Annoyed at people ranting about charity shops

[Dowhadiddydiddydum]

This is one those threads that’s a release of frustration. So apologies for it being so boring.

AIBU for getting pissed off at seeing people moaning constantly about charity shops and their pricing? It’s driving me insane.

Most people’s objections seem to be based on….

• Charity shops should be cheap…because they’re a charity ain’t they
• I could buy that stuff cheaper elsewhere.
• people give them things for free then they make loads of money from it.

Now am I loosing my god damn mind or do people not understand the point of charity shops is to FUCKING RAISE MONEY. So of course they want to raise as much money as possible. Of course people donate stuff for free….because they donate it so the charity can make money from it!! If you think you can get it cheaper elsewhere then bloody do it….if the shop is that over priced it’ll close down won’t it.

Been tipped over the edge by a shitty TikTok video someone made slating a local
hospice charity shop for selling their items for “too much”. The video has so many shitty comments under it….all apparently oblivious to the fact the shop exists to raise as much money as possible to support those with life limiting illnesses not so Barbara and Jeff can get a cheap table.

@User0000009

I get that and I don't need to shop there but it would be good if there was a balance for those on low incomes who really need some clothing

@Dowhadiddydiddydum

Most people’s objections seem to be based on….

• Charity shops should be cheap…because they’re a charity ain’t they
• I could buy that stuff cheaper elsewhere.
• people give them things for free then they make loads of money from it.

But people are right when they make these points. Some charity shops have farcical prices. And some stuff IS cheaper new. I hardly buy from charity shops now as they take the piss.

And some of them ask you to 'round up' at the till. So if you spend £8.39, they want you to round up to £9.00. LOL no way. I am already giving to your charity you cheeky fecker! 😆

Get as angry as you want by all means. People are entitled to different views to you. So yep YABU!

I think you have a blessed life if something as trivial as this is making you so angry!

I agree that charity shops should be priced in a way that will raise the most money - but also that some of them fail to do that by overpricing.

I split my clothing donations between my local hospice shop and a community clothing bank. I expect my hospice shop donations to be wholly used to help care for and support terminally ill people. I expect my community clothing bank donations to be entirely used to help people who are financially struggling.

And you know this how…?

Maybe we do need to types of charity shops. I see from @BitofaStramash link that the first shops from the Salvation Army were directly to help people who could not afford clothing. That fits completely with their objectives. Could have those and Then other shops that are very clear that being cheaper/more expensive is a part of the strategy to raise the most for cancer or cat protection or a hospice.

Charity shops do get a mandatory discount on business rates. Local authorities can decide to award an additional 20% giving them full business rates relief - but most don't. If the charities you know aren't receiving the 80% you should urge them to get in touch with their council asap.

Charity shops refused full business rate relief by most councils (civilsociety.co.uk)

Yes and not that great

We can't give to our local charity shops as again not taking donations. They really are very pricey compared to the next town and items aren't selling .I know this as volunteer but manager not listening

I get what you're saying in that the whole point is to raise money for a great cause.

They're a business though and have to compete with freebay and Vinted. I worry they're losing sales by charging £7 for a 2nd hand Primark T-shirt and they'd make more by selling in volume at lower prices.

(Sigh).
Look they may not be required to provide it but the reality is that if they don't provide it they won't have much custom.

The pig-headedness is just silly.

I think you might be a little bit unreasonable. I've volunteered in a charity shop and some of the comments about over-pricing are fair. The shops are following a policy - but a basic Primark top is never going to be worth £4/£5. A White Stuff tunic might be worth £15 if in good nick, but if the fabric is showing signs of age then it isn't. On the other end of the scale - an immaculate pair of Irregular Choice shoe with the box for £10, even though I pointed out what they sell for on EBay.
I think most charity shops would end up taking more money if they piled them high and sold them cheap. We would clear the shop within a couple of days when there was a sale on, and take much more money than usual.

A quick google will help you. It’s also in the article someone else has linked in this thread.

You're right, of course. My mistake.

However my point still stands. The cash taken at the till obviously makes the shop worth keeping open. It would be an incredibly irresponsible Trustee Board who kept an unprofitable shop open.

And as I said, the social impact that charity shops provide is incredible. Volunteering opportunities (growing confidence, skills, reducing isolation etc). Eco benefits. A sense of 'giving back' that staff, volunteers and customers all feel. A community space where people feel welcome (alright, I accept there are a rare few unwelcoming shop staff/volunteer). Cause awareness. Event and activity promotion. Filling up empty retail units to prevent the death of a high street. And so much more. £7.35 worth of social value for each £1 invested.

I sort of get what you are saying but sometimes the pricing is just ridiculous.

I saw items in a local Sense shop recently which were new tagged items from primark. They were priced higher than they were available new in the store!

I could understand a good quality brand in good condition being priced fairly high ( my DDs love charity shops and have found some really great deals on expensive brands) but someone needs to have a bit of common sense with poor quality items!

i wonder if this would be more accurate you could get eg 2x - 5x the sale value from using ebay as the potential for more customers is eg in 1000,s vs however many they have in the store over x weeks when the item is on sale.

Colour grouping makes the items look more curated and expensive. I've actually complained when favourite charity shops have tried moving to grouping by size- it looks like a jumble sale. I Iive in and shop in 'naice' areas, and the best charity shops order by colour AND size. They are there to make money for charity, not to sell things cheap. I've bought designer pieces for upwards of £80-£100. Any shops selling bobbly Primark will just get left with stock or go out of business.

Of course x

If you donated x item you generally would want the item to make as much as possible eg the ebay side of the business, so why is it a bad thing to not want them to raise as much as possible ?

It's dishonest to try and fleece people by charging more than the price of brand new, or overpricing damaged/low quality stuff.

The fact that it's in the name of charity doesn't make it better. They get this stuff for free. There's no need to use these kind of tactics.

@KnottyKnitting
I am a volunteer and I have never seen the price higher than tag scenario that so many posters on mumsnet mention. Pricing mistakes do get made eg items which are damaged and damage has not been noticed (we reduce or ask for a token donation) but where items are new with tags I have never seen this happen in the shop I volunteer in.

There are plenty of things I don't buy every day, from every shop, because they are not worth it to me, but presumably there is a market for them at that price point -

A used jam jar for £3 is worth nothing to anyone

They absolutely DO NOT have two aims. They exist to make money for the charity. There are many ways in which they may have other benefits, including

• they may provide volunteering or employment experience for their benficiaries
• they may 'accidentally' benefit local people in need.

Be very clear, if a charity's registered purpose is not the relief of poverty, they have an ABSOLUTE RESPONSIBILITY to raise the most money they can from donations. Otherwise they are breaking the law. And if their charitable object is to fund a school in India, they should not be deliberately benefitting the local populace in x-town, UK.

Of course their volunteers sometimes get pricing spectacularly wrong. But the entitlement of local people, who feel charity shops are there to provide them with cheap prices and subsidised good, is simply wrong (99% of the time. The other 1% of the time the people wanting these bargains will, indeed, be the people they are constituted to help.)

I’d agree with this. I donate my stuff and my time to my local thrift store which does a lot of community based stuff. Free kids wellies, free kids coats, free school uniform rail. Stack it high sell it cheap and fast. Generally make 1-2k a week for various local good causes.

Charity shops seem really uncompetitive now. I went on vinted the other day and bought a lovely new with tags monsoon dress for £12 in my size. It’s all shien/ primark asda stuff at my local charity shop for the same price if not more. They’ve not been accepting new stock for ages.

Books are the same I pick them up at the supermarket which has a donate 50p honesty bucket. The £2/£3 for paperback seems really expensive in comparison.

The amount charity shops actually make for charities is dwarfed by legacy gifts. I do wonder if by putting people off giving their stuff/ time / money they will find that over the longer term legacy gifts reduce.

I think it’s annoying finding Primark t shirts for £5 when the charity shop has (rightfully so) kept aside valuable items of clothing to sell on e bay. It just feels like the shop is trying to taking the piss a bit. Surely no one is buying these tatty t shirts for a fiver? Our charity shops are a laughing stock in our town as they only have overpriced tat but are given cheap rent by our council so will never go bust.

But asking a higher price for a branded product eg Seasalt dress is not fleecing people. Many people who donate where I volunteer are keen to point out that their donation is worth x and want us to get a good price for it. We have sold never worn seasalt coats for £60. New they cost £180 so £60 is a good price imo. If you don’t want to pay £60 for a donated coat we have many others starting at £7/8.