Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that charity shop workers should not take all the best stuff for themselves?

304 replies

gramercy · 15/01/2010 12:18

I admired dd's friend's coat. Her mother duly informed me it was a Boden coat which her mother had got from the charity shop in which she volunteers. "I gave mum a list of the brands to look out for - so she can pick them out when stuff comes in. I've got loads of good things."

I know this goes on, but I really don't think it's on. Even if the volunteer pays a nominal price, it means the shop is deprived of stock, and if the shop only stocks horrible old tat then people won't bother to go in. You can't imagine a boutique, say, allowing its staff to buy all the prime stuff first so there's nothing left to attract customers.

OP posts:
LadyBeagleEyes · 17/04/2013 23:28

Was that Dittany's post from January 2010? Grin

tazzle · 17/04/2013 23:50

Part of my job can involve supprting volunteers in the collection of donations from charities clothes bins then sorting them into recycling or for sale in local shop.

Chance of a few perks.????. Well given some of the stuff we have to wade through to find any it's a wonder we want anything....

Some recent joys.... broken crockery (in a clothing bin !), used (as in blackened ) ovenwear, jockstraps (used), vibrator (used) , phallic cruet set, medical dressings (used). .... as well as the less yukky but still unpleasant unwashed clothing.

Its not often that its clean, good condition clothing.

I do not see an issue with sorters or volunteers being able to bag a bargain or two as a wee reward for their good spirits in being a volunteer. ..and given that it's not free as they pay for the stuff the charities don't lose out.

I would have issue with regular grabbing of higher value stuff not for personal use being sold on for profit ... just my wee line in the sand ...

Belive me... for every " nice" article one wiuld wa

cat · 19/04/2013 09:47

Sorry everyone I was having a terrible day yesterday and the venom poured out on here Hmm

Sorry Thanks

LadyBeagleEyes · 19/04/2013 10:04

That's very sweet of you cat Smile
BTW wasn't Dittany banned?

cat · 19/04/2013 10:07

I thinks so. But wasn't she also TDWP or am I getting mixed up?

RugBugs · 19/04/2013 10:09

I don't know if they still do it but next always used to have a few hours 'sale preview' for staff the evening before the sale when the shop had closed early. There were women who would regularly work just the required 10hrs as a temporary worker (5hrs the day before and 5hrs in the first two days of sale) to get access to the sale.

We would be allowed to bring a couple of people in with us too and could buy from the rails and stock room, we just had to be able to carry it out the back door!
I always feel sorry for the people who queue at 5am thinking they're getting the best stock, sorry, it's most likely been well and truly cherrypicked.

Loulybelle · 19/04/2013 10:22

I worked at a Charity Shop recently, and the manager would only sell the good stuff, he was particular about what went out and i got some nice clothes for a good price, some stuff i sorted didnt even got worn, i always added on a bit extra for those.

TheRivieraKid · 19/04/2013 11:27

Dying to know where Vintagesphinx's charity shop is located as I'm in the west country Smile

serin · 19/04/2013 11:34

What a horrible mean thread.

I shop in charity shops all the time. FWIW ours seem to be staffed by ladies so naice that i seriously doubt they would buy anything outside of John Lewis and Waitrose. BUT if they did, then so what?

Do you seriously begrudge someone who is giving up time to work for free?

TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 19/04/2013 11:37

No, dittany wasn't banned. She name changed a couple of times but has now left, I think.

When I worked in a charity shop, there was a pricing team who always came in separately and staff couldn't buy stuff until it had been priced.

LadyBeagleEyes · 19/04/2013 11:43

I do find it a bit weird being on a zombie thread started by someone 3 years ago and have been commented on from many that have either left, been banned or forgotten all about it.
But fair enough, nobody's RTFT anyway, so I suppose it's now all new and sparkly.Grin

lydiajones · 19/04/2013 11:50

YABU - it is a perk of working for no salary and they are still buying them so the money is still going to the charity.

TigerSwallowtail · 19/04/2013 11:58

I volunteered for a well known charity shop when DS was a baby. We had to wear gloves when sorting through the donation bags as some of the things we received were so dirty (skid marked undies for example), we couldn't keep anything back for ourselves and didn't get a discount either, so not every charity shop is the same.

faolan · 09/08/2014 19:57

I was widowed last year, and started working in a charity shop six months ago. The volunteers are the ones on the front line, if there's a drunk, smelly or nasty customer we are the ones who have to put on a smile and deal with them. Also, us older ladies find it a bit hard on the feet. Having said that, I love the job, and as others on here have pointed out, we pay full price for items, and our purchases are recorded in a book.

Spencerz6 · 16/08/2014 03:23

I'm here to say that people who work at Op shops DO indeed take all the good stuff. I had a shop next to one and I used to see all the old ladies going out to their cars during the day and putting things in their trunks. I frequent one at the moment and every worker there is receiving stuff. They have a lady there who depletes the stock of anything good before the public gets to see it. I've heard the conversations between the workers. One of them makes $700 a week reselling at the markets. It's not only wrong. It's theft. People donate their things thinking the sale will be donated back to charity. Not sold to a worker for 5 % of its value! then resold with a 200% mark up at some market stall where only the stall holder benefits.

DogCalledRudis · 16/08/2014 08:26

So what? Things go to charity shops when people discard them.

UsedToBeAPaxmanFan · 16/08/2014 08:36

My dm volunteers for a charity inntheir sarehouse, sortingnout donated items. She gives up one morning every week to do this, and it involves sorting through some very horrible stuff at times.

The system they have there is that the volunteers are allowed to buy items, but must pay whatever the agreed price is (ie the price that the item would be in the shop). There's a limit on how many items a volunteer can buy each week ( think it's 5) and all purchases have to be agreed by the manager, and recorded. I think that's a fair system.

Chase131 · 03/04/2015 08:51

When I worked in a charity shop I was surprised at the way some of the volunteers spoke to the customers. i.e. A man commented that Christmas songs should not be played in November. I was just about to say "sorry. I'll change the CD" when my colleague piped up "Belt up misery guts".
A different customer told me that he could not stand her.
She brought about 8 items every shift and the manager said it was 8 items less that needed pricing up.

Then one day when he upset a customer he asked me to deal with her. Then he said I was too polite but the lady said thank you to me.

Yes volunteers getting the first pickings makes my blood boil. It should be limited to 2 items a shift.

When a donation came in she would tell me not to take it out the back immediately and would pull it all out on the counter. I had to leave before I blew my top as she had been there longer than me.

DoJo · 03/04/2015 09:21

THE ZOMBIE THREAD THAT WOULDN'T DIE!

TiggyD · 03/04/2015 10:20

Seems it never quite gets old enough to get the zombie warning.

Patapouf · 03/04/2015 10:33

How the hell does this keep getting revived?

Feminine · 03/04/2015 10:50

Grin this crazy resurrection has really made me laugh. properly

Haha haha

MochaMeltdown · 03/04/2015 11:01

I think many of the big charities (certainly the one I work for) has a policy that items have to be on the shop floor for a fixed amount of time (might be 48 hours) before a volunteer can buy them...I think that's fair!

EveBoswell · 03/04/2015 11:08

Why do some MNs think that all charity shop workers are old women? We have several charity shops round here and I've seen plenty of young people, both male and female. Okay, they might be unemployed or something but they are not old women.

Oldsu · 03/04/2015 11:22

My DH work part time in a charity shop all items bought by himself, other paid staff and volunteers have to be priced by another team member and put through the till by anther team member (that has to be paid member of staff and not a volunteer)..

If he is running the shop on his own without any other paid staff he cant buy anything at all.

BTW to those who think staff are stealing wholesale when they see cars being filled with donations, my DH can regularly be seen outside his shop loading his car with black bags that's because he is rotating stock (sending older unsold items to another branch) NOT THAT HE IS NICKING ANYTHING

Swipe left for the next trending thread