I found a lovely Xmas party dress...

[DiscoBob]

Just as a bit of background, I'm broke and on benefits so can't afford to buy clothes until I really need to. So obviously no budget for an Xmas outfit. I have accumulated plenty of clothes over the years so not a problem.

I also just a couple of weeks ago donated a very large bag of decent stuff to a charity shop. Not designer but not Primark/Shein etc and a couple things that are really quite lovely but just don't fit me.

Today I happened upon a huge pile of clothes spilling out of several bin bags dumped outside a shut charity shop. I had a rummage and came upon a lovely Topshop sequinned mini dress in my size. I was delighted.

When I got home I tried it on and it looked fab. I told my mum and she first of all said it was great.

But then sounded concerned, she said 'oh, I wonder if the person who left it there will mind?'

I was pretty astonished and replied that if they were so precious about their discarded clothing they shouldn't dump it in the middle of the street. Knowing it won't be discovered for at least 24 hours by shop staff. By then it'd probably be soaked from the rain.

Am I in the wrong to think it's completely morally correct to take things in this circumstance?

Or was my mum right? Would you be upset if you somehow found out an item of your fly tipped clothing went straight into a wardrobe rather than possibly making a bit of money for a charity?

Interested to hear everyone's views. TIA.

Technically, its theft. However, as plenty of other people have pointed out, the donor actually flytipped the clothes rather thsn donating them, creating a worse problem for the charity... so, wear your dress, and enjoy it!!

Seriously, Google it! It's illegal.

All the charity shops near me have signs on their doors clearly stating that donations left outside the shop will be binned and not to do it.

So yanbu imo because I think the clothes, especially clothes strewn around on the floor, will have gone to waste.

We can dress it up as it shouldn't have been dumped but the reality is that you have stolen from a charity shop. You need to hope there is no CCTV of you rummaging through and taking property that does not belong to you

The person who dumped the clothes is lucky she wasnt caught and fined for fly tipping.
Theres been lots of news reports for people being fined for littering for far less recently eg a woman fined for putting parcel wrapping in a public bin, another woman fined for putting an envelope on top of a full bin that hadn't been emptied, yet another woman ( noticing a pattern here!) fined because she threw the remains of her coffee away in a drain.

The clothes were discarded and thrown out. The person may have intended it to go the charity shop but leaving them out in the elements is just selfish and they are likely to get ruined anyway.
At least one person has gained from rhe idiot dumper.

Yeah I'm terrified I'll be put in prison. Seriously?! I'm really surprised at some people's reaction. But I guess it is AIBU.

Bloody hell! What a cruel comment.

Calm down, dear. Its a person you dont know, and a nameless charity...not worth working yourself up jnto a froth about.

Ignore the purse-lipped posters grimly surveying the world from their high horses. The items had been discarded in the street, and regardless of that, you support the charity as best you can. Take this as a win, but to be on the safe side, to avoid future judgement, don’t tell anyone else anything how you came by the top.

Technically, its theft
Who is she stealing from?a person has disposed of items and left them in a street.

Wow. So it's ok to steal from a charity shop because the police don't have time? Morals not your thing then.

My friend passed a charity shop in the evening and saw a backpack fly tipped outside along with a load of other stuff. She loved the backpack, so took it before anyone else did, then went back in the morning to pay. The shop said she was welcome to make a donation, but the rest of the stuff had gone straight in the bin so it wasn’t like they’d lost money through her taking it.

Not only that, just plain ridiculous.

Nasty. Because poor people shouldnt have friends, or socialise, or go to parties, presumably.

Exactly. I bet that poster thinks homeless people who dip supermarket bins for food should be criminalised too.

It's the flytipper who needs to watch out for the fact they're on CCTV not me.

Enjoy your dress op. I managed a charity shop for years, any bags left overnight in the rain would go straight in the bin without being sorted anyway.

*MiddleAgedDread · Today 18:38
If you’re that skint where are you going in a Xmas dress??
Bloody hell! What a cruel comment,

Indeed!.
Can't skint people look nice at Christmas?

Lol at the conversation between you and your mum 🤣

Neither of you mentioned giving money to the charity shop!

Hyperbole is certainly not my thing, no, it seems to be yours, though.

All the charity shops near me emphasise that dumping clothes by or near them is fly tipping. As PPs have mentioned, the clothes are unlikely to be offered for sale. If the Council doesn't get to them first, they very likely end in the charity shops' bins. Morally, the only thing I would say is not to spread the clothes around while rummaging, as that would be fly tipping as well.

I'm reporting you. Utterly vile thing to say. You're the one that probably has nowhere to go if you're that rude and nasty.

I think often bags that get left outside charity shops go straight to rags for H&S reasons so the charity shop wouldn’t have been able to sell them anyway.

that aside I don’t think you did anything wrong

I think we need to see a photo of you in the dress OP😁

I think it’s morally dubious but ultimately not a big deal to take the dress. As many PPs have said, it would likely have gone in the bin.

Enjoy your dress.

Oh yes, show us the dress (even just on the hanger, you don't have to wear it)