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

Charity shops should be for people with little money to buy things as well as raising money for charity.

No, the charity is legally obliged to raise as much as possible for its chosen cause.

Legally obliged? 🤣

Yes, it will be in the terms of their registration with the Charity Commission or OSCR in Scotland. Not quite sure what's so funny about that...

So someone haggling for an overpriced item is going to lead them to the slammer? It's more trendy to shop in them now but certainly when I volunteered it was people who couldn't afford to shop elsewhere, they can raise money for charity whilst also having fair prices, it's dinsgenuous to ignore the fact that being somewhere people who didn't have much money could shop kept them afloat for many years.

Obviously not.

But charity shops (and charities in general) have a legal obligation to maximise their revenue for their chosen cause. And the cause, despite what many people think, isn't usually providing cheap stuff for "poor people".

According to the oracle (AI):

No, charities are not legally obligated to make as much money as possible, but they are legally required to use their money in a way that supports their stated aims and is in the public's best interest.

Arguably maximising their profits includes realistic prices, because charging more means it probably won't sell which is even less than OPs theoretical haggling. And no, of course their sole purpose isn't providing affordable stuff to people, but it's always been the huge selling point; people just won't shop there unless they uphold some semblance of rational pricing, lots of people donate as well as they agree with it being accessible for people struggling.

"Legally obliged", Are you sure about that?
That suggests that if they give a discount they are breaking the law and could be fined or go to prison!
Surely charities are morally obliged to act in a fair way to all, the people benefitting from their charity work and people using their charity shops. (Who may include people living in poverty).

I don’t understand that logic though, as who is to say that the next person through the door won’t be happy to pay the full asking price? Therefore the charity shop is unlikely to get zero. At worst it’ll go into the rag bag, at best somebody will pay the full asking price and as a middle ground it’ll probably be rotated to a different store or discounted slightly further down the line.

@KnottedTwine I don't see charity shops as necessary as place for people with "little money". It depends what they sell.
I see the Oxfam Bookshops as a secondhand bookshop (so prices may be similar to an independent secondhand shop) but the only difference is the money goes to charity.
I go there because I might be looking for a specific book - not a cheap bargain.

That doesn't mean OP can't ask for a discount. Then the charity shop can decide if they want to take the risk and hold out for more/end up with nothing. They can just say no.

Exactly, @Needmorelego . I was talking in more general terms. This idea that the charity shop sector is there to provide cheap stuff for poor people, and that if you can afford to buy new, you wouldn't be in a charity shop in the first place. The "mission statement" of an Oxfam bookshop is to sell books for as much as possible given the market rate to raise money for Oxfam's work. The mission statement of a BHF shop is to raise money for heart research and so on. Nothing to do with asking for a discount on a particular item, more to do with the general idea that charity shops should always be cheap.

Have read all of OP's posts but not every one in thread.

I do understand charity shops are trying to make the most of donations, but they do need to consider their audience if they want turnover. Very few places are going to pay £5 for a Primark top. They should also be wary of charging prices they've seen on eBay. EBay has a national reach, so a rare board game can command better prices if there are a couple of people looking for it. But if they're unlikely to be in your town, either stick it on eBay or charge a lower price.

more to do with the general idea that charity shops should always be cheap.

Unless they're selling new stuff like the fair trade ranges etc then of course they should be subjectively cheaper than buying an item new. When they're asking for nearly a tenner for a top that was probably around that new nae chance. Same with books, tatty children's books for 50p is fine, but £3 now near me, I'd rather buy from amazon and then donate to a charity I truly believe in rather than which one happens to have a shop nearby.

I volunteer in a charity shop.

The manager can apply a small discount at her discretion but it’s big ticket items. We had a brand new electrical item still boxed and unused, also pat tested as all goods need to be, she had to unseal box for this. It was a £120 item out for £50 and the customer who asked received £5 off and got an absolute bargain.

We have people that are hard up, people that want vintage for themselves and loads of resellers scanning stuff. I would personally never ask for a discount in a charity shop. All clothes are inspected and if dirty or damaged go to the rag man. We have a very specific pricing policy so for instance we had a Paul Smith shirt in and that was priced at a far greater price than the ones from Tesco. A Joules t.shirt will be more than a Primark one. We have a folder with all retailers categorised in to designer, high end, mid and low end then a column such as BNWT, excellent condition, ok condition and it is priced accordingly.

As with other High St shops, rents and power have gone up a lot. The two paid members of staff are on minimum wage, one needs to be on duty. They have all the admin of a regular shop but are paid very little.

Your methods sound really organised. The ones local to me seem to have a policy of all t shirts £4.95 whether they be Primark £3 cost new ones or French connection.

Have you seen a drop in sales since Vinted grew popular?

We also have a clear pricing policy where I volunteer. We are still meeting sales targets and don’t seem to have been affected so much by Vinted but shop the town has an older demographic so perhaps not so keen on internet purchases.
One of our main issues is quality of donations: Shein et al - poor quality that nobody wants to buy even when brand new with tags.

@BurntBroccoli Im unsure about sales drop as I’m not FT staff and haven’t been there long enough but quality of donations is harder for sure according, to longer term staff. Will ask them about Vinted.

Lol no. How will they pay their overheads if everyone tries to get a discount? Cheeky.

Or turnover improves and they make more money?

Do it. The secondhand market is growing fast and charity shops will need to up their game to stay worthwhile to
customers.

I prefer Vinted cos supporting a person seems better moral value than supporting a corporate chain run for profit.

@Supersimkin7 the ‘profit’ goes into the specific charity. For instance, BHF puts millions of ££ into researching heart disease and Cancer Research is self explanatory. That’s why so many people leave legacies as well as donating goods and volunteering time.

I’ve no problem with supporting individuals by buying from them, but I don’t see it as morally superior.

Quick update:

Left the house in a rush today. Put on the £9.50 unbranded top I did not ask for a discount on.

Turns out the top button is missing, so I can't even fecking wear it.

Thanks for all input, particularly those about me being tasteless and classless - loved those.

Will be sticking to asking for discounts! 😂

@GroaningGyrtle but if the button is missing it would have still been missing even if you got a discount.
Whether you paid 50p or £9.50 that button isn't there - is it ?

Jesus wept, you're determined.

No, the button wouldn't be there. But I'd feel less shit about having to feckin mend the thing because I wouldn't have paid nearly a tenner for a secondhand, damaged garment.

As it is, I'll take it back and they will have earned £0. Result!

@GroaningGyrtle the time it would take to sew a button on is probably less than the time to go back to the shop for a refund - but that's your time not mine.
Anyway..... hope you found something else to wear.
🙂