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?

Here's the link for all the experts on this thread - with your superior knowledge you will revolutionise charity retail in weeks, and have your pick of jobs (and vastly increased salary) within a few months.

It's a win-win, the charity gets the increased profit, you get a stellar career

Some people are pretty snippy at possibly their customers complaining, often quite validly.

I totally get that @FamilyTreeBuilder . The internet has really changed the game, few bargains slip the net as prices can be checked at the click of a button, plus people are choosing to sell on eBay etc. I think back to the stuff I bought as a student in the 80s and 90s, those were the days… Beautifully made stuff from the 50s and 60s, lots of natural fibres. It’s a side issue but rising prices for cotton and re locating of factories in China mean garments just don’t have the same quality for the price.

Our local pow hospice shop & bhf is ridiculous for pricing at least 3 or 4 pound for a baby top. Yet I recently bought a massive bundle of baby clothes for a tenner off fb market place. The only time the charity shops in our town are busy is when they have a end of season 50p sale.

Or by their not-target customers?

Who can't explain why their complaints are valid?

Because the charity shops strategy of higher prices/fewer sales result in better profits and therefore funding for the charity's aims?

Then charity shops will have to change or close.

In the meantime I suspect they are using the most successful strategies for raising a profit.

Think it depends who is pricing the stock. In some shops there’s a minimum price that comes from managers. In our town we have many charity shops. The ones that look like retail non charity shops, particularly if they buy in new stock are always expensive.

Shoes are very expensive although cheaper than new.
I frequently ask if there are any silver items. In the last 5 years I’ve not been offered any silver items. They keep it for dealers I’m told. So sad when I want to buy for the benefit of charity as well as buy for Christmas presents.
A neighbour was a Charity shop manager - yes she quickly had many decent ornaments. Odd isn’t it!
I agree Charity Shops are too expensive and somewhat greedy.

There are quite a few valid complaints about pricing.
You can't price used primark top like new primark top.
And very valid point about what people thought about the dual purpose. Raising money while providing affordable option to people who can't afford more in exchange for free labour, no or little rates and free merchandise.

In other words the managers are corrupt and keeping the good items for themselves. And for some (weird, incomprehensible) reason deliberately over-pricing stock so it won't sell?

OK, so this thread has educated people about the law relating to charities. There is not a dual benefit.

Educating people is a positive for the thread

The little/no rates are because the profits go to the stated charitable purposes, rather than shareholders.

Not because they provide cheap clothes for the local community. That's why Primark doesn't get little/no rates, despite providing cheap clothing to the local community.

Ok. Well then this needs rewriting

Yes, those are secondary benefits

They are the benefits. To majority of public that is the benefit. While it isn't main one, it is understood they provide that.
If they don't, people will of course question it.

But the law is clear - trustees must ensure that the charity's resources must be used to the benefit of the stated beneficiaries. Obviously it is great if there are wider benefits. But the fundamental reason for the existence of a charity shop is to raise money (profits) for the charity and the stated beneficiaries. The law is entirely clear.

I agree, but I think it does vary. I live in a very small town where we have a Sue Ryder shop which always has everything at £3 or less. But the shop further along (I forget which) is always very pricey!

I took some things to the next town along recently (it's an army base town so they have lots of gorgeous dresses etc, and I prefer to take 'nice' stuff there) and I did notice how expensive everything was in those shops. Obviously some of the items were quite fancy - but I don't know if the basic stuff is also marked up as well.

Our other nearby town is less upmarket, and I saw a Superdry teeshirt in one shop which I thought my son might like. It was £4 which seemed OK - until I noticed a stain/mark on the front. It was hung up high and I couldn't see very well, so I asked the people there if it was actually a mark. The woman said yes - hence the price! Who is going to buy anything with a penny-sized stain on the front, let alone for £4....?????

Crazy!

Well said @Florenz. Charity shops get all their stock for nothing, their staff for nothing (apart from the manager), pay reduced or no rates and often reduced rents.

They are helping to ruin legitimate businesses who have to pay full whack for all costs and it's about time the Government realised this. It's not a level playing field😡.

I have an antiques and house clearance shop and charity shops have adversely affected my income and the income of everyone else in my trade. The big charities drive around in new vans cherry picking house clearances, often taking valuable items from naive, bereaved relatives. At least I pay fair prices for such items or if not interested, give the householder an idea of value. There were 2 charity shops in my town 5 years ago. Now there are 5 and it's no coincidence that 2 clothing shops and 2 gift shops have closed in that time.

I have also personally seen and reported 2 managers loading stock into their cars at close of business and I KNOW from 20 years' experience that the staff and/or volunteers are often seen at car boots selling stock they have stolen or bought for peanuts. Every antiques dealer knows someone in a charity shop who 'deals' on the side.

Then it is because the majority of the public do not understand the law. I am glad this thread has helped to educate

As a charity shop manager I find these threads (& they crop up at least once a month) so tedious ... yes, I appreciate there may be a few badly run charity shops but the vast majority are well run and making a profit for the charity (which is our aim). I am always happy to discuss prices with customers and if appropriate, will reduce the price. Equally I sometimes have customers pointing out items that are underpriced.

I have said this so many times on Mumsnet, I believe I price appropriately (I have a loyal customer base), I price according to the town I am in and don't need to follow a Head Office list ... yet I cannot sell brand new (with labels) generic school uniform from a well known High Street retailer at £1 an item. In my experience most charity shop customers are people who like to avoid landfill & waste and are looking for unusual, quirky items.
But it's a bit like the teaching profession... everyone has an opinion without being a teacher ... if you feel so strongly that charity shops are badly run ...try volunteering yourself .
And I rarely find 'price' is the issue ... if people like something they will buy it.

As a PP stated ... if charity shops are not well run and don't return a profit ... they will be closed down but most charity shops are clearly doing something right. On the back of a similar thread I did a 'name your own price' one day ... it genuinely didn't make any difference to the day's takings.

Yes, the law is clear.
But life often isn't as totally clear as law.
If there were always secondary benefits, people will of course complain when they disappear. Law or no law.

Good for you. What about the Mum that hasn't got a tenner to buy knickers for her child but can stretch to 5 pairs for £2.50 from Primark, is she wrong to buy them or should she just let her child go knickerless to suit your middle class sensibilities ?

There were 2, and now there are 5?

But surely this is the period when charity have raised their costs to unreasonable prices, and no-one shops there now?

Why shouldn't any business 'cherry pick' the items they can re-sell?

I am glad you have reported anyone stealing from their employers

I went in Oxfam in Chiswick last year and saw they had a white Whistles T-shirt for £20. It was ok condition, but no longer pristine white. There’s a Whistles shop right next door… they had a sale with brand new perfect white T-shirts in every size for £20. 🤷🏻‍♀️

It is not charity shops' responsibility. Blame those responsible for the Mum not able to buy her child's underwear

I don't want to get into a personalised dispute with a previous poster, but I'm really surprised someone could say they think charity shops are a bit 'scammy.'
I really don't understand this vitriol aimed at charities for raising money for good causes, both at home and abroad. To all those slagging them off for charging high prices, someone else is clearly paying those prices or the shop wouldn't be around for long. I tend to round up whenever I'm buying from a charity shop. I understand that there are many people who shop in charity shops out of necessity and for whom the cost of living crisis is really biting, but it's times like these that charities really feel the pinch too. They will often have greater overheads in a time like this, and probably greater outgoings too especially if their cause is directly effected by the cost of living crisis. Bear in mind also that charities are probably receiving less cash donations and also the UK government has cut overseas aid spending. I do wonder how many of the self-proclaimed experts on this thread have ever volunteered in a charity shop or know about the intricate details of charity fundraising and/or managing a charity shop. Of course it's distasteful to think that the CEO (I even hate the job title) of Oxfam earns £120,936, but that will be a massive paycut compared to managing a similar sized, similar budget organisation in the private sector. And if you didn't pay a CEO to do the job, it would end up costing the charity alot more than £121k.