Why do charity shops do this?

[LuLuLemonadeDrinker]

A couple of local charity shops near me both constantly have signs up outside on an A-Board, saying that they are not taking donations. However, both of these have very little stock inside, and are both very overpriced. For example, a worn, very bobbly Primark jumper for £7, and a Boohoo polyester dress for £12.

One in particular is just depressing to go into; I went in the other day for the first time in two months and some of the overpriced clothes that were there then were still hanging there, still for sale. The rails were also pretty empty. The board was outside as usual requesting no donations. There were 5 members of staff in the shop.

I really don't get it; surely it would be far better, and raise far more money, if they had more stock out, and priced it at lower prices for a quicker turnover. I really can't see the shop I went in yesterday raising much money at all, as there's never anything in there really to buy.

I'm sure some posters will reply saying it's a 'charity shop bashing thread', and yes, it is! I want to support charities and want to buy pre owned items but shops like this aren't exactly going to raise any money!

I agree with you. My local charity shop sells all clothing, regardless of whether it's a designer ballgown or a supermarket jumper, for £2 an item and their turnover is rapid. Baby clothes are 50p, scarves are £1, paperback books 10p. They raise money for the hospice and it's working well, everyone knows to go there for a bargain.

Meanwhile Age Concern and Scope are selling stuff at prices comparable to new, and no-one is buying.

They dont have volunteers to pick through the stock, this takes ages because alot of donations are unfit for resale.

The £2 shop is such a good idea!

none in our town take books anymore, it’s so sad

Well there were 5 volunteers/staff members in the shop I went into the other day. One was walking around tidying up the rails and the others were all standing behind the till chatting

Shortage of volunteers to sort donations
shortage of space to sort donations
i volunteer with one of the big chains and space can sometimes be a problem for us if we are waiting for rag to be collected after a series of bank holidays. First two weeks in January can be a nightmare- sales are low as nobody has any money after Xmas, people have a good clear out after the holiday and our rag collection is delayed due to bank holidays - fun times!

There could be any number of reasons.

Lack of volunteers able/willing to sort stock
lack of space available to store unsellable stock
instructions from ’HO’
Shop is about to close down or refurb
or something else

i don’t imagine it’s a common occurrence but get it’s frustrating if you’re wanting to donate goods.

Why don't you ask the staff?

Well it's more a case of I'd like to buy things to support the charity but this shop is always practically empty

Ahh the £7 bobbly Primark jumper always gets a mention on the charity shop threads..

You could always make a cash donation if you want to support the charity.

Well it's true. Charity shops are deluded if they think people are going to buy the item in the first place let alone pay £7 for it! And like I said in my post, they charge £12 for polyester Boohoo and PLT dresses.

I do. I support this charity monthly with a direct debit

It has stopped me visiting this Primark thing. It's in every store.
Vaste of time.

I would ask to speak to the manager or contact the head office of the charity. Charity shops pay no business rates. It could be a scam or a front for something else going on, just like the nail bars and vape shops?

I have a friend who used to manage a charity shop. People leave donations outside when they are closed. On searching through them with rubber gloves it’s disgusting what people are dumping. Used unwashed underwear , broken toys, jigsaw puzzles in plastic bags but done like this because bits are missing. Broken kettles, and just generally people’s junk.

Funnily enough I did actually email the charity a few years ago (it's a huge national charity that everyone will have heard of). The area manager phoned me and said that he thought their prices were cheap. I don't live in an affluent area, they aren't cheap

Why do vape shops pay no business rates. Our local town has one vape shop and 5 charity shops.

What so every donation they get is like this hence they have nothing to put on the shop rails?

Yes, I agree it won’t sell. However, I have yet to see the apparently ubiquitous over priced bobbly Primark jumper in any of the places where I shop.
we sell Shein and Boohoo clothing for a nominal amount (even if bnwt) as quality is poor and even at £3 for a dress it doesn’t sell.

I went in one charity shop that had a 10p basket full of "party tat" - you know the sort of thing - cheap toys from party bags and crackers. No, that basket was never going to raise much - but I wonder how many mums were able to come in and browse at the cost of letting their child spend 10p.

I think different charity shops take different lines on pricing, and also on what they sell, and it's not necessarily a problem. Some shops only sell books in pristine condition, at £3 a time; others will take anything and sell them for 30p. By and large, people work out which shop has things at a price that suits them. You're more likely to get a massive bargain at the cheaper one, but you might also have to spend longer looking.

But back in the real world...

There is this underlying feeling that charity shop volunteers are cackling away with glee at the idea of putting out the ubiquitous bobbled primark t-shirt for £10. Such fun.

The issues which the charity sector are facing are huge. Lack of staff who will reliably turn up every shift and get stuck in. Falling quality - not quantity - of donations. Lack of space in the back shop to deal with all the donations. No value in the rag market, rag dealers increasingly unwilling to pick up. Rising costs for picking up rubbish. Managers who are employed 35 hours a week when the shop is open 60 hours.

So you've never ever seen an overpriced bobbly jumper in a charity shop from the likes of Primark, George, Shein, Tesco, New Look etc? Because I see them all the time!

You would be amazed what gets donated and how much goes in the bin.
mouldy books
clothes smelling of smoke
worn knickers
broken crockery
dirty pans
clothes with holes
Broken toys
its very rare that we would receive a bag of goods where every item would be suitable for the shop floor. We do get some fabulous donors whose items can go out immediately, but they are the exception.