To wish public shaming on people who plunder bags left outside charity shops...

[JudyJones]

It shocks me how often I see it, or evidence of it (rain soaked clothes and books, strewn half-way up the street), and I have to say: how low can you go? The latest example was this morning: a couple of well-dressed young professionals on a Sunday stroll helping themselves to stuff outside Marie Curie Cancer Care.

I tell myself that it's really the fault of the people who leave goods outside shop opening hours - and that (cashed up yuppies aside) no one would really want to be in a position where they felt that had to steal from a cancer charity ... but I think I am just trying to make up for the fact I have never once had the backbone to give them old-fashioned what-for with my handbag (or just have words) when I have seen it happen.

As I spend hours afterwards quietly fuming, I fondly remember a case in Australia years ago when someone was caught at it on a Sunday ( a churchwarden or some such, no less!), and ended in court and with his photo in all the papers . That felt about right to vengeful old me...

My Mum did this once and could not see for the life of her what she'd done wrong as it was outside it wasn't donated yet and therefore belonged to nobody.
I didn't agree I should add.

It is usually so bl**dy difficult getting all the bags to the charity shops that usually I rely on the weekends so my DH can help me get the bags to the door...

I know that all the stores do have a 'no dumping, opening hours only' policy for donations, but sometimes you just have to hope that people do the right thing and leave the donations alone...

If your doing it you are probably homeless and are pretty destitutre anyway

We have charity bags put through our front door for later collection. And they have been known to be plundered too. ON YOUR OWN FRONT PATH.

Nowt wrong with it.
Better than it ending up in landfill.

I think there is something wrong with it.

If I want my old clothes to go to an old peoples charity for example, I do not want the local drug addled waste of space rummaging through it.

Loads of it is thrown anyway. My neighbour tells me so. She works for Age Concern. (I wish someone would come and liberate some of the crap in my style.)

As far as I'm concerned if the local drug addict needs it then they are welcome to it. I bet the charity shops chuck most of it anyway.

I don't care if they take it.

I agree with KatieDD.

youd think charity shops would at least recycle stuff they dont want

anyone who feels the need to plunder bags outside charity shops is rpobably well in need of it, i agree.

Well I really feel for the workers in our local oxfam as every morning they have to clean up a huge mess where someone has 'donated' by leaving on the doorstep at some stage and it has usually gotten pulled apart and rained on rendering it value-less. there is a huge sign saying that it is fly-tipping. I suppose if you are donating something with a marketable value you should hand it to a worker in the shop. If you leave it outside it is fair game.

i dont really mind what happens to the stuff once its left my home if its anything special to me i wouldnt charity shop it anyway

i go to local charity shop alot and know the lady well she says the amount of stuff that gets thrown is rediculous they have big bins round back for this

and some do leave it outside to save them disposing of it knowing people will take it as most places have drops to leave goods now

and if they have to much stuff they throw it away as simply have no room for it so if people take it saves it being put in the bin as have to many of them items already they are obviously in need if they feel they have to take off a doorstep

i wish they'd have a drop bin, then, for people who can't get to the charity shop during opening hours.

My hubby is a policeman, he stopped a car once with a couple in the front and their son in the back, with his head nearly touching the roof because ...... they had so many charity bags in the boot and back seat he had to sit on top of them!!!

When he asked them where they had come from they said they had been cruising the streets and just picking up the bags from outside the charity shops, HOW OUTRAGEOUS IS THAT! AND THEY WERE GOING TO SELL IT ON!

My hubby explained they couldn't really do this as it wasn't fair and made them put them back!

I wish they had drop bins too - I get quite annoyed by signs telling me not to leave stuff outside the shop, when I have little alternative, given the (understandably) limited time they are open.

But I dont really mind who ends up with my stuff, or who financially gains from it, I just want it out the house, and not going into landfill.

We have had some incredible tat from the skips behind charity shops - last week we got a portable dvd player with a remote control. Thrown away by the Sue Ryder shop as they can't sell electrical good.

Also recently a Hooch jacket with an inch long split in the seam, a pair of almost new Clarkes suede boots for dd, real ballet shoes for dd, a doughnut maker, three flannelette fitted sheets, an unopened child's art set (pastels, watercolours etc), and so so much more.

Its disgusting that they throw it all away and I have no sympathy for the shops any more.

i think its pretty disgusting that they just throw stuff away. can they not think of better things to do with it? if, for eg, they cant sell electrical goods, youd think theyd at least donate them to someone who could use em!

mummytowillow - d'you know i dont think that sounds bad at all. at least those people were enterprising enough to try to work their way out of poverty. and if people dump stuff outside of charity shops then it is fair game afaics. if they could be bothered to take it in during opening hours it wouldnt get pinched. and if the shops didnt just chuck stuff out willy nilly, id have more sympathy!

Could be wrong but I think Oxfam send stuff they can't sell to textile banks to be recycled.

I hate people going through the stuff because they generally spread it up the pavement, so it gets wet and/or filthy, but tbh my beef is more with people who just dump it in the street outside the shop. It isn't that hard to drop it off in store hours, surely?

Well, I would wish the public shaming on the people who can't read the "don't leave donations on the doorstep" notices since they are responsible for dumping stuff on the street and causing litter.

If you're going to ignore the request, then you can't whinge about it when stuff is ruined or stolen.

The vast majority of our local recycling centres (supermarket type places etc) have bins for clothes and textiles which are collected and sold by assorted charities.

I don't donate to charity shops I will buy stuff from some of them but they throw away soooo much stuff its silly.
The people taking the donations probably need it more than the shops do.

it's not the charity shop's job to do effective waste disposal of unsaleable stuff - traders have to pay to take stuff to the tip, don't they?

i agree i would feel unable to rummage through bags left outside a charity shop's door but I wouldn't feel much outrage about somebody doing this. Leaving the stuff all over the ground is different though.