What are the charity shops like where you live?

[toffeecrisp1980]

A bit hit and miss here, but I had some success today - a Nicole Farhi real wool jumper dress (looks, smells and feels brand new) for £8 and some M&S Autograph shoes (brand new) for £7. The jumper will probably form a wardrobe staple and the shoes will do me for weddings/parties.

There is also lots of complete tat and stupid prices in our charity shops - like stuff from Primark which has obviously been worn loads on sale for the same as it would cost new......

Fabulous... but contrary to received wisdom, I live in a less than salubrious area. I find that charity shops in wealthier postcodes tend to have the same tatty primark offerings predominating. The only difference is they charge more for them.

And in my area the designer label rail will only include m & s because the two little old ladies recognise the label. They don't know that that Jack Wills sweater will actually go down a storm with a 14 year old girl, or that a Ghost dress is actually worth putting a higher price tag on.

Fabulous. Posh Surrey market town!

Yesterday I bought a Phase Eight lace top, a Boden embellished cardi, a linen Monsoon top and a navy shirt from Fat Face. All immaculate. Last month I found some great Jack Wills skinny chinos . Honestly, charity shops are getting better and better. - I wouldn't have gone near one 20 years ago.

Fabulous. Lots of choice. More interesting choices than buying new. Mary Portas one especially good.

Yes I think people are less likely to bother with ebay these days now postage costs are higher etc so maybe charity shops are getting better stuff?

Lots of books, DVDs, cups, jugs, hats at least one wedding dress and masses of men's trousers. Feelof anyone who stumbles across a hidden gem in a charity shop.

Terrible where I am. Really rubbish stuff at high prices. Im in rural Wales. I still use ebay as I can get amazing bargins for almost nothing.

We have a range. There's a rather uninspired branch of a national charity which I browse but hardly ever buy in, a classy but hugely expensive "boutique" style hospice shop which charges eg twenty five quid for a perfectly normal dress and which I only ever buy books in (strangely they're very cheap for books). But the pick is a big flagship national charity shop which is the perfect mix of well-presented (by colour) decent stock at reasonable prices - mostly five to ten quid for adult clothes unless it's something special, and a couple of quid for children's clothes. They seem to have nailed the art of attracting lots of good stock from the well-heeled locals and turning it over quickly. I've got a lot of decent brands for the DC, Monsoon, GAP, Zara, Boden and the odd Ralph Lauren etc and a bunch of wardrobe staples for me, not usually prestige brands but just solid basic jumpers, jackets, dresses, skirts that aren't restricted to this year's colours.

Lots of tatty primark BUT I've found some really great stuff like a 100% wool Hobbs coat BNWT for less than a tenner, a wool hobbs dress for a pound and a wool and cashmere coat in grey for , i think a fiver or thereabouts. I've also got a vintage leather handbag for a pound, vintage dress gloves for 50p and various BNWT cashmere cardis and jumpers for 3-4 pounds each. I do well because I go to them often enough to get the new stuff as it comes in

On Wednesday I got a pair of new pink caterpillar walking boots for £4.

LadyB ! That's obscenely cheap!!

I bought a brand new monsoon skirt - with tags attached - for £10. Person I was with was astounded I would spend so much in a charity shop but it's a £70 skirt!!

My area has 2 charity shops and there's a lot of gap, monsoon, Boden, jack wills, m&s, French connection, etc.

Kids stuff is great. Someone in the area LOVES Ralph Lauren. And donated bags of the stuff. Woman running CS prices all kids stuff at 75p an item.... Hence my dd wears ALOT of Ralph Lauren haha

This winter I've lived in some Clarks knee high boots I got for £10, they looked unworn. I've got some great clothes too. It's hit and miss though. There's plenty of times I come away with nothing. I would never buy Second hand Primark, don't know why they bother selling it!

The only clothese shop in my little town is a George store....so there's a lot of that in our charity shops!

I don't tend to buy everyday clothes in Charity shops as I'm too lazy to look through all the rails!

But my local ones are great for evening dresses, and formal clothes. I used to buy them on eBay, but it's been over taken with the mass produced dresses from China, and very few decent second hand offerings.

My favourite one has a special changing room, and fancy card with string handle bags for if you're buying from the bridal/evening wear section.

Rubbish. The local shops have a lot of charity shops at least 5/6 and they all stock utter rubbish. A reasonably well off area but the charity shops are full if decades old washed out rubbish or washed out primark/George etc for at least the price they cost new. E.g girls t-shirt £1.50 brand new in primark £2 in the sue Ryder shop!

Absolute shite. H&M if you're lucky.

The ones in my area have become really expensive. I still go and sometimes find a hidden gem but most of the pricing is really silly.