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.

I have noticed a lot refusing to take books in though, maybe that’s just a general shift of people not wanting books anymore?

Given that if I just want something to read, there's always a pretty wide choice of Kindle books at 99p, I'm unlikely to buy a charity shop book at £3 or whatever, unless it's one I specifically want. I don't think £3 is unreasonable as a price, per se, just there's a lot of easy competition now.

Ditto for DVDs vs Netflix (lots of shops seem to sell DVDs for 50p or 3 for £1 now, to reflect this)

I have noticed a lot refusing to take books in though, maybe that’s just a general shift of people not wanting books anymore?
They don't sell. Books are often heavy, and people don't want to carry them round the shops. People read online.
I buy them, but I prefer to read print.
DVDs and CDs don't sell - I've got some but I'd have to dig out the DVD player to use them.

The cost of running the charity shop is going through the roof. So they put prices up, so fewer people shop there. Our local charity shop has prices that are higher than Vinted and even the likes of eBay. I used to shop there a lot, now I don't. I can get what I need for cheaper.

Then you have the likes of Shein and Temu where you can get brand new clothes for cheaper than second hand. And the quality really isn't as bad as people say. Anyone who says it's bad quality has never bought it.

People don't have as much free time to volunteer as they used to. Whether that's due to having to take on extra hours at work, or because there are more distractions which give an illusion of having no spare time.

I agree. I volunteered in a CRUK shop for 4 years until recently when a new manager was brought in. The new manager only wanted young volunteers and was extremely rude to the older volunteers who had kept the shop running for over a year when there was no permanent manager. The long standing volunteers left months ago and I left more recently. The new manager raised the prices considerably and sales dropped like a stone. It isn't one of the shops closing in the first tranche but I think it will go in the next closures. I am applying to volunteer in a charity shop for a local Hospice.

And the quality really isn't as bad as people say. Anyone who says it's bad quality has never bought it.
I've seen plenty of it in charity shops, and it's mass-produced and the fabric is flimsy. It's not bad quality for what it is.
It's not as good as supermarket clothes or Pimark.

Then there are those charity shops that charge stupid prices for touristy/posh areas. Places like Harrogate, York, Bath, Chester.

We have stopped off in an average town or suburb for lunch and if see any CS, pop in.

Books are still popular.
Where I live there's loads of those community bookshelves at railway stations etc and they seem very popular.
Obviously the big difference is those books are free but charity shops you have to pay but people definitely still like having physical books.
As I've said on this thread charity shops need to actually display the books better.
Spines by colour - no
Dumped all muddled in a rummage basket - no
Tightly packed on a spinner so you can see what there is - no
Piled up in a wobbly pile on a high shelf - no
On an ordinary shelf in A-Z by author - yes please.

Yeah - but shelves on railway stations, etc work because people at railway stations generally want a book for the journey and have forgotten their book/kindle etc. People don't make special trips to bookshops or to rummage through books in charity shops, because buying digital is generally so much easier.

As a book lover I do make a point of purposely going to shops for books - whether that's Waterstones, a secondhand bookshop or a charity shop.
I don't think I am the only person who does that.
My point is though if people could just literally pop into a charity shop as they pass one to see if they have any books by Anthony Horowitz they can go straight to the shelves and look under H for Horowitz.
In and out in a couple of minutes.
No having to rummage through dusty piles in boxes.

the big difference is those books are free @Needmorelego
There's your answer. There's a difference between picking up a book before sitting on a train and carrying a book round the shops. Nice Town charity shops are clean, sell nice, sellable stock (Boden, Seasalt, designer etc). Rundown Town shops aren't very appealing but are cheap.

@Auburngal , I live near a couple of touristy towns, and the stock is different to what's in my own (run-down) town.

An example, might be in Nice Town, I saw a nice, intact Barbour wax jacket for £68. It didn't look brand new, but it looked like it hadn't been worn more than a few times.
In Rundown Town, I saw the same coat in a different colour for £10. it looked like it had been worn a lot, and it would not appeal to someone looking for a coat.

I bought both. The tatty one was tidied up and re-proofed, the nearly new one had a light reproof. I put both on ebay. The nearly new one sold within weeks. The older one took longer to sell but I made far more profit, as it was a rare colour and had a lived-in look.

Don't hate me for reselling them. I kept one that fitted.

@CrostaDiPizza
Why is it harder to carry a paperback "around the shops" than it is to carry one to work?
I don't understand that thought at all.

Apparently prices relate to areas. Ours are posh platignum band so fairly expensive. The childrens society one doesnt sell any toys or childrens clothes and feels more like a boutique. I only pop in if waiting for the bus which stops outside.

@Sunshineandoranges there's a "boutique" clothes hospice shop near me.
There's never anyone in it.

I worked in charity for many years - charity shops get sooooo much stock that they don’t know what to do with. I think the problem is the area managers dictate the price point as they’re greedy and the stock just doesn’t shift, so shops don’t make their targets and they eventually close. I used to sell cheap and lots of it, making my shop the best earner on the area. I see primark for £7 and now lots of shein for the same price.
I was talking to an area manager the other day who said their donations have really gone down (the quality) and they are looking to buy in second hand stock. Madness.

And the have to factor in the huge management salaries!

@Needmorelego Paperback aren't heavy, but hardbacks are.

for some people who shop with us I am sure that’s true, but ime many people who donate have a personal reason for supporting the cause and do want us to achieve a good price for their donations. We also have a lot of gift aiders where I volunteer (42% of our sales are gift aided) and they receive regular updates regarding how much their donations have raised so I do think a good percentage of people do care about us achieving a fair price for their donations.

I volunteer for one of the more expensive chains and we offer a vg selection or products at different price points. Today I sold a Ted Baker jacket for £35, another coat for £25, fashion tops for £3 and some picture frames for £2.50. Am I going to sell the Ted Baker jacket for £5? No. Do we have other jackets at a much cheaper price point? Yes. We cater for a range of tastes and budgets.

Don't buy a hardback then 🤔
(which most charity shops don't usually have many of anyway)

I do buy them, but they are heavy, and the same books are on display each time I go in.

I just didn't understand your logic of why you said it's harder to carry a book while out shopping than it is to carry a book while commuting on a train.
Never mind 🤷

Why not drop them into a clothing bank?

@Nocookiesforme

That's offensively low. I wonder if wages vary according to location? If a shop is located in a more affluent area, is the wage a bit higher?

Our shop is based in Cambridge. I don't know how much the manager earns, but I can't imagine it's much more than 25k.

A couple of years ago, lower-level Oxfam employees went on strike over the low pay - our shop was closed on a few days because of it. Some of the employees had been having to use food banks.

@Needmorelego If you're out shopping you are walking about and the book will be carried in your bag.
If you are about to spend a while on a train, you'll be sitting with the book either in your bag or in your hand.
Not sure why you needed to question the logic.

@Sunshineandoranges

I don't know specifically which roles you mean by 'management' but if you're talking about the shop managers, their wages are definitely not huge. If anything, they're probably underpaid.

Yes but you don't just leave the book on the train?
You take it with you.
When not actually reading it's in your bag whether you're walking around from shop to shop, en route to work or doing the school run or whatever.
A paperback book in your bag.
Seriously.... what's the difference?