To be annoyed the charity shop would not accept my donation

[Bearbehind]

I've had a bit of a clear out and had some stuff to take the the charity shop.

I checked on line it was open today then took the stuff into town.

You can't park right outside so I carried the stuff, in the snow, to the shop only to see a sign which said they no longer open on Sundays.

Oh well, I thought but, all the lights were on and I could see at least 3 people inside so I knocked the door and someone opened it.

He said they were shut and I explained I didn't want to come in, just drop these donations off.

He outright refused to accept them, because they were shut, and I'd have to go to another branch of theirs that was open today or come back tomorrow.

AIBU to think that if someone has made the effort to bring a donation to a charity shop and if there's are people there, they should accept them.

I'll be buggered if I'm taking stuff to them again.

When I'm in one of I need to take these to the charity shop moments, I don't think I'll bother any more. The op is right, this thread has done more damage to charity shops, than good, thanks to many posters on here.

XmasInTintagel - yes, giving advice as though it is national policy is wrong. However, tbh, I think the volunteers in a particular charity shop are actually in a unique position to know what sells in their particular shop and their particular area of the country, and what should be donated elsewhere. In our town, there are lots of charity shops and each seems to have specialised in a different thing (eg mainly books in one, clothes in another, large items of furniture in another, kids' toys in another, etc). I've also noticed that people leaving bags outside the shops when they are closed causes an obstruction and results in stuff being kicked down the street, so I always respect signs on doors saying a shop is closed, even if it looks like there is someone inside doing something. Unlike commercial businesses, charity shops cannot order stuff in when they need it and only when they need it, and inly stuff they need, and they can't entice volunteers through their doors by paying them all a wage. Expecting all charity shops to run smoothly and professionally like a commercial operation is therefore unreasonable, imo.

YANBU op, I wonder if they did the same for cash/cheque!

Yeah people are lining up in the street to give charity shops money aren't they. More likely a bag of skanky clothes you can't be arsed to wash or throw away and expect a shop worker to do it for you.

Im another one that this thread hasn't put off donating

I never understand this about mumsnet

Some random says something you dont like on here and it puts you off doing something...i dont get it

To be fair i am usually on the the feminist chat board and it happens loads on there

, I think the volunteers in a particular charity shop are actually in a unique position to know what sells in their particular shop and their particular area of the country, and what should be donated elsewhere.
But realistically, very few donors are going to get in their car and drive round several charity shops to drop off what they specifically want to accept, based on their stock that week. They simply won't take the time and effort. People may give up donating at all if they are turned away, and the shop will miss out on the 'good' stuff as well as the thing you didn't want!

That is why it is poor practice to refuse stuff or lecture people - knowing what you think sells does not make you an expert on the best approach to gathering items to sell. Treating donors as if they are lucky to be allowed to give their items is not appropriate, the whole business model relies on them.

Thank you for the apology round. It did get a bit heated! I apologise for my part in that!

I was annoyed after the incident yesterday but what annoyed me far more than that was the assertion by so many people, particularly those that are involved in such shops, that my stuff was probably shite and they wouldn't want it anyway.

The stuff is now ready for collection in some random charity bag and in future I will donate to somewhere that doesn't have to go through the effort of processing my items for sale.

julie you will have a long wait for an apology from me as, as a PP also pointed out, your comment that I was selfish for using the charity shop as a rubbish disposal was clearly saying the stuff was shite,

More likely a bag of skanky clothes you can't be arsed to wash or throw away and expect a shop worker to do it for you.

See, more of this ridiculous notion that it's easier to bag items up and carry them to the charity shops than it is to throw them out.

Such vicious comments are completely unnecessary.

I can't think why people would be put off donating because of this thread.

Mathanxiety - Goodwill in the US is a massive operation in a massive country with a massive population and warehouse-style storage and retail area. Charity shops in the UK are mostly tiny outlets in comparison - we could not justify retail space for used bottles of perfume or items our customers will not buy. Managers and experienced volunteers know what sells. Just as with any retail operation, different areas have different results.

Occasionally we'll try something different to see if it goes well, and we monitor the results. But constraints will always exist - laws on safety, for instance. And selling broken, damaged goods (the cracked cup, the torn and tatty book, the jumper with holes in) doesn't work in our shop. They damage our brand - people go 'eww' - and use up space.

We steam clean all our donations, but if something has dirty marks, or is sweat stained under the arms, we don't have the facilities to wash them. I think the bigger charity operations with central processing warehouses may do.

We're grateful for all our donations, and we are performance assessed on how much we take in! It's our job to process and sort - can't expect customers to know the rules, beyond common sense.

I'm another one that this thread hasn't put off donating

I'm put off. We have been told that 75% of stuff is junked; it may be perfectly good but if it is the 'wrong sort' of stuff it will get junked.
So even if I think that my goods are clean and lovely, there's a 75% chance that I will be wrong. Why bother donating?

I agree making a big deal out of refusing items is not good practice. Shops should take everything with thanks and pleasure. Sometimes people ask us for guidance and we will share info e.g. No electricals, nothing damaged. But we'd never say 'don't bring kids' hand knits'. They don't sell in our shop, but they might elsewhere, and we pass them on.

Senua- I can tell you that in our shop, 75 per cent is not junked.

Some stuff is, but my experience is that most people with common sense would understand the items that can't be sold or recycled.

Truly unsellable stuff is sold for rags or other recycling whenever possible.

can't expect customers to know the rules, beyond common sense.

So why don't you have posters up telling people what you can and can't accept, and the reasons. You can't expect customers to know the rules if you never tell them!
It's strange how charities spent loads of money and effort on the selling side - MaryQuanting their 'boutiques' - but didn't bother to make an effort on the procurement side.

'Perfectly good' stuff is not junked.

Seona, because there are no rules, apart from the safety/damaged ones. Do we really want to sound bossy and judgmental with a notice saying 'please don't bring in damaged items' ?

tiktok there have been posters on here who have implied that in shops which are inundated, bags may just be put straight in the bin.

I'm not sure I believe that but the general message on this thread has not been positive.

Why go to the effort of taking stuff to a shop if it's going to be chucked out anyway just because it's not the 'right' type of item?

I started this thread because I was genuinely shocked that a charity shop wouldn't take my items and told me to go elsewhere or come back the next day.

I accept people have differing opinions to me and wondered how unreasonable I was in my annoyance.

What I wasn't prepared for was the barrage of comments insisting donations are generally all shite anyway, that a huge proportion gets chucked even if it's good quality and the inference that I should be grateful if my items are accepted.

I agree with bags not being left outside of the charity shops. But when you have gone to the trouble to check the opening hours on the website and they say they are open, to take your donations into tow and find they are closed is a tad annoying to say the least.
All the charity shops here are on busy streets with little parking close by. When I fill bags for charity they tend to heavy with clothes so it would have been an effort to lug them across town to the shop.
I don't know it you mentioned, or got a chance to mention to the people in their that the website said they were meant to be open. What did they say to this if you did?
I would be inclined to email the website about this, and see what they say.
I was really interested to read how Goodwill works in the US, so thank you @mathanxiety I always think things should be priced much lower than they currently are over here. I don't go into certain charity shops as they charge almost full retail price for some items. The best ones are where you can get things for a few pounds.

Well. bear, there have been a few posts explaining that not everything donated can be sold and one or two criticisms of donors - but most posts have not been in that category. Not all charity shops have the facilities to store or pass on to other shops when they have excess - the one I work in does. Donations do come in erratically - can't help that! Processing takes time and space and sometimes shops have to control the flow - where I work it's controlled by moving the bags elsewhere to other shops where there is more capacity.

In your own case, I think if it happened to our shop, we'd have taken in your bags thankfully, cheerfully and politely, perhaps explaining that it's not usual practice in case word got round that bags were taken in on Sundays. But there may be reasons why they couldn't even do that.

tiktok your posts have been very reasonable and I completely understand your points.

Like everything, I'm sure there's good and bad places, unfortunately my thoughts have been tainted by the sheer volume of people who've made out that charity shops don't need donors like me and they'd rather I didn't bother.

A successful charity shop, i.e. makes the most money for charity, doesn't have the time to be inefficient. Inefficient would be to take stuff in when it cannot be sorted, i.e. on a Sunday, and things that they cannot or will not sell.
I'm astounded at some of the stuff people try and offload, to be honest.

There's a certain "you're a charity be grateful goddamnit" to some of the posts.

There's a certain "you're a charity be grateful goddamnit" to some of the posts.

I'm sure no one expects to be bowed and scraped to for donating to charity shops however I'm damn sure they dont expect to treated like they've done something unspeakably revolting by daring to pass on items they no longer need.

Between them tiktok and posieparker have hit it on the head. Just donate to grateful shops and leave the big-business ones to their 'efficiency' drives.

The trouble is, it's impossible to identify which is which. There's also no way of knowing who the likes of julie is representing.

If the shop was not open why did the person open the door? I am used to being in a shop working when it is closed and people trying the door, banging on the window etc. I just look at them and mouth "we are closed" and carry on with my work. They usually go but if they carry on banging and getting annoyed that is up to them. I would never open the door to speak to them because that would involve a more lengthy conversation and what, honestly, would be the point?

I think once they had opened the door and only had to take the bags in they should have done.

I'm put off. We have been told that 75% of stuff is junked; it may be perfectly good but if it is the 'wrong sort' of stuff it will get junked. Please don't let that perception put you of! It really isn't 75%, I am not sure where you saw that, but it isn't 75% that gets thrown away!

It is true that a lot of stuff is junked. Being junked includes being sent off to the rag man... that all gets recycled, buttons removed, etc etc. We can sell HUGE amounts to the rag man, lots and lots of clothing, towels, bedding that doesn't sell, is ripped, incomplete or dirty.

Other junk might mean sent off to another charity where workers might be able to use bits to repair, e.g. some of our broken toys can be sent of to another local charity, who will destroy what they can't use. But they can be picky, as they have even less money than we do, and they can't afford waste removal either

Yet more, broken furniture will get picked up by the local furniture recycling place - they will destroy what they can't use, but we don't accept any soft furnishing without a fire label.. that includes scatter cushions! So many people cut them off and then get upset that we won't take them.

Stuff we have had out for a few weeks will get sent to another shop, to see if it sells better there. Then it goes to the rag man ... note that this is after we have had it on the 10p rack for a week or so!

What is left is the broken, dirty, ripped and torn stuff. The shite stuff we get. That costs us a fortune in waste removal. We are a tiny, very local charity. Our shop has 3 of those large skips, emptied fortnightly. It costs us a fortune. Staff often take bags home with them, as the skips can get full quite quickly! One lady fills up her 4by4 and drops off at the local tip, every week.

We really don't throw stuff away if there is a chance we, or a partner charity, can get money from it!

there have been posters on here who have implied that in shops which are inundated, bags may just be put straight in the bin

The shop I work in is a large national one. Bags would never be put straight in the bin. Hence the massive backlog we sometimes get in the shop, waiting to be processed. Nothing is thrown away without being inspected.