just been mooching around the charity shops, How annoying are some of their ordering?

[EnidBlyton]

Books in any old order are bad enough, not alphabetical, but one shop actually had the books in order of their colour
plainly ridiculous.
Tightlipped I paid
ought I to have complained?

This has reminded me of this revolutionary bookshelf aesthetic from Ideal Home.

Well I like it! Surely a charity shop is a mish-mash of books anyway, if you were looking for something specific you’d go to a book shop.

Here to agree with all the PPs who’ve said if it bothers some of you that much, why don’t you actually give up a bit of your time and volunteer instead of sneering at their current practices?

I volunteer at a charity shop and I’m afraid we don’t have enough time or resource to organise our books.

Organising clothes by colour: I actually DO like shopping this way. I know what colours do and don’t suit me, and enjoy browsing each section.

Surely the thing to do is keep asking for random books by random authors and stand back and enjoy watching them searching?

Been in many charity shops @FannyCann?

There is a second-hand book warehouse near me and it sells batches of books by colour for anyone wanting to use them for interior design. It must be a thing.

My gripe about my local chazzer is the amount of new stuff they have in, which doesn't sell and then they won't accept donations because they are full. At the moment they have a sale on the new stuff.

Huddersfield central library did this to their contemporary fiction a few years ago, I think more as a gimmick than anything else. I don’t mind it in a charity shop actually, if I am browsing there, I am rarely looking for a particular author.

Everyone knows that books are alphabetical by author’s surname in chronological order. 😃
Don’t see how it takes longer to put books out once done it’s easier.
Likewise clothes in wardrobes colour matching easier to find.( lighthearted btw, put them where you like)

Surely a charity shop is a mish-mash of books anyway, if you were looking for something specific you’d go to a book shop

I go to charity shops looking for specific books, I'm not lucky enough to be able to afford to buy new ones, and I assume lots of other people do too as the charity shops near me order alpabetically

Well I am lucky enough to have a couple of specialist charity bookshops near me @AudTheDeepMinded (as oppose to charity shops that sell a mix of clothes/books/toys etc) and yes, the staff will advise, search even offer to make a note and let you know if a particular book comes in.
But it's true, they don't order books by colour. 🤷‍♀️

i did suggest in a different charity shop that ordering clothes in colour order is not the easiest way to find your size.

sizes mean absolutely nothing anyway, it's so much easier to find clothes you like by colour, then look for available and realistic size.
I love shops who order clothes by colour, so much easier.

I go to charity shops looking for specific books
genuine question, do you even find what you were after? I am impressed if you do!

@FannyCann I think specialist charity book shops are a whole other level but your bog standard one wouldn't have time to acquaint themselves thoroughly with their book stock nor to search for you, it's every person for themselves, however they are ordered!

They obviously got the idea from this...

Blimey "Comtesse"-Testament of Youth-I've been looking for that for ages!

@coconuttelegraph really? I can see going for a specific type of book like a cook book or a crime novel or something but if you’re looking for a specific title wouldn’t you have better luck in a secondhand book shop?

Esteban That photo is brilliant. DH once tried to order our books in height order to make them look neater. Words were had.

I quite like clothes grouped by colour, as I know I rarely wear pink, blue or red, so can quickly look through the tops in the other colours instead of rummaging. But I do think there's people who prefer the 'rummage' type charity shop.

@ComtesseDeSpair is that Shelter Boooteeeek in Clapham? If not they do it too.

I like a good root around, colour blocks put me off.

Anyone else take charity bags of unwanted Christmas presents to charity shops a bit further afield incase anyone finds you out?
Not too bothered about order in charity shops- they are not places I go to find anything specific, but I understand it is a bit annoying.

Anyone else take charity bags of unwanted Christmas presents to charity shops a bit further afield incase anyone finds you out?

A relative once took a piece of clothing with her to Devon for this reason. We're in Glasgow.

Do you have a life?

really? I can see going for a specific type of book like a cook book or a crime novel or something but if you’re looking for a specific title wouldn’t you have better luck in a secondhand book shop?

Yes, @babybel90 I did it just yesterday looking for 2 specific books, I didn't find either but will keep looking. There aren't any second hand bookshops any where near me that aren't charity shops, I can't even think where I'd find one.

I wouldn’t be happy complaining about anything to a charity shop.

The workers in it are giving up their free time to try their best to do something good for others.

You’re lucky if there is one paid member of staff on duty, and many of the volunteers have disabilities or are unable to read.

So rather than complain it would be better to give up some if your free time to help. I volunteer weekly. I enjoy it although it can be tiring. Try it OP. It could be that you have done skills which they would be grateful for. But if you do, don’t go in on day one and try and change the way things are done. That won’t go down well. Settle in and then make suggestions.

i did suggest in a different charity shop that ordering clothes in colour order is not the easiest way to find your size., they didnt like my pov

There is a 2nd hand clothes place in a nearby city who has their clothes in colours, and it's brilliant! If you are looking for a red top you go to the red top section - but to be fair they are in sizes within the colour codes. Maybe suggest that to your shop.