To think people are quite petty to object to charity shop staff getting "first dibs" when they are BUYING the items?

[SorcererGaheris]

For context, I am a volunteer in a charity shop myself, and if I see something that I want, I will purchase it. The shop doesn't give staff discounts, either; staff pay full price - the last item I bought, a book, cost me £40.

Anyway, I COMPLETELY understand people objecting if volunteers were to just take donated items for themselves, but I've seen some online discussions in which people complain about the staff getting first pick of donations when they are paying for them. I really don't see the problem in this case, and think people who object are rather out of line. Other retail workers surely sometime purchase items from the shops they work in, so I don't see why volunteers should be begrudged that. A volunteer is a customer as much as any other.

Sorry OP, it’s not disrespect to you. I’m meaning as a wider issue. Perhaps what I’m saying doesn’t apply to your circumstances but probably would to the majority of shops around. I was responding to your thread title.

Buying an item isn't exactly remittance, though, is it? The item is being sold and the staff member is being charged, just the same as any other customer. Volunteer and customer aren't mutually exclusive terms.

The better items would be a draw to customers so if they are bought by staff without being given the chance to be put on sale in the shop the opportunity is lost for the charity shop to gain customers from a reputation for having great things for sale.
So I no, don’t think staff should be allowed first dibs at all.

But where is the idea coming from that the staff are buying all the "better" items?

Staff buy items that they personally LIKE and WANT, but there are numerous cases in which the things they buy are not the "better" items.

That book sounds fascinating! I have just looked for it on ebay and the only copies for sale are in the States, so the postage costs are high. You definitely got it for a very good price.

Are you an occultist yourself, by any chance? :)

Sorry OP - I strongly object to volunteers taking any, let alone the pick, of donated items. My wife and I contribute £5 to £6 every week in such donations. At Christmas we add mince pies etc and at Easter we'll donate a tray of easter eggs for the children of those who cannot afford to buy for themselves. As volunteers people should be just that, a volunteer. Taking food donated for others is mean and should not be allowed.

We're not TAKING the items, though, we're BUYING them.

Hi OP i understand if you are paying then yes of course, but last time I donated 2 pairs of shoes, the volunteer had one look at them and said "Oh wow they are my size, I will keep them" put the lid back on and kept them
... I was not sure on how to react to that.

Perhaps it maybe applies to some shops, but I'd suggest less than you might think. I can't speak for all charity shops, certainly, but I do know that in the shop I'm volunteering in, there are large amounts of good-quality items that the staff have no interest in buying, so other customers who want them get them instead. :)

Right, but the topic is specifically referring to charity shop staff who pay for the items, not just pocket them.

I don't think it's ok. It's obvious that the items will not get marked with a proper price and will be discounted for staff. I think items should be priced and put out and if no one buys it within a few days then the volunteers can buy it. That encourages the staff to price it fairly.

I've always worked in charity shops and it's the same everywhere. Most volunteers are great but there are plenty who love a bargain a little bit too much.

I wont give to charity shops because I dont want my things to be nabbed by volunteers. I bet Im not the only person.

You say "It's obvious that items will not get marked with a proper price and will be discounted for staff."

Except...I have expressly stated that this DOES NOT happen in the shop I work at. When staff wish to buy an item, it is properly priced and we receive NO discount. As I have mentioned a few times already, the most recent item I bought from the shop in which I volunteer cost me £40, and that was absolutely properly priced.

I will also add that I think it's very unfair to describe the volunteers as "nabbing" items when they are actually paying the full asking price for them. That hardly qualifies as being nabbed.

A lot of people cling to the idea that charity shops are there for people in need to buy stuff cheaply, and it’s just not true.

Charity shops are there to raise the maximum amount possible for their charity. They do this by selling as much as they can to whomever they can for the best price that they can.

If that’s the OP, coming in for a shift and spotting something that appeals before the shop opens, great! Sale made, charity happy, OP happy, more space on shelf freed up for the next donation.

She’s buying books, not a truckload of Jimmy Choos to flog out of her car boot at the weekend.

If you are donating things to a charity shop so that “poor people can buy nice things” then you are in for a disappointment.

Anyone can shop in a charity shop. Plenty of people with lots of disposable income do so. This is great, as it’s income for the charity concerned.

That's a great point. Perhaps some people who donate would prefer that the items they've given be sold to the very poor, but other donors probably don't care about the financial status of whoever might buy the stock. And certainly the charity itself doesn't care who buys the item - what matters is that it gets sold.

Charities do not consider the items in their shops to be intended specifically only for poor and needy people to buy. The stock is there for ANYONE to purchase.

Can you not read?
The OP is buying items from the charity shop she volunteers at - books in fact - at the same price as another paying customer would. The charity gets the same money.

@JingleB - yes that is a good point but most likely achieved but selling to those who walk through the door.

This.

If they are skimming the cream (probably to resell on eBay at a profit) what's left for everyone else? It will adversely impact the appeal of the shop.

I think the problem is that in some shops the same person who prices can buy. So basically would have priced higher for the shelves if they didn’t want to buy it themselves. Or, if they don’t price themselves, another there prices it low knowing the other wants to buy and then that gets reciprocated. A no buying by staff rule gets around all of that.

I'm maybe in the minority here but I think charity shop volunteers should only be able to shop from priced items on the shop floor, and ideally not items they have personally priced.
I used to do the reductions in a supermarket when I briefly worked there, and I couldn't keep reduced items I needed aside, indeed I had to shop like everyone else.

You could potentially be decreasing future sales, due to some folk no longer coming in as there's never anything they want.

When I volunteered in a charity shop the rule was that if a volunteer wanted to buy something it had to have been out in the shop for at least a day. The volunteer could then buy it and get 10% discount. The transaction had to be recorded in a book and signed by the manager.

I am in Surrey and have a couple of friends who are retired and do volunteering. One is at a food bank. It takes donated surplus and she works filling bags for people. Not like all food banks in that it’s once a week and has fresh food/meat and people don’t have to register. They pay a tiny amount to fill a bag with whatever they want.

She is constantly bringing home massive bags of fresh food that doesn’t get taken but needs to go. Feels guilty as she is wealthy but doesn’t want to waste the food. Just not enough poor people in the area despite advertising heavily.

Another works in a charity shop and again is wealthy but gets most of her clothes from there as she just sees things she likes.

I don’t have a problem with either of them. There so much stuff in the world. Matching it with someone who can use it is hard work so volunteers taking stuff is part of that.

When I have volunteered in a charity shop it was because I was unemployed due to health issues, volunteering was my first step back towards paid work.