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

@RickJames

I think chain Charity shops in the UK are very expensive - hospice shops tend to be more reasonable.

I collect ceramics and found that last time I was in the UK there had been some sort of realization about a certain type of ceramic that it was worth a lot of money. Well sure, rare or handmade items are but I had to laugh at some of the prices being applied to some of the most ugly or mundane examples. £50 for a chipped, brown monstrosity - ridiculous. I think they'd be much better served by preserving the 'Aladdin's Cave' type fun, that you never know if you'll find a fantastic vintage teapot for £2 or a lovely designer wool coat for a fiver. That was always my motivation when chazzer raiding as a teen. There's so much horrible crap in them, there needs to be a reward!

I do like the Aladdins cave type ones they are so fun, aren't they? Still have a few like that in my city but there aren't as many as there were

I buy a lot of shirts and blouses from oxfam online. There’s a lot of horrid stuff but if you keep looking something really nice will come along. Prices are quite high for a charity shop but I’m happy to pay them as a lot cheaper than new and I tend to buy what I know I will like and feel good about good cause etc

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

My mum is retired and is a dedicated lover of a good bargain. She’d happily spend ages rummaging a pile of dog-earred paperbacks. She’s not a ‘peasant’.

I’m a busy working mum, don’t have a lot of time to browse charity shops but will spend a couple of minutes when dropping off a donation and will happily pay £2+ for a paperback if something catches my eye (probably something that’s prominently displayed). I’m not a ‘posho’.

@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…

My late mother used to volunteer in a CS and used to complain endlessly to me about 'skimming' of the best stuff mostly by the paid manager and a couple of other staff/volunteers. I'm going back 10-15 years here so maybe standards have tightened up in most places.

They would put to one side good quality/ pricey items for themselves then make a show at closing time of bunging a tenner in the till and waltz off with a pile of stuff that if put on display and priced properly would have raised 4 or 5 times that for the charity.

I don't see how charity shops can avoid that sort of thing though because even with a head office imposed strict pricing structure there's no inventory for what comes into the shop in donations. Just have to hope the majority of staff are motivated by the charity aspect rather than a material gain one.

@FedNlanders

There is one in Perranporth that always amazes me how bad it is. Could be a good mine for holiday makers with weather and forgotten items but its a dump

I remember a holiday to Cornwall a few years back and finding a lovely little local cancer charity shop in Marazion which I absolutely loved. Books were 50p and I came away with about 10 of them!

I stopped shopping at the local charity place when they were trying to charge half the RRP of the book so paperback about 3.50 with a read and return sticker on. Cheaper to buy from the supermarket. I buy my clothes in eBay mainly. Anything the kids grow out of is given away locally. I used to love a mooch around charity shops, I've given it up though.

Oldsu thank you for your comments, I have read about your DH before, he sounds like a great manager too.

I don't worry about some of the comments on this thread, I am confident that I run a good shop and make money for the charity I represent, I attract fantastic, hard working volunteers and have no problem retaining them .

I would honestly love some of the 'experts' on this thread to spend a week with me running a charity shop - I would genuinely welcome constructive ideas that would make my shop even more profitable.

We have an amazing one where every item is a pound, I’ve bought some really nice things from there, not designer but a good brand.My 11 year old son, gets very little wear out of his clothes, due to him always growing.I make sure all his outgrown clothes end up there

This thread put me in the mood for a rummage around a charity shop so i called into one of the Christian ministry ones today.

I came away with 5 books, 3 sleepsuits, 2 tops and 2 pairs of leggings, a next rain jacket (all 3-6 months) and a small paw patrol vehicle with rubble in the back, all for £9

I remember a holiday to Cornwall a few years back and finding a lovely little local cancer charity shop in Marazion which I absolutely loved. Books were 50p and I came away with about 10 of them!

I filled two carrier bags with books from a charity shop in St Austell on holiday one year! It had some kind of offer on where it was really cheap to buy multiples. I'm a fast reader so I was able to donate some of them to the visitor bookcase at the campsite before I went home but DH still moaned about the weight in the car.

@Oldsu I am not being Snide

Simply stating that charity shops DO prove themselves out of areas , why else would they be ragging things ? There is absolutely no need to be ragging jumpers just because they are out of season and do not fit the fancy “ in season “ window displays .
That is “ snide “

Edit * price not prove - for goodness sake 😬

Don't buy stuff then 🙄

A few years ago, a lovely local hospice shop closed down for refurbishment. It opened back up with beautiful decor, matching hangers, and wooden shelving. All of the 'vintage' clothes were in their own corner (including new clothes in a vintage style). It had exactly the same stock as before, but all the prices had gone up. I stopped going. Fancy lighting isn't going to make me pay £10 for George jeans that cost £12 new!

That said, I do enjoy going out to the charity shops in a v posh village in my county! All of the high quality and designer goods get sent there, so you can get a good bargain compared to the cost of new goods.

I do think charity shop should do a bit of homework and not over charge for things as there are some elderly/vulnerable people who don’t have much of an idea about prices and end up being ripped off - e.g. Ikea glasses being sold for £2 each when they are half that price new.

You can’t get anything in my local Shelter charity shop for under £30

My local Sue Ryder shop is lovely! Everything is top quality and really well priced. Very little is more than £5. I think it must depend on the manager. I do agree, though, that many charity shops price way too high.

I don't use charity shops as my own experiences have not been great. A good number of years ago my Nan asked me to buy a kettle she'd seen in a charity shop , as I would be passing the shop on my way to visit her. The kettle was priced at the same price as a brand new kettle in the electrical store across the road. Considering the new one also had a two year guarantee, is it any wonder I bought her the new one? Two summers ago, I was looking for a specific type of item which I thought I might find in a charity shop. I found one and purchased it. Then found the same item, brand new in another local shop. The new one was half the price. I no longer use my local charity shops.

@Ragwort I am surprised your 50p/free baskets don't do well.

My local charity shop has boxes of 50p items at the entrance and I honestly think it's the first thing that almost every customer rummages through and often finds something they want. Another charity shop (in a smart Cotswolds town) has boxes of free items outside with the suggestion of a donation, and again popular with loads of people.

Surely it's better to get rid of the items than pay to send them to landfill.

I give my books to oxfam because I know they will sell them on for a decent price. I like the fact that they are running a proper bookshop, with sensible categories - it was always a great place to stock up on children’s books when my dc were young - and the online bookshop is vg too. If you give them a lot of books and are registered with them, they send you a quarterly email telling you how much your books have raised, which is v motivating to encourage a book clear out.

hmmm... not a problem in my area.

Here, the expensive charity shop charges £4/pair of jeans.
The other char-shops charge 50p-£2.50.

Carboot sale I was at today, main guy across from me was charging 20p/item. There were some curtain sets (they looked lovely) for £2/pair.

DS found a swivel vise for £20...we thought that was pricey for 2nd hand, but it sold! We were going to offer £15.

The expensive CS chain here is Dove House. I avoid their shops, as they have unrealistic pricing structures. Like a lot of people, I prefer to visit independent shops, where there’s no corporate rules for the volunteers to follow.

I got a lovely two-tier wicker cat basket in a small pet charity shop a few years back for about £4. I donated it back after a few weeks, as my cantankerous old man cat refused to countenance it.

When you can buy 3 for a fiver new paperbacks from the works, I will not pay 2 quid plus for a used copy.

Charity shops local to me have all put their prices up and on the few occasions I have been in they have were empty.

Why can they not see that their way of thinking regarding pricing is not working.

Some have definitely increased their prices - Cancer Research and British Red Cross where I live are quite expensive. The Sue Ryder near me is good though, it’s quite big, with a good variety. Books are £1, and last time I went in I got some Hobbs black trousers for £5 and an Adidas sports top for £3! Great value!

[quote JackRabbitSlimsTwistContest]@Oldsu I am not being Snide

Simply stating that charity shops DO prove themselves out of areas , why else would they be ragging things ? There is absolutely no need to be ragging jumpers just because they are out of season and do not fit the fancy “ in season “ window displays .
That is “ snide “[/quote]
You are assuming that everything that is donated can be sold.
Would you like to buy some dirty, smelly, ripped clothes?
In the shop where I volunteer we don’t rag saleable items.