AIBU to think charity shops are there to make money, not provide cheap stuff?

[TinfoilHattie]

Cards on the table - I'm a volunteer at a charity shop. One of the large ones which has branches nationwide.

We have one regular "customer" who is nicknamed the Smiling Assassin by the volunteers because she comes in a lot (3 or 4 times a week), smiles and says hello to everyone, then spends the next 5 minutes bitching about the prices. She rarely buys anything. She is of the opinion that our shop is there to provide her with cheap stuff. Cheap as in 50p for practically everything. She is horrified when volunteers explain that we're trying to raise as much as we can for the charity, and the best way of doing that is by pricing realistically - not giving away Jaeger suits or "mother of the bride" type outfits for £1.

She was particularly horrified and commented loudly on a bracelet we have in the cabinet priced at £170 - it's antique, 18 ct gold, emerald and sapphire, and has been valued by a jeweller. We would be daft pricing it at £19.99, even if it is the most expensive item in the shop by a long way

So anyway, what do you think charity shops are there for - raising money or providing cheap things?

(Disclaimer before everyone starts about their local charity shop which prices bobbled Primark tops at £29.99 - mistakes happen, stuff slips through the net. Even if the manager has a "price to sell" policy, she/he isn't going to check each and every item and some items will be priced too high or too low by well-meaning volunteers.).

I spent £100 on one item in a charity shop the other week, because it was something that I had wanted for ages and I could afford it.

Even if they don't sell T shirts for 99p (and I've never seen them at that price) they definitely sell them at 2.50

No "even if" about it. The statement is clearly a lie. And it's funny how it's nearly always a "bobbly" Primark top selling for exactly £8 .

That is what charity shops should be about. If people need something you give it to them or charge them a low price. If you are getting people in who have the money then fine

It was a nice gesture from the manager of that store, but by letting you have the suit for less than what she could have sold it for, meant that less went to help the charity it supports. If they did that with every item, they'd not be able to cover overheads, let alone help the charity.

In the town my parents live in, there is 11 charity shops, all bar 3 on the main high street, but even the other 3 are just off it. The busier ones are those that price reasonably. One particular one has a 'vintage section' clothes, toys, bric a brac etc. Anything they deem over 15 years old is put in this section, which as a result appears to give them free rein to put the price up to a ridiculous amount. I've seen stock in that section for months. Surely if it's not selling, reduce the price? Is it not better something sells for a little less than its worth then it sitting on s shelf with a high price tag. It's a win win, the charity makes some money and the customer feels they have got a bargain, it's not as if the charity has a profit margin to protect on the donated items!

Surely if it's not selling, reduce the price?

All the charity shops I know do this, or they send items to another branch.

Totally agree Postage

The charity shop where i volunteer puts the week number on the tag - if it doesn't sell in 4 weeks it goes on the bargain rail (all items £1)...so I am a bit askance at the suggestion that there are shops with highly priced unsold stuff for weeks on end, as I am sure that what I have described is pretty standard practice.

SuburbanRhonda

My local one had several 99p Primark t shirts for £8.

If Primark sells T-shirts for 99p I'll eat my (charity shop) hat. What rubbish.

I think Primark sell t-shirts for about £4/£5, though, which means such charity shops are increasing the prices of nasty Primark stuff which is second hand.

Of course - if the mythical £8 bobbly Primark T-shirt is genuinely making such regular appearances in charity shops that's it's become a staple feature of these threads, then of course it's still a mark-up.

It was a nice gesture from the manager of that store, but by letting you have the suit for less than what she could have sold it for, meant that less went to help the charity it supports.

But until items are sold and the cash is in the till, it doesn't matter how much you might be able to sell it for. Until that point, it's just someone's unwanted clobber.

the mythical £8 bobbly Primark T-shirt is genuinely making such regular appearances in charity shops

I've solved the mystery: it's the SAME £8 bobbly Primark t-shirt. Someone buys it, wears it and donates it to a charity shop. Someone else buys it and donates it. That t-shirt has probably seen more of the UK than I have.

User the 99p t.shirt was a few years ago. I think they are £2 now

I'm appalled at the idea that a top could only cost £2. The grotesque exploitation and sheer waste of it all!

I only buy second hand clothes except for underwear, if it's over priced I simply don't buy it. I get far better quality clothes for a few quid as long as I have a bit of a rummage. It's great!

User the 99p t.shirt was a few years ago. I think they are £2 now

Wrong on both counts.

Well I will just have to go naked because some of us don't have the money for principles.

Hope you don't live round here then

Just looked on the Primark website and cheapest top they sell (a plain white vest top) is £1.80, with a whole bunch of T-shirts costing £2 or £3. Though there are more expensive tops, of course.

I don't believe in the whole mythical charity shop Primark t-shirt thing, but yeah, they do sell £2 tops.

Yup, Primark absolutely sell £2 t-shirts. I don't find it hard to believe they've previously sold £1 shirts.

Either way, I'd rather spend more in a charity shop than less in Primark, and am financially able to.

I agree with the sentiment in the OP too, I happily overpay in charity shops (ie. tell them to keep the change), because they're raising money for charity.

But where is that money going? If you look at how much of say Oxfam's money goes on salaries, are you still happy to fund them? Maybe they wouldn't have to charge a fiver for a vest top if they weren't paying their chief executive do much money.

i've got kids plai white t shirts for 27p i the sale at primark, if that helps

A family member volunteers with our local salvation army care shop, they have a popular shop, busy, and don't charge much (eg 20p a book) but move a lot of stock due to low prices which in turn gets people stocking up to rade at car boots (which I find amazing that there are professional carbooters that search out their stock)

they also support local charities such as loal womens refuge branches and provide items such as kitchen ware if some one has been helped with emergency housing, shoes, bedding etc, it's a very low key, practical support they provide and is a good example of a charity shop working well.

I find larger charities investing their funds in propert hard to stomach. If some one has purposely spent money in a shop to support charity, should that money be put into action?

I also dislike tye large number of charity shops that sell new goods, that are almost on a par with a standard shop selling new items, yet theu have the bonus of unpaid / volunteer staff and often lower rates ( w have s truggling town centre and charity shops do benefit from lower rates)...

dislike tye large number of charity shops that sell new goods,

I don't think I've ever been in a charity shop which sells wholly new stuff. Most will have a limited range - Cancer Research sells keyrings, tote bags and other stuff with their logo on, Oxfam has fair trade tea and chocoalte, Barnardos/Save the Children have greetings cards. But everything bought in as stock to resell?