Do people expect too much from charity shops and volunteers?

[Gardeningmadgranateighty]

I volunteer for a charity and am dismayed at the number of people who ask for a discount on their purchases and can get quite abusive when refused. The charity needs every penny to provide their services. They wouldn't ask for a discount in the supermarket or stores like M&S. Would you ask for reduction on already reasonably low prices. Also there are times when the charity cannot accept donations because they have storage and if there aren't enough volunteers to sort and again some people do get abusive. Would you be expected to be treated with respect if you worked in a charity shop.

The people that do that, do, yes.

Doesn't mean all of us do though.

Would you be expected to be treated with respect if you worked in a charity shop.

Of course, but I'm long enough in the tooth to know the world isn't always like we would like it to be.

Yes. They seem to think that a charity shop's mission is to sell cheap goods to maximise the benefit to the buyer, whereas the charity must actually comply with it's constitution to maximise income & donations for its charitable cause.

Correct

It's not ok to be abusive whatever the situation. A lot of people have apparently got used to haggling over price in some shops, so I'd put up lots of notices saying "The ticket prices are fixed, please do not embarrass our staff by asking for any discounts" or something similar. It won't stop everyone, but could help.
But people are often rude to volunteers, particularly the ones for Christmas toys. It's sad.

I didn't realise people did haggle over prices in Charity Shops OP.
I go in Charity Shops a lot. I haven't noticed people being disrespectful to staff. But I am aware that people shoplifting goods in them is a real problem. Last year the staff in our local Oxfam shop told me that the goods stolen from their shop were very much targeted - designer wear and high quality stuff. Absolutely shocking stealing from charities.