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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Or was she? Charity shop purchase.

278 replies

JiggleJiggleFold · 09/06/2022 09:50

I went in a charity shop yesterday and saw a set of figurines, 6 of them for £20.

I asked if I could buy 2 of them separately and the lady said no, they're a set. Fair enough. I had a few other bits to get from other shops, so left without them.

Whilst shopping I googled the figures hoping to get them from ebay or somewhere, as I only liked 2 of them. Turns out they end up at around 10/12 quid individually with postage anyways so 20 for 6 was very good.

I went back in and asked for the set. I paid the £20 and said to the lady "I only really want these 2, you can keep the other 4"

She told me they come as a set and you cannot but them individually.
I said I'm not asking to buy them individually, I'm paying the full price but only taking 2.

She told me I wasn't allowed to do that.

I said I'm keeping 2 and donating back the other 4 and that she could sell them as a set of 4.

She was adamant I want allowed to do that and made me take all 6 of them :s

I walked into the charity shop 2 doors down and donated the 4 I didn't want.

AIBU to think the whole things was just ridiculous?

She was really huffy and abrupt with me about it, like I was trying to rip them off or break the sacred rules or something!

OP posts:

DifficultBloodyWoman · 09/06/2022 13:03

Tinkity · 09/06/2022 11:08

Uh-oh, do you not watch horror movies? The simple answer is the figures are haunted.

Lady in the shop gives you an ominous warning that the figures MUST stay together as a set however you disregard her warning and break up the set which releases the evil trapped in the figures. Things then start to go bump in the night (knocked over vases, objects not where you left them, strange noises) which you ignore at first but then before you know it, you’re being full scale terrorised by the figures.

Desperate, you go back to the shop where the lady chastises you for not heeding her warnings and gives you the full backstory, basically (delete as appropriate) these six figures are cursed / contain trapped demons / are haunted by the spirits of insane serial killers who possessed them when their maximum security prison burnt down and the only way to stop them is to reunite the set. You then spend the rest of the movie trying to track down the other four figures (who have naturally been sold to four different people who unbeknownst to you, are also being terrorised). At first no one will believe you, but eventually you will form a Scooby gang of helpers (each will have a specialist skill) who will help you on your search all while trying to stay alive from the terrorising figures who are in pursuit!

I wish you well OP!

OP, I volunteer in a charity shop and there are lots of stupid rules to follow, however, if you paid the asking price and then re-donated the figurines, I would have smiled and said thank you very much. After all, you had just paid over the odds for two items and left us with four to sell.

But that was before I saw @Tinkity‘s post which makes perfect sense. The first charity shop were trying to help you really. Now you have to go to second charity shop where you left the other four figurines so you can reunite them or be cursed forever!!!!

Meklk · 09/06/2022 13:06

I'll never understand one thing- why people are volunteering if they hate it? I have very similar situation at my local charity shop. Ladies at the til are disaster- if they didn't hear you saying "good morning", "bye", they'll scream like idiots. If I'm buying more items, they all the time complaining it's a lot of job to remove them from hangers. I can see hate and anger on their faces every single time I'm coming.

WulyJmpr · 09/06/2022 13:07

Logically you're correct. But people aren't computers and in effect you were at best rubbing her up the wrong way or, at worst, being facetious and obtuse.

You could try reading How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Original poster

JiggleJiggleFold · 09/06/2022 13:09

WulyJmpr · 09/06/2022 13:07

Logically you're correct. But people aren't computers and in effect you were at best rubbing her up the wrong way or, at worst, being facetious and obtuse.

You could try reading How to Win Friends and Influence People.

You think I should read a book on how to better myself socially because somebody else may have been having a bad day?

Er, no thankyou.

OP posts:

MarvelMrs · 09/06/2022 13:11

A volunteer getting a little muddled and making a slightly silly decision.
Not worth much more than a thought and a eye roll. Previous posters calling the worker/volunteer pathetic or stupid are being harsh and unkind.

MarvelMrs · 09/06/2022 13:12

As is the OP making a whole post about it.

thedancingbear · 09/06/2022 13:14

MarvelMrs · 09/06/2022 13:12

As is the OP making a whole post about it.

Quite. Downright shitty behaviour all round from her. Her subsequent posts have been a bundle of joy too.

NashvilleQueen · 09/06/2022 13:15

I really want to see the figurines.

steff13 · 09/06/2022 13:18

I'm surprised people think the shop manager was wrong. I think you were being kind of awkward. She told you they were the set, just take the set.

WulyJmpr · 09/06/2022 13:20

JiggleJiggleFold · 09/06/2022 13:09

You think I should read a book on how to better myself socially because somebody else may have been having a bad day?

Er, no thankyou.

Show quote history

I think you may find a benefit in considering how you're coming across to people. But up to you.

CandleSchtick · 09/06/2022 13:21

I'll never understand one thing- why people are volunteering if they hate it?

I volunteer on the till at a charity shop 2 days a week and I love it! Most of the customers in charity shops are at leisure (not rushing in for a pint of milk, or a top up food shop) you can have a really friendly chatty morning. Most customers are just in to browse, obviously, you don't know what you're going to find in a charity shop so nobody seems in a rush or pressed for time. Some of the weird and wonderful stuff on the shelves can draw comment and conversation and it's all very pleasant and interesting.

It's just the occasional entitled arsehole who comes in and expects personal gold star service and treats the volunteers like some poor sad, bottom of society
lackeys that piss us off. That's when the sour face takes over.
If every charity shop you go in has a sour faced till person, you want to be wondering why.

MrKlaw · 09/06/2022 13:22

if you'd taken all 6, walked out the door, turned around and back in again and said 'I'd like to donate these 4 lovely figurines' it might have been ok. Perhaps you'd painted yourself into a confusing corner with the assistant and they were hearing everything you said as trying to sort of get out of buying the 6 which may have caused confusion in the sales system etc.

I know you said 'I'm only buying 2 and donating the other 4' at the end but it may have been too late by then and also the assistant may have thought you wanted to leave the 4 on the shelf.

Simply they may have needed to do a 'full transaction' and then you could have done a separate 'full donation' and that might have worked. Basically what you did with the charity shop down the road.

Johnnysgirl · 09/06/2022 13:24

JiggleJiggleFold · 09/06/2022 13:09

You think I should read a book on how to better myself socially because somebody else may have been having a bad day?

Er, no thankyou.

Show quote history

Because you're not coming across very well on here either. Your assumption that the other person was totally at fault is not necessarily the case.

Artwodeetoo · 09/06/2022 13:27

Meklk · 09/06/2022 13:06

Perhaps it's you and not them? It's unusual for everyone to be miserable

EverybodysBuildingShipsandBoats · 09/06/2022 13:29

Giveitall · 09/06/2022 09:57

Pathetic charity shop lady with no sense.
You were totally reasonable. Don’t give it another thought & enjoy your purchase.

I was one of those vulnerable adults volunteering and I wouldn't take kindly to being considered this way, thank you!

PineapplePrincess1 · 09/06/2022 13:33

Batisteday · 09/06/2022 12:07

Maybe you should give up your time and volunteer and show them how it should be done? These people are doing this for free and a number are vulnerable and still doing their bit. Drop the contempt please!

Show quote history

Hmmm, well the only type of contempt I've witnessed in charity shops has been staff treating the customers with contempt....

I do offer my time volunteering BTW. Not in a charity shop but I do volunteer work elsewhere

Anotherdayanotherdollar · 09/06/2022 13:35

Giveitall · 09/06/2022 09:57

Pathetic charity shop lady with no sense.
You were totally reasonable. Don’t give it another thought & enjoy your purchase.

Quite possibly lacking in sense, and may be there as a volunteer or an "inclusion" employee (not sure of correct term). Bit uncalled for to label the as pathetic...

RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime · 09/06/2022 13:36

She effectively refused a donation, for no reason other than confusion. If someone had given them the four figures they’d have happily taken them.
What if OP took them all then brought the four back the next day as a donation? Presumably that would have been fine as they’re not a set but there’s no material difference.
Our local British Heart Foundation has stickers on the books and DVDs saying ‘read/watch it then bring it back’.
Why would there need to be a minimum time between buying it and bringing it back?

SpiderinaWingMirror · 09/06/2022 13:36

I expect she had been soundly told off for breaking up a set of things previously!

Wotagain · 09/06/2022 13:41

Me too 😆

Wanderingowl · 09/06/2022 13:42

PineapplePrincess1 · 09/06/2022 10:03

Sounds like a typical jobsworth charity shop assistant! It seems to be compulsory that to work in a charity shop you have to huff and puff as loudly as possible

A LOT of volunteers in charity shops are not neuro-typical. As has already been mentioned repeatedly on this thread. There are very strong odds that the OPs request was something that the woman behind the counter actually could not mentally process.

EverybodysBuildingShipsandBoats · 09/06/2022 13:43

SpiderinaWingMirror · 09/06/2022 13:36

I expect she had been soundly told off for breaking up a set of things previously!

Highly likely. It's not her BU, maybe the shop

Wotagain · 09/06/2022 13:43

Me too @NashvilleQueen !

Please show us these items of such value OP

Johnnysgirl · 09/06/2022 13:44

Ladies at the til are disaster- if they didn't hear you saying "good morning", "bye", they'll scream like idiots.
I doubt this is remotely true.

WakeyCakeyHeart · 09/06/2022 13:47

Consider Autistic Spectrum, it may be that she wasn't able to process anything other than £20 for the set.... you are making a mountain out of a molehill, does it really matter ?

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