To still buy clothes from charity shops?

[RockingMyFiftiesNot]

Been discussed on MN before but would appreciate some help getting my head around a heated debate last night.

I’ve bought clothes from charity shops ever since I started work over 30 years ago. Couldn’t afford a full work wardrobe, discovered charity shops and never looked back.
I am now financially very comfortable. I still browse the charity shops, and still buy from there If I see something that looks like new that I really like. I also buy books and other things eg an old fashioned trifle bowl and some unusual vases.
Somehow the conversation came round to charity shops at my book club last night. I know from previous discussions that most of them wouldn’t dream of buying second hand clothes. A few of us do - the need to spend money wisely never leaves you and I’ll admit to loving the thrill of finding a bargain.
So we revisited that old discussion but with the added very vocal suggestion that it is incredibly wrong of us to continue buying clothes from charity shops in the current economic climate, as we are taking away the opportunity for people struggling financially to buy those clothes.
I was taken aback at the strength of feeling about this, quite vitriolic.
I’d accept it more if we were rinsing the shops and if the shops were short of stock. But between us I think we had bought 10 items this year; we have at least 7 charity shops in our small town centre (all well stocked) and the next town similar.
While I appreciate the charity benefits whoever buys from them, I am now conflicted. I honestly can’t see that buying a few bits from a charity shop is taking stuff away from those that need it (on the basis that there is plenty of stock in the shops, of which there are many). On the other hand maybe they have a valid point. But then if those clothes didn’t get bought the charity would lose out.
I’ve been going round and round on this since I woke up, hence posting. Re-reading this it does sound like I am making something out of nothing but the accusations became quite unpleasant, and I found myself unusually shaken by them so am just trying to process it.
Thank you for reading, sorry it got so long!

Gosh your friends... Actually getting mixed up between a charity shop and a clothes bank. Never heard of anything so stuck up, and the fact they were being vitriolic about it just shows that they are angry with you for doing it as they feel it's beneath them, not because of any other reason.

Keep supporting these worthwhile shops. Retail is a difficult time right now and as you say, you don't buy loads a year anyway - that's because you can go every week and not find something that fits or suits you. Unless there is another person in your town that is exactly the same taste and size as you , but very poor, it's unlikely you are taking from anyone. That would make a great film 🤣

Because I could partly see their point, and my thoughts kept going round in circles on it.

charity shops near us sell Primark T-shirts for £3 so they are struggling but that’s their issue to fix. Two charity shops I’ve visited this week have had signs up saying no to donations as their stock was full so there’s plenty to go round.

I think if you’re in a relatively good financial position then you’re likely the kind who every time they buy something, they’re also donating a few “quality” items - not donating primark or selling them on eBay.

There is nothing wrong with donating Primark clothes to a charity shop. Some of the are good quality - I had a fantastic cotton dress for years that I think I must have donated in the end - and I’ve more recently bought a great Primark top from the charity shop. It’s made of a sort of viscose that really maintains its feel and appearance.

There also isn’t anything wrong with selling on eBay/Vinted, which I also do. It wouldn’t be fair to say that I’m poor but I can certainly use the money. It supports the circular economy. People make money in far less moral ways than that through their regular work a lot of the time.

I also donate to charity and work on behalf of charity in a number of ways.

I know of a person who actually buys things from charity shops and sells them on on eBay in a curated way adding value. I can see this being more controversial but he is open about what he does, gives a further cut to charity seems to have a good relationship with the local shops as he is one of their best customers! If he didn’t do this, the shop still probably wouldn’t be able to do it. Some try - I have experience it and I used to volunteer as an Oxfam online lister but it wasn’t especially successful so there’s a balance to be had between that and just bulk selling as much as possible at a lower price.

That's my thinking, too: that there's no way to guarantee that someone financially struggling will buy something if you don't! People aren't means tested when they enter a charity shop.

I love going down the chazzers. I never buy new clothes, except knickers. I get my M&S bras on Vinted.

I get you, I’ve only become financially secure in my 60’s but still buy and donate to charity shops. The being careful with money never leaves you.
But I don’t buy food from our local Trash cafe as I was ant that to be used by families for food as obviously that stool is not as plentiful as the multiple charity shops we have locally.

Literally everyone should shop in charity shops or buy from EBay ALL the time as a FIRST stop

Because of the environment

Well if people from all backgrounds didn't shop in them they'd acquire a stigma which might prevent many actually in need going there.

I thought we had moved on from 'that's a shop for poor people I wouldn't be seen dead in it'.

Plus some items in charity shops are still at a relatively higher price point and these help support the 'everything on this rail a pound' type stock offloading which is beneficial to those who need it.

I have always shopped in charity shops and the reduced food sections as I hate food waste too. I'm not short of money but definitely not rich. I'm not struggling now because I've always been thrifty.

Absolutely keep shopping in charity shops .. the aim of a charity shop (as everyone on this thread is stating) is to raise money for the charity it represents not to 'clothe the poor' .

The same with jumble sales that people keep harping back to .. I used to run jumble sales in the 70s and 80s and it wasn't some worthy attempt to provide cheap clothing for local people - it was to raise funds for the Scouts, Church or whatever.

The psychology around shopping in charity shops is very interesting .. I can't articulate it very well but there is a real stigma for some less well off people to shop in charity shops as if they don't want to be 'seen' buying a bargain and prefer to buy new from Primark etc. I manage a charity shop and we have so much stock (and yes I do price to sell before someone tells me my prices are too high ) ... we will never run out of stock. I have brand new school uniform from a well known High Street retailer - I can't even sell it at £1 per item. So many 'older' women (& I am one myself) say things like 'I just can't buy this for my DGC, their parents won't allow them to wear clothes from charity shops'. I am in a position to be able to discretely give clothing away and where I can I do ... but I know for a fact that some families just don't like going into charity shops.

I’m a high rate taxpayer and buy most of my clothes secondhand. Mainly ebay as don’t get to charity shops often. There is an excess of second hand stuff online and im shops. Charity shops are binning good donations because they don’t shift enough stock so YADNBU to shop in them.

These women sound like they are justifying their own snobbery behind a veneer of ‘help the poor’.

I remeber a time that you'd get a top for 50p in a charity shop. That was when the general public wouldn't be seen dead in one and when you actually had to wade through everything. These days charity shops are more like boutiques , I miss the way they used to be. Some of them do forget that they get their stock for free and I believe that some of them will eventually price themselves out of business. One of our local ones is definitely heading that way. The stock remains on the shop floor for a long time. It baffles me that the organisations can't see this and realise its their pricing

I work in a charity shop and every single shop in our area sends stuff to the rag man because either it doesn't sell or we get inundated with more stuff than we could ever sell. (Also, before anyone says anything about prices, I work in a 'discount' charity shop where, for example, kids coats are between £2 and £5 and adults coats are between £4 and £10 depending on brand/tags etc and most clothing is £1 to £3.)

They're just preloved clothes where the proceeds go to charity. They're there for anyone to buy. There are no rules. You don't need to worry or justify yourself to anyone.

YANBU. As others have said, charity shops are there to make money for the charity. There was a whole other thread recently about the cost of clothes in charity shops going up and the overwhelming consensus was that they are not there to ‘clothe the poor’ but to generate income in support of the charity. The added benefit is that buying second hand is more sustainable. Your book club friends are being ridiculous, don’t give it another thought.

So many experts on charity shops - if you 'miss the way they used to be' why don't you set one up yourself?
Of course some charity shops are badly run and will be closed down, just like badly run independent shops, cafes, restaurants, supermarkets in the 'wrong' location etc etc.
The charity shop model works well ... our town has lots of charity shops with a new one opening next week .. of course some people 'moan' that there are too many but people still shop in them and they are all performing well.

I thought at least some of the charity shops were having to bin things because they were getting swamped with too many donations?

I shopped at Primark mostly when my income was low. Friends of mine raising families on low incomes tended to buy new from Primark and ASDA. So, I don't think you'd be stealing a poor person's chances at clothes shopping at a charity shop any more than you would shopping the Primark and ASDA clearance racks, or responding to that Vinted/eBay/Depop or FB Marketplace ad.

Your friends found the most ridiculous way to virtue signal! So totally bonkers! Of course you can go to charity shops. Why would you even think twice about it?

This is correct

we have too many clothes in the UK.

if the whole book club wanted to shop second hand there’d still be things left for those who needed clothing at a low price

Of course you're not. Bet they'd feel better if you said your clothes were "pre-loved' though
Much more middle class for some people

No anyone can shop given their income or social status.
Having volunteered in a second hand store I was amazed at the many different people who volunteered to the shoppers, It was a interesting and fun experience.
The charity was for anyone able to get to the shop, not what your social status was..
Luckily here it is the thing to do is secondhand shopping, I love my bargins and finds.
Perhaps a thread about 2nd hand finds would be interesting.

most of them wouldn’t dream of buying second hand clothes.
I like these sort of people. If it wasn't for them the charity shops would have no stock for me to buy.
Please encourage their phobia.

You are doing something good for the environment.

Some people are weird, and get very defensive about their own choices. So instead of seeing that you're doing a good thing and thinking "nice, good for you", they have to come up with a reason why you must be wrong so that they don't have to examine their own choices and motivations.

I agree. I work in a very twee affluent town that has about 15 charity shops on it's tiny high street. There are bargains to be had but they also all price the Joules/Boden clothes etc very high despite being tatty then price Primark/h&m/supermarket stuff at £4 for a t-shirt which is the same price as brand new. If I was on a low income I'd go to charity shops for toys/books but I'd go to Primark for clothes as it's cheaper

I've also had this experience in more than one charity shop.

Of course you should keep shopping there! What a ridiculous notion that anyone over a certain pay scale has to buy new. It's nothing but bitterness and helps nobody.

Even better, donate your good quality clothes back to your favourite charity shops.