To think charity shops refusal to reduce is sometimes unreasonable.

[roseforarose]

I realise that some charity shops aren't allowed to but i think some shops must lose quite a bit of business by their outright refusal to accept a "knock down", usually saying "we aren't allowed, it's a set price" sort of thing.

I wonder if that's always true, because recently i asked if they'd take a bit less on some walking boots which i thought were a bit dear, got told "no we can't" then i noticed the brand new price underneath theirs and it was only about £2 less brand new. When i pointed it out she said "well if that's the case I will reduce them for you" . So she did have the power to reduce after all.
So when they say they can't reduce, maybe in a lot of shops they can if they want to?

[thatdearoctopus]

Why are you not embarrassed to let it be known that you haggle in a charity shop?!! Ffs!
I'm staggered by your brazen attempts to justify such shitty behaviour.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

But charity shopping isn't necessarily about "cheap" either. I'd much rather spend £6 or £7 on a Cos or Hobbs top from my local charity shop than the same amount on a top from the supermarket or Primark

But the Hobbs stuff isn't £6 or £7 that is what they sell Primark t.shirts at. Hobbs type stuff is more like £60-£70

[roseforarose]

No not in the slightest embarrassed octopus. I donate more than enough to them to not feel the slightest embarrassment. As for "shitty behaviour", are you always so insulting to people. I actually find that kind of talk disgusting and judgemental about someone you don't know.

[thatdearoctopus]

Them don't come on a public forum whingeing about something so petty and mean then.

[OurBlanche]

Oooooh! She said actually

As far as I remember, that makes all points hitherto gained null and void. Reason: overemphasis and self-aggrandisement

[roseforarose]

If everyone decided not to come on here in case it was seen as petty there'd be no bloody threads. If you don't like it don't you come on here just to spout your nastiness.

[LunaLoveg00d]

Again - a charity shop selling Primark t-shirts for £7 will not last long. It will either get a new manager in who reduces prices, or will go out of business. It makes no sense whatsoever to follow this sort of pricing policy and it's something I've never seen. And i've been in a LOT of charity shops.

[roseforarose]

oooooh! she said actually
I'll say what i want, who are you to decide certain words makes things void? What a load of claptrap!!

[shimmybear]

Charity shops have a price guide from head office and have to use it or managers get in the neck from area managers

[TheCustomaryMethod]

I think many charity shops now cream off their best stuff to sell on eBay - good for them if it means more money for the cause - but it does mean the stuff left in the shops is less interesting. There are a few I don't bother with any more (as a person who shops in them through choice, not necessity) because there's so rarely anything of decent quality in them.

[NotMeNoNo]

Why not think of it as an extra donation to charity.

[LunaLoveg00d]

That's certainly what happens in our shop - there's a pricing guide in the sorting room which we refer to but there's still a bit of flexibility - if something's in very good condition we'll price a bit higher, something older a bit lower. Also most charities have computerised tills so district managers or head office staff can see what is being sold and and what prices. I said upthread - staff working in charity retail are not stupid and know what they are doing. They are not sitting there thinking that it's a super marketing strategy to price items at a very high price so that they don't sell. I also know that some charities have "boutique" outlets where the really posh designer stuff goes and gets sold at much higher prices.

OP seems to be talking about independent charity shops, ones which aren't part of a chain, or shops which are actually just second hand stores and may or may not make a charity donation.

[LunaLoveg00d]

Also on the EBay thing - it's a pain in the neck. It takes time to stick stuff on Ebay, you have to pay the listing fees, pack it, take it to the post office, deal with returns, etc etc. Yes on an item of jewellery you might get a fiver more by ebaying it, but the time and effort it takes might mean you'd be better off just selling it in the shop and using the staff time elsewhere. Our shop doesn't really Ebay anthing - just jewellery which hasn't sold in the shop and light things like designer silk scarves. Ebaying clothing and bric a brac isn't worth the effort.

The REALLY good stuff (which doesn't come in often) goes to the local auction house who are lovely and waive the fees as it's for charity.

[TheCustomaryMethod]

Luna don't eBay waive fees for charity? Or am I crediting them with too much generosity ?

[kali110]

So they had the old label on, but were clearly used? How does that work?
More likely the worker reduced them to get rid of you, that's what i would do,even thought it's not store policy!
I would never haggle.
I've never taken things back, even when i wasn't working.
You have to be really tight to haggle in a charity shop!
You helpfully pointing out their pricing errors, no it's an error to you doesn't mean it's an actual error! You just think they've priced it to much!

[LunaLoveg00d]

No idea - i don't get involved with the Ebaying of the stuff we put on there. I just hear the huffing and puffing from the woman who does, and the moans about packaging and running to the post office ;-)

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I have haggled on a Radley Grovesner bag,it was £120 and I asked the manager if there was was any movement as I only has £80. She was more than happy to let me have it.

[OurBlanche]

I think many charity shops now cream off their best stuff to sell on eBay - good for them if it means more money for the cause Yup! We put some stuff 'on the shelf' and a couple of dealers come and look them over, price them up, make an offer, take them off to sell them.

The dealers have a long relationship with the hospice, you couldn't just walk in off the street. The woman who heads the charity is very strong business woman, nobodies fool!

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Again - a charity shop selling Primark t-shirts for £7 will not last long. It will either get a new manager in who reduces prices, or will go out of business. It makes no sense whatsoever to follow this sort of pricing policy and it's something I've never seen. And i've been in a LOT of charity shops and yet I see it a lot so I suppose it depends where you live.

[DurhamDurham]

My student daughter spends so much money in her local charity shop that they always give her 20% discount which I think is lovely. She tends to spend about £20 each time so they charge her £16 and she uses the rest for a nice lunch

[BackforGood]

So they had the old label on, but were clearly used? How does that work?

I was wondering this. If a pair of walking boots were well used, then they wouldn't have been able to retain their 'shop' label. I'd actually take that as a sign of something being practically brand new.

I'm shocked that people think it's OK to try to start haggling the price down in charity shops - it's taking advantage of the fact that a goodly % of folk that work there are kindly older people, and not hard nosed business folk. If you can't afford it, go elsewhere.

[PinguForPresident]

Still waiting for the OP to tell us about the charity shops that aren't actually charity shops...

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I'm shocked that people think it's OK to try to start haggling the price down in charity shops - it's taking advantage of the fact that a goodly % of folk that work there are kindly older people, and not hard nosed business folk. If you can't afford it, go elsewhere

Kindly older people? Err nope, for starters they have proper managers who are paid a decent salary. I can't actually remember the last 'older' person I saw working in any of our local charity shops and it's not the volunteers who price things up usually it's the managers. Many of them have loyalty card schemes too so you get a percentage off if you shop there a lot. The majority of volunteers her are school kids doing their DOE or students.

[TheCustomaryMethod]

If you can't afford it, go elsewhere.

But surely some people use charity shops because they can't afford to go elsewhere?

[Oldsu]

My DH runs a charity shop and I help him out on Saturday, his shop is a value shop nothing over £3 and even though he can send some of the really good stuff to another shop he tends not to.

Last Saturday we had 5 brand new M&S mock shirt jumpers still with a price tag of £29.50 on, we kept the price tag on to show people they were new and put them out for £3 each.

About an hour later a man came up with all five and wanted them for £10 (£2 each) when we politely said no he got sniffy complaining 'we get them for nothing and we were being greedy.

2 hours later he was back and made a bee line for the rack where the jumpers were of course we had sold them all by then 2 to one man and 3 to another, he did look a tad miffed