought it was legal to take stuff that people have thrown away; hence skip-diving, rag & bone men etc. (Yes I know, I know the OP hadn't actually thrown it away, but maybe the woman thought she had).

I would have just let her have them tbh