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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wonder why charity shops are so dear.

126 replies

InisSunset · 08/03/2016 18:45

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.

OP posts:
squidgyapple · 08/03/2016 20:39

There are definitely bargains to be had. Bought a new-looking handbag today for £6.99, and a topshop dress with tags still on for £4.95, and saw a really lovely new-looking jacket for £7.99 - would have bought it if I were a size 8 but hey ho.

This is in quite an upmarket town - as pp have said you don't get such good stuff in the less well-healed areas.

Equally in the same shop there was a lot of scruffy old-looking stuff on sale for the same prices - you have to be picky.

bigbuttons · 08/03/2016 20:48

That's very interesting corygal
I didn't know that so little of the money made found its way to the advertised charity. Again then it is a load of rich tossers trying to make money by fleecing the lower paid.

Corygal1 · 08/03/2016 20:52

There's charities and charities, you know. The 2 biggest chains - BHF and CR UK - are horribly discredited now.

The worst is Sue Ryder, who pass barely a penny on, and claim their shops provide a service to the community. They run the most expensive charity shops in the UK, virtually on the planet. As to where the money goes, who knows.

Stick to small causes.

Destinysdaughter · 08/03/2016 20:55

Was wondering which 'posh' areas have the best charity shops? Leamington and Solihull are close to me and have some good shops ( not designer tho ), anyone else want to fess up about good areas to go to..?

Cassimin · 08/03/2016 20:59

I used to work in a very well known charity shop. There were guidelines for prices , well known makes would cost more. People often complained but as said before it was our aim to make as much as we could for our charity.
We would have regular people who would donate their designer clothes that they had paid a lot of money for as they knew we wouldn't price them too low.
A lady once bought from us and said she wished she had donated her mothers things to is as her local charity shop had sold them for next to nothing.
When my parents passed away I donated different things to shops according to who would get maximum income from them.
I donate to shops that I know recognise the quality of the goods and sell them accordingly.

GrabbyRoslin · 08/03/2016 20:59

most of the stock is not sold, it's ragged. In every charity

Not in the ones I've worked for, Cory. Stuff which doesn't sell gets moved on to other, cheaper, shops, as a rule, where it usually does sell. And of course even if it is ragged, it still makes money. Not a huge amount, but every little helps. To suggest that 'most' of the stock is ragged is way overstating it, and may put people off donating.

Also, the charities I've worked for don't have prices set centrally.

GrabbyRoslin · 08/03/2016 21:04

Oh and as for this: If you want stuff cheaper, car boots are the way to go. You're helping the poor there too, and much more directly

Most of the people at my local car boots are small businesses themselves, run by far from poor individuals. A lot of them sell 'vintage' clothes at high prices which they've picked up originally for comparitively next to nothing from - you guessed it - charity shops.

You don't seem to think much of the charity you work for, or charities in general - maybe it's time for a career rethink?

Corygal1 · 08/03/2016 21:07

Well, absolutely - pretty much every charity transfers unsold stock, but the point remains that most donations end up ragged & exported, to, say, Africa, which causes problems in textile industries of those poorer countries.

One of those annoying facts that do-gooders like you and me just have to try and ignore. On the grounds that you can only improve the world doing one thing at a time, I guess.

bigbuttons · 08/03/2016 21:10

Sadly, in my town all the charity shops are the main name ones. We have several posh charity shops also known as dress agencies. The prices in those are eye watering . I sometimes go in, try stuff on for size then go and buy on eBay for much less money.
I am very Envy at those of you that can still find bargains.
My heart always sinks when I see a shop has had the Mary Portas re- fit of doom

Corygal1 · 08/03/2016 21:10

I love charity work, and I do a lot of management of very good charities, unpaid.

But much of the system has problems, and I'm certainly not the only one to have noticed. Look at the Royal Commission report last month.

Where's the sense in not telling the truth?

Oh, sorry, forgot you were in marketing. :)

Stickerrocks · 08/03/2016 21:12

I don't donate clothes to my local branch of Barnados because all donated items are sold for £1. I want the charity to maximise it's revenue because I donate to support the charity first, not the local community. I know a lot of people buy from charity shops as they are affordable, but some buy cheaply to resell which defeats the main purpose of my donation.

weebarra · 08/03/2016 21:13

I agree to some extent, but I got yesterday (in the BHF next to my work) a fleecy boden jacket for DD. It looked like new, so I checked the boden website. It's this season and sells new for £30. I was quite surprised that they hadn't marked it up since it was boden.

Pointlessfan · 08/03/2016 21:14

Destiny try Knowle and also Moseley in Birmingham!

thatsn0tmyname · 08/03/2016 21:16

YY to the Mary Portas effect. Teddington and Barnes have her Living and Giving shops but they're usually empty. Charity shops are definitely getting more expensive and supermarkets sell cheaper clothes. There are still bargains to be had but alot of the kids clothes being sold in charity shops are over -washed and only fit for shredding.

bigbuttons · 08/03/2016 21:16

cory I for one really value an insider's input. We had this on the bloggers' disclosure thread and it was indeed eye opening.
Seems to me there is a lot of jiggery pokery going on under the name of benign charity .
The view we have is that these large organisations are benevolent , upfront and honest. That is of course why people feel good about spending their money in such places.
We could do with some kind of special undercover T.V. investigation into what really goes on and where most of the money is really going.

megannbw · 08/03/2016 21:17

Destinysdaughter I live in the same area and I'm not sure of any good charity shops, but if you're interested in the vintage-sort of clothing side then there's a shop called blighty bazaar in Leamington in the town centre? I love it there, and the prices are very good. If anyone else knows any good charity shops though I'd defo like to have a look

usual · 08/03/2016 21:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fluffy24 · 08/03/2016 21:27

I agree OP.

You can buy new supermarket t-shirts cheaper than you can buy identical (i.e. exact same one from same supermarket) used ones in most of our local charity shops - I'd be better to buy it in Tesco and give the charity shop the difference!

Alexa444 · 08/03/2016 21:28

We'd only charge that price if it was new or designer. Most of ours are around £2 - £3.50

Although people who say that do really irritate me. Yes it's a charity shop love but funnily enough the charity isn't you. Did you know that charity shops get no reduction in their rent? It is exactly the same as it would be if a high street chain moved in there. They still have to pay their managers salaries and electric and all that sort of thing.

stargirl1701 · 08/03/2016 21:29

I had a look around a new BHF furniture store that just opened near us. They were trying to sell an IKEA Lack table for £20. It's £4 brand new. Honestly. I did point it out to no avail. It makes me question all the pricing throughout the store and buy nothing.

londonrach · 08/03/2016 21:29

Megan, destiny im in Similar location. Got abit upset when cats protection redid their shop recently!!!! They got rid of their cheap book basket. Luckily the train stations have a bookshelf so you can read and return books. I find another town near by has better charity shops!

Shallishanti · 08/03/2016 21:35

we don't need to go undercover, charities have to publish audited accounts!

charity shops are there to make money, everyone's assuming they are losing out by pricing (as people think) too high, but if that were the case, presumably they'd change their strategy- some shops go for the jumble sale look and some for the Mary Portas look, I guess there are pros and cons to both business models.

I get loads of bargains in charity shops- I wouldn't buy a worn out t shirt for £5, but no one is holding a gun to my head to force me!

ChoccyJules · 08/03/2016 22:04

Am a bit shocked to read that Sue Ryder allegedly don't give much of their proceeds to the charity - that's one of the two charity shops near me :-(

Does our insider know how 'The Childrens' Society' measures up?

bettyberry · 08/03/2016 22:05

most of the stock is not sold, it's ragged. In every charity

If you are talking in terms of 'most donations are ragged' then yes, I agree. the amount of absolute shite that is donated to charity shops is unreal and the charities have to pay for the disposal of that rubbish.

CrazyMary · 08/03/2016 22:20

Yab a bit U. The hint is in the name; Charity Shop. The point is to raise money for the Charity to benefit others by selling items at a cheaper rate than retail price in shops.