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

[gramercy]

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.

well if you want to sort through peoples dirty undies and scummy stained clothes, then go for it, volentreer yourself for the 'perks'

dh volenteers in a charity shop. he does bring some nice stuff home (paid for), but at the end of the day, he works for free, and occasionally comes home with a nice top for dd's or a book they might enjoy or a dvd.

i found dd a GAP coat for £4.50 in a charity shop, and a pair of boden trousers for 50p.

dh does look out for stuff for the dd's in particularly that they may like but doesnt look for particular brands.

It is the same as NCT volunteers getting first dibs at the NCT sale isn't it?

Message withdrawn

Do people really put unwashed stuff into charity bags?

I wipe board games, toys and books etc.with antibac before I donate them. I'd never give anything away dirty.

I used to manage a charity shop. We had deliveries twice a week of those bags that are delivered through the door. I used to sort over 200 bags a week from the van and then another 100 from customers coming into the shop with donations. It is not a quick turn around at all. I was paid to manage the shop (and sort the stock - only management could sort for this charity) and deal with the van drivers routes etc etc etc. It was a great job, very physical but I loved it. Once I had sorted it - I could do 100 bags in about 3 hrs (after 5 years practise!) the volunteers would tag, steam and then I would price it. Then we needed volunteers to rotate the stock and put new goods out. It takes a long time to do all this and depends on your volunteer levels and their abilities.

All shop staff (including volunteers) used to get 25% staff discount. Which I had to authorise by ringing the items through the till with a staff discount button to take off the discount and a book in which to record the purchase. The code, price, description, and receipt number plus mine and the purchasers signature. Often volunteers bought goods at full price but they still needed to be recorded in the book for their protection and mine.

The charity took seriously allegations of theft and in my time I had to 'let go off' a couple of volunteers who I caught 'red handed' stealing stock. I also know of paid van drivers on my area who lost their jobs because of theft.

The volunteers do work hard, and for the most part are passionate about the charity they are supporting. I think it is desperately unfair to tar all charity shop workers with the same brush.

YANBU to think that charity shop workers should not take all the best stuff for themselves but YABU to generalise in such a way as to suggest that this is commonplace. IMO

yes, notagranny, they do. they get broken toys and board games missing pieces donatated. clothes iwt button missing, clothes that have been left in the rain, filhy stuff.

they do get some gorgeous items donated, and the shop window display is fab.

I suppose they shouldn't really, but it's a small perk for doing a poorly-rewarded task which many would never do.

Thanks for your post, shivster. Most illuminating. Your shop was obviously run well.

I think it's the small local charity shops (ie not a national chain) which suffer from the helpers helping themselves and charging themselves 10p for something.

"grabbing grannies"!!!?!?

Without volunteers these charity shops would have to close. It's the way it works. You work in a shop, any shop, you get first dibs. It's called a perk for putting up with rude customers, smelly customers, and in the case of charity shops, sorting through bags of dirty nappies and sanitary towels.

If someone wants their boden coat to go somewhere specific, they should ensure it, or sell it. Once you have given it away it is not yours any more!

It's stealing. End of.

Around here a load of lads were nicking all of the donation bags from outside our houses. THey ended up in court.

Same difference imo.

The lady who runs the local charity shop told me about some of the tat they get - dirty knickers with pads still attached, another time it was a hot water bottle with the water still in it.

yabu volunteers are unpaid.if they get 1st dibs that is legitomate.they do pay for items.so if you want 1st dib do the unpaid hours.

I once found 5 x £20 notes in a book donated to a church fete. We asked discreatly (sp?) who had donated it but no one seemed to know so in the end it helped pay for rewiring the church.

A new charity shop opened up near me yesterday and they had some lovely stuff. I don't bedgrudge the volunteers getting first dibs at all. Without them, there would be no shop at all!

As an aside in normal shops staff get first dibs on stuff.

When I used to work saturdays the 'hold' rail for staff was full of all the new cool stuff - some of which never made it onto the shop floor.

Its one of the few perks of working in retail - especially if in a charity shop I'd have thought.

Of course it's not stealing As long as the stuff is sold does it matter who buys it? If anyone is desperate to get first dibs they can always get off their arses and volunteer instead of just whining about it.

haven't read the other posts but IF the volunteer paid the same price as they would have charged in the shop, then no problem. Volunteers are working for nothing and such a perk is acceptable. If on the other hand they are taking the stock and not paying for it, then that is theft and a different matter. Why don't you volunteer yourself, and for every 100 bags of stinky tat you sort, you could get your hands on a boden coat ahead of everyone else at knock down prices?

I will agree with gramercy that the stock is rubbish ATM. I had a scout round recently hoping that people might have had a post-Christmas de-clutter but it's all overpriced supermarket/discount stuff or hideous, ancient clothes that you would only ever wear as fancy dress.

YABU.

And isn't it compelling to see whether stuff you've donated has made it onto the rails? Found myself checking a few items that I'd donated at the local charity shop today. Was glad that they had thought them good enough to sell on and not just sent them to the rag merchants. Although I don't begrudge that either.

I've found the quality of the clothes I've bought from this charity shop generally far exceeds anything I've bought - generally for more - from ebay. It is great to have a children's one so close by!

And where does all the second hand boden stuff go? There's very little on ebay, and I've not seen anything in our local charity shop. Of course, I'm hanging on to mine since it has loads of wear left and we may yet have another dc. But surely everyone can't be doing that...?

My SIL makes her living from buying the decent stuff from charity shops and ebaying it. The charity get their money and her customers get the clothes that they wanted. I suppose she is taking advantage of the fact that a lot of the charity shop managers don't know the value of the things they are selling. She has a real eye for fashion.

I used to work in a central sorting ware house AND I managed a shop. (It was a general church based chain that would give to many other charities)

In the warehouse we did get first dibs, and there was some great stuff (we paid for it though). At first I did feel it was somehow wrong, then I came to see it this way:
-most people who worked there had low prospects, so were stuck in a low paying job for whatever reason (special needs, english not their first language etc) (and me - I was at uni). SO, why shouldn't THEY benefit in this small way? This was before ebay, so clothing themselves/their children was just ONE less thing they would have to worry about

• Generally the stuff (and much more) would go back to the charity shop. I got stuff for family and friends (again -paid for), and they ended up, I'm sure, donating even more back.

• There is SO MUCH STUFF!!! (well, at the warehouse there was), so you get to where you only get what your really need.

And Gramercy, for heavens sake!!! There are professions that have way bigger, way more harmful perks than the odd used item of clothing.......bankers/ politicians anyone??