Charity shops and their hugely inflated prices..

[Charityshops21]

I've always loved charity shops and usually pop in whenever I pass one but I've noticed since they reopened post lockdown the prices have more than doubled in many places.

Take the Sue Ryders local to me, women's tops and dresses used to be between £3 and £5, I went in this afternoon and saw that the same type of clothes (not expensive brands in the first place) have at least doubled in price.

£9.99 for a second or third hand faded jumper with loose threads.

£7 for an atmosphere (Primark) blouse that I know only cost that brand new.

£15 for a battered pair of shoes.

I understand the need to recoup losses but AIBU to think this is bad and will alienate their most frequent customers? IE poor people me

@Oldsu l also look at that FB page and have occasionally posted on it myself. I have never seen anyone talking about stupid volunteers. It is a nice group where people celebrate the items they have found in charity shops at prices that suit them. Why shouldn’t people take pleasure in what they have bought? We all like bargains after all.

I don’t know why people are still arguing with people who actually manage charity shops

Yes, it’s possible to be successful operating a low price/high turnover model. It’s possible to do it with a higher price/lower turnover model. Which one is best will depend on various factors including location, donations, volunteer availability, local competition etc.

It’s like arguing that Waitrose can’t possibly be making money because they’re not doing the same thing as Lidl.

Yes they do charge too much.

But, they do have to pay the wages of some of their highly paid staff/directors at the top some of them think charity begins at home with a huge salary!

I think the drawback to charity shops is that the best items never reach the public- they are "sold" to the staff. Or just taken for nothing by staff.

As to prices- if too high the stuff will not sell- so wait and see if the things you may want are priced down. If they do sell, then the charity has made more than they would have from you!

When it comes to donations - if I’ve got a bag full of well worn kids clothes I take them to the local charity shop that has a lot of children’s stock and sells stuff cheap in a more jumble-sale fashion.

If I’ve got a bag of dresses from Karen Millen, Jigsaw etc that I meant to sell on eBay but never got round to it, I take them to the shop that prices according to quality and displays clothes well - as if I’m giving them away I want them to go to a charity that’s actually going to get the value out of them not waste the donation by flogging them for a few quid.

4finger thank you for your comments, I can't understand why posters on this thread don't understand that many charity shops will be closed down if they don't make money. (Just like any other retailer that doesn't make money - Debenhams, Kath Kidston, Woolworths etc)

I took over a struggling shop that was under threat of closure ... within a few months I (& my team of volunteers) had turned it sound into a profit making store ... if I hadn't the shop would have been closed. Many charity shops do close.

As I keep saying, it is not just a matter of price levels, there are many, many other factors that a successful charity shop needs to take into account when running a charity shop.

And your comment about wanting the most raised for the charity from a quality donation is a very valid one, many supporters deliberately choose the charity they donate their surplus items to for the specific reason of raising funds for a charity shop they support ... not just about 'avoiding landfill'. My neighbour gave me something this week and specifically mentioned it was an expensive item and to raise as much as possible as I could, she didn't want it to go to the local independent charity shop where "all tops are £2" regardless of design/condition.

As those of who run charity shops keep emphasising - if we aren't doing it right we will be closed down!!

Individual mumsnetters might find our prices 'expensive' but overall our loyal customers like what we do ... we find our niche in whatever town we are based in ... and it works.

@Daphnise

I think the drawback to charity shops is that the best items never reach the public- they are "sold" to the staff. Or just taken for nothing by staff.

As to prices- if too high the stuff will not sell- so wait and see if the things you may want are priced down. If they do sell, then the charity has made more than they would have from you!

Utter bollocks and really insulting to everyone on this thread who is either a charity shop volunteer or paid member of staff. Are you saying I'm a thief?

@PlanetOfTheApesLives

Yes they do charge too much.

But, they do have to pay the wages of some of their highly paid staff/directors at the top some of them think charity begins at home with a huge salary!

Oh FFS.

I work in a large charity. The amount the CEO earns is incredibly modest for the boss of a national retail chain. But they’re not just the boss of a national retail chain, they’re also the boss of a large and complex set of services to vulnerable clients, involving serious safeguarding risks and daily life-or-death decisions. Also they need expert knowledge of complex policy issues to be able to meet with senior government ministers to try get legal changes that benefit the lives of millions of people. Not to mention all the fundraising operations, an education service, digital services, and loads of stuff I’ve probably forgotten. They could swan off to the private sector and earn many multiples of their current salary for are far less stressful job, but they don’t because they are actually passionate about the mission.

Come on. @4fingerKitKat. You know the score. Everyone working for a charity should be paid minimum wage. Even the ones responsible for hundreds of staff and multi-million pound budgets. Because charity.

I bought a pair of Next denim shorts for a fiver, they look brand new and similar ones are £25

@Daphnise

I think the drawback to charity shops is that the best items never reach the public- they are "sold" to the staff. Or just taken for nothing by staff.

As to prices- if too high the stuff will not sell- so wait and see if the things you may want are priced down. If they do sell, then the charity has made more than they would have from you!

@Daphnise So you’ve been in every charity shop in the country have you? I volunteer in a charity shop and I’ve never seen this happen. Everything is priced by the manager and we cannot buy it until it has been on the shop floor first and yes we do pay the full price.

It’s been said many times before - if you think a charity shop overcharges, you have 3 options. 1) pay the “high” price and accept that the money is at least going to a good cause. 2) volunteer there yourself and see if you can influence the pricing (this should appeal to the many PPs who seem so sure that charity shops have got it all wrong) or 3) vote with your feet and don’t shop there

pointyshoes
I go for option 3 already.
I choose to donate my items and spend my money at local charity shops that don't price used supermarket and low end high street clothing at, or close to RRP.

@LolaSmiles

pointyshoes I go for option 3 already. I choose to donate my items and spend my money at local charity shops that don't price used supermarket and low end high street clothing at, or close to RRP.

Excellent. Good for you. But the fact remains that any charity shop that runs at a loss will close. Those that are open will definitely be making a profit

@Daphnise

I think the drawback to charity shops is that the best items never reach the public- they are "sold" to the staff. Or just taken for nothing by staff.

As to prices- if too high the stuff will not sell- so wait and see if the things you may want are priced down. If they do sell, then the charity has made more than they would have from you!

And you know this how? More insults thrown at people who volunteer or work in this sector, what a surprise! Despite all of the comments on here from people who work/volunteer in this sector that we know our customer base and have rules regarding purchasing we are criticised as either being a bit dim or thieves.

@mathanxiety

But the best pricing strategy might well be pricing things higher even if that turns off a decent chunk of your potential customer base. If Oxfam are charging £3 for a paperback, they can afford to annoy people who expect them to be priced at 50p as long as they’re still making sales.

The crux is as long as they're still making sales.

What is the sale to foot traffic ratio?

My point is we are serving the charity: we don’t price products at 50p so that customers can have a bargain. We know the brands and price fairly. Last week a customer queried the price of a £20 dress. It was priced at £20 because it was escada. She did not buy it: this was her choice. The price is fair for the product.

The 50p example is a reductio ad absurdum.

But even still, a fair price for a second hand item is what a customer is prepared to pay. If the dress is still hanging on the rack and your customer is shopping elsewhere, are you really supporting your charity?

The point is not to hold out for the best possible price per item, surely? Would it be a good idea to get people walking into the shop because they've heard how great the prices are; when they're in, they might spend money. They are not going to spend money in your shop if they don't set foot in it because it has a reputation for being pricey.

An alternative to generating foot traffic is online sales. An Escada dress might be an item to try to sell online instead of a bricks and mortar location where your customer base is necessarily limited.

The 50p example was from previous posters on this thread describing charity shops with a strategy of setting very low prices. Of course a fair price is what someone is prepared to pay and we set prices accordingly: base price for a product and this may then be amended depending on brand on if it’s brand new with tags. As I stated upthread we have 11 charity shops in the small town where I volunteer and if we had a reputation for high prices for low value products the shop would be empty. We have limitations on customer numbers and always have a queue (unless tipping down with rain!) The customer who queried the price of the £20 escada dress bought three other items and the dress sold within three days. If we have high value, niche items we put them on eBay eg a rather lovely Mappin and Webb tea set. We seem to be managing pretty well..

I think the drawback to charity shops is that the best items never reach the public- they are "sold" to the staff. Or just taken for nothing by staff

What evidence do you have for that inflammatory statement?. Is this based on personal experience or just people of your acquaintance? I would have thought if you were light fingered you would choose a regular retail job and get paid for your thievery not volunteer for nothing.

I actually wouldn’t mind if stock was sold at a sensible price to staff members. Plenty of regular shops give staff discount and I dare say there have been many a sale item put to one side for a member of staff. If someone is so aggrieved at the prospect of missing “the good stuff” in a charity shop maybe they should volunteer.

Actually I don't think it's unreasonable that volunteers get first dibbs on items as a thank you for their free labour. Where I volunteer the best customers are the volunteers. The shop could not exist with them.

As long as stuff is priced fairly - and in our shop you never price anything you're going to buy yourself - does it really matter who's buying it?

I also think "good stuff" is subjective. I have no interest in brand new clothing in a size 8 - I wish. No interest in children's toys or books, or DVDs, or twee little ornaments, whoever made them. But it's easy to criticise, isn't it, grabby volunteers paying 25p a pop for designer leather jackets while the shop is full of bobbly Primark at twice the price of new.

We don't get staff discount at all, we pay the same price as any other customer. Even on the "new product" stuff like greetings cards or Christmas decorations - same price as everyone else. That's pretty unusual for retail.

@Daphnise

I think the drawback to charity shops is that the best items never reach the public- they are "sold" to the staff. Or just taken for nothing by staff.

As to prices- if too high the stuff will not sell- so wait and see if the things you may want are priced down. If they do sell, then the charity has made more than they would have from you!

@Daphnise I would suggest you read all the posts before making such an untrue and nasty suggestion as I CLEARLY said up post my DH runs 2 charity shops, he had a donation of the china I collect, I couldn't buy it as it has to be on the shelves for 5 working days before I could buy it and it would have been at the full price less my discount, as it fucking happens that donation came in last Saturday when just me and DH were in, IF we were thieves I would have put it into my bag without paying IF as a volunteer I creamed off the good stuff before it went on the shelves that china would be in my home now as it was DH sold it yesterday I am gutted but that's how it is and has to be

I've had some amazing bargains from charity shops - I really don't believe the staff can be skimming off the 'best' stuff. 'Best' is largely a subjective concept anyway.

...you seem to believe all charity shops are overpriced

@Oldsu
I am saying there are pricing strategies that can entice more shoppers in and result in higher turnover of goods.

I don't believe all charity shops are overpriced. Those presenting themselves as boutiques and basing pricing on original price of items probably are, unless they know their customer base really, really well. Judging by comments about charity shops going under, I doubt all of them know who they are selling to.

I also think the FB braggers are doing you a favour whether you recognise it or not, even when they are insulting the volunteers. If you have a reputation for selling tremendous bargains you are going to get people in to browse.

@RaspberryCoulis -.
I also think "good stuff" is subjective. I have no interest in brand new clothing in a size 8 - I wish. No interest in children's toys or books, or DVDs, or twee little ornaments, whoever made them. But it's easy to criticise, isn't it, grabby volunteers paying 25p a pop for designer leather jackets while the shop is full of bobbly Primark at twice the price of new. hmm

I agree. As a largish older woman, I rarely find any clothes that I like in my size where I volunteer. I did buy some sandals a few weeks ago, I spotted them on display, they were good quality, for about a quarter of the new price and hardly worn. The last thing I bought before that was a bag last year. We do get a discount on the full price, but I put in quite a few hours each week to help the charity. TBH I rarely buy anything except cards at Christmas - and there is no discount on new goods. But, hey, we only do it for the perks.

@mathanxiety

...you seem to believe all charity shops are overpriced

@Oldsu
I am saying there are pricing strategies that can entice more shoppers in and result in higher turnover of goods.

I don't believe all charity shops are overpriced. Those presenting themselves as boutiques and basing pricing on original price of items probably are, unless they know their customer base really, really well. Judging by comments about charity shops going under, I doubt all of them know who they are selling to.

I also think the FB braggers are doing you a favour whether you recognise it or not, even when they are insulting the volunteers. If you have a reputation for selling tremendous bargains you are going to get people in to browse.

I understand you don't really know how charity shops operate, that's ok I didn't either until my DH started to run one and I volunteered, My DH was asked to take on a second shop before first lockdown, that shop was consistently underperforming in terms of budget, ATV (average transaction value) and AUP (average unit price) always at the bottom of the 'league' it was a typical charity shop full of little odds and ends in baskets, smelly, bobbly clothing etc , DH swept all that away, the shop is now clean fresh organised with higher quality clothing at not much more than the other shops charge, last week that shop was one of the top shops, now you mention knowing your customer base, that's only part of it, it's knowing the customer base you want to cater for as well, a case in point last week when I was in a customer purchased £40 worth of dresses, all of them had been in the other shop for 2 weeks reduced in price and taken to shop 2, that particular customer mentioned she didn't come in before it always looked tatty, for that customer her tremendous bargain was getting high quality dresses, Boden, White Stuff, Sea Salt for not much more than the other shops are charging for Primark, George etc and not having to trawl through an overstocked rail and disorganised shop to find what she wanted, that's what is going to get other customers coming in to browse, not the vain hope of finding a Gucci scarf in a 50p bin or a new Kath Kidston bag incorrectly priced for £2, once THOSE customer don't find those bargains they rarely come back, that customer will be back week in week out. Of course she will find other bargains when she does, it stands to reason DH gets better quality donations in his other shop as it's in a more affluent area, the type of clothing which is rarely donated to his other shop, moving those donations around means that the quality has gone right up but prices have not risen by a lot and it does seem to be working. Oh yes he took on a very experienced retail assistant last week, at the interview she confessed she wouldn't have applied for the job if the shop looked like it used to, same with volunteers more people have applied to volunteer since the make over as well, so people actually want to work there as the environment is better

I buy all my shirts and blouses here:onlineshop.oxfam.org.uk/category/womens-shirts-blouses?N=3605646584+1571968187+345913459+2058460387&Ns=null&Nr=AND(product.active:1,NOT(sku.listPrice:0.000000))&No=240&Nf=&Nrpp=30

The pricing might seem a bit high but I'm looking out for the branded items I would normally buy. The filters are good, the distribution is always 100% and recently remarkably quick, and I like the randomness of what I might find. So far I’ve bought about 10 items since lockdown and I’m v happy with the effortlessness of it, the fact that I’m making a worthwhile donation and buying things for say £9.99 - £14.99 second hand that I would pay £35-£45 for new. It’s a win win for me and for the charity. The items are placed online by individual volunteers.

This week I bought a lovely TM Lewin shirt from oxfam online for £7.99 and a lovely fat face one for £22, which I thought was a bit overpriced (but it still looks lovely) so the pricing can be a bit random. Neither were BNWT.