Charity shops aren't doing themselves any favours

[Downatthefarm]

I can afford to buy new but prefer to buy second hand. I enjoy the experience of sifting through the varied clothes in the charity shops and finding things I wouldn't otherwise see on the high street at that time, and of course I like other thrifters love a good bargain.

Over the last 5 years charity shops have really gone downhill where I am. They price second / third hand clothes similarly to the original RRP, sometimes even more expensive.

They are stocking more and more brand new items, like Frenchic furniture paint, priced higher than it costs at places like Wilko's and B&Q.

I already know somebody will say "the shops purpose is to raise as much money for their charity as they can, not to cater to people who don't have much money" but hasn't being accessible to people with low incomes and being good value for money always been one of the most appealing aspects of them?

I still donate but do the vast majority of my own second hand buying on vinted now and I know lots of others are doing the same.

AIBU?

various reasons:
waiting for rag to be collected
not enough volunteers to sort through donations
very small storage area

They've only become trendy in recent years. I'm not far under 40 and when I was a teen I wouldn't have been seen dead in a charity shop - it was definitely the preserve of wafty hippies and the hard up (to my teen eyes). Now it's cool to thrift. I dread to think of all the bargains I must've missed in the past. Rare to get a sneaky designer find these days.

Popped in to local charity shop today for some holiday books. Saw a nice top, still had original tag on it (£6 Primark). Charity shop tag on it was for £10 🤣

It can only be a week since we had the last charity shop bashing thread…how time flies!
bingo card ready: charity shops don’t pay rent, the staff are rude, the staff steal all the best stuff, bobbly Primark jumper, sell everything for 50p per item, CEOs get paid too much, the volunteers are stupid…etc etc

Not really the case where I am.

The one a bit further from town, but near my work have a good turnover on a weekly basis, so I enjoy browsing at lunch time.

I don't often go into the ones in town, but even they are very busy whenever I go. I suppose it helps that the student population are looking for bargains too.

Today, I had a a wonder into thw charity shop near work and bought a vintage compact in amazing condition for £3, when they usually sell for a lot more on eBay or vintage shop.

If so many people are saying the same things has it not occurred that it might just be true?

The OP may herself be on a low income.

The OP also says in her post that she can afford to buy new.

Charities have a legal duty to work to support their charitable aims. So unless their charitable aims also include "help to clothe the poor" then no its a by-product not an intention.

Personally when I donate to a charity I want them to use that donation to raise money for their stated aims. If /when that's not my priority eg with outgrown school uniform I give to the local clothing charity.

I can afford to buy brand new primark, tesco etc yes but I am on a low income (carer) and it would be nice to be able to have some better quality clothes at a reasonable price.

We go in them a lot but recently have found the same problems. Primark is cheaper.

In the US charity shops are called thrift shops, which I think is a better name for them and might remind some charity shops why people actually shop there. I support several charities on a regular basis so don’t particularly care about the shops maximising money for their own charities, I go there to find a bargain or something I wouldn’t get elsewhere. Sorry if that upsets people but I do give money elsewhere where I know the money goes directly to those in need, rather than on huge CEO salaries and the like.

Honestly, with so many people having clear-outs of cheap stuff to these shops, if I was a manager I'd put some trestle tables outside on a sunny day and do five for a tenner just to clear out the dross.

I can afford to buy new but prefer to buy second hand. I enjoy the experience of sifting through the varied clothes in the charity shops and finding things I wouldn't otherwise see on the high street at that time, and of course I like other thrifters love a good bargain ... but hasn't being accessible to people with low incomes and being good value for money always been one of the most appealing aspects of them?

Bit hypocritical?

I could understand if you said you preferred second hand clothing for eco reasons, but if you're just doing it for fun and could afford not to, then I don't think you can really play the 'holier than thou' card about accessibility! Surely, by your logic, people like you shouldn't be shopping in charity shops, if you think they are there to help people on lower incomes.

I worked in a charity shop for a few months, and I was stunned by the number of well-to-do people who would try to haggle over a few pennies, while ordinary customers were pleasant and polite.

Oh, sorry, I missed that bit. I still wouldn't call it being a CF, as plenty of wealthy people seem to shop there these days for the environment.

I believe charity shops are for all, and don't believe in gatekeeping, but I do think the haggling is poor taste in a charity shop. It's not the place.

Downathefarm
No, charity shops aren’t there to help those on low income.

And you sound like a CF, you want charity shops to price things cheaply for low income people, but you want to turn up and sift through the cheaply priced items so you can find a bargain.

Yes, I agree that charity shops are there to maximise income for the charity but they also need to move stock on.

It's a bit like the 'antique' shop near me where the same hundreds of little ceramic items remain totally over-priced and stay from one year to the next gathering dust. I often think that the owner really needs to decide whether they actually want to sell this stuff and if so, price them accordingly!

And I've seen Primark stuff for high prices (you might as well go to that horrible emporium) and quality things (cashmere, merino, silk, linen etc) comparatively low. The pricing can be bonkers!

I’m with you OP. Our local one went up market briefly for about a year. Fancied itself as an eclectic chic boutique under one manager. It was a disaster for the shop (massive backlog of goods in store and poor turnover) and people shopping there (unable or unwilling to pay over egged prices).

My daughter discovered this shop on her first visit stateside. She had travelled out with just a cabin bag, but picked up so much stuff in there she needed to buy a suitcase (second hand, of course!) to bring it all back!😂

Lol read my last post.

I can afford to buy low-end clothes brand new but decent brands and quality are often beyond my means.

If I want something good quality I just shop on vinted where I get 99 percent of my clothes these days.

There’s a charity shop next door to a home and bargain where I live. They were selling a pen pot that was originally from next door for twice the price. It’s ridiculous.

@MistyMorningMelons

https://www.127yardsale.com/ It goes through 6 states along US Route 127.

The best nationwide thrift stores are Goodwill or Salvation Army. Local church thrifts can be good, too.

x post. OP has responded to my comment, but to be fair she didn't explicitly say it was supermarket clothes she could afford new in her OP, and that she is in fact low income as a carer.

Anyway, I sometimes think it's the luck of the draw. Our town has at least half a dozen charity shops, but their prices vary wildly.

@Downatthefarm
Many mumsnetters post that charity shops don’t pay rent, sadly it doesn’t make it true. Do you really believe that all charity shop volunteers are a bit thick or we steal the best items? Comes up on every thread, but I don’t think it’s true and I have never seen the mythical bobbly Primark jumper priced at £10…
a lot of people are not familiar with how charity shops operate:
sometimes we refuse donations - it’s not personal
we have pricing guidelines set by head office
if stores are not profitable they are closed
we know our market and some items go straight to eBay

Charity jobs exist to make a profit to benefit their cause. That’s their number one job. If they weren’t making a profit they wouldn’t be there.

Their overheads for electricity have gone up just like everyone else so the prices need to cover that loss.

If they don’t cover the costs they’ll cease to exist anyway. There are plenty that buy for environmental reasons as well as price sensitivity. And even a couple of quid off retail price is still a discount.