To ask for discounts at charity shops

[GroaningGyrtle]

We have loads of really nice charity shops round where I live, and I shop there regularly.

However, there are a couple of shops that (IMO) massively overprice garments.

I picked up an unbranded top yesterday with a couple of loose threads at the bottom - took it to the till, and it was £9.50.

I paid it this time, but sometimes I have asked for discounts on the grounds of damage or things just not being sensibly priced.

Genuinely curious: is it better to ask for a discount sometimes, or to not buy the garment at all? Thanks in advance for opinions!

YABU: If you don't want to pay the price on the tag, leave it
YANBU: No harm in asking for a discount

Yabu loose threads are hardly damage.
Most charity shops have a pricing set that comes from above the shop manager

No.
It's not a car boot sale or an antique centre.
You don't haggle in charity shops.

I agree charity shops are overpricing things terribly atm. But I couldn’t ask for a discount. I just buy on Vinted more often.

You could ask but you're unlikely to get one. They are selling items to raise money for charity.

Normally, the response has been quite positive - whether the answer is a yes or a no.

On the yes side, it tends to be, oh fair enough, X volunteer has priced this a bit high and it's been in a while.

On the no side, it's like, no harm asking but it's new in so we'll wait and see for a while.

I don't like to ask, but I did wonder if it's better than not buying anything at all.

So you're already asking and getting discounts? Then carry on.

Not often, but sometimes. Was just curious to see what others do/think is reasonable.

Most charity shops reduce high-end goods after a certain time if you were prepared to wait and see? We don't reduce stuff unless it really isn't moving as our aim is to get as much money in for our charity but agree that pricing can be a bit random (different volunteers!). Very occasionally, if something designer is let's say £40, then the manager might let it go for £35 rather than lose the sale but this is unusual.

It just feels such a shame - I'd like to support the local shops as much as possible, but when you're looking at £4 for a secondhand baby t-shirt from Morrisons or nearly a tenner from a worn cotton top, it feels a bit like they're taking the piss.

Yeah, waiting is something I'm more than happy to do if the garment is nice - if it goes, great; if it doesn't, great for me.

I was just wondering because I rarely ask for discounts but was in a few yday that I think are really greedy - £4 for a plastic bangle, £4 for a Morrisons baby top, nearly £10 for a secondhand women's top without labels.

It's cases like those where I'm thinking, is it better to just leave it and stop shopping there?

There are lots of good charity shops where I live too and yes I've also asked for money off if the item has damage on it.
If you perceive an item has some damage or a minor fault of some kind then I really don't see a problem asking for some money off, yes they are a charity shop - but also they are there to make money and an item sold (even at a discount) is better than an item being sat on the shelf for ages.

As long as you're polite about it - explain your reason for asking - and accept the answer you get if they say no it absolutely fine.

I volunteer in a charity shop. It's quite fine to ask for a discount. If the item has a flaw then it may have been missed when pricing. If the item has been hanging around for a while then the manager might also be open to reducing the price. If you're buying quite a few things you can also ask for a better price. I'm never annoyed or offended if anyone asks. Sometimes we say no and sometimes yes.

@Boohai agree with this. I am also a charity shop volunteer. If a person is trying it on eg expecting branded products to be priced at the same price point as a primark top then it’s a no.

Maybe you need to hunt out the cheaper charity shops.
One near me just has rails in the middle, only sorted by type not sizes or colour so you need a good rummage, there's also a 50p and a £1 rail and honestly there are real bargains to be had, almost all clothing is under a fiver too.
I don't haggle in charity shops although do point out faults if I spot them such as some dungarees I tried on which were a tad too small but had a couple of buttons missing, she didn't offer a discount but had they fitted I probably would have taken them at full price anyway.

I only ask for a discount if there’s a stain or some damage that may have been missed when the item was priced

It’s a charity shop. Why on earth would you want less money to go to a charity?

You go into some charity shops and they are selling a £5 primark top for a tenner! People say oh well it's for charity but I was always told that originally they were there not just to raise funds for charity but to have things reasonably priced enough for those in need to buy clothing. Personally though I wouldn't ask for a discount but I would and have pointed out to a shop worker that certain items are much cheaper in the shop they came from. They almost always reduce them.

Don’t be silly, that’s quite clearly not the motivation here. As I said in the OP, I’m wondering if it’s better to buy nothing from them (earning them zero pounds) or ask for a discount occasionally when something is overpriced.

Nooo.....seems so wrong asking for any discount from a charity shop when the whole point of them is to raise money for charity. It's doesn't have to be cheap because it's 2nd hand.

I volunteer in a charity shop and definitely would take a bit off if a mistake had been made, or if something was missing a button or similar. I will not reduce things which have been out less than 2 weeks as we keep things on shelves/rails for 3 weeks maximum. And politeness goes a long way.

God, yeah, it’s always a polite, friendly query with a smile and a thank you at the end regardless of the answer — never a demand, complaint or rant.

Do you ask for discounts in other shops when you feel things are overpriced, or just charity shops?

Obviously not. I don’t know if this is intended as some kind of ‘gotcha’ but we’re hearing from volunteers that it’s fine to ask politely about discounts, so…

I would feel uncomfortable asking for a discount in a charity shop. It doesn't seem to fit the spirit.

I think it’s been normalised by shows like Bargain Hunt where nobody ever pays the asking price for anything.