Charity shops seem to be unrealistic with their prices and I can't afford them anymore!

[AutumnFairy01]

Firstly, this isn't to do with not giving to charity. I give to charity separately and donate items to local homeless charities, food banks, etc but I've always loved supporting charity shops too. They're great (or were great) for grabbing a bargain and reusing an unwanted item. I love secondhand wherever possible.

However, I've now come to the conclusion that charity shops are largely unaffordable for me now. I browse round charity shops weekly I would say (in more than one town) and the prices are just crazy! I always buy secondhand clothing for myself, dh and children but quite often the charity shop prices seem more expensive than buying new or at best, very little difference. For instance, in Chelmsford the other day, I went into the BHF shop and I saw a very simple baby's top, not designer or anything and it was £4! And then for adult clothing, I couldn't see anything below £6/7.

Boots sales and Facebook marketplace are my go to places more and more now. Sometimes freebay too.

I can understand charity shops putting their prices up a little with rising costs of everything but there has to be a balance surely?

AIBU to think charity shop prices are unrealistic for secondhand items?

Are they becoming unaffordable for anyone else?

I guess it's because children's feet are more easily damaged by wearing shoes that are molded into the shape of another child's feet. Plus it's harder to fit children's shoes correctly as you depend on them to give feedback about what fits or not.

Yes, must be that.

But what you don't understand is that by 'selling cheap to local people' the charity will end up with less money for their good cause. And however bad the cost of living crisis is here, it's a lot worse in Sudan for sure.
So many selfish people on this website who seem to begrudge charity shops actually making money for charity.
I'd be interested to know how many of the people slagging off charities for raising money for charity vote Conservative.....the party which has both cut international aid spending and trashed the economy.

Very true.

DH is into Fred Perry polo shirts. He has seen some in second hand shops priced as high as £20. Many have been fakes too.

Vinted he picks them up for a fiver.
And recently, DD wanted a Metallica top. We got an 80s vintage one for £8.

I love Vinted, all the odd bits for my wedding came from vinted. I love the homewares on there too, I bought DD a lovely brand new bedding set that online went for £60, we got it for £5!

@whinge, I suppose I was disappointed that the dress was being undersold because I thought they’d make at least a fiver out of it and with the cake, the ingredients cost more than 4 x what the school charged and I might as well have bought a cake and donated it!
However, I do think that some charity shops have gone too far the other way now…

I think the use of the word 'charity' seems to get a lot of people to think that they exist to benefit everyone.

Yes, they are businesses, but businesses that use their profits to further their charitable aims, rather than create profit for shareholders. That's why they get various tax breaks.

I suspect the large names price higher and have less traffic because that is the most effective way of generating the greatest profit. If the profit isn't high enough the manager will be replaced or the shop closed down, so if they are still operating they are making a respectable profit.

The small names don't have the infrastructure/expertise to monitor the point at which the return on investment is maximised, so go for the 'pile high sell cheap' approach.

How busy a shop is does not reflect the profit it makes, despite so many people here (with no experience in the field) being 'sure' that it does.

It's incredible how often I hear and/or read comments about how charities are mismanaged or have the wrong strategy.

It's almost as often as I hear/read comments suggesting charities shouldn't pay competitive salaries for their staff and executives.

If only it were DVD's. It was all good clothing both adults and children; anything I wouldn't buy myself I take to the recycling centre. Had they have said "can I have a quick check what you're donating as there are some things we can't sell/have to much of etc" fair enough. So fuck off with your snidey comment.

and the ever popular comment that those of us who volunteer at charity but all the decent donations ourselves for tuppence.

Oh I forget about that @ShanghaiDiva. My garage crammed with all the "good stuff" of clothes which don't fit me or my kids, the wee nick nacky ornaments and other stuff which is not to my taste, stolen just so that other people can't get it.

I totally agree. It cost more to buy a second hand top in a charity shop than fully price primark.

Why do you resent that? Do you resent any other shop being more expensive than Primark?

That's because primark is so ridiculously cheap there is very little intrinsic value in the item or its design

And? I would far far rather buy second hand Cos, Hobbs, Boden, Mint Velvet or even nice Next or M&S than fast fashion crap from Primark.

Primark isn't that cheap anymore. The jeans are fine from their they wash fine. Primarks prices went up ages ago.

What about their overheads though.
Rent
Bills

I live in a wealthy area but our charity shops never seem to get any decent stock and prices are still high.
It's also hard to donate to charity shops as they frequently won't take any donations. I find it all frustrating.

girlfriend44 Charity shops get different status on some tax and bills etc for being a chsiry

I would like to know their rent deals or do they own the buildings? Because I just simply cannot understand how always half empty BHF or Oflxfam shop makes rent in place where busy restaurant may have tough times if it's bit quieter.

Our council charges reduced rates for charity shops.

I find cheap new clothes do last, if chosen carefully. I've had some Primark clothes, bags and shoes for many years and they are no worse quality than many far more expensive items at five or ten times the price made in exactly the same places with a bigger markup.

Rates and rent isn't the same though.

The charity shop where I volunteer is rented - well, leased really. Head office signs a lease agreement for 5 or 10 years at a time. Next door in the same building there's a cafe/restaurant which also leased, upstairs a few small businesses like a dentist, accountant, lawyer.

And @Applesandcarrots - when the lease is up for renewal, the charity will look at the numbers. if the shop is not covering its costs, it will definitely be closed. If they think it's better to shut it, and open another shop in a different location, that's what they will do.

No charity is going to keep a loss-making charity shop running.

But how long does it take to sell the more expensive stuff.
How much stuff ends up going to the ragman or landfill.

If charity shops aren’t for those on a budget then their customer base must be minute.

Thanks.
Tbf no rates, not that much on staffing (ehich is often major business cost) and no buy in cist for stock might make up for lesser turnover compared to businesses around. Must be pretty tight in city centrres though.

I understand that, but what the charity shops need to understand is who their clients are if they do not want to be driven to bankruptcy by Primark and supermarket brands.

Most people donate to charities to help people around them who cannot afford to pay full price, very few know the ins and outs of the situation of Sudan. Selfish? Could be, but what you don’t seem to understand is that when you are in survival mode and your children are going hungry in your own house, you don’t have the resources or the headspace to help other people’s children thousands of miles away.

Charity shop buyers are not all well off people looking to find a hidden bargain, many of them are people who are trying really hard to get to the end of the month with the very little money that they have.

We don’t have clothes banks where I live to donate to local people in need but if there were, that’s were ALL my stuff would be going.