Charity shop prices

[Whatisgoingonheredear]

I buy a lot of clothes for the kids on vinted but yesterday went to nosey in some charity shops with DD. I used to get a lot of my own clothes from charity shops (now I use vinted) and we went to the same street that I'd go to before.
A spider man long sleeved baby boys shirt that was absolutely COVERED in cat hair for £4. At £1.50 I might not have been bothered about getting all the hair off, but at £4, it's a no and kind of gross.
Most of the baby items were the same price as a new item in a highstreet sale.
DD saw a toy that she liked. It was £5. It wasn't an expensive brand toy and there were pieces missing. I asked if they'd accept £2.50 given there were missing pieces and they said no.
She then asked for a teddy that she liked....that was £10!!! For a charity shop teddy. She had her own money but I did steer her away because I'd feel awful for her letting her spend her savings on such an expensive second hand, maybe third hand, toy.
I looked at a baby walker. It was £20. For a used and donated walker?

Needless to say we didn't come out with a lot. I got a couple of kids items that I thought were OK quality and not so horrendously priced, but then I got home and managed to pick up 6 items on vinted for the same price as 1 charity shop item.
I won't be bothering again. I do donate to charities and am well aware they need to make money but....why is it so expensive? Especially in the current climate and with things like vinted to compete with?
The stock was free to them and charities in my area get discounted rent and discounted business rates.

I'd rather buy the cat hair covered top than shop on shein.

I went baby clothes shopping when my DS was a few days old. Hes just turned 24! I went into a Barnardos charity shop where they wanted £1 for an obviously worn baby vest. Mothercare opposite wanted £2.99 for 3 brand new ones. I found the 'local' charity shops were better for bargains, the 'big' names have been a rip off for years.

There's a charity shop near my work
Pre covid,I would pop in on my way to/from work most days and came out twice without buying anything (over about 4 years)
Then covid hit and it was closed
They reopened and the prices had tripled but the quality had gone down
I've been in a few times since and bought a dress,pair of jeans,boots,pyjamas and a roasting tray
It's gone downhill and it's a combination of vinted/ebay and the high prices

They have a furniture one at the other side of town (everyone recommended it when i moved here and we kitted out most of our house from there) and again,post covid the quality of the goods is down but the prices have rocketed
Who's going to buy a shabby and dated sofa that is £50 less than buying one new? (And they charge another £20 per item to deliver it)

yes, supporting child slave labour instead of a charity is much better.

Why would anyone buy used when they can buy new for the same price?

I used to buy everything from charity shops. I rarely bother to look in them now. I also find them overpriced, and anything half-decent can be ridiculously priced. I can’t afford that at the moment.

dont be such a mingebag

I think retail is struggling and this has affected the charity shop model.

The quality of clothes and goods generally has gone down. They are not designed to last for as long. They are cheaper new than they were for the same item 50 years ago.

We all have far too much stuff anyway - we have houses stuffed full, and as we get older we are clearing out houses full of stuff - therefore the value of 'stuff' is falling.

So the price for poorer quality stuff has fallen - and so second hand poor quality stuff has fallen even more.

There are fewer people who want 'stuff' and those who do, either want good quality stuff for a fair price (or bargain ideally) or cheap stuff for a very cheap price (because that's all they can afford)

At the same time the costs of maintaining retail space, even with some reduced rent/rates has gone up.

High street footfall has reduced, more people buy online and vinted/ebay does have an impact - it's a place where people can get specific stuff they want quite easily.

Charity bosses are under pressure to justify their salaries and because of the cost of living crisis there is less money floating about anyway - I believe charity donations are reducing. Their entire job involves getting more money for the charity - so that is the message that rolls downwards - get more money.

The only way to get more money is to make more profit on the items that do attract buyers - so higher prices.

We have two charity shops near us. One is exactly like you describe, it doesn't have much stock, hardly any customers. The other sells clothes and teddies at 50p each, but regularly do sales where it's all 20p. General bric a brac always a £1 or less, mugs 10p, that sort of thing. Fill a bag for £1 days. The place is always busy.

seeing as i can buy a top from asda for £2 and a top from poundland or primark for £2-4 yes id say that charity shops are beyond expensive.

I saw a coat with a small hole in it selling for £25 in my local 😂

Charity shops are booming with their income up 20% this year and 19% the year before and 15% the year before that.

Clearly they are getting it right.

What are their costs:

Rent
Rates
Insurance
Electricity
Heating
1-2 paid employees
Buying in stock (they don't get enough donations)
Cleaning

People really do have the most peculiar and absurd ideas about charity shops 😳

Totally agree!

I have found a few that sell things at a reasonable price though.

Im not expecting them to ‘give stuff away’ just the correct price for the value of the second-hand item. The decent charity shops will sell clothes at a similar cost to buying the same bits on Vinted.

Yes the purpose is the raise money for charity but they don’t need to overcharge to do that. The fact that some charity shops seem to manage fine (and actually get through more stock and are busier) pricing things as they should be just shows the other shops don’t need to be flogging bobbled Primark vests for £6 each.

Second hand items of better quality are sometimes better value than new items of lower quality.
Also, we have a fair few charity shops but not many actual clothes shops (due to location), and often have to order online, so charity shops can be useful in that regard

but these shops are selling used Primark/George etc stuff for more money than new.

but these shops are selling used Primark/George etc stuff for more money than new.

There's too much variation between shops to generalise. In affluent areas, you'll still find Shein and Tu polyester shite

But if potential customers walk out of the shop, not having bought anything, then the charity hasn't made any money, has it ?

Selling stuff is what brings the money in.

Some shops are selling some cheaper/lower quality brands, many don't only sell these things. I regularly see more expensive brands in our charity shops, reasonably priced and in very good condition.

Charity shops near us are reasonably priced I think. Most baby grows and baby bodysuits range from 50p - £1.50. I’ve got plenty for my daughter in them.

The St David's Foundation in the next village was amazing.
I have had some excellent clothes from there, a Bohemia coat for £35, M&S, Mint Velvet etc.
And books!
Always picked up a couple when I go for a cuppa in the nearby cafe.
When the children were little they got a £1 every now and then to choose what to buy.

Now it has been updated.
Half of the shop, maybe two thirds, given over to their new items.
Knitting supplies in really nasty acrylic, China etc more expensive than in the supermarket, 'amusing' gifts...

The actual clothes section is tiny, there is one shelf of adult fiction, one of children's fiction.
No prams or baby equipment.

No bargains as far as I can see.
They haven't accepted donations for the last month.

I use Vinted and eBay now. It's A real shame, and has limited options for families with children, for those on lower incomes.

I think you're right. This is how Goodwill operates in the US. I've never been in one that wasn't heaving. They have trollies, and people load them up. There is always something new on the racks, and they remove stuff that doesn't sell after four weeks. It goes to either rag merchants or to their last gasp saloons where clothing and footwear is sold by wejght. The pricing is uniform and done mostly by category - jeans all one price, footwear all one price, etc. You find the odd luxury brand priced a bit higher.

If the item has been out on the shop floor for long enough to then go and reserve to buy, then that's fair enough.

Being a volunteer doesn't guarantee that you end up with the good stuff you spot when you sort donations. I once brought out some old willow soup bowls I really wanted to buy myself, hoping that they'd still be there at the end of the day, but they were snapped up by a lucky customer.

The items don't reach the shop floor, that's my point.

@Werweisswohin Management should have a policy on this sort of thing, but I guess in this case, they didn't.

If you were a customer rather than a volunteer at this shop, how did you know it didn't make it to the shop floor?

I know folk who work there/have worked there, have observed, and and have heard conversations.
It's more than one different local shop. It doesn't bother me, seeing as volunteering in these places can be thankless at times, just pointing out that some shops will have different policies or be less strict enforcing them.

I walked past mine this morning and a dress there was 100. It was from Jaeger though but so what. It did not look brand new even though it stated it was (no tags).