Charity shops

[Namechangexxxchristmas]

I'm fully prepared to be told IABU

I've had a good clear out of unwanted things. Most things were either new or extremely good condition. They were also good brands. I messaged the charity shop on Facebook asking if they'd accept what I have. I sent a photo, they said yes.

So this morning I took the things. I didn't have loads. I had one bag. And I went round the back of the shop. I explained to the workers that I have some new things and have spoken to someone on the Facebook messenger about donating these items. I was met with a groan, a huff, and not even a smile. I explained again that I had spoken to someone on the Facebook messenger and that I can always take them to another charity shop. She pulled them out my hands and huffed saying well I suppose we could and rolled her eyes at another worker. I said thank you and was huffed at again and didn't say thank you to me, the door was shut in my face.

I understand charity shops get given lots of things which they have to sort through and I'm sure they are given non sellable things but I explain mine were new and they even posted a post online saying they accept donations recently, also given I had privately messaged them too. I even offered to take them to a different charity shop if they weren't accepting.

Is this how charity shops are now? It takes not even 2 seconds to say thank you and I certainly won't be donating to this charity again nor will I shop in it. Anyone else had this experience?

I wish I had just taken them to another charity shop now and I think all future donations I will.

She wanted an easy day. This is how they get their stuff surely. I was donating to my local Sense shop in the summer and heard one of the staff call a customer a retard!! Never seen her since mind you.

I use one particular shop, they don’t ever whinge. They get tax back. I think the trick is to go early, last time I was there, one of the volunteers said ‘This is the last donation we can accept today’. Their changing room was stacked full. Maybe go earlier? I can imagine that post Christmas, they’re probably inundated with stuff. I’ve got candles I was given as presents, I’m hoping they’d want them.

I used to donate to our local hospice shop. It's a very good cause but I assume that they must get lots of donations because they made it very difficult to drop anything off...rigid, narrow drop-off slots that would suddenly be cancelled at short notice. I get that it's difficult if they're relying on volunteers to staff their operations.

I now give to our local Mencap shop. They're always open to receiving stuff and consistently lovely when I take stuff in.

In short, I think it probably just depends on the shop. Maybe try somewhere different next time?

Some people are just miserable people.
You wanted to get rid of some items you no longer need. You must support that particular charity if you chose that shop.
You have got rid of your stuff.
The charity will make money.
Just forget about the grumpy person and go about your day.

Fuck em. Take them elsewhere. The smaller chatty ones are more friendly around here.

Why didn't you ask what was wrong? She wasn't bothered who you had messaged on Facebook. If she was huffing and rolling her eyes at me I would be asking her directly what the issue was

Of course no one should be rude or ungrateful but having volunteered in charity shops for many years it can sometimes feel overwhelming to be continually dealing with donations .. as a rough guide only 25% of what is donated is actually saleable and charity shops often have to pay to get rid of the unsaleable stuff.

I refused (politely) a donation the other day ... a very old kettle (my charity shop doesn't accept electrical items) and the doner huffed and puffed ... clearly didn't want the effort of getting rid of his old kettle himself.

I always try to accept donations with a smile and grateful thanks but sometimes my heart sinks when we just have no more room to store items or you can tell it's totally unsaleable... Readers Digest books from the 1980s for example.

I really think charity shops need to consider their prices to shift the stuff quicker. I've seen it said many times on here that they are selling used Primark stuff for pretty much the same price as new.

They could also give donors a money off voucher to encourage them to take something away with them.

Very rude indeed. I had this in a charity shop once so I asked for the donation back and took it somewhere else. I told them this is what I would be doing and why.

Or the staff are just fed up, busy and feeling harassed and didn't want to arrange a parade to suitably thank you for your donation?

Best you can come up with? @Namechangexxxchristmas didn't ask for a parade, just not a fucking attitude.

Nobody is forcing the volunteers to, you know, volunteer.

If they are fed up, busy and feeling harassed then they should stop volunteering.

Attitudes from people who do this suck.

Arrange a parade?

The volunteered to work in a shop. 90% of that is customer service. You smile and use your manners and then you grumble in private. If they don't like the job, they shouldn't do it.

Welcome to the first 'Let's slag off charity shops' thread of 2024.

If the shop worker didn't give you the attitude you wanted then take a deep breath and consider that they are perhaps having a tough day?
Maybe they went back to the shop today after a week off and they were greeted with mountains of unusable donations that they now have to get rid of.
By all means be annoyed if they were rude, but you may have been another thing on a long list of things that have beaten them down today and they are human, so they reacted.

Maybe she was sick of the person who answers the Facebook queries saying they'll take any old shite?
It would literally never occur to me to send a message on Facebook to check if they want stuff. I just turn up with the bags and they take it. So I think you over complicated things there and if you turned up and gave them a spiel it's no wonder you got an eye roll.

Equally, the shop worker could have taken a deep breath and considered that OP might have had a tough day?
It goes both ways.

Agree.

As a volunteer at a charity shop I am sorry this happened op. I always ensure I thank people nicely even if I suspect goods might not be very good.
Unfortunately we do have one volunteer who can be very huffy like this; it makes me so embarrassed when I hear her. Management won’t do anything about her because we are so short of volunteers and she is a good worker albeit lacking in social skills.

Yes me too - I staggered in, visibly pregnant with some big bags of Jaeger, Liz Claiborne etc clothes and was met with such a snarl and an order to take it round the back that I just turned round and took it to the charity shop 3 doors down.

I've never donated to that charity chain since.

Charities have to be careful oh how many donations they take, because a lot of what people donate is rubbish and just landfill.

When I take stuff to the charity, I treat it as a transaction, not as me being generous.

The employee/volunteer and I go through what I want to donate, some of the things she snaps up with a ‘yes please!’ and other stuff she rejects, to which I respond ‘no problem’.

This is fine with me as my best, new stuff gets sold on eBay and makes me good money.

@billyt some "volunteers" actually are required to be there - because they are doing community service or on a crappy 'work placement" scheme etc. They're not there out of choice.

One of my local shops told me off for leaving donations in the box labelled "leave donations here'" as she had a bad back, then for having a dog with me (outside, on a lead), then again for donating a book which had a slightly scuffed cover.
They also give you their random (extreme right) opinions unsolicited.

But....they are volunteers trying their best.

I don't deal with charity shops any more since a) the huffing and puffing alluded to by OP; and b) having seen what happens to unsold /unwanted clothes in charity shops and the detrimental effect on developing countries to which they're offloaded for resale

We live in a well-off town with multiple charity shops. They definitely have preferences as to what they like to take. Some like brand named clothes, some like china and others are good for quirky collectors-type items.
Three always have a lovely attitude, five are fine, civil and refuse donations with a thank you but no.
Two are regularly unpleasant and negative. Run by younger, much snappier people. Most of us don’t bother donating there. You can turn someone away with a polite smile and an ‘I’m sorry, we’re full and not accepting donations’ rather than aggro and eye-rolling and sighs.