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?

What angers me the most is the saleries the CEOs get. A quick google will show their wages are well over $100K*

Not this again.

To get good staff you need to pay good wages. Competent people are not going to offer to take a reduced salary just because they are working for a charity. Over £100k for a CEO is the going rate. Pay less and you will get a crap CEO which ultimately costs the charity money.

We have A local clothes bank because of this issue .

I wish we had one around here - I'd prefer to donate to it than to the big established charities.

I've also noticed that the amount of new stuff they sell is increasing. If they want to sell new items then they should have to pay full business rates like other retailers.

I went for a look around a nice town

I got a book as a gift but the clothes were tired looking

Oxfam prices were ridiculous but aged charity was more reasonable

We have a thrift store locally. Various charities/ local causes take over it for a week. They provide volunteers and some stock, leftover stock from previous weeks, random donations that come in the door. The community hall does a week to fund the kids Christmas party for example, scouts do a week to fund camping trip etc.

very much a pile it high, sell it cheap, it’s supposed to help the community and the charity which is a nice balance.

Agree, but they differ so much. The area I've recently moved from had two shops where all clothing was £2, so a bargain and they had a fast turnover. Where I live now they are really expensive and stuff hangs around for weeks. Don't often look at clothes anymore but noticed a nice top which was a bit worn looking at £9! People on here often say these shops are turning away stock or selling it for rags, so why not just price stuff more reasonably and have a quicker turnover?

😂They're asking anyone to be 'grateful'.

They are offering goods for sale with the aim of maximising their profits. You are not obliged to shop in a charity shop. You are not obliged to give your used goods to a charity shop

Members of the public can chose to buy those items at the price offered, or chose not to buy.

This organisation was set up to be the clothing equivalent of a food bank - theclothingbank.org.uk/

They are looking for partners to expand their reach across the UK. No doubt everyone on this thread who wants their second hand clothes to go to local people in need will be calling them first thing on Monday, I hope their switchboard can cope 😮

Tho' I won't hold my breath 😂😂

That has been explained over and over again on this thread...

Stock turnover does NOT equal profit.

Stock turnover does NOT equal profit.

Maybe not but if I walk into a charity shop and first glance shows me that it's the same stock as a couple of weeks ago then I'll walk straight back out again. I won't waste time trying to find anything new amongst the old stock.

One around here had some ornaments donated from my late MIL's house for 5 YEARS at a ridiculous price. They never did sell and the charity shop is now closed. I do wonder what happened to them!

And if people stop buying there the shop will not make a profit, and eventually close.

Yes, there are some badly run shops (charity and non-charity).

But charity shops have a target market just as much as any other shop. If you are not their target market then it doesn't matter whether or not you 'walk straight back out again'.

Selling one item at £100 brings in more than 50 items at £1, for a great deal less time, effort and space, all of which cost money and reduce profits.

I should have said 'And if everyone stops buying there, for clarity

The reduced rates are not because of the stock they choose to sell, it is because the profits go to causes that are charitable rather than into shareholders pockets.

If they make more profits by selling new items then that is more money to help cats in need of protection/elderly people/cancer research/whatever else has been seen by the Charity Commission to have a public benefit under the legal definitions of charity.

Fair enough when they are selling donations but by selling new goods they then become in direct competition with our retailers in the area. Paying considerably less in rates gives them an unfair advantage.

I make a point of not buying any of their new stock as I prefer to support small local businesses wherever I can if I do have to buy new. Our high streets are under significant pressure at the moment and the small independent shops are seriously endangered.

I rarely go into BHF now as so much of their stock is new tat which offends my reuse/recycle ethos.

As I said, the rates reduction is not about whether they are in competition with other shops, it is about the fact that their profits go to the public via their charitable work, not into the pockets of the owners/shareholders.

Second hand clothes are in competition with Primark, second hand books are in competition with Waterstones. Whatever you sell as a charity shop is in competition with a non-charity shop. The difference is where the profit ends up, not what you sell.

Their figures will tell them what is or isn't selling on each week. So obviously people are paying the prices you see or they wouldn't charge them. I volunteer in one and am amazed that people will spend £200 or more on a designer used bag for example.

I agree!
In fact, I give my second hand books to a second hand book shop in town who are trying to make a living and now have to compete with Oxfam who get all their stock for free, are vastly overpriced and pay huge salaries to those at the top.
I'm sure charity rents get some sort of rates discount too.

Charity shops pay full rent and utes, the same as any business. Any tax reduction they get is because profits go to supporting a charity. However, they could cut down on Administration at H.O. and so called useless senior management. Shop managers salaries are crap. Over worked, bad conditions, no breaks, often lone working!

When I started volunteering, around seven years ago, we had plenty of volunteers. Retired, like me, or younger, getting experience for a CV, or doing the DoE award for instance. Now, I regularly see adverts for volunteers, our shop, like others nearby has a shortage. I understand that there will be fewer younger people, as everyone able to work should be working to combat the increased price of living, but as a not very well off pensioner (We can’t afford exotic holidays and cruises) volunteering is a great way to get out and about, and I feel like I’m making a contribution. The plus side is I enjoy it!

YANBU. Theyre taking the piss, theyre used things. They should be sold for a token amount, it would help the economy. help your own country before some kids in africa.

They also need to consolidate - too many charities doing the same thing and there must be so much waste of effort and resources.

Which ones do you have in mind to consolidate due to their similarities?

For all those that still don’t get it, a shop manager is generally not responsible for the many duties others have listed, and answering emails can be done on the EPOS till system. Farting about with more form filling is just a useless waste of bloody time, and I often wonder just what is done with the information acquired, if there is actually anyone analysing the data, and what good it actually does, in fact is there even anyone available at HO. It’s all getting ridiculous and achieves absolutely nothing. Tick boxing for pen pushers! They have got nothing better to do than put the already overworked managers under more stress, rather than letting them RUN THE SHOP as they were paid to do, and I say “paid” lightly, the pay is a joke!!!

I was in my favourite charity shop this afternoon. There were only two people working there. They got a delivery during opening hours.
I offered to help, they declined, but shut the shop. I was still there, explained that I had current DBS clearance and insisted that I'd help, and basically didn't take no for an answer.
The amount of bags was unbelieveable.
How are they are expected to cope?
I now understand why they are often shut when I get there late-ish on a Sunday.

It was the least I could do. I always get great things in that shop. I won't tell you what today's purchases were, but they were fab, but if you think the staff raid the stock, they don't have time.

A big shout out to the Children's Society shop in Braintree, Essex. I'd not visited before (actually hadn't visited Braintree before yesterday) and it was so affordable. Some childrens clothes were £1 but most of the childrens clothes were 3 for a £1. I got a massive bag of clothes for my 4 and 1 year old - a warm winter coat, 3 jumpers, a party dress, pyjamas, tops, leggings, all for £7!! Even the adult clothes were largely priced at £1. I spent a good half an hour or more in there and the shop was consistently busy with lots being sold during that time.

Despite the unpleasant smug tone of this post and the stupid 'crying laughing' emojis, I did indeed follow your link and try to find my local drop off point.

Your post didn't explain that although they have many drop off points, they are all within about 10 miles of each other somewhere near Sheffield/Doncaster.

I am from London. There isn't a branch within hundreds of miles of where I live, nor anyone else who lives in the South of England, Wales, Scotland, etc. You do realise this is a national - indeed international - site, don't you?