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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be annoyed the charity shop would not accept my donation

643 replies

Bearbehind · 21/01/2018 13:49

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.

OP posts:
Fuckit2017 · 21/01/2018 14:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

toriatoriatoria · 21/01/2018 14:06

I can see it from both sides. I wouldn't have been impressed but they have probably been told not to accept donations (probably due to lack of storage space).

I've helped out at a local charity shop and all the donations had to go via the distribution centre which should divide them up and deliver them to all the shops. So if people donated at individual shops we have to arrange for the stock to get to the distribution centre. It wasn't a massive problem for us but if they are short on space I can see what they are saying.

As an aside...I was shocked at the way people spoke to me when I was volunteering there. I've never had to deal with such rude people in all my life! I was giving up my free time but it didn't stop people coming in taking to me like I was absolute shit on their shoe!

MissDuke · 21/01/2018 14:06

Beach I have indeed volunteered for a local charity shop and would never have dreamt of being so rude as to turn away donations. For the sake of a couple more bags cluttering the place up I know I haven't prevented from that person from ever donating again and have not tarnished the rep of the shop. Manners cost nothing.

Original poster
Bearbehind · 21/01/2018 14:06

I’d never donate dirty stuff to a charity shop; most of this was virtually new (just doesn’t fit anymore Blush But that’s besides the point.

Every other time I’ve donated something they just take it and put it to one side - there’s no effort in physically accepting the stuff (unless you have to fill in the tax form thing)

OP posts:
therealposieparker · 21/01/2018 14:06

My mother works in a very successful charity shop, the amount of absolute shit people try to offload is embarrassing.

When you donate to a shop they have to sort it, price it and process it. They also have to pay to have unsuitable items taken away.

I only donate goods that I think people will buy.

wictional · 21/01/2018 14:06

It is extremely entitled to think that they need to just accept your items and be grateful.

This. I worked in one as a teen and there were endless rules for how volunteers could handle donations, mostly for their safety. Stop trying to promote your fake altruism.

BarbarianMum · 21/01/2018 14:07

Ive worked in a charity shop and my experience was the same as beach. Getting donations was not the problem but the quality of some and the sheer volume of stuff often was.

TeaAddict235 · 21/01/2018 14:07

That's the thing with charity shops, your damned if you want to help them, and then you're damned through emotional blackmail if you don't. Write to the shop and tell them that the website states wrong opening times. But also write to the council about charging for parking on a Sunday, and also check out the loading (unloading) rules for the spaces outside of the shop.

Are there any other stores that have free parking outside or a car park near to you that you could donate the items to? I used to purposely drive to another town about 30mins away out of my large market town, to get to park for free at the charity shop. I could donate at leisure and browse in peace. Councils and their greed are the real death of the town high street, not out of town supermarkets.

frasier · 21/01/2018 14:08

Find another charity shop. We have one near that doesn't stick to their opening times and after a couple of attempts to donate what they had asked for (sign in the window saying they needed children's clothes and toys) we found a local women's shelter that is desperate for that sort of thing and as long as you ring beforehand will receive at anytime.

Failingat40 · 21/01/2018 14:08

Wow, people's rudeness and lack of gratitude never fails to astound me

@Sharonthetotallyinsane

"YABU. They don’t have to take your old junk. Those people, who are volunteers, were obviously busy." Hmm

Sharonthetotallyinsane · 21/01/2018 14:10
Hmm
Failingat40 · 21/01/2018 14:11

Incidentally, not all charity shop workers are volunteers.
Shop managers and asst managers are paid a salary!

Complain to the charity or mention it on the local community site for the area.

They sound like a pair of jobsworths that have now lost money for the cause.

Original poster
Bearbehind · 21/01/2018 14:12

there were endless rules for how volunteers could handle donations, mostly for their safety

So how is it any different accepting donations when they are open? Hmm

OP posts:
ThisLittleKitty · 21/01/2018 14:12

There's always bags left outside charity shops round here.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 21/01/2018 14:12

I think YANBU it would not have killed them to put the bags to one side untill tomorrow. That doesn't happen. When you unpack your 3rd or 4th bag of indescribably disgusting articles you quickly realise why ALL bags are inspected as soon as they are donated.

What happens is the bags are handed to the sorting table, any number of sorters immediately sort through the bags, labelling, shelving, hanging or setting aside for the rag man. It is all over in minutes.

Often bags contain stinking, filthy items, even living critters. Even the most pleasant of donators can hand over a bag of excrement, with a cheery smile and wave.

The people working over the weekend would have been there to do a very specific job. It is also probable that, being weekenders, they would not have had the training to sort through donations (the tags have their own codes, pricing is set and whether to hang out or keep for later is doe with agreement by the 'section' overseer). So they wouldn't be able to take in donations at all.

Just take your stuff elsewhere, or try again on Monday!

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 21/01/2018 14:13

Yep, Jobsworth alert !
Take them somewhere else OP, some places collect.

TeaAddict235 · 21/01/2018 14:13

@toriatoriatoria
I have been often disrespected at charity stores by the volunteers. They seem to consider that I had no other choice. I do. I have had to be extremely patient with them. So maybe it happens on both sides?

Snowdrop18 · 21/01/2018 14:13

it is mid Jan, they are probably overwhelmed with stuff anyway.

Tarraleah · 21/01/2018 14:16

Might as well sell your belongings yourself, chuck them in the bin, or use the recycling programs from various shops who give you discounts against bags of old clothes. Much less faff!

BarbarianMum · 21/01/2018 14:16

Well one difference is that when the shop's open there are more people around and you are less likely to be robbed, assaulted and abused. I can remember being backed into a corner of a darkened stock room (literally) by an irate "customer" who would not accept that we weren't open and he'd have to come back af 9am. I was a total jobsworth. Also 17 and terrified. After that the rule was the doors stayed locked and weren't answered until the shop opened. And yes I lost ICRS £2.50 by refusing to serve him.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 21/01/2018 14:18

There's always bags left outside charity shops round here Round here there are BIG signs begging people not to leave stuff. They explain that the sheer amount of stuff that they cannot take in, by law, that gets dumped outside the doors is costing them an absolute fortune.

Charity shops have to pay for commercial waste disposal and the number of people who dump stuff they can't be arsed to get the council to remove, or even perfectly good prams (can't be sold by charity shops), cost a fortune for the charity shop to have removed.

All that happens here is that someone will start a facebook discussion, talking about how disgusting it is that the charity shop won't take their shit, who the fuck do they think they are... etc etc etc

And they still dump their crap by the charity shop doors!

codswallopandbalderdash · 21/01/2018 14:18

I no longer take stuff to charity shops because of increasing attitude - I don't take crap but increasing it is - we can't take this that or the other. Refused to take wellies worn by son once as spare pair ... can't take worn childrens shoes, won't take children's toys, won't take homewares (a really nice john lewis stainless steel pedal bin unused) because they don't sell! It seems to be that they all want to take high end, designer fashion and accessories to flog at ridiculous rates. So now I sell or give away on freecycle and put clothes in the bins for recycling

MaudesMum · 21/01/2018 14:20

Round my way several of the carparks have Salvation Army clothes bins in them, as does the local tip. You may not approve of the SA but it does mean there's a place to donate which is available when charity shops are closed??

gillybeanz · 21/01/2018 14:20

Maybe they aren't allowed to accept donations on a Sunday or when they are closed.

Original poster
Bearbehind · 21/01/2018 14:21

If they’d said it was because they’ve been overwhelmed with donations and couldn’t physically cope with mine I would happily have taken them to another shop.

This was purely because they weren’t open today.

OP posts: