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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Charity shops and their hugely inflated prices..

448 replies

Charityshops21 · 21/05/2021 15:37

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

OP posts:
TheYearOfSmallThings · 22/05/2021 10:40

It depends what they mean by ragged. We say that we are going to rag stuff but what it really means is that it goes to a central warehouse

I'm really glad to hear that - I had visions of them all being pulped!

LindaEllen · 22/05/2021 10:46

Not all charity shops are like that. Our local hospice shop does 6 paperbacks for £1!!

RaisinFlapjack · 22/05/2021 10:55

One of my fave local charity shops really know their pricing and aren’t afraid to stick a vintage dress in the window at well north of £100, but they have a talented window dresser and their window displays are alway enticing and regularly changed - I have bought clothes at prices I would pay for something new but they’ve been excellent quality vintage or nearly-new rather than a ‘bargain’. They also keep a good throughput of lower value items so it’s good for a rummage too.

Sheerheight · 22/05/2021 12:09

Oxfam charge £2 per paperback , others have pushed their book prices up to that level, some are still £1.50 per book.
I am happy to pay that but the book has to be in good condition.
@OldTinHat mentioned the Works, but really there is a very limited stock there.

Babyroobs · 22/05/2021 12:12

I've just done a round of our local charity shops and wanted some new jigsaw puzzles. One shop was asking £3.95 for one but the other £1.50, similar puzzles, probably the same make. So I think it does just depend on the shop. I got some amazing brand new John Lewis storage jars with an original price of £15 each, for £4 each so i was pretty happy with those !

LolaSmiles · 22/05/2021 13:29

The charity shop's sole purpose may be to raise the most money for their charity but it isn't my sole aim when donating or buying. I have some children's clothes that I think I may just give away directly
Same here. I found local freecycle groups and local mum groups good for passing things on for free. I've also got items for DC on there, used them, and passed them on again.

Miasicarisatia · 22/05/2021 13:34

They maybe have to charge more in order to cover the costs of processing and disposing of all the unsaleable stuff that gets dumped on them?

JackRabbitSlimsTwistContest · 22/05/2021 13:56

@RaisinFlapjack

One of my fave local charity shops really know their pricing and aren’t afraid to stick a vintage dress in the window at well north of £100, but they have a talented window dresser and their window displays are alway enticing and regularly changed - I have bought clothes at prices I would pay for something new but they’ve been excellent quality vintage or nearly-new rather than a ‘bargain’. They also keep a good throughput of lower value items so it’s good for a rummage too.
I really don’t think this type of charity shop is the norm

I live in a deprived town in Scotland surrounded by other deprived areas

We need low price charity shops to allow people to kit their kids and themselves out on a budget

If one of the shops here had a £100 dress in the window it would be there a very long time.

I get that shops need to make money but i think the shops need to be tailored to the area, ie low deprivation index town in Scotland , put your £1 shop clearance stores there.

LovelyLovelyWarmCoffee · 22/05/2021 17:54

M&S summer dress for a 7yo, cotton, basic shape, for £5 today at Fara !!! It must be not much more new.

ShanghaiDiva · 22/05/2021 17:55

@Sheerheight

Oxfam charge £2 per paperback , others have pushed their book prices up to that level, some are still £1.50 per book. I am happy to pay that but the book has to be in good condition. *@OldTinHat* mentioned the Works, but really there is a very limited stock there.
I don’t think £2 for a paperback is expensive when they retail at £8. We sell romance novels for £1.50, but I recently had a donation of about 20 recent titles in pristine condition so I charged more. We also have plenty of books marked at 50p, all in decent condition but older titles.
JackRabbitSlimsTwistContest · 22/05/2021 17:57

I think £2 for a second hand book is really dear , the top 10 chart paperbacks are 2 for £7 most of the time in Tesco etc.

withlotsoflove · 22/05/2021 18:29

The cancer research shop in town is an absolute disgrace!
Bobbled primark tee for a fiver & crappy snagged jumpers for at least 7.99 !
The manager seems to be constantly swanning around in brand new clothes, which looks she just keeps the best for herself?!
Is that possible? Can she just do that?
She really is the most horrible character who is well known for kicking off in other retail stores in our tiny town!
She seems the least likely person to be volunteering in any capacity!
I love the hospice shop though - for a local cause & prices that are affordable for everyone!
Lovely staff etc…

JackRabbitSlimsTwistContest · 22/05/2021 19:16

We have a local shop which is run by community volunteers and all money goes back to our own town

They price items at £1/£2 for clothing
I’ve bought the kids Next jeans for £1 , winter jackets for £2 , shirts for husbands work for £1 ,
Home ware is cheap , 50p for casserole dish

I have said at the till before it’s amazing to be able to dress the kids so well for less , the supervisor said they are just glad to get stock turning over and that they are glad as they are helping the community both ways by the money going back to where they need it plus the goods cheap enough to help local families buy. In my opinion this makes sense where we live.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 22/05/2021 19:27

I don’t think £2 for a paperback is expensive when they retail at £8.

I don't pay more than £1 - if paperbacks are £2 I wouldn't bother seeing what they have.

ShanghaiDiva · 22/05/2021 19:42

@TheYearOfSmallThings

I don’t think £2 for a paperback is expensive when they retail at £8.

I don't pay more than £1 - if paperbacks are £2 I wouldn't bother seeing what they have.

That’s your choice. We have plenty of people who do buy them at £2 and several lovely customers who return them after reading for us to sell again. ❤️
ShanghaiDiva · 22/05/2021 19:44

@withlotsoflove

The cancer research shop in town is an absolute disgrace! Bobbled primark tee for a fiver & crappy snagged jumpers for at least 7.99 ! The manager seems to be constantly swanning around in brand new clothes, which looks she just keeps the best for herself?! Is that possible? Can she just do that? She really is the most horrible character who is well known for kicking off in other retail stores in our tiny town! She seems the least likely person to be volunteering in any capacity! I love the hospice shop though - for a local cause & prices that are affordable for everyone! Lovely staff etc…
Yep, absolutely all of us keep the best stuff for ourselves and just pay 50p for it. Wondered how long it would be for this accusation to be trotted out...
Oldsu · 22/05/2021 19:48

@withlotsoflove

The cancer research shop in town is an absolute disgrace! Bobbled primark tee for a fiver & crappy snagged jumpers for at least 7.99 ! The manager seems to be constantly swanning around in brand new clothes, which looks she just keeps the best for herself?! Is that possible? Can she just do that? She really is the most horrible character who is well known for kicking off in other retail stores in our tiny town! She seems the least likely person to be volunteering in any capacity! I love the hospice shop though - for a local cause & prices that are affordable for everyone! Lovely staff etc…
Hang on you are accusing someone of STEALING ????????? because she dresses nicely? if she is actually the manager of a cancer research shop she is not a volunteer she will be paid as CR managers are paid staff, maybe she is not getting her prices right, maybe as a manager she is given prices by her HQ and has to price accordingly bit to call her a thief is a bit much.
RosaBudDrood · 22/05/2021 20:02

@withlotsoflove

The cancer research shop in town is an absolute disgrace! Bobbled primark tee for a fiver & crappy snagged jumpers for at least 7.99 ! The manager seems to be constantly swanning around in brand new clothes, which looks she just keeps the best for herself?! Is that possible? Can she just do that? She really is the most horrible character who is well known for kicking off in other retail stores in our tiny town! She seems the least likely person to be volunteering in any capacity! I love the hospice shop though - for a local cause & prices that are affordable for everyone! Lovely staff etc…
What's the correlation here? So because she's a charity shop manager, it's suspicious that she dresses nice?

Hmm.

Ragwort · 22/05/2021 20:03

A good charity shop manager will be well aware of the demographic make up of their customer base. In my charity shop I charge £2 for a paperback and they sell very well, they are well presented and in good condition. Another local charity shop sells paperbacks 3 for £1 - they are not sorted and in shabby condition. I am sure both of us are happy with our 'turnover' - we know the type of customers that we attract. To put it bluntly, my customers don't want to rummage for stock, they want it nicely presented and easy to find their favourite authors.

And I know lots of you are saying 'put out a basket with everything 50p' ...believe me, I have tried this and it just doesn't work ... as I said previously, I even put stuff out 'free - help yourself' - and it doesn't move (& this is nice stock, not bobbly Primark jumpers Grin).

Ragwort · 22/05/2021 20:08

@RaspberryCoulis thank you for your message, for some reason I can't send a reply but I agree with your comments !

JackRabbitSlimsTwistContest · 22/05/2021 20:09

@Ragwort

A good charity shop manager will be well aware of the demographic make up of their customer base. In my charity shop I charge £2 for a paperback and they sell very well, they are well presented and in good condition. Another local charity shop sells paperbacks 3 for £1 - they are not sorted and in shabby condition. I am sure both of us are happy with our 'turnover' - we know the type of customers that we attract. To put it bluntly, my customers don't want to rummage for stock, they want it nicely presented and easy to find their favourite authors.

And I know lots of you are saying 'put out a basket with everything 50p' ...believe me, I have tried this and it just doesn't work ... as I said previously, I even put stuff out 'free - help yourself' - and it doesn't move (& this is nice stock, not bobbly Primark jumpers Grin).

You sound so snobby Confused

“ I know the customers I attract “

So hike up the prices for the posho’s then leave the scrappy dirty books for the peasants Hmm

ShanghaiDiva · 22/05/2021 20:14

This is not snobby: it’s about understanding the demographic of people who shop with you.
You really think selling a vg quality paperback for £2 is hiking up prices? The objective is to raise money for the charity and £2 is a fair price.
If you don’t want to spend £2, the library is there for you!

Nohomemadecandles · 22/05/2021 20:14

@withlotsoflove

The cancer research shop in town is an absolute disgrace! Bobbled primark tee for a fiver & crappy snagged jumpers for at least 7.99 ! The manager seems to be constantly swanning around in brand new clothes, which looks she just keeps the best for herself?! Is that possible? Can she just do that? She really is the most horrible character who is well known for kicking off in other retail stores in our tiny town! She seems the least likely person to be volunteering in any capacity! I love the hospice shop though - for a local cause & prices that are affordable for everyone! Lovely staff etc…
I don't think it's obligatory to wear the stock! Hmm Bloody silly comment. You don't think people who can afford nice clothes should volunteer? Some weird snobbery there.
woodhill · 22/05/2021 20:16

@ShanghaiDiva

This is not snobby: it’s about understanding the demographic of people who shop with you. You really think selling a vg quality paperback for £2 is hiking up prices? The objective is to raise money for the charity and £2 is a fair price. If you don’t want to spend £2, the library is there for you!
Yes, that makes sense, I tend to use the library anyway
Oldsu · 22/05/2021 20:19

@Ragwort

A good charity shop manager will be well aware of the demographic make up of their customer base. In my charity shop I charge £2 for a paperback and they sell very well, they are well presented and in good condition. Another local charity shop sells paperbacks 3 for £1 - they are not sorted and in shabby condition. I am sure both of us are happy with our 'turnover' - we know the type of customers that we attract. To put it bluntly, my customers don't want to rummage for stock, they want it nicely presented and easy to find their favourite authors.

And I know lots of you are saying 'put out a basket with everything 50p' ...believe me, I have tried this and it just doesn't work ... as I said previously, I even put stuff out 'free - help yourself' - and it doesn't move (& this is nice stock, not bobbly Primark jumpers Grin).

You sound like a very good manager, my DH is a cluster manager he runs 2 shops in very different parts of town, he knows exactly what will sell in each shop and how much to charge in each shop, he will move the more 'basic' stock to the one where he knows he wont get much per item, and he will also rotate stock from the more expensive shop to the cheaper shop once it has been on the rails for 3 weeks, and reduces it by a third, both his shops are high performing and in the top ten shops in his region, it IS knowing your customers and your area so ignore the snide comments by people like Jackrabbit