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!

Responded without finishing...

So by buying clothes in charity shops you're not depriving someone from cheap clothes

In my opinion it’s recycling and better for the environment
I donate probably as much as I buy!
where I live they are not cheap £28 for a dress yesterday in my local hospice shop so am sure anyone on a low income would go elsewhere
I would ignore them

I live in a very MC area, and get raised eyebrows and nonplussed reactions when asked where I got whatever I'm wearing and say "charity shops."

However, most of them are off to a "pre-loved" clothes swap "event" tonight - but there's Prosecco and makeovers and stylists on hand at it, so that's apparently ok! 😆😆😆

Huge amounts of clothes go to landfill. There is no shortage. Work away.

Where I am , free cycle and random acts of kindness groups on Facebook are the best place for those on a lower income. People give things away for free. Clothes, furniture, baby toys , books etc. People seem to prefer to know where things are going. It's also rare that anyone is found reselling too which is great.

I agree with you OP. I’ve also left a book club because people get very opinionated and don’t talk about the book at all!

Have any of these people seen the Simon Reeve programme where he goes to a huge clothes landfill in the Chilean desert? It's just a sea of textiles as far as the eye can see. Just dumped clothing from rich Western countries. That's the scale of the problem the world is dealing with. That level of waste and environmental damage is far more deserving of vitriol than you choosing to re-use a few items while donating to charity!

100% agree that using charity shops is a positive thing to do, crack on!

The thing is that we need a wide range of buyers. We need the person who is willing to rummage though the £1 rail to find a bargain, we need the person who's happy to spend £10 on a Christmas party dress (BNWT), we need the person who likes the old fashioned trifle bowl, we need the person who likes the modern bric-a-brac, we need the person who spends £2 on a scratched but perfectly usable coffee table just as much as the person who will spend £25 on a solid wood one which looks brand new.

Also, whose to say that if you didn't buy an item of clothing that somebody else would?

It's just bizarre to me that people who have absolutely nothing to do with charity shops think they can tell people whether they should be 'allowed' to shop there or not. Just very fucking bizarre.

I'd guess they don't like buying second hand from charity shops but like to pretend it's because they're doing the poor a service. What heroes!

It never in a million years occurred to me that only poor people should shop in charity shops.

They are there to raise money for charities not as a discount shop. It's not like a food bank.

Your friends are being completely weird.

I always find it very odd that people think that you should only use charity shops if you are badly off. Obviously they are useful (when they don't overcharge for things - see the other thread!) for less well off people, but buying second hand is much better for the environment than buying new, especially when it comes to clothes so everyone should be doing it where possible.

People can get really weird about charity shops, in a number of different ways.

I'm in the opposite position. Full time carer on universal credit and I agree that you should continue to buy your clothes second hand.
It's much better for the environment, the charities make money and there is more than enough to go around.
I buy all my clothes, except underwear from the charity shops.

@slashlover , I am that person. I love a good rummage, and have had some amazing finds. Often if I think, 'Ooh, I'd like a [something]', I'll find a couple of them within weeks.
Any mistakes get redonated.

Your book club friends are idiotic.
They're just trying to justify their own habits of buying everything new all the time.
The money spent by people like you and I goes to help those who seek aid.

I've been buying second hand for years - clothes, furniture, books, art, vases, picture frames. I collect Broadhurst plates from the 1960s and 1970s, all from charity shops.
All the shops are packed, all the time, with racks and racks of clothes in every size.
It's not as if there's a shortage of clothes!
There's more than enough for everyone.

Your friends are deluded.
A lot of these shops are run as a business too, they are not going to 'police ' who can buy what!
They have KPIs and all sorts to upkeep.

It is quite amusing really...
Charity Shop = for the poor
Antique Shop = for the rich
It's all secondhand stuff though 🤣

Surely charity shops want a quick turnover of items to gain funds - also many price things accordingly. I think charity shop purchases are for anyone regardless of income.

I have a very good, financially secure friend who mostly shops form charity shops. It reflects her ethical/environmental mindset and she is giving her money to a good cause rather than a big business. She is great at finding things not just for herself but for all her friends and family and she is very generous in gifting items she finds to us all. I admire her for doing this.

Love, love, love shopping in charity shops. Nearly all my clothes are second hand. Yes, I could afford to buy some stuff new but I'd rather go for a rummage. Income shouldn't come into it, the shop is there to raise money for the charity and they have weekly targets to hit. Shop away!

I believe that charity shops are there to raise money for the needy, so people who shops there are supporting the charity, regardless of their financial position. The women you mention appear to be coming from a different angle which suggests that the charity shop is there to provide items and clothing for the less fortunate. I disagree with this view and think that if you spend your money elsewhere then it’s simply translates to less money for the charity.

I try to buy as much as possible from charity shops.I donate decent things also.The charity needs money to continue so is not worried where it comes from.The quantity of items donated is vast locally warehouse piled high of mainly lovely clothes and bric a brac.Yes, I buy new clothes for the children as presents but the majority are from charity shops.Your group is not typical I don’t think.I know people who who would never buy from charity shops but use store cards ie Next and then struggle to pay at the end of the month.Carry on buying as you do.

Yes, they exist purely to make a profit, which then gets used for charitable work e.g. cancer research, rescuing animals, supporting the local hospice etc.

They do not have a dual purpose and never have.

I donate far more than I buy but I love a charity shop purchase. I bought a pair of black and white animal print biker boots a few weeks ago. When I paid for them the lady behind the till said she was so glad they’d found a good home, they’d been there for weeks because they were a small size. Apparently a lot of people had tried and couldn’t get them on.