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?

My local big brand charity shops are terrible. I donated a whole load of children’s clothes, the selection of children clothes is dire, I asked why when I had donated more than triple that amount of great stuff, their response was that it had probably gone to the online sales team.

our high street has loads of empty units and no clothes shops, surely this tactic is going to further drive people away and therefore how will that shop make any profit for the charity?

Exactly this!

I’ve always shopped in charity shops. I definitely find fewer things I want to buy than in the past.
I don’t like eBay or vinted, because I prefer to touch the fabric, check it over in person.

I buy things like cotton or linen work shirts, wool jumpers, wool skirts. Some shops charge £15-£20 for that sort of thing, some £7.99.
If I find something I actually like, I am happy to pay the price, whatever it is.

Our local Oxfam used to be fabulous, lots of cashmere knitwear, nice shirts, outdoor gear. But now most of the racks are taken up with new (horrible) clothes from Zara. I haven’t found anything worth buying in there for months.
If I want new clothes cheaply, I’ll just go to TK Max. I don’t want to buy fast fashion that wouldn’t sell from the charity shop, thanks.

And yet charity shops seem to be doing ok in spite of upsetting the OP. Ah well.

https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/bills/charity-shops-surge-interest-sales-cost-of-living-1744316

It's not fast fashion if you are buying it from a charity shop, it's already recycled and presumably you'd do it again when you've finished with it.

Charity shops are booming.

People shop there for different reasons - to support the cause

• for environmental and ethical reasons
• to find different products
• the enjoyment of finding a bargain
• for cheap clothes

It's not their job to do favours. It's there job to raise as much as possible for their charity.

I started to notice this pre-Covid. Have always bought second hand. I guess they’re trying to make up losses but you’re right, they’re putting a lot of their long standing customers off.

sometimes we cannot accept any more donations:
back room is full
waiting for rag to be collected
not enough volunteers to sort through items
we have to comply with health and safety regulations and cannot pile things up to the ceiling. Unlike standard retail we don’t have a regular pattern where x goods will arrive on y day. Some days we receive a huge number of donations and for the reasons above cannot take any more.

Surely the real issue here is why are people donating tatty crap?

I agree with the OP.
Given the items are donated, it's all profit, so why are some shops charging stupid prices? As above, have a bumper sale on the Chinese fashion, get it out of the way.

All of our costs have increased and so have our prices.
A new paperback now costs £10 so we sell paperbacks in vg condition for £2/£2.50. I think that’s a fair price. If you don’t and are happy to wait, borrow from the library.

But it’s not all profit is it?
wages, utilities, rent, equipment..

Excuse me, I have volunteered in a charity shop circa 2010.

It was a long time ago, granted, things have obviously changed a great deal since then.

I live in an affluent area and the charity shops are incredibly expensive.

ShanghaiDiva · Today 09:34
MrsSkylerWhite · Today 09:29

I started to notice this pre-Covid. Have always bought second hand. I guess they’re trying to make up losses but you’re right, they’re putting a lot of their long standing customers off.

“All of our costs have increased and so have our prices.
A new paperback now costs £10 so we sell paperbacks in vg condition for £2/£2.50. I think that’s a fair price. If you don’t and are happy to wait, borrow from the library”

No need to be shirty! I find books and household items reasonable, it’s clothes that are the issue. £5 for a used t-shirt from Asda is excessive. I don’t need books and household items, I need clothes.

I think it really depends on who works there: I bought a lovely full length Prada coat for £16.50 - the volunteer who sold it to me seemed to think that 'a lot of stuff was coming in, brought over by the refugees from the Ukraine'... naturally, I kept quiet, very quiet.

I am lucky enough to live close enough to an Oxfam in a very chi chi, well heeled area of London and have found the occasional Dior, Balenciaga, DKNY,
Karen Millen, etc and other brands. The vintage stuff is wonderful, like 1950s Hermes scarves, when you can find it.

Just lucky enough that the shop manager doesn't know her Prada from Primark.

However, I think it was Mary Portas who recommended Charities get rid of their older volunteers, get younger ones who are internet savvy to research the items online before pricing them, making it much harder to scoop a bargain.

I don't suppose you're willing to let me know which charity shop is this are you? Area wise 😇

I really don’t have any problem with this.

As long as the volunteer pays the exact same price it would go in the shop floor for it’s a small way to recognise their support.

They’re not ripping anyone off and they’re not getting paid. If it bothers you - volunteer!

I don't bother with charity shops any more. The ones near me are smelly and full of Primark tat. I find it's always a waste of time these days, and I come out wanting to scrub my skin off. Charity shops also make high streets look run-down.

Almost everything I wear is second-hand. But I want decent, well-made leather and cotton items, so I search ebay/Vinted/Depop. I also have a fantastic vintage shop near me, which doesn't smell and is full of good-quality stuff.

I don't get why all my local charity shops price 2nd hand t-shirts & tops the same, whether they're Primark or designer . I'd pay a bit more for a designer ones as the quality is great & they tend to have worn well. But £7 for a really past it's best, should have been binned Primark one? Nope. The homeware stuff is very overpriced too. The only place I'd go for thrifted decor now is car boot sales, like the Peckham one Mr Carrington goes to every Sunday on his You Tube channel. Amazing quality stuff for ultra cheap prices.

Part of the problem is that so many people donate piles of absolute tat. I remember someone describing it as “wishcycling”. They paid good money for that thing and, even though it’s stained and holey, they can’t bear to put it in the clothes recycling bag / bin. So they give it to a charity shop, for the volunteers to put it in the rag bin.

It’s part of the reason none of the charity shops near me will take children’s clothes. Too much tomato stained junk to make it worth their time to sort.

I'd be a fool to tell you!

But London has many areas where big monied people live side by side with those less fortunate (of which I am one).

I've had good scoops in charity shops in Marylebone, Highgate, Blackheath, Camden, Greenwich, Victoria and Golders Green.

Chelsea, Kensington & Notting Hill areas are a good example where the charity shops mark up accordingly to brand, so much harder to get a real bargain.

Totally agree.

I'd be interested to see a photo of a 'bobbled Primark cardigan' for sale in a charity shop. Anything bobbled would be put in a rag bag and not put out in the shop unless they were REALLY desperate.

But isn't it because most people are now buying fast fashion and buying clothes from the supermarkets/primark, so it makes sense that the bulk of donations will then be the same thing.

Its because thats where the volume is from - its like CDs back in the early-mid 00s, charity shops would have been packed full of albums by Steps/S Club etc, purely because of the sheer volume of CDs that were sold by those bands

But I agree, there is an issue when the clothes are being resold second-hand for more than or close to the original retail value. And when the supermarket/primark are so cheap, it potentially makes more sense to buy new because you've then got the option to benefit from returns policy/collect loyalty points etc

In my village we have an absolute thriving freecycle page and most of my old clothes/kids old clothes I give away for free on there. Its the same with books, furniture, hangers etc. Where I live, the nearest charity shop is about a 15-20 min drive away, so everyone just shares stuff and regifts in the village - particularly school uniforms.