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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

in thinking some charity shops are abit too choosy about what they take

56 replies

6031769 · 19/09/2014 23:30

Took some stuff to the charity shop yesterday. I went to age UK as i had to pop to Wilkos and it happened to be a few doors down. Anyway drop stuff in, i had a big bag of stuff and then a changing mat loose. Woman took bag off me and snapped we can't take that for hygiene reasons whilst pointing to changing mat so i said ok and left shop with the changing mat (left bag with her), i was gonna gift aid but she didnt ask and she was so snappy i didn't like to ask. Anyway changing mat is virtually new, in fact i'm not sure if i did actually use it or not, i had another one when DS was small and it split so i got this one but DS was of such of an age by then that i didnt really use it, anyway i ;d may have used it once or twice but it looked brand new!! Anyway today i went into the mind shop (as it was next to aldi!!) and i had another bag that i couldn't manage to carry yesterday) and the staff couldn't be helpful enough, and they had some 2nd hand pottys on sale (so i'll assume they'd take 2nd hand changing mats) AIBU to be pissed off with Age UK, i know the staff are volunteers but i'm sure they could have looked at my perfectly clean and practicallly new changing mat and throught 'we'd get at least £2 for that, instead of sending me out feeling like i was trying to offload something unclean

OP posts:
MintyCoolMojito · 21/09/2014 06:40

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LarrytheCucumber · 21/09/2014 09:52

I do think that donors should think carefully about what they give.
In the past I have sorted clothes for an aid charity and some of the things people think are suitable for refugees are beyond belief.
One of our local charity shops had a notice that said 'Items must be clean and saleable or they will not be accepted.' Didn't work though.

Peaceloveandbiscuits · 21/09/2014 10:28

Charity shops rely on volunteers to process donations, and if there are too many donations and too few volunteers, it becomes a struggle, and sometimes (especially if they struggle with social skills) they might huff or seem annoyed at yet another donation. It doesn't mean they're ungrateful, but it's like an office worker having piles and piles of paperwork or emails to get through and they keep mounting up so that eventually it becomes a health hazard. Except that the office worker in question is paid, and the volunteer isn't and is under no obligation to stay.
To make the process easier, it's necessary to weed out unsaleable things at the point of donation, if it's obvious. For example, if a shop isn't allowed to sell electrical items or baby items (prams, etc), you'll be asked to take them elsewhere so that they can be sold rather than recycled or sent to landfill if left with this particular charity. Most charity shops will know which other local ones take prohibited items and will suggest you take them there, so that the donation can be used to it's full potential.
I really need to reiterate that many charity shops are staffed by volunteers who would never be able to find paid employment, and sometimes their social skills are not at 100%. Cut them some slack. You can always ask to speak to the manager if you're unsure or feel offended.
Finally, Gift Aid is a marvellous scheme that means charities get an extra 25% on top of what they sell your donation for, so if you donate something really nice which could fetch £10, the charity actually receives £12.50. The volunteers and staff don't benefit from this, the charity itself does, so please don't let snootiness or perceived rudeness put you off tagging your bag. The extra work involved is minimal but it makes a huge difference to charities, especially because many have Gift Aid targets that senior management expect them to hit.

heartshapedflux · 21/09/2014 10:38

One of my colleagues took 5 pieces of Vivienne Westwood clothing to Oxfam and they turned them away because they had "too many clothes". I subsequently sold them on eBay for him and they fetched over £2000.

PeppermintInfusion · 21/09/2014 10:57

My mum recently tried to donate some furniture to a charity and was turned down- it was in good cond but dark wood (so unfashionable) although it was exactly the sort of thing someone would buy and upcycle with chalk paint etc

taxi4ballet · 21/09/2014 12:43

My local CS opens on a Sunday now - they decided that it made sense, because otherwise on a Monday morning they had to climb over a six-foot high and ten foot deep pile of junk that everyone dumped there on the way home from the car boot sale (and the volunteers would have to chuck the whole lot straight in the skip because drunks on the way home from the pub Sunday night had taken great delight in peeing in all the bags).

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