To wonder why charity shops are so dear.

[InisSunset]

I went in about six charity shops today and really couldn't get over some of their prices. I understand that they have overheads and some of them have to pay some of the staff, but some of the prices are ridiculous. A worn looking t shirt £5, some scuffed shoes were £5, a tatty old dressing gown £6.

They won't take any less than what's on the ticket either. Surely if they brought their prices down they'd sell more. Some of the stuff you can buy cheaper brand new.

Because they are raising as much money as possible for their charity rather than running a 99p store? Or a stall in the bazaar where you can haggle prices down.
You have the freedom not to enter the shops and be shocked, disappointed and outraged. As do the numerous other MNetters who complain about charity shops on a regular basis.

Yes obviously they are trying to raise as much money as possible. But with some of their prices the things will not sell. Surely they'd make more by lowering their prices. Makes sense to me.

The overheads of shops on the high street are high and they aim to raise funds for their charity...

They have a responsibility to maximise funds for their charity. As each item is likely to be unique, it may take a little while for it to sell, but they must get as much cash as possible to support their cause.

i know where you're coming from why shop in a charity shop when primark is cheaper they run them like a business these days and it prices the poor out of the market and only caters for the "ethical" shopper fortunately in my town they have introduced the 99p rail and buy one get one free to cater for people who cant afford much and the rest for the people who shop there as a lifestyle choice the ones that don't do that fail

they need to understand that to make money you need to actually SELL stock

I agree OP. Charity shops should (and used to) not only help the charity but also help people who maybe don't have enough money to buy new.
They've really lost sight of their purpose and risk losing customers.
Our local Barnardos haven't taken any donations for some time because they can't sell what they have in stock. £5 for a worn t-shirt? No thanks.

Depends! Some of them rip you off but today I went into my local chazzer and got:

Sock puppet making kit (new)
Entire collection of Charlie and Lola books in a cotton bag (like new)
2 other children's books
A pretty sequinned purse
2 little decorative pots

All for £4.95! Don't think that's bad, really.

I do think they need to sort out a bit more. I wouldn't pay over £15 for a dress that's second hand when you can one pretty much that price from TK Maxx. I also think they should just recycle the Primark stuff rather than change the same as it originally cost.

There's about 8 charity shops in my village and I've noticed it a lot. One was selling a £15 IKEA easel for £16...

There is proper old fashioned charity shop near us, it is absolutely rammed with stuff, they will take any donations, rather than restricting everything. The shop is always full of customers and sells loads of stuff at a pound or less. Talking to the staff they take absolutely loads of cash compared to posher charity shops. Also a lot of the staff appear to have learning disabilities so its providing a service to the community in lots of ways. The pound shop can be more profitable than the designer shop. So cheap charity shops are not necessarily a poor way of maximising the amount of money raised.

We'ave had this debate before
Turnover is what makes most for the cause,having the stock sit around costs money - they are now badly run chasing the short tail .
And i would love to know of " a stall in the bazaar ,where you can haggle " - they have all closed down due to the unfair competition .

Second hand shops used to be just that, and were great for people on a low income. Now they are charity shops and are about making money.

Yes stickerocks I understand that but some of their stuff won't sell, unless they lower it to a realistic price. People aren't stupid, they'll go and buy new if there isn't much difference in the price. It's bad management to over price stuff and for it not to sell.

I went into a charity shop next door to a supermarket. I spotted a child's dress that was still for sale in the supermarket, only the second hand charity one was more expensive!

I used to shop in charity shops a lot, but not any more.

To pay for the fat cats to drive around in expensive cars, to pay staff, they aren't all volunteers.

In one chain of charity shops near me, I frequently see Primark and supermarket clothes for sale for more than they were new - sometimes even with the tags (showing the original price) still on. I don't get how they can justify that.

Depends what you're buying. I bought a dress this week for £7.50, a brand I had not heard of. Googled it when I got home and it was £130 new.

So I wouldn't bother to buy t shirts or jumpers that are better value elsewhere, but some of the higher end stock is well worth it.

You need to go to the little independant shops rather than the big ones. The likes of heart foundation and whatnot take the piss.

I went in several charity shops local to me last week. I thought most items were incredibly cheap. I saw loads of board games for £1.50 each, paperbacks 3 for £1, t-shirts for a pound each and a beautiful sari for £5.
I sometimes go to a posher area specifically to look in their charity shops as there are often bargains to be had e.g. a Coast dress, perfect condition for £15.
Maybe it depends a bit on the area, rents etc.

Some i dont bother going in now (oxfam, bhf).

I agree OP. There's a charity shop in my village that raises funds for the church and school. They've recently got a new manager who had out prices up massively!

They have a school uniform section. Polo shirts used to be 50p, new manager put them up to £1.50, until lots of people pointed out that they were cheaper new, in supermarket multipacks. She did actually put them back to 50p, but all the other prices have stayed high. I'm not sure the village will support it.

Of course they won't take less than what's on the ticket. Are you really one of those people that asks?

My DM works in a charity shop and they get told how to price items. They've recently been told to increase prices and she's said she thought it was too much. Oxfam for example I think is really expensive, especially on books.

I love charity shops.

Theres not enough where i live, only 4.
Looking around them i found Monsoon stuff for less than £5
a brand new Marks and sparks bag for £3
GF got Jane Norman jeans for £2
Disel Jeans for £2.50

I could go on.

You just have to visit often, dig through the rails, you'll find gold eventually.

Agree that for many clothes the pricing policy seems to have lost sight of what things cost new.

Other things can be a bargain though - books, DVDs and toys

I worked in a charity shop a few years ago and the pricing was done by us in the back and there wasn't really any hard and fast rules on it. They didn't say that something should be priced at £X amount and as far as I know nobody really researched anything for pricing, either.

I'm not sure how it works for other shops, but it's possible that those pricing aren't aware of how much the items cost new. I.E An easel from IKEA, you wouldn't necessarily know the price of it in the first place to overprice it, IYSWIM?