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Original poster

To love pound shops and charity shops..

78 replies

Haggischucker · 13/12/2014 19:30

Today got a bag of mini amaretto biscuits 'amarcini' that are amazing, lots of fab bits for secret Santa hamper from pound shop and an amazing bravissimo dress from charity shop for £2.99!! Did pop some extra ££££'s in collection box in charity shop though. Any other bargains anyone? Xmas Smile

OP posts:
RabbitSaysWoof · 13/12/2014 19:43

Not for me but saw a beautiful cot bed in my local charity shop for £30 one of those sleigh type ones. If I was expecting right now I would have bought it definitely.

chanie44 · 13/12/2014 20:01

I love my poundshops.

My boss wanted to buy some battery Xmas lights for the vicars children. He lives in poshville, so no poundshop.

skolastica · 13/12/2014 20:03

Love that they are so random when mainstream shops are boringly predictable. I like treasure hunting....

Perfectlypurple · 13/12/2014 20:03

I rarely go to pound shops as they are in town and I rarely go in there but I have some amazing charity shops near me and I always try them if looking for clothes before I go to full priced shops. I have had some fabulous bargains.

lemisscared · 13/12/2014 20:04

Love charity shops but hate poundshops

IgnoreMeEveryOtherReindeerDoes · 13/12/2014 20:10

I dislike both. Charity shops round here are expensive but I still donate to one as I use their tea room. Pound shop is tiny and full of shit.

Do love my mum going to charity shops near her and always finds items I've asked for like peppa pig, toy cars and superheroes, she loves looking in charity shops and doesn't rate ones near me either

AlpacaLypse · 13/12/2014 20:12

The thing about poundshops is that you think 'wow - bargain!' when you see something that's normally (say) £1.20. But if you look at the package, you'll find it's only two thirds the size you're used to. They're relying on shoppers being too distracted to notice, or, if they do notice, not being able to work out percentages in their heads.

And all their multipack batteries and felt tip pens run out in nanoseconds.

Charity shops otoh I love and adore and I've had a wonderfully productive Christmas shopping frenzy this afternoon involving seven of them and not a single mainstream shop.

SoftKittyWarmKitty · 13/12/2014 20:14

Not hugely keen on poundshops but I love charity shops. Just today I got a lovely Top Shop jumper in a local charity shop for the bargain price of £3.25. They're like treasure troves!

GazpachoSoup · 13/12/2014 20:25

YADNBU. We've got a big Poundland near us, and it's brilliant. If people have one near them, I fail to see why they'd go anywhere else for branded stuff instead!
For example, it had tubes of Pringles in for £1. Perfect for Christmas Eve buffets or whatever. If you buy the exact same thing from our nearby Sainsbury's though, they're selling them at £2.35 a tube at the moment. Shock
It's a no brainer. Pound shops all the way!
Also great for stocking fillers such as colouring pencils, toy cars etc.

OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat · 13/12/2014 20:26

I CBA with charity shops because I don't want to trail round and browse in the off chance they have what I need.

I'll have a browse in pound shops and buy the odd bits but can't seem to resist buying too many crisps and chocolates 'because they're so cheap'

But I'd like to give Home Bargains a special mention. I went in there today to stock up on gift bags for Christmas at a quarter of the price of WH Smiths or Clinton's and woolwash liquid for less than a quid a bottle. Sandwich bags and plastic tubs are also a great buy and they're the only place in England I've found that sells Tayto crisps and they're only 15 p a bag.

GazpachoSoup · 13/12/2014 20:30

But I'd like to give Home Bargains a special mention

Home Bargains is brilliant too. Along with B and M Bargains. Took MIL there for the first time the other day (she's a devout Waitrose and Marks and Sparks person) and she was absolutely astounded at how cheap everything was such as her favourite chocolate (Lindt etc) and whatnot was.
Been telling her for ages how ace it was but would she believe me? No. Grin

Gawjushun · 13/12/2014 20:35

Love a good pound shop around xmas, as it means you can pick up some extra little baubles or battery operated lights without spending too much. Plus mine is right in the centre of town, so it's sometimes easier to pick up certain food items without having to go to the big supermarkets.

Luckily, my town is also charity shopville. And because there are so many posh people around, there are some excellent bargains to be had. I wear a lot of Boden, John Lewis, and other middle class brands despite being skint!

SomethingOnce · 13/12/2014 20:38

Love the paaahnd shop for nail buffing blocks and pregnancy tests.

QuickSilverFairy · 13/12/2014 20:39

Love them both. I have the shopping bug and little disposable income. Shopping in these stores let's me indulge a bit without breaking the Quick Family budget.

WitchesGlove · 13/12/2014 20:47

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lindsaybobs · 13/12/2014 20:47

I like pound shops for some things (pregnancy tests etc.) but I love charity shops. Especially for solid well made old furniture, vintage pyrex and 1940s utility China! Grin

groovejet · 13/12/2014 20:50

Love charity shops,some pretty good ones where I live. I used to hate my mums charity shop fondness when I was young, now I call her up to share my charity finds Smile

Tykeisagirl · 13/12/2014 20:52

Love charity shops, last week I got a brand new looking Polan O Pyret jacket for DD for £3, they're £65 new, a Monsoon dress for me for a Xmas party for £5 and a handbag for £5, when I checked the make online found the bag was worth £40 and it looked unused. Pound shops are ok, but the quality is really variable. Good for toiletries and sweets though.

itwillbecold · 13/12/2014 20:52

OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat Tesco sometimes has Tayto crisps in the world food section Xmas Grin

Discopanda · 13/12/2014 21:45

Charity shops in our village are amazing! I got Kurt Geigers for £15 in one and another one I regularly go to as they do 3 kids books for £1, they're always in good condition and I often find Julia Donaldson books in the mix. They can be great for bargains but annoying for finding specific things, like when I was looking for preserving jars.

hoobypickypicky · 13/12/2014 21:54

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TaliZorahVasNormandy · 13/12/2014 22:02

I volunteer in a charity shop and we get some pretty good stuff in. Tis dangerous to my bank balance, but have some very nice clothes now.

Bellerina2 · 13/12/2014 22:04

Charity shops vary from area to area - some are full of tat but if you go to a posh area then they are much better but don't exactly charge the usual charity shop prices for their wares!

Gawjushun · 13/12/2014 22:25

I don't find them more expensive than Primark or Asda really. And when I buy stuff from cheaper chains I tend to find that it falls apart in the wash, fades, or looks saggy after a while. There's one really overpriced charity shop in my town, which plays up the whole vintage-y angle, but there are plenty of shops that are reasonable. Yeah, prices have gone up since the 90s, but shops in my town have to pay pretty high rents, so it's not surprising that they can't sell tops for 50P and make a profit to donate to the charity.

Bellerina2 · 13/12/2014 22:31

I do however love my local 99p store. It's great for getting household cleaning stuff, shower gel and even some name-brand foods. It's also one of the last places you can get 3 Snickers or Mars bars for 99p as most corner shops charge 70p each these days. I once even picked up a box of posh Green & Black mints there! I probably eat too much chocolate...