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AIBU?

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Original poster

Bartering in charity shops

61 replies

Kingoftheroad · 22/09/2015 21:58

Would you find it acceptable to barter with charity shop (salaried) manager for highly priced item (which in your opinion was way overpriced

OP posts:
TenForward82 · 22/09/2015 21:59

No. That money is going to charity, FFS, it's not a boot fair.

Oysterbabe · 22/09/2015 22:00

Personally no. I'd leave it for someone who was willing to pay full price.

Pennybun4 · 22/09/2015 22:01

Agree with ten. Not at all acceptable.

Junosmum · 22/09/2015 22:01

No. If you think it's overpriced don't buy it.

MsTargaryen · 22/09/2015 22:01

Nope. Randomly high priced items is one of the hazards of shopping in charity shops. And it's for charity!

Chippednailvarnish · 22/09/2015 22:01

You wouldn't do it in Marks and Spencer, so why do it in a charity shop?

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 22/09/2015 22:02

I'm not sure why the fact that the manager is salaried would make a difference. Whether you are talking to a paid member of staff or a volunteer, I don't think gphaggling in a charity shop is OK.

OP - are you the haggler or the hagglee?

WhoTheFIsJeff · 22/09/2015 22:02

No, it's a charity shop. If you don't agree with the price don't buy it!

Awks · 22/09/2015 22:02

No, that's insane. You don't barter in Debenhams for a mug that costs a tenner, you just don't buy it.

spanisharmada · 22/09/2015 22:02

No of course not.

Prettyeyedpiratesmile · 22/09/2015 22:02

No the money is for charity. It's not a jumble sale or car boot sale

SaucyJack · 22/09/2015 22:03

I wouldn't, but I wouldn't bat an eyelid at someone else doing it. Charity shops are getting fucking ridiculous.

ShatnersBassoon · 22/09/2015 22:03

The manager's salary is irrelevant. Bartering in a charity shop is failing to enter into the spirit of things.

Muchtoomuchtodo · 22/09/2015 22:04

I did the other day because the item I wanted had a hole in it.

I wanted it for fancy dress. It was priced up fairly if it had been in good condition, so I asked if they realised that it had a hole. They hadn't and offered it to me at a reduced price.

AlpacaLypse · 22/09/2015 22:04

Going against the trend here, I did find an item in a charity shop marked at £4.999 about a year ago that I'd bought in Primark three weeks before for one of my teenagers for £1.99. So I brought it to manager's attention. But didn't try to haggle it down - after all, I didn't need it as we'd already bought it IYSWIM.

WhoTheFIsJeff · 22/09/2015 22:06

Wtf has the manager being salaried got to do with anything.

Cloppysow · 22/09/2015 22:08

I went to buy a jacket, spotted massive stain, asked if she knew how i could get it out, she said it was pretty risky and might ruin the jacket, gave it to me for a couple of quid. She was going to take it off the rail if i didn't take it.
In any other situation, i would either pay the advertised price or put it back.
What has salary got to do with it?

ProvisionallyAnxious · 22/09/2015 22:12

I think the OP mentioned salaried to highlight that she was asking an employee of the charity, not a volunteer (who might not be authorised to make the call oin reducing).

jeanswithatwist · 22/09/2015 22:14

i think charity shops are too expensive/got greedy. taking into consideration that they are donated the stuff they sell, they would probably turn over more money/sold more if they went down a bit pricewise, they used to be alot cheaper. the local ones to us are now more like shops, not a fun experience and incredibly expensive imop

Original poster
Kingoftheroad · 22/09/2015 22:14

It was a conversation that I overheard, the reason I mentioned salaried was to make the point that this was not a volunteer being hassled (as I don't think this would be fair) but a very abrupt, rude manager. The item was around 70.00 and hugely overpriced. I do agree that charity shops are massively over priced at times and often it's the charities who have lost the spirit of things.

OP posts:
Original poster
Kingoftheroad · 22/09/2015 22:16

Thank you provisionally that was the exact point I was trying to make

OP posts:
MsTargaryen · 22/09/2015 22:17

Ooooh I want to know what the item was!

ProvisionallyAnxious · 22/09/2015 22:19

And I actually think YANBU. People pricing items in aa charity shop aren't necessarily going to know the value of an item and what people will reasonably pay for it, and if they get it wrong it will just sit there forever. You see this a lot with old books - they get a copy, Google it, find there's a copy on Abe for £200, and price their copy the same. Except the copy online has something special that makes it worth more so they're unlikely to sell their copy at the same price.

How highly priced are we talking, OP? I would see nothing wrong with being in the BHF furniture store and hearing someone say to the manager "I'll pay £400 but not £450 for that sofa, what do you think?"

CactusAnnie · 22/09/2015 22:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ProvisionallyAnxious · 22/09/2015 22:27

Really, Cactus? What is actually so awful about it? They are selling items that are, sometimes, more haphazardly priced than most shops. Sometimes they price items so high that they will not sell. Isn't it better for the charity to get £50 from a haggler than nothing and an item filling up their shelves?

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