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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

in thinking bag 2 school is abit (or alot) of a rip off

15 replies

6031769 · 16/10/2014 23:11

DS just started school and got a bag today, fill this up with things that can be reused- clothing, shows etc etc. Its from a company called Bag 2 school

Anyway letter with it says thanks for everyone that supported last year and how they raised about £250 for school etc etc.

Anyway DS has just started school so i wasn't there last year but there are over 500 children in his primary school and its quite a comfortable area so i would imagine they get quite alot of bags of old clothes etc in following the appeal.

I have been having a clear out last few months and taking things into various charity shops. If you sign up for gift aid they email you with details of how much they have sold the stuff for, one charity shop (for local hospice) i only took a carrier bag full in and there was nothing valueable and they emailed and they'd sold it for a total of about £35, i was really suprised as on ebay i'd have got nothing. So this just makes me think i really don't want to give this stuff to school i would rather give to a charity shop who sell it themselves rather than the school get so much per tonne and some private individual make money out of selling as second hand clothes.

OP posts:

AuntieStella · 16/10/2014 23:15

It's a commercial arrangement and the PTA will get a certain amount of money by weight, irrespective of quality of items.

I use them only for things which are still wearable, but I think are not good enough to sell. Anything better than that goes to charity shops, anything worse to the rag recycling.

MrsTerryPratchett · 16/10/2014 23:38

It's business model charity giving. I don't like it but it sort of works in some ways. It's certainly easy.

BreconBeBuggered · 16/10/2014 23:47

It's an easy way for the PTA to make a few hundred quid for less than an hour's work, which is kind of refreshing if you normally end up spending hours pouring squash at 10p per cup. If you wanted to donate more effectively you could always ebay anything sellable and hand over the proceeds.

TwoAndTwoEqualsChaos · 16/10/2014 23:50

I treat it like Auntie Stella.

DaisyFlowerChain · 17/10/2014 07:26

I love it, it's convenient and the PTA make a bit of money. It ensures I clear out old clothes three times a year.

cheminotte · 17/10/2014 07:36

I use it for unwearable / unsellable clothes and materials eg duvet covers. Most bearable kids clothes I pass on to friends, adult clothes to charity shop. I think the items are sorted and either sold for rags or better quality is exported to 2nd and 3rd world countries and sold at markets there. That's why Africa has no or little local clothing industry as it can't compete with the prices charged for our handmedowns.

cheminotte · 17/10/2014 07:37

wearable not bearable.

QuillPen · 17/10/2014 07:47

I always wondered if they weigh the bags before or after they have checked the contents...?!

skylark2 · 17/10/2014 07:52

I also do what AuntieStella does. I'd rather give items which are sellable somewhere that they'll be sold as items. I'm sure they make more money for charity that way than then the so much per tonne model.

starlight1234 · 17/10/2014 07:53

WE just did it. I put in an old coat ,no good to charity shop. My thoughts were how heavy they were.

ilovepowerhoop · 17/10/2014 07:56

Our school does this and sometimes they get hardly any bags in e.g out of dd's class last year only 3 children out of 30 brought a bag in. I like to think I am supporting the school so will save stuff for the children to take in

hennybeans · 17/10/2014 08:19

I don't like Bags2school either, and prefer to give my things to a charity shop where most of the profit will go to the actual charity. With Bags2school, yes the school gets some easy money, but the company gets the lion's share for nothing more than collecting and sorting. To me, it's just like those fraudulent people who put charity bags through your door using a charity's name but only give them a tiny portion of the profit and keep most for themselves.

mummytime · 17/10/2014 08:20

cheminotte - I know that is the politically correct view of sending second hand clothes to Africa - Unfortunately there is more to it. The clothing industry is also destroyed by cheap clothes imported from China. A lot of people in Africa prefer second hand but well made clothes from Europe to the cheap Chinese stuff, local produced clothes are more expensive.

If you have time to take everything to the charity shops etc. Then that is preferable. However the bring a bag stuff saves time and effort, some companies pay better than others though.

cheminotte · 17/10/2014 10:54

mummytime - these things are never simple are they? I do friends, charity shop, bags4school in that order.

Gubbins · 17/10/2014 11:16

My PTA used to run jumble sales, where the whole price of the garment would benefit the school. We found we can make just as much money with bag2scool, without having to corall dozens of volunteers, find somewhere to store all the jumble and decide what to do with all the stuff left unsold.

It's pretty simple, if you want to support the school, fill the bag to school bag, if you want to support another charity, donate to their shop. Yes, someone is going to make a profit out of it, but so are the external stallholders at the Christmas Fair, the bouncy castle company at the summer fair or the parents at the car boot. That's the way fundraising works a lot of the time, I'm afraid.

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