200 charity shops closing (cancer research)

[lebopbop]

AIBU to be sad about this as a charity-shop lover?

I don’t have a nearby cancer research shop but lots of other charity shops and I’m worried this is signalling a general trend :(

I do like Vinted etc for pre-loved clothes but it’s so much better to see things in person, be able to try on and not pay postage. It’s also just fun to go and rummage.

Too often I go to mine to drop off, and there’s a sign saying that they aren’t accepting donations. So it goes in the bin, and I don’t waste my time trying again.

There's a good one in Lewisham, is that closing?

People are buying less, donating less, selling and buying online.

The quality of clothes we buy are so poor now I’m not surprised.

They sell anything half decent on Vinted anyway so it’s no wonder people aren’t going in them for shelf after shelf of Primark & shite from the supermarkets.

Because they stopped helping both ends of the issue.

They stopped being cheap so those who needed them rather than wanting them stopped going. Those who donated get turned away as stock isn’t shifting. They also sell anything really good on eBay so hoping to find some rare bargain is a thing of the past.

Sure they were always for fund raising but the actual on the street was helping the poor as well as their cause.

But then the likes of home bargains and the range etc seem so busy, maybe I have a slightly warped view with my social media algorithm but it seems like people are buying clothes and homeware more than ever.

I think the way they generate funding is changing. Main source of funding is from legacies in wills. I used to think shops were a way of raising awareness buy, donate, volunteer leave a legacy, I think the way we consume information has changed though. Maybe it’d much more cost effective to encourage legacies through other means.

If it's good stuff why not try another charity shop?
What a great shame for the environment to just bin useful things.

Eh, I know some people enjoy rummaging but sometimes it’s too chaotic… a few of the charity shops near me group items by colour (rather than by size or type) because it looks pretty but I just find it infuriating! I’m afraid I’m a convert to Vinted.

Yes it's ridiculous isnt it, surely if they have too much stock then lower prices!

Cheaper to buy in home bargains probably. I went to buy cheap mugs out of a charity shop and they were all 2.50 each for random mugs that were nothing special. I bought them out of Tesco for 1.50 each

They are quite expensive unfortunately. My local one sells most items for about £6 whereas another charity shop sells most of its stock for £2 or £3.

Our local Marie Curie was amazing. Its was always full of people and had loads of great stuff. Fab books, puzzles and a huge selection of clothes. The staff were lovely too. I went in at least once a week.
About 2 months ago they revamped it. Its so empty now and had one entire wall for 'merch' ie brand new Marie Curie things. The staff have all changed and its rarely busy now. They also have the no donations sign up most of the time. I am gutted as it was so great to have in walking distance and I just cannot understand the change and won't be surprised if it shuts!

They are unrealistic in their prices no-one wants to pay masses for second hand i know they blither about resellers but not all of them make profits enough to quit their day jobs even the ones on tiktok they have to grind sell reduce a lot its not worth the effort as a day job sell your stock make space for more honestly one of our local successful charity shops would look something up on Ebay see its selling for £10 and halve it everyone is a winner

donated items are turned away for a variety of reasons, not necessarily because stock isn’t selling.
lack of space to sort
donating items which the store doesn’t sell eg electrical
shortage of volunteers to sort
I volunteer in a charity shop and we always have a problem at the beginning of January with being unable to accept everything people want to donate- due to bank holidays our rag hasn’t been collected and we have less space to store and sort items and this couple with the new year clear out frenzy means we do turn some people away.

I love a charity shop rummage, but (locally at least) the prices are ridiculous so I have defaulted to Vinted these days

Is there a reason you don't use punctuation? It really helps to easily understand what you write.

They seem to be opening large stores in retail parks now, probably just moving towards those

Costs have gone up

quality of stock donated has gone down as people prefer to sell themselves online

means they can’t make a profit and their only reason for existing is to make a profit for the charity

therefore they must close

They charge too much. Our local one has the same stuff week in, week out. They can't take any more donations because they can't sell anything.
The local independent charities are brilliant though, 50p-£1 per item of children's clothing and they fly off the shelves.

Charities are struggling all over the country. Government funding is being cut and the public are donating less. They cannot afford to support loss making stores. Charities are cutting services and jobs left, right and centre. It's an awful time for them and there are no signs of improvement.

Exactly. And its such a shame. I generally find independent charity shops for small, local charities far cheaper and far easier to deal with as both a donator and a buyer. The big multi nationals have just turned into soulless chains with high paid CEO's.
If im in a charity shop, I want a proper bargain. Otherwise I'll just go to the usual budget shops. Likewise, if im donating, I dont want my high quality stuff (often brand new with labels on!) to be turned away and have to drive all over the place with screaming kids in the car.

Yes ours is almost never taking donations, I drive around for weeks with bags of lcothes in my boot and today Ive dropped them at the dump. I dont really understand it.

People donate so much actual shite that these shops spend more time (and money) having to sort and then dispose of it.