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AIBU?

Aibu to take things from outside the clothes bank

320 replies

Untamedfemale · 14/10/2022 11:43

Just what the title says my kids need clothes and there are always bags of them outside the clothes bank a lot of people seem to go through them and they often end up on the floor etc so do you think ibu to have a look through and take some.

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Am I being unreasonable?

AIBU

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Untamedfemale · 14/10/2022 14:04

goldfinchonthelawn · 14/10/2022 13:52

Honestly? It wouldn't bother me at all. The clothes are no longer needed by people who want to see them go to a good home and not end up in landfill. If I left a bag of clothes next to a charity drop outside a supermarket and saw someone going through them and taking some for their kids, I'd be very happy.

Chairty shops often overcharge. They are no longer the place to go for people who are short of money. So if you are skint and need some free clothes for your children, I see nothing wrong in it.

I have friends who get furious that people help themselves to stuff they've dumped in a skip. Never understood that either. How can you claim someone is stealing something from you if you have thrown it away?

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most charity shops definitely overcharge it’s ridiculous £20 pounds for a jacket 3.99 for books etc madness

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purfectpuss · 14/10/2022 14:07

How do the clothes get all over the ground though?

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girlmom21 · 14/10/2022 14:09

purfectpuss · 14/10/2022 14:07

How do the clothes get all over the ground though?

People leave bin bags outside the bins because they're either full or they can't be arsed to put the individual clothes in them, then people come along and look for anything branded or animals rip them open looking for food.

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GetThatHelmetOn · 14/10/2022 14:11

If you need it, take it. Whatever is left outside the boxes is likely to be made unsellable if it rains.

What is in the box is owned by the charity, what is in the street is just not the same.

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OhFatty · 14/10/2022 14:12

I would be very happy for you to take clothes that I put in the charity bins.

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dottiedodah · 14/10/2022 14:14

If you need it then help yourself! I would have no problem with this ,I give stuff to the Clothes Bank for this reason .If we didnt have such an Arsehole of a Govt we wouldnt have people in dire straits like this! A few weeks ago a similar article on a guy helping himself to Food Bank stuff,general concensus was to crack on!

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TulipCat · 14/10/2022 14:15

Most people using those bins do so because it's convenient, they couldn't care less what happens to the clothes. The fact they have dumped them by the side of the bin instead of going to one that isn't full demonstrates this. Crack on.

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uncomfortablydumb53 · 14/10/2022 14:16

If you're desperate for clothes, I don't see anything wrong with it
If I was in your position I would

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orbitalcrisis · 14/10/2022 14:17

Do be careful, you're embarrassed to ask for clothes, imagine how you'd feel if you got arrested. Legally, this is theft. Those items, even left outside the bin, belong to the charity.

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Faciadipasta · 14/10/2022 14:17

Laughing at the PP who mentioned that some people moan about people 'stealing' stuff from their skip!! How mental is that 😆
If anyone ever sees anything they fancy sitting in a skip outside my house please help yourself! And I'd do the same, and I'm not even particularly hard up. There said it! 😆

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itwasntmetho · 14/10/2022 14:18

If I left clothes at a clothes bank I would be pleased that they were being taken and used like this. Swap them for your childrens too small clothes if it makes you feel better.

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Untamedfemale · 14/10/2022 14:18

Thanks for the reply’s I feel abit better now hopefully it won’t be for long then I’ll be able to give back 😊

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slowquickstep · 14/10/2022 14:19

If they are on the ground outside of the clothes bank they don't belong to the charity. If you truly need them, take them

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SainteCroissante · 14/10/2022 14:21

I vote you are NOT unreasonable if you carefully go through the things to get something to clothe your kids, and even yourself, or a small trea, when times are that bad for you! And I am very sorry you have to resort to this. I can barely imagine anyone at the charities themselves being mad at you, either. If I met you while dropping something off (although I never leave bags lying around outside shops or bins), I would gladly hand you the whole lot if you can put it to good use!
It'd be different if you went through bags to find things to resell yourself, or left a mess, ... but in this case, I think you'd have the blessing of the people originally dropping off these things.

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Faciadipasta · 14/10/2022 14:21

If they're on the ground they've been fly tipped. I'd say even if you don't 'truly need them' and just fancy them you're not actually doing anything illegal. Technically you're just removing stuff that's been fly tipped. Surely?

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Bear2014 · 14/10/2022 14:22

I think it's absolutely fine. If I'm taking a bag to one of these I just want to get rid of it. The fact you're using them stuff and getting more life out of it is great.

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WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 14/10/2022 14:22

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 14/10/2022 14:25

Faciadipasta · 14/10/2022 14:17

Laughing at the PP who mentioned that some people moan about people 'stealing' stuff from their skip!! How mental is that 😆
If anyone ever sees anything they fancy sitting in a skip outside my house please help yourself! And I'd do the same, and I'm not even particularly hard up. There said it! 😆

Well yeah. We had a skip once. Got a small one as the medium was £50 more! The small one was diddy! We filled it so quickly. Had loads of stuff left!

Then the next morning, some people rode up in a little scrap wagon, and asked if they could have a mooch through the skip. 'Knock yourself out' I said. They took nearly everything! Emptied almost emptied the skip for us! We filled it up again, and they came back, and emptied it again!

We were very grateful.

Taking clothes from a charity clothes bank is a bit 'off' though. IMO.

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greenstrawberries · 14/10/2022 14:25

Try Olio, lots of people give things away on there and there is no judgement, it’s just people clearing out

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Soundofshuna · 14/10/2022 14:26

As someone who often puts clothes in them I would be delighted that they went directly to someone who needed them.

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MyneighbourisTotoro · 14/10/2022 14:27

Ignore anyone judging you, I’m so sorry you are in this situation, no one should be struggling like this, take what you need, they are being donated to go to those who need them so I really don’t see an issue with what you are doing.

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uncomfortablydumb53 · 14/10/2022 14:27

Also pause/ end your subscription to charity
Due to tough times you couldn't have anticipated You need that money

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starfishmummy · 14/10/2022 14:27

Technically the stuff thrown around them is fly tipping. At my supermarket it gets chucked away. However having seen the mess and rubbish dumped around the charity and recycling bins after a weekend I'm not sure I'd want to rummage in it.

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RandomCatGenerator · 14/10/2022 14:27

Im so sorry I you’re in this situation OP and hope things get better for you and your family.

YANBU.

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reigatecastle · 14/10/2022 14:28

Not read the full thread but where I live people consider leaving clothes outside an overflowing clothes bin to be fly tipping. If it's full you are meant to take your things home again.

I disagree, but if you do take that viewpoint, you could argue that "stealing" fly-tipped clothing isn't that immoral.

If you opened up a clothes bank to take what was inside that would be different.

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