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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
Clownsarescary · 30/03/2012 14:56

Am late to this thread so haven't read all of it and don't know if this has already been commented on but...

OP 'grabbing grannies' really? Hmm

fuzzpig · 30/03/2012 15:23

In Boots DH got either 12.5% or 22.5% discount depending on the brand. No idea about other shop chains.

lololizzy · 30/03/2012 19:28

It's different in all charity shops but this is how it goes in the one i manage...
Really good stuff eg designer, has to go on the shop floor first. It has to have a chance to sell at full price, my shop is a business, I have daily and weekly targets to achieve, my job is on the line otherwise...
So staff would have a choice to buy it at full price, but only off the shop floor and through the till. It's also noted in a staff purchase book...whether they pay full price or not. If the item has not sold after say a few days...then they can purchase it with 20% off (but ok, i sometimes give a little more if they work ,say, full time for free. It depends on what mood I'm in !!!). I should say I price very fairly in the first place though...which is why I keep my customers (not that I'm blowing own trumpet or anything!) Blush
So in a way...first dibs because they may see it before customer does, but even then they have to be quick to snap it up, it will stilll go on shop floor first, and have to pay full price or risk losing it in order to get discount after a few days.
As for this being a 'perk'...hmmmm. Just today i received amongst donations....
period pants (and I do mean, period pants). Used and unused nappies. Prescription drugs...including anti-psychotic ones! Particularly scary if had got into wrong hands as I have volunteers with drug problems. Crusty undies. Worn jockstraps (with a wink from the dodgy donator). Jars of half used baby food. Jars of partly used and mouldy spices. Half a pack of opened meat, bleeding everywhere. Christmas sweets that expired in 2007.(hundreds of bags!) Mouldy clothes come in from the clothing banks... but this was actually quite a good day..

In the last few months there has been.... bags of grass cuttings
People's personal diaries that they swore they did not want to keep (how odd! they want us to sell their scribblings??!)
Human faeces on bedsheets (very common, this. Shit the bed and donate your bedding....)
Used condoms
Used vibrators and dildos
Heavily stained rubber fetish undies
A sharp carving knife that cut right through the bag and then into my hand
Sewing needles, thrown loosely in with clothes

And my all time worst...
dog shit (lots) wrapped in clothing, gone all mouldy and dry (sorry if you are eating) which my bare hands touched
A clothing bank bin bag (stuffed full) which was unnaturally heavy. It was at top of the pile of bags and the weight made it fall on me. As it fell, it split. Deposing old urine all over me. Someone had peed in the bag on the old clothes and sealed it . The urine had not dry out and was possibly months old. I was soaked head to toe and unable to go home. I had to strip off and wear clothes taken from the shop floor. That was the day I nearly quit!
Then there's the customers who pee and poo in the changing rooms .....
so if getting first look in is really a perk....please, feel free to put in the unpaid hours and sort through similiar donations without gloves on! (hard to sort with them on and nigh on impossible to open the bags and tie up rag bags that the crap's been put into)
Yesterday I did a 12 hr shift without a break and most of it was sorting through really foul bags from the clothing banks.
Yes, i choose to do it. But perks??! we even have to buy our own milk, coffee tea loo roll etc.

lololizzy · 30/03/2012 19:28

sorry that was incredibly long!

wednesdaysschild · 30/03/2012 20:24

I don't like that volunteers get to grab what they like even if they are paying the same or almost the same. There is nothing to prevent the volunteers selling on ebay for profit and don't tell me this doesn't go on.

I don't think volunteers should expect this perk just because they are volunteers, but there's nothing that can be done about it - thats how it is.

I took a bag into one charity shop recently and the assistant took it from me, (often there's not a thank you btw) opened it and asked "anything from M&S"? When I said "no, mostly Next" she turned her nose up and tossed the bag in the back room! Stupidly dumfounded I just left the shop! Shock

wednesdaysschild · 30/03/2012 20:28

lololoizzy I am now seeing it in a slightly different light. That is gross.

ChippingInNeedsCoffee · 30/03/2012 20:32

This thread is 2 years old

startail · 30/03/2012 20:37

EBaying for profit is wrong! Occasional things for you and yours much less so.
In my experience volunteering isn't free.
You have to pay petrol bus to get there and get tempted to luck at the sandwich shop and a paper you wouldn't have bought if you weren't in town etc.
Or you find you've printed out a pile of posters or signs and not bothered claiming expenses.

DoubleGlazing · 30/03/2012 20:42

Belated happy 2nd birthday, thread! Wink

marshmallowpies · 30/03/2012 20:44

I asked the manager at my shop about this, out of curiosity, and he reminded me that when I filled out my volunteer application form I had to tick a box saying whether or not I was a dealer in second hand goods! So if I was eBaying stuff on the quiet and he found out...he could sack me.

On the other hand - we have a few regular customers who buy £50-60 worth of books in one go, and the manager suspects they are selling the books on for profit. Nowt we can do once they are out of our hands, though...

I was also curious as to how a two year old thread came back to life & scrolled down...very cheeky! Anyway, it's an interesting discussion it's kicked off....

lololizzy · 30/03/2012 21:11

i would say..if you want first dibs, then volunteer. Some of my (younger) volunteers have full time jobs but still come in on sats/ suns/ bank hols..so....
But i see the point. I still put garments straight out in the shop i certainly don't 'reserve'. So in theory a customer could still beat a volunteer to it, as most of my vol's aren't on the shop floor but are in the back room.
I didn't realise this thread was two years old though! Sorry didn't want to contribute to it kicking off! but i wasn't on mumsnet then so it's new to me.....

lololizzy · 30/03/2012 21:22

TBH not a problem I have as i have elderly volunteers who price up Primark full whack (which I have to change ie the labels. and then the rows starts, sigh) and last week I caught them pricing Versace dress at £3 (must admit this is rare---only time have EVER had Versace). The only labels they want are Bon Marche and EWM type stuff. I don't want my shop to lose out....but i can see it's a problem with maybe lots of young and fashion aware staff

exoticfruits · 30/03/2012 21:29

I doubt if many of them want the Boden items that seem to upset OP-I wouldn't.

lololizzy · 30/03/2012 21:34

i have NEVER (to my knowledge) sold a Boden garment to a volunteer. Or purchased myself. They don't sell that quickly, either. If my shop were two miles away, it would. That town is Boden central. When i use the post office there there's lots of mums in their Birkenstocks sending their Boden back, i presume for different size 'as Phoebe has grown so fast' (i'm not stereotyping, i repeat that verbatim. They always talk about Boden loudly in the queue. Hmm I think it is why I have a bit of a Boden phobia apart from my purple dress i can no longer wear as i can't get the grease stains out

QuacksForDoughnuts · 30/03/2012 21:36

Wednesday - Oxfam often have a promotion where if you donate M&S clothing you get a £5 M&S voucher, so if that was where you went she had a reason for asking...

fuzzpig · 31/03/2012 07:04

I don't get why it's an issue that it's an old thread. It is still and interesting and relevant debate Confused

Re: thankyous for donations, in my old shop you wouldn't be treated with anything other than gratitude. Even when we could see already that most of a donation was nasty/useless, we would still thank them heartily while inwardly sighing.

lololizzy · 31/03/2012 19:11

we also thank them heartily (whilst sighing) in the hope that they will one day bring in decent stuff!

Soupe · 10/04/2012 17:03

I recently heard of someone who volunteers in a charity shop and is given the pick of what comes in, then sells it at a boot sale to make an income for herself. OK, she works for nothing but this doesn't feel right. If I donate something decent, rather than selling it myself, I want the charity to make something from it.

happyfeet11 · 10/04/2012 17:21

Changed my mind on this one. Used to think it was wrong. However, I know someone on JSA who does about 12 hours unpaid work per week in a charity shop. I sincerely hope she is able to buy things at a discount. Although I believe she rarely takes advantage. She can barely afford their discounted prices.

egoSELFISHebayers · 29/12/2012 03:31

its sad to say its rife an worse in the posh areas!
an its often rich staff who are the worst for it ,there has to be a 1st dibs code of conduct or law
drawn up to tackle this its bang out of order.(lots of it goes on ebay)

any member of staff paid or free worker

getting 1st pick on items
is Totally out of order it means some folk see nothing worth getting an can lead to them giving up bothering to use charity shops at all for fear of disappointment.
i have often witnessed staff go into a frenzy over a new donated item
an the words IM having that or ooo i want this is far to common

if we have shops like many northwest Dr bs that are full of tat like ofah vhs , des O'Connor records an smelly unwanted clothes etc then folk will visit less an spend less

some shops only ever sell tat even when you an friends donate good stuff only to see the same stuff every week that never sells like old LPS an quirky VHS tapes etc, and getting discount it defeats the point of the shop an it also harms trade there are honest shops an some who are crooks in 1 way or another an it has to stop, there are plenty of other people who would do charity work to still get benefits without having to sign on it ,shows employers your kind an trust worth an work experience so don't make out its game over if we replace the crafty vultures, who are cheating good people out of a kind hearted bargain an it insults the donater in the process

it is fast becoming a middle class feeding frenzy,an its in these austerity times that we see rich folk depriving the poor of a bargain so they can have it all or eBay it

its utter greed an selfish

i have witnessed rich people who have gone after charity jobs just to get 1st pick on the goods an found out that other dishonest staff have not only stolen items from there shop, they have stolen belongings of people from there bags while they tried on clothes, and also deliberately short changed folks an kept the money

heard of a good person i know going in 1 charity shop buying goods then going in another charity shop an leaving a bag of items bought from the other charity shops

an when they went back for it the staff had put it away for safe keeping an items purchased from the shop before theres went missing (safe keeping?)
staff should not be allowed to buy till its been available to the public in the shop for a month an that does not mean putting it AWAY in the back till its 1 month is up either!

jessjessjess · 29/12/2012 04:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

jessjessjess · 29/12/2012 04:01

Zombie thread returns!

egoSELFISHebayers · 29/12/2012 04:18

an when i say they left a bag in the shop i mean they paid for items an left the bags in the shop with staff while they went an got the hubby to help carry or brought the car over from the supermarket car park to save walking with heavy bags .

i know there are honest staff ive met some really good gems from both rich an poor familys
who are honest an trustworthy kind an price realisticlyn an dont give dibs
as its all about making a good shop an helping folk out both the charity an the public who are often poor, there is hardly any money in selling second hand books online
you can make the odd few quid at best i wouldnt bother more hassle then its worth

many of the people who donate are very smart people an they pick the shops
that are the mosty honest an trustworthy to donate to

the1s who gold pan for there own means see little of the good stuff
because smart folk suss there winging it for there own means an avoid them
which comes right back to bite the charitys turn over an means less funds for
the cause an the needy which many people forget out of self-intrest
an no shame of there disgusting selfish greed

Iheartpasties · 29/12/2012 04:58

zombie

egoSELFISHebayers · 29/12/2012 05:39

theif