To think this is the end for charity shops?

[Therollockingrogue]

I mean is it? I love charity shops, nearly everything I own is second hand, from car boot sales, charity shops etc etc . But the thought of a rummage now makes me feel a bit bleeeurghh. Anyone else?
Given that in some of our towns the high streets are just alternate vape shop/ nail bar /charity shops, what will happen?
Who would want to work in such an environment anyway after this, especially when most staff are volunteers ?

The difference between a charity shop and a high street store is that you don't know the history of it, so if someone (I'm so sorry) but if they eg peed or vomited in it or even died.

But you don't know the history of the items in other high street shops. Someone could have sneezed on the top you try on, not washed their hands after using the toilet and then touched item on the shelf you then buy etc etc.

If an item has been quarantined for several days since arriving in the charity shop, the risk of anything being passed on is minimal. People who worry about items being urinated / vomited on, or belong to a deceased person aren't usually the type to rummage in charity shops.

I am seriously missing my early Sunday morning car boot sale bacon butty rummage, I've been going for years, and they'd only just started up again after the winter break before it all came to a halt. Oh well, worse things happen at sea.

Charities do not pay rates here and have applied and got huge rent reductions from landlords so if anyone will recover they will. Their wage bills are very low volunteers with one paid manager running a number of shops.

Yes I’m sorry but yes .. that’s my major concern really. Charity shops here vary. Some are immaculate with a curated and laundered stock, and some just throw the donations in baskets as they arrive , and sell it cheaply. Now I’m a fan of the latter normally ... but tbh I have a bit of a psychological aversion given that the stuff could potentially be on the shelf the same day as the donation. It just puts me off. And so if it makes me feel a bit reluctant either I’m totally deluded or others will feel the same? And that’s a concern for a huge proportion of our high street.

Jeez, talk about catastrophising, Op!

Of course this won't be the end of charity shops! What a ridiculous thing to say!

Charity shops will have more choice than standard shops and this year's fashions will lastbuntil be these because jot much new clothing is arriving in this country anymore.
Alot of clothing factories across the world where we import from have closed. Lots of our high street retailers have cancelled this years orders from them.
It will take a while for the chain to get going again.
Also, everyone been clearing and sorting out whilst furloughed/unemployes/at home. I thinknthere is huge potential.for charity shops to boom from this.

My biggest worry about the charity shops re-opening is keeping my mother out! She's been pretty good about staying away from people since before lockdown even started, but that's mostly because her leisure pursuit of choice is browsing charity shops and coming back with yet more tat.

I will be donating various items as soon as they are being accepted again, and looking for clothes a size bigger, hopefully I'll loose the extra pounds when my work goes back to normal but until then all my jeans are too small, and I don't think it's because they've shrunk in the wash!

Don't be silly. Things can be washed.

It's so unfortunate that this had to come along just as everyone was starting to become more aware of environmental issues and the importance of reusing instead of buying new.

If they stop charging top prices for second hand tat, they will be absolutely fine.

I thought the virus could only last on materials 72 hours max? So donations should be fine as long as you leave it in the bag for a few days.

In terms of purchasing items from a charity shop. I’d see it having the same risk as purchasing from any shop. You don’t know who has touched it or when so wash your hands after touching it and put it to one side for a few days before using it then it’s safe

I wonder if we may develop more of the European system of large scale recycling centre/ stores more like emmaus or Humana? Where they are housed in massive spaces and have teams for laundry, repairs, on site shredding and so on?

Honestly I used to love charity shops but they're too expensive now. I can't afford to spend the amount of money most charge on clothing that has a limited shelf life left.

On top of that, there's no way I'd shop in one at the moment and for the forseeable future due to the virus outbreak.

I think given how we are on our way into the worst recession of all time a lot of people will need to economise so charity shops will be used more than ever.

I don’t think it’s catastrophising to wonder if people will change their habits after something as big as this crisis 🤷‍♀️

If charity shops had to pay business rates, then they would all disappear. Their purpose is to raise money for the charities they exist for, not to use all that money on keeping the shop open.
OR, they could start charging higher prices in order to make more money so they could pay rates, which would lift them out of reach of the people who most need them because they can't afford new stuff.
So either way, they'd be ruined in terms of purpose.

My DH manages 2 charity shops, there will be procedures put in place before they can open, deep cleaning is one and don't forget charity shops closed in March when they were just putting out spring stock they will have to change the shop to Summer, which means the staff will be busy putting out season appropriate stock, its all been planned but they wont tell him before furlough end. Some smaller shops wont be able to take huge donations because of lack of space, there may be a restriction on items where the virus lives longer like glass.

People who want charity shops to open and have bags and bags of stuff may find out that when the shops are trading their donations wont be accepted.

Well, I don't think you are catastrophising, have an agenda or are ridiculous OP - I say that, sitting on my second hand sofa I got from a furniture project while reading a second hand book off Amazon marketplace, looking at my bookshelf of used books from Tesco that I paid for with my donations...it did occur to me just the other day as I was being spammed with mails from Gumtree that, illogical or not, I might be soon changing habits of a lifetime - am well aware that it should not make a difference but psychologically it's like ''home made'' to me atm - ah, but whose home was it made in.
I will get over it eventually but can't see myself picking up random stuff like I used to.

GrimmsFairytales
That's what I meant sorry!! I was answering the person who said there's no difference between that and a high street shop. I never did shop in high street shop, but saying that I'm wearing a top I bought nearly twenty years ago and jeans I bought fifteen years ago so I don't think my clothes buying affects the planet too much

Sorry I meant I never did shop in charity shops!!!

to FrenchtoEnglish for raising money for rescued cats.

I was answering the person who said there's no difference between that and a high street shop

But there isn't a difference, in terms of infection risk they're the same.

I think life will not return to any kind of normal and charity shops will be repalced by some sort of hubs. God knows.

I really hope not.

I don’t know, maybe they won’t want the donations, maybe volunteers will drop as they would prefer to stay safe at home etc.

Not a fan of second hand but do take clothes donations in but there’s textile recycling at our local tip so we would use that if need be so they didn’t go to waste.