Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to issue a plea on behalf of charity shop volunteers?

300 replies

LunaLoveg00d · 09/01/2017 16:58

We know it's the decluttering season and we know that lots of us are chucking out stuff the kids have grown out of or have got bored of to make way for the new stuff they got over Christmas.

But please, no charity shop wants a jigsaw with bits missing, a colouring book with half the pages scribbled on, a doll which has been given a "haircut" by its previous owner, trainers encrusted in muck, odd socks or cushion covers which someone has spilled red wine over.

Just CHUCK THE BROKEN AND MINGING STUFF IN THE BIN - if it's not good enough to be in your house any more, why would you think it would be good enough for other people's??

(Frazzled after a morning trying to sort out the lovely, quality donations from the post-Christmas crap.)

OP posts:
Original poster
LunaLoveg00d · 09/01/2017 17:00

To be fair - the odd socks and cushion covers can go for recycling.

The broken crap can't, and charity shops pay commercial rates for disposing of the crap. So actually, you're costing the charity money by donating broken and unsellable items.

OP posts:
Gingernaut · 09/01/2017 17:02

If it's unwearable as clothing, wash it before putting it a bag for 'RAGS'.

Tell them it's clean rags and not clothing for sale as well. Some shops don't take them.

Original poster
LunaLoveg00d · 09/01/2017 17:04

Agree - a bag clearly labelled rags can get instantly processed as rags and means we're not wasting time sorting it.

OP posts:
Beeziekn33ze · 09/01/2017 17:05

Local charity shop has notice up saying that (clean) rags are welcome. Also a pain is the stuff that is left outside when the shop is closed, too often rained (or worse) on, opened by local pilferers or containing rubbish anyway.

Shallishanti · 09/01/2017 17:06

likewise, don't assume a women's refuge wants unwearable clothes and broken household items

YoHoHoandabottleofTequila · 09/01/2017 17:06

People are just lazy. Why make any effort to throw stuff out yourself when you can just donate the whole lot to a charity shop. You can always tell when someone has died and the family are doing a house clearance. Old socks, skid covered pants, boak.

Original poster
LunaLoveg00d · 09/01/2017 17:07

Also a pain is the stuff that is left outside when the shop is closed

Yes we had several bags left overnight by the shop's back door which is rarely used and which were discovered, sopping wet, this morning. Straight into the bin.

OP posts:
Original poster
LunaLoveg00d · 09/01/2017 17:09

People are just lazy

yes but how is packing stuff into bin bags and taking them to the charity shop the easy option when you've a bin sitting outside the house?? Also from where I live, there are two council tips just as close as charity shops.

OP posts:
YoHoHoandabottleofTequila · 09/01/2017 17:11

The charity shop I used to volunteer in used to do house collections.

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 09/01/2017 17:12

Totally agree, Luna It's pretty lazy and selfish to dump a bag of useless shite on a charity just because you can't be bothered to go to the tip.

I recently bought a large sealed up box of what I thought was Duplo from our local charity shop only to open it at home to find lots of odd bits of mis matched Meccano and no screws. Wtf? Why would anyone think that would be of value to someone? I why seal it all in a Duplo box? Angry

harderandharder2breathe · 09/01/2017 17:13

Yanbu

If you can't imagine someone choosing to buy it, just bin it.

All the charity shops near me have signs saying not to leave donations outside when the shop is closed, I don't know how many people ignore them though

YoHoHoandabottleofTequila · 09/01/2017 17:16

My DS won a jigsaw on a tombola once, he was so disappointed to find it had pieces missing. I was so cross on his behalf. It was a floor puzzle as well and would have taken two minutes to have checked it. Not impressed. Angry

OneFlewOverTheDodosNest · 09/01/2017 17:16

Ah this is a pet peeve with DP - I'll be convincing him to FINALLY relinquish his disgusting, tattered, worn out trousers and he wants to give them to the charity! Fortunately I manage to intervene before he puts any junk in but honestly, the mind set!

Original poster
LunaLoveg00d · 09/01/2017 17:17

I usually check the number of pieces in a jigsaw if there are less than 50. But we haven't time for counting the larger jigsaws so have to trust donors...

OP posts:
Ilovewillow · 09/01/2017 17:20

Grim just grim! I hear what you're saying we had a similar pile of tut donated to the PTA summer fayre - for added delight one bag had a razor blade in!!

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 09/01/2017 17:20

YoHo I feel sorry for your ds. My children were pretty disappointed to open their Duplo only to find random bits of crap in the box!
Do people donating really think that there are some children that are so poor and deprived they'd be happy to do half a jigsaw or bang two broken bits of plastic together as entertainment? Confused

LemonScentedStickyBat · 09/01/2017 17:22

I was thinking of starting a thread like this, OP. I've been amazed by some of the lovely stuff people donate, but it is mind boggling how some people think it's ok to present e.g. prams covered in mud! And please don't be offended if we can't take your old car seats - it's just not possible to sell them on, or we would.

YoHoHoandabottleofTequila · 09/01/2017 17:23

Or electrical items! Only some shops can take them.

Natsku · 09/01/2017 17:25

I used to work in a charity shop, we would often get some right junk in, about a third of everything donated ended up in the bin.

With the jigsaw puzzles - had one woman ask me to check if there was all the pieces in a 1000 piece jigsaw... I counted them, twice, and then she didn't bother to buy it. It was only 50 bloody cents!

HeyRoly · 09/01/2017 17:28

My husband once donated a bag of worn out shitty clothes to a charity shop and I was so embarrassed. It doesn't surprise me one bit that people do that routinely. Like, as ilostit said, you're supposed to be grateful for any old useless crap. Grim.

Gingernaut · 09/01/2017 17:28

Amongst other problems, my mother had OCD. A bit of that has rubbed off onto me.

Whenever I think about getting rid of something, my first thought is "Is it good enough for the charity shop?"

I tie myself in knots before I finally decide that it is/isn't/needs taking apart for recycling.

Then I go to the CS, with my shopping trolley of gear and I'm embarrassed.

When I'm there, it's clear a lot of people don't think the same way.....Sad

nell15 · 09/01/2017 17:31

My friend works in a charity shop and talks about the really awful donations that come in: dirty torn sheets, used underwear - y fronts, bras etc broken toys. And sadly, real quality clothes and jewellery from families of deceased people

Gingernaut · 09/01/2017 17:31

@OneFlewOverTheDodosNest

Wash and dry them one last time and send them as rags, if the shop takes them.

ArcheryAnnie · 09/01/2017 17:32

Whenever we donate toys, boardgames, etc, to Oxfam, I get DS to set everything up ready to play, so we can check what's there before we then break it down and put it back into the box. I then stick a post-it note on it saying exactly what is still in the box - and because DS is That Sort Of Kid it usually even still includes the instructions!

Beeziekn33ze · 09/01/2017 17:32

Jigsaws with 500+ pieces we would change without question if a customer said a piece was missing. We'd notice if the same customer did this every week (no one did).
Some donors would take the trouble to count the pieces and seal them in a plastic bag. Unfortunately HO decided the plastic bag (inside the original box 🙄) was a H&S risk. Yeah, right ...

Swipe left for the next trending thread