I used to shop in charity shops multiple times a week, sometimes even daily.I liked that -
1. I could save money.
2. Buy second hand and not clog up the planet with excess items.
3. Support a charity whilst doing the first 2.
However over the last year or so I've stepped back a little because the prices have increased at a rate incomparable to the high street. Many people I talk to via this blog or Twitter are stepping away from charity shops because they've changed so much lately. Yes, the charities deserve to make money for their cause that is afterall what they are there for, however traditionally they are a source of well priced clothes for people in need/who want to pay less. These people kept the charties afloat for many a year so they're a tad mystified that things have changed almost over night.
To find, as I have many times, clothes that I've seen in Primark for around £8 marked up at £15+ in charity shops makes my teeth grind and scrape together, which isn't good because I already have appauling teeth. Some people might say that the shop is there as funding for charity and they don't mind paying that 
Those of us who shop in the charity shops on a regular basis and buy a large majority of our clothes, furniture and homeware in them, the bread and butter customers, are annoyed but even more so are those people who could be tipped over into being regular charity shop shoppers but now won't be. Over the weekend a lot of people told me that they've been into charity shops to buy something fancy dress for hallowe'en or Christmas and thought it might, after reading my blog, tip them over into charity shop lovers. However many vowed never to return because plain (SECOND HAND) H&M t-shirts were priced at £10 or George at Asda dresses, as lovely as they are were £16. Potential customers, willing to love charity shops, willing to put money in the hands of these charities have been driven away. Keeping people coming back on a regular basis is surely key to raising the most amount of money? Leaving shoppers feeling ripped off - and yes I think you can feel ripped off in a charity shop without being uncharitable - will not see shoppers return time and again - to be charitable.
If someone is kind enough to donate a Chanel hand bag of course they should sell it for an appropriate price, of course. I believe some of the larger charity shops even train their staff to spot antiques and designer labels. Maybe they should teach them that Florence and Fred, Tu and Atmosphere labelled clothes are from Tesco, Sainsbury's and Primark respectively and should be labelled and priced accordingly not as 'vintage' whatever that means nowadays.
Many charity shops are trying to brand themselves as part of the regular high street fashion retail pack, so can they really justify charging £17 for a second hand dress when the same dress is retailing at £12 brand new three stores down? A proper high street shop knows their market, knows their customer - if a charity shop wants to be seen in the same light the first thing they have to do is get to know their customer. We're not out to swindle a charity but we're not out to be swindled by a charity. We're trying to buy second hand items at a price which suits a charity and doesn't in the process alienate us. Forever.
Another side that I've heard a lot of people mention is that they'd
usually give their clothes to a charity shop when they've finished with
them but because they've seen their donations over priced in store
they've started selling them at bootsales or just plain old slinging
them into landfil. 
Ulitmately, I want charities to make as much money as they can from their charity shops and I understand they have overheads. However I don't believe they can keep their current customers and attract newer customers into their shops if people know they can get an item newer elsewhere. Not everyone is eco savvy and not everyone can afford to keep charity in the forefront of their mind. People on a lower income need to buy clothes, lots would like to buy from a charity shop and support a charity in doing so but if they can buy more or less the same item cheaper elsewhere then they'll go elsewhere. As you can probably tell I could rant on and on about this all day but I shall leave it here for now and request your input with the questions below.
Is expecting a bargain in a charity shop uncharitable? Should charities be able to charge what they like in the name of charity? I'd love to hear your throughts.
You might also like:
My Lolcats take on this situation
A video in which I answer your charity shop questions- in particular I discuss my distinction between high end and low end charity shops
Finding nice plus sized clothes in charity shops
TTFN,
P.S. This is my second post of the day, you can find the first one here.
P.P.S. I'll still continue to shop in charity shops, you may have guessed I love them a little bit. However I now think twice about which ones I do and do not frequent.
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My bug bear is kind of where I can go and buy a shirt from Tesco or Primark for example and it be £3-4 for example then I go to the local charity shop and it's £4-5 instead. Maybe I'm being a selfish wot sit or something but that £2 is a big difference some months and I know it's not always ethically sound buying from some stores but why am I going to pay for car parking and go into town on my day off or in my lunch break if I can buy the same/similar top from the supermarket that is walking distance from my house?
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand I have got some really nice tops from the charity shop that I missed or were out of my price range when they were in the shop. (Like £25 for a t-shirt are you crazy?!)
I think that it is more to do with the chains of charity shops. We have an independent church one in the village, which is much more realistic with its prices.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in the college town 3 miles away, the prices are silly and I can not shop there anymore
I work at Oxfam Originals, and we are trained to be able to tell vintage and high quality clothing. We price them accordingly. Anything less than brilliant quality goes onto another Oxfam store who charges less for them. Our prices are better than most vintage stores but more expensive than charity shops, because we are a specialist store.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's wrong to want a bargain, and I don't believe charity shops should be selling low-mid quality clothing at over the odds prices, first of all because it make no business sense, and secondly because it's unfair to the customers.
I find that just shopping around, as one would with highstreet stores, helps to find a better bargain. I can usually tell if a charity shop is going to be well priced just from looking at the outside of it.
Lauren x
www.peachtea.co.uk
Yes, I totally agree. I don't mind spending a bob or two on vintage or designer, but Primark should be cheaper!
DeleteCompletely agree with this post, as I said on Twitter when you were talking about it. Shouldn't charity go both ways? Because a lot of people do shop in charity shops because they can't afford the highstreet, and it's now taking away their source of clothing or shopping.
ReplyDeleteI think this overpricing does vary where you live - as a student in Coventry, I find charity shops are quite reasonable. However when I'm at home in Surrey, they'll flog anything for a huge sum of money. Just because one dress is Topshop will suddenly mean it's hiked up a couple of quid, whereas had it been from Tesco, it probably would have remained reasonable.
I think charities should price themselves lower and therefore competitively with the high street. I think I speak for most when I say I love the hunt and the bargains of a charity shop!
I haven't read your previous post, but I couldn't agree with you more here. I can't tell you how many times I've seen Primark clothes selling for ridiculous prices in charity shops. I don't understand it and it really winds me up. I think some charity shops need to decide if they're selling authentic vintage clothes or unwanted second hand clothes and then price their clothes accordingly. I completely disregard the charity shops that rip customers off and I thought I was the only one that felt like this - clearly I'm not. I'm so glad you wrote this post!!
ReplyDeleteThanks
Michelle
http://edenfound.blogspot.co.uk/
I find it ridiculous. For me, part of the whole charity shop charity, was having people be able to access clothes etc when on a low income. When I was in A charity shop a couple of weeks ago, a little boy had to put back a VIDEO as it was over £2, you can get a DVD for £3 new.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in one charity shop I saw a man's tweed jacket for £60 (it was not designer) as they were marketing themselves as "vintage", 2 doors down I saw one in better condition for £3.50......
Charity shops are effectively shooting themselves in the foot. They became popular for their reputation as places to find bargains and now the selling point that brought so many people to shop with them is now a thing of the past. Surely it would be better to keep bargain prices, which would get more people through the door and in turn increase sales. Rather than increase prices and drive people away, leading to a decrease in sales, forcing them to again push up prices! It makes no sense at all!
ReplyDeleteThese are all really good points and I totally agree with you.
ReplyDeleteI despair at the ridiculous pricing in charity shops, and also by the way a number have gone down the path now of having even higher-priced 'vintage' stock as well. For me it's less about getting a bargain (although who doesn't love getting a bargain) but I feel that lots of charity shops are failing in their charitable duty. Lots of their stock is neither of sufficient quality nor sufficiently reasonably priced to be attractive or affordable for people on low incomes. Especially when you factor in the stigma that is still attached to buying secondhand for some people. Why would someone on a low income pay £10 for a bobbly secondhand primark cardigan when they can get a new one for half that price, and avoid the stigma of buying secondhand? So I think that is a real problem and the knock on effect it has on sustainability is a huge issue as well. It's not unreasonable for someone to buy new if the secondhand options are of poorer quality and are more expensive but we all know the problems associated with disposable fashion.
I do understand that lots of charity shops are struggling to get good quality donations, and I think it's likely that their pricing is part of the reason. If you're seeing stuff selling for silly money in charity shops you're more likely to want to put it on ebay and have that money for yourself, I think. I rarely bother with ebaying, but there are a number of charity shops I won't donate to because of their pricing - mainly the chain ones, because as Jen pointed out above, their pricing seems more extreme than local charities like hospice shops or whatever. It seems to me to be a more reponsible way to dispose of my unwanted items.
It's been my experience that Oxfam is the absolute worst for this kind of thing and it's such a shame! I recently looked at a book about thrifty living in my local branch of Oxfam only to find that this second-hand, still-in-print book was being sold for £7.99! Ludicrous.
I'm 62 years old and have been thrifting for at least 43 years.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I do so for a variety of reasons: I can afford a higher quality item than buying it new. And the environmental impact is a big part of it too.
I'm now the treasurer for a little resale shop in rural east Texas. Clothing items are 2 for 25 cents. Yes - that's right! How cool is it to buy a London Fog coat and a pair of boots for 25 cents?
These super low prices make items affordable for EVERYONE, including the indigent. It gives us pleasure to put together a suit, shirt, tie and shoes for a young man to attend a family member's funeral. All for less than $1.
And you know what? Our little thrift store is doing just fine. We receive money donations from local churches, businesses and individuals. And we can afford to sell our items for dirt cheap.
I do NOT think you are being uncharitable. As you pointed out - you don't shop as regularly as before. Hopefully they will change their pricing policy.
I've never bought clothing from a charity shop (I'm funny about wearing other people's clothes) but I'd have to agree 100% with you on all of your arguments x
ReplyDeleteI do not think you are being uncharitable at all! I completely agree with you.
ReplyDeleteFor me, this line summed it up: "We're not out to swindle a charity but we're not out to be swindled by a charity."
If an item is designer or valuable, of course they should sell it for a fair price. But they should also sell everything else for a fair price, and a Primark dress for £5 more than the retail price is not fair. As you say, it is sad because it is putting of a new generation of charity shoppers.
xx
emsipop.blogspot.co.uk
I so agree and my local charity shops charge £5 plus for a used primark t shirt......can buy three new for that x
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly with your comments. However, charities are the target of unscrupulous landlords and rising rent/rates - aren't we all? - so have more overheads to cover then before. Maybe it all comes down to the 'education' they offer their volunteers; both regarding what brands to price higher and what brands to sell for 99p or similar. That education maybe also needs to cover 'business awareness' training so they can understand the implications of regular shoppers such as you or I becoming alienated by what they do (overprice) simply because they think they are helping the charity. That said, I doubt that many of the stereotypical old ladies would be willing to attend such training. Charities need the younger generation to get more involved and volunteer to be the catalysts of such change internally.
ReplyDeleteI love Mary Portas - but to my mind she is a little to blame for this. Prices have definitely risen since her charity shop makeover programme. I'm just back from taking 3 sacks and 2 boxes of kids stuff to a charity shop and spending 30 quid whilst we were there. Some 'chains' have taken this over pricing thing to heart more than others. You really do have to know your stuff - it's clear some of them haven't a clue that Atmosphere for example was dirt cheap to start with. People on a budget will be driven back to Primark if prices continue to rise like this. Yes there are rising overheads and posh areas can and should charge more - but be realistic to the area - I have to say I've loved Boot sales more this past few years.....
ReplyDeleteCouldnt agree more, there are certain charity shops that I dont even bother entering now. Im really lucky to have a little local one that prices well and has a good turnover of stock. Personally I think the 'Mary Portas' effect on charity shops certainly hasnt helped.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. As others have said the chain charity shops seem to be much worse than individual local ones.
ReplyDeleteLast week I went into a new branch of British Heart Foundation and was appalled to find they were selling second hand novels for £4! You can get them new in Tesco or Asda for the same and some of the charity shops around here only charge 40p. It was obviously to redeem the cost of the shiny new wooden flooring and all brand new fitments! I walked out in protest without looking any further.
Mrs I totally am behind you on this. I think I am pretty lucky were we live upp north here. As the only main culprit is the Marie Curie cancer shop in the Boro. I needed some trousers for work and these trousers cost me £6.49, a lot more expensive than what I pay, but they were brand new with tags attached. So I felt better. But I cant understand the pricing policies at all. I got a leather coat today a vintage on for a pound! I love vintage and I work in a local vintage shop and help set up the stock on a weekend, sometimes for a laugh we will go and well how do us vintage gals put it go in and have a shouting match. They have a computer and they think they know everything. I had to go to art college and then do a design course so I understand what to look out for. And you are quite right since when has George or TU been vintage? We would class that as second hand.
ReplyDeleteI ended up asking for a refund today as I read the price of a dress wrong it was £7.00 for a South [catalogue] dress. She wasnt happy, but I would have been more unhappy if I had paid that!!!!!
It is a load of rubbish about education as the Goverment pay for any training that these companies need, a manager told me that. We are all facing hard times and yes lifes a bitch, but now at the moment ebay is my friend as I would rather help people clear their wardrobes. If they kept their prices down more would come through their doors. I still go in when I can as I have had some good items but I am starting to get sick of them charging what they like. Ohh by the way I did score a big win today and I have just sold it for £60 a Skagen watch that cost £3.99!!!!!!!!!! Just to prove they do not know what they are selling!!!!
I am commenting quickly here as I need to see to the nipper, so am not sure what other peeps have said. However, to put it bluntly, anyone saying that charitites can charge what they like because it goes to a good cause is talking nonsense. They get the stuff for free, for goodness sake! I used to say that she they should sell the tshirts and vest tops for a quid, as they would sell more. It seems idiotic to charge loads and have noone uy the blinking things.
ReplyDeleteI haven't lived in the UK for three years, but towards the latter end of my time in the UK I discovered table top sales in the lovely Saltaire in W Yorks, where you found thi gs for a pound each! Phwoar!
Yes, it is lovely to give to charity. However, the items are not new or this season, so unless they are designer, which I can understand the need for a small hike in price, they should be cheap.
I wonder about the ethics of charities charging lots for goods that are secondhand. It also seems silly of them to try to be 'proper' shops. That is why now the best ones are the foisty smelling ones run by old ladies, that are not trying to be cool or trendy.
I am with you on this one and feel very strongly about it.
Love the dress you are wearing with the pink hat. I like your outfits. I am going to head to youtube to watch your rant. Take care honey,
Tracy xxx
This is such a good post and I can see why there is such a great debate! I completely agree that charity shop prices have risen, and I grumble so much when I see a primark or George label priced too high, when it wasn't even that expensive in the first place! Some charity shops are clued up, I have volunteered in CRUK and they have price guides and even 'in-season' mood board so volunteers know what to look out for. But others really have no idea, or perhaps they do and believe they can swindle us out of money because they are a charity. Either way I utterly agree that they will just end up losing customers, instead of gaining them. The current economic state means people are looking for cheap and chirpy finds, trying to save wherever possible, and charity shops should be grasping this oppurtunity! I have to mention also that I really think it relates to where we live, I live in a small city and the prices are edging into too pricey; yet if I go 8 miles down the road to a small seaside town it's bargains galore! I absolutely adore charity shops, have done since I can remember...and I don't think that will change. But similar to you, I will think twice about my spending. Even if it is for charity. Great post!!!xxx
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good post and I can see why there is such a great debate! I completely agree that charity shop prices have risen, and I grumble so much when I see a primark or George label priced too high, when it wasn't even that expensive in the first place! Some charity shops are clued up, I have volunteered in CRUK and they have price guides and even 'in-season' mood board so volunteers know what to look out for. But others really have no idea, or perhaps they do and believe they can swindle us out of money because they are a charity. Either way I utterly agree that they will just end up losing customers, instead of gaining them. The current economic state means people are looking for cheap and chirpy finds, trying to save wherever possible, and charity shops should be grasping this oppurtunity! I have to mention also that I really think it relates to where we live, I live in a small city and the prices are edging into too pricey; yet if I go 8 miles down the road to a small seaside town it's bargains galore! I absolutely adore charity shops, have done since I can remember...and I don't think that will change. But similar to you, I will think twice about my spending. Even if it is for charity. Great post!!!xxx
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. They end up harming their own cause with bad pricing - to me that isn't just expense, but poor choices. For example one shop I know sold a brand new pair of Dune mules (RRP £80+) for £8, but a pair of Holly Woulleghby for Very mules, slightly worn (RRP new £30) for £35 because they had a 'famous name' on. To my mind this is someone who has been on a 1 day training then left, making serious errors- I bought the former shoes, but would have paid up to £10 more for them... the others never sold and went in the bin.
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious note, the 'you're cruel to complain about prices' people are rather ivory towered... large swathes of chazza shop customers CAN'T AFFORD new clothes. Seriously. We live with an ever widening gap between rich and poor; some people need a chazza shop for a decent M&S winter coat. But a lot of the middle class 'pay pounds for anything charity' folk would wrinkle their noses at people actually living on the breadline, and that sickens me a bit. The hypocracy: 'I love Barnardos, but let's keep snotty nosed kids out of it, I love Age Concern but let's price the china more than BHS so nanna can't shop there...' Ugh.
Oh how I agree with every word! Few weeks back I was not able to purchase the dress in the charity shop window because that particular charity shop wanted to be the "best" in the chain! I did get an apology a few days later after I complained on the return home from the shopping trip. I have not seen one single pretty dress for a child since about two years ago! I once asked why certain charity shops do not sell childrens clothes, because they couldn't be bothered was the repy!. Some charity shop have bins where childrens clothes can be found so if you want to toss and turn the baskets over of creased baby grows well.......... One of my loacal charity shop has a glass cabinet with over priced "vintage" stuff in when this used to be on the shelves. I blame Mary Portas when she did that BBC series. Everything now is colour coded and overpriced!
ReplyDeleteJust this morning I was in a charity shop overheard the manager saying if no-one comes in soon I will go out there and drag some in! Well I didn't buy anything........... because............all overpriced!
I did say after my bad experience in a charity shop I would not go in any anymore, after this mornings rummage definitely not going in anymore far too expensive!
Julie xxxxxxxx
One of my local charity shops, which used to sell complete tea sets for about £20, brought in a glass cabinet recently. Trios (tea plate, cup saucer) were in it priced for £12, so it was a massive price hike AND they were splitting up perfectly good sets. And it was ONLY tea sets, I got a lovely pressed glass cake stand in the same one for £1.50. The nice elderly lady behind the counter said, "We have some lovely tea cups," and I said, "They're a bit out of my price range." From her face I suspected she'd heard similar, expressed rather more forcefully, from other people, although it wouldn't have been her fault, they'd have been told to do it. And last week, the full tea sets were back and the cabinet had tiny items too small to go on shelves in (eg jewellery). I guess the overpriced teacup experiment didn't work.
DeleteI can't speak for Manchester, but I know that in North Yorkshire, the charity shops don't pay rent. There are 6 in a tiny village square, Cancer Research being the most expensive, YMCA with a huge furniture department is the cheapest. I was invited to be manageress for an Age Concern shop and was surprised that my salary would have been £18,000 a year for 5 short days work a week and in charge of 3 unpaid staff! Good offer, but I moved back to Manchester and left my charity shop dreams behind. My fortune rises and falls as a single parent. In times of need I've shopped in charity shops, and been really pleased with my little home and clothing bargains. Times when I've been loaded and gone 'chazza shopping' for fun and been happy to splurge. Only the other day I went out to Withington and my friend bought a genuine Shamballa bracelt for a pound. One thing I am surprised you haven't mentioned however is the sale of counterfeit goods which seems more prevalent now in charity shops. One store in Didsbury persists in putting the tackiest LV and Hermes Hermes! fakes in a locked cabinet and a price tag of £60-£80. I've questioned the manager and told her they're fake but she said 'someone will buy it, its a nice bag'. Another shop in the city centre had a vile fake Prada backpack on sale for £30. Surely the poor don't deserve this patronization. Its bad enough they have to buy last seasons stock! Corporate charity shops (and it is a MASSIVE money spinner) have the luxury of location. If you are shopping in an affluent area, you're less likely to question the provenance of these items I suppose. Wouldn't get away with it in Wythenshawe. I always look for text books in charity shops, graphic design books are so expensive and rarely for loan in libraries, and housewares are always cheap. It just seems that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and rather than impress us with the bargains and keep us returning, we've been sold out for a fast buck.
ReplyDeleteNot only should they keep prices low to attract customers etc but they should also consider that the people that used to shop in charity shops and still do are doing it to save money! Surely charging the earth for a second item isn't going to benefit the less financially stable people? Maybe they should think about that as well?
ReplyDeleteHope you can appreciate my ideas! I certainly don't agree that they should be able to charge what they want!
Jaz x
Fantastic article, I've been wondering about this for quite a time myself. Over the past couple of years it seems that my favourite charity shops have actually gone out of my price range. I've got a pretty low income and most of that is spent on essentials so charity shops used to be my only avenue for something different to wear. Recently however I've found it more affordable to go to big brands like Primark and H&M, which really frustrates me. I've always tried to make the effort not to support big businesses, buying my food from local shops and my clothes from charity shops was my way of supporting my local community and I feel like I can't do that anymore. Sparklz and Shine made a really good point about Mary Portas, I live next to one of her charity shops and the pricing is ridiculous! £20 for a Tu dress is just unbelievable, the worst things is though that the other charity shops around there have been forced to raise their prices too, so as to not be seen as low quality. It's a vicious circle.
ReplyDeleteMany people have pointed out that it seems to be charity shop brands that have this problem (Oxfam, British Heart Foundation, etc) all these stores have very specific pricing and quality guides. I'm all for pricing guidelines but it is obvious the people who wrote most of these had no clue whatsoever how much items on the high street cost.
My biggest pet peeve about charity shops at the moment though is the vast amount they throw out. While working for a large charity chain we would throw out a full skips worth of stuff everything couple of days. Of course some of this was stuff that was totally unusable but when you can recycle just about everything now (and get paid for it too) I fail to understand why charity shops are throwing away anything. Clothes can go to cash for clothes, books could be donated to local hospitals, schools or old folks homes and anything else can get passed along to another shop. No wonder they are having to raise prices when so much ends up in dumps. One charity shop I worked in didn't sell videos so they simply binned all those they got in donations, surely these could be given to someone to use.
Sorry for the awfully long comment, I've been thinking about writing about this subject myself for quite a while so I had quite a lot to say. I'm not a frequent commenter but I'm a big fan Mrs Thrifty xo
When I was a single parent I had to charity shop. Most here have little in them. Overpriced most of it. I buy the odd item once or twice a year as opposed to every week. I do not believe anyon has giving to charity to mind when buying from a charity they want a bargain. If they cannot sell they won't last so let them get on with it.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with everything you've written. A few years ago, I was in London and walked past an Oxfam with a book in the window by an author I like, so I went in and the book was marked up at £5. I realise £5 may not seem like a lot, but the book was by no means in mint condition and the printed RRP ws only £7.99. I wondered then if they drove customers away with that kind of pricing, or if I was simply being miserly, but this has answered my question.
ReplyDeleteI love charity shop shopping and have even introduced my daughter to the wonders of getting so much more for your money, not to mention that she loves me telling her which people/animals/disease we're donating to, giving her a sense of pride at having helped. However, if prices continue to go up like this, I fear the end of the charity shop for good.
It’s certainly a tricky topic, but there has definitely been a hike in prices over the past couple of years, I have personally witnessed a change. It’s such a shame that a lot of the charity shops are now run very similar to that of a high street shop, which completely deflates from the niche factor. I think the rise in popularity has certainly meant staff have been able to up their prices, which from my point of view is unfair because what we would have paid for something 5years ago is at least double the cost xxx
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's annoying for those donating goods to charity shops, too. Vera made the point above about the pleasure to be had in dressing a young man in a suit for a funeral for less than $1. When I donate my clothes to charity, I do it in good faith, and I donate good quality items. I really don't want to find that my donations are then being used to exploit those who want or need to shop there. I want to know they're going to a home where they're be appreciated and enjoyed, for a reasonable price. I now do some research before I decide which shop to donate my items to, because it's not 'giving back' to my community if that same community is being ripped off with the items I tried to do good with.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the local hospice independent charity shop near me is always reasonable with a good turnover, and are doing so well that the chains are now having to lower their prices and work harder to attract donations in order to compete! That shop has the right attitude, and so gets most of my donations.
I fully agree with everything in this post!
ReplyDeleteI've been a charity shopper all my life (my mum started me young) and can't believe what happens in them now! My local charity shop use to be amazing for bargin hunting - £4 pair of brand new converse get in!
But recently they have started getting an antiques dealer to come in and value anything that may be of value! Therefore all the prices have gone up.
The staff can be sneaky as well, one of the ladies that works at the same local one, brought a pretty dinner set at our local carboot for £2.50 and I saw it for sale in shop for £20!
I get the fact that it is for charity but that really got under my skin! I no longer shop in that Charity & travel slightly further to one that is more reasonable!
Thanks for sharing!
..xX
I could not agree more (and may or may not enter waffle-rant-mode) and listening to your vlog about it was like listening to myself after most Saturday afternoons charity shopping. It pisses me off. RIGHT OFF AND OUT THE DOOR.
ReplyDeleteI have tweeted before about how I feel that charity shops are pricing people out. Students, low income, the elderly. I appreciate the rents go up, as they tend to do - but then perhaps more needs to be done by large charity organisations to negotiate lower ones. And not spend valuable money on "shop refits" that I have seen locally. A charity shop is a charity shop. Everyone is aware that the items for sale have been donated. This does not change because you have laminate flooring & pieces of trendy wallpaper in frames on the wall.
I have seen A LOT of charity shops taking over recession hit business premises of late. Which, I personally think is great. A shop open as opposed to boarded up is a win in my eyes. BUT. Not if that shop is charging £15 for a Primark dress I know would have cost me £8 a month ago. Or £3 for a pint glass (I shit you not).
I do feel that they perhaps *rely* on people's internal argument and wager that it will come down on the side of "oh.. but it's for charity" and purchase. I feel that this is changing rapidly in the eye of the consumer. I have no qualms of walking out of a charity shop, having been prepared to spend, only to find the garments and homeware are beyond ridiculous in price.
It also shocks me the slow turnover of stock I see in charity shops nowadays. There was once a time when you had to buy it - there and then - because you knew that if you left it - someone else would have it away. There is a vanity set I have been eyeing recently. Well - every week for the last 3 months. It has failed to sell because it is £30.
I now frequent carboots / jumble sales for my thrifty needs and only have a shuffty round a charity shop if it is out of town to me or I am just plain bored.
I completely agree! I live in the midst of charity shopping heaven - there are 10/12 shops within minutes walk of my house - and I am really shocked at how much their prices have gone up recently.
ReplyDeleteI'm into 40s/50s fashion and have always shopped into charity shops to find the kind of thing I like, but some of it is now out with my price range. I'm better off buying repro styles from the likes of Primark, which, as an eco friendly shopper, I'm loathe to do.
Not only do I buy from charity shops, but I also give. Currently there's a pair of [unworn] Mango trousers that I'd bought in the sale for less than £20, and which I donated to a local shop, in the window priced at £25. No wonder people are getting annoyed! It'll make me think twice about both shopping and donating there in future.
I heartily second everything that has been said. In my local area charity shops are causing the demise of the high street. Other retailers can't afford the rates but with the hefty exemptions and reduced rates charity shops are taking over but since their prices are unrealistic it's having a negative impact overall. They are no longer the bargain treasure troves they once were :(
ReplyDeleteGosh, I'm glad to say none of my regular charity shops do this! In my fave they still only sell vintage dresses for £7 max :D I completely agree that they should probably know their market better if they're going to compete with the big highstreet shops, it's in their interests.
ReplyDeleteI still can't make my mind up whether they're better off with all our Primark castoffs or if they're suffer from more quantity, less quality.
Some of that stuff barely lasts a couple of washes!
Like others have said I find in West Yorkshire the big chain charity shops are totally off the mark with pricing. However, small independent ones are ace and contain charity shop gold. One of our local hospice shops is great. All chidren's books are only 35p. So we buy them, read them, eventually return them and as we love the shop so much donate a lot of good quality stuff. This to me is what charity shops should be about.
ReplyDeleteTwiggy
I have been feeling this way for a long time, particularly regarding Goodwill Industries in the US. I totally disagree with people saying that wanting a bargain is being uncharitable because I come from a very poor family. As a kid, my mom often shopped at charity shops for our school clothes and winter coats. We were on the borderline of requiring government assistance but weren't "poor enough" to get it so we needed the charity shops. Now, its getting so expensive that poor families can't afford used clothes anymore! I have written letters regarding $20 for a beat up pair of shoes and have received no response. Its disgusting to me that they charge so much for used, beat up, ripped, stain clothing....just because they "should be able to charge what they want". I now refuse to shop at over priced charity shops. I'd rather spend more money on new things than continue to financially support so called "charities" that rob the poor people of places to shop for affordable goods.
ReplyDelete100% agree with everything - I commented on your vlog rant for the same reason, because you are right!!
ReplyDeleteNo it's not being uncharitable - sureley its better for me to walk out of a charity shop having spent £15 on 5-6 items, rather than me walking out having spent nothing because 1 item is priced at £15!
I like to do a charity shoup 'round' and spread my money far and wide through various charities - and the one that get's most of my money is the one where everything is around a couple of pounds - I'm inclined to spend my money because "it's a bargain" and end up spending more as a result.
The Primark issue is a massive bug bear of mine (I also think Pirmark itself its getting blumming expensive - those vest tops at £3 used to £1 when Primark first started - but thats a whole other topic/rant right there!!) yes sometimes you get a rare gem, where someone has priced up a high street concession item cheaply, and you feel rather smug, but you also have that warm fuzzy feeling knowing that charoty is going to benefit from every single penny.
Personally I think Mary Portas has a lot to answer for!
I volunteer in a charity shop. It's quite a small charity and has half a dozen branches. In our shop we price most clothing between £2.50 and £3.50. Better labels can be between £5 and £10. If it's not sold in two weeks it's reduced to half price and then the following week down to £1. This way we have a good turn over of stock and we get the same customers coming back all the time as they know we are good for a bargain.
ReplyDeleteI agree with just about all you wrote in your post.
I agree that a charity shop exists to raise money for it's good cause and so by buying from them we donate much needed money, but that money should be a reasonable amount of the items worth, not an overpriced amount just because it is a charity.
Lisa x
I always thought Charity shop prices had risen because they got wise to those people who go round buying stuff to sell on eBay and make a killing...
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I just love those pics! I assume these are examples of your charity shop shopping? Wowza! Love it all. Secondly, I’m an American so I think our shops are a bit different (much less charity, and more just another business), but we too have seen a spike in prices at our Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift stores. I tend to shop garage sales first (similar to your boot sales I think), and then I look at our thrift stores and then (if I have to) I shop retail. I love saving every penny I can, and I think that these shops usually help me do that, but it does make me sad when a true bargain can’t be found.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what Primark is, by the way. haha. It doesn’t matter. I love your blog.
I agree with the points in this post so much. I love charity shopping, but prices are getting silly. Ironically, since the recession where the majority have less disposable income, the prices seem to be teetering higher and higher. At the end of the day these items are freely donated to organisations, while I appreciate they want to maximise profit they aren't new items! I saw a dress in a charity shop last week, it was Monsoon but the armpits were very stained, £20... I'm sorry, I'm just not willing to pay that. If that makes me uncharitable, so be it. If it was good condition I wouldn't have balked. X
ReplyDeleteThe one thrift store in town is a charity shop, all the people there are volunteers, and all money goes to charity. Years ago they had very high prices, then under new management, lowered them. They made more money with lower prices than they ever had before. Unfortunately now someone else is in charge and the prices are higher than ever, I rarely go in there. And when I do, it's the same merchandise I saw a month ago. Things don't move, they don't make as many sales.
ReplyDeleteThat's just one shop, and of course the bigger companies (Goodwill, Value Village)are insanely expensive. I have discovered a few little shops with great prices, and great turnaround. Not to mention they have very specific causes donated to, so it's nice to see exactly where the money goes!
xoxo
Solanah
Saw the debate over the weekend and actually felt pretty annoyed that your opinion that was just and very fair, was (I think) deliberately misinterpreted.
ReplyDeleteTotally right, and should be flagged up. This is a great post and all charity shops should take note.
I shop in charity shops because I like the variety. I like looking for something different. I also buy items for the fabric to repurpose or use for crafts. If I am unsure about an item that is £2-3 I think what the heck. I give it back to another shop if it doesn't suit me. If something is priced at £5 or £6 or higher then I really have to think about it and often don't bother.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that my purchases and re-gifting of items means a charity will benefit but it is not my main concern. If I can't afford it then neither of us benefit from the pricing.
hello my lovely, I think charity shops will sell at what ever they think people can and will pay, everyone is dirt skint here and the charity shops resort to sale rales, fill a bag and offers, I genuinely still get the odd bargain, I also moan every time about the prices and so do others. we still have jumble sales here and they are cheap.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with your article and all of the comments! I've been a thrifter my whole life, whether that be charity shops, second hand markets or car boot sales. I agree with what pretty much everyone has said on here...charity goes both ways. I know that in my little North East town I've seen a lot of unemployed people searching for interview clothes, older people who buy everything in their wardrobe from charity shops and students who want to stand out (we have an art college/university). These are the sorts of people who can't afford to pay high street prices, people on low incomes or benefits, people living on student loans or pensions. By pricing themselves so highly charity shops are basically pushing people towards shops like Primark or supermarket brands like Florence and Fred, Tu, George etc.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of reasons why people like myself dislike buying from these brands...there is of course the environmental factor, that these clothes won't last and will end up so worn that they get chucked out rather than sent on to a charity shop which has happened with almost every item of Primark clothes I've purchased. There is the income factor of course. I don't earn a great deal so I can't really afford to buy much on the high street, I might occasionally splurge but for the most part I don't shop anywhere except Primark with any regularity. There is of course the individual factor. Part of the reason I shop at charity shops (and thrift in general) is because I love finding weird and wonderful things that I know no one else is likely to wear at a reasonably cheap price. It's true that I could just nip onto ebay and find things now at a price to rival most charity shops but there is something about the physical hunt, the pleasure of finding something unique and exciting...It's that feeling that you don't get from finding something in a shop on a rail with multiple duplicates that you know will end up in countless other wardrobes. Chances are what you've found is individual, something just for you, something that others have already discarded as out of season. It's sad that so many people are now giving up on that feeling or being turned away from starting to shop in charity shops.
That being said, here in Hartlepool, the prices are still pretty good. There are a few culprits that have hiked their prices up, most notably the British Heart Foundation (sadly because this is a cause that is personal to my family and I would love to buy from there). We also just had a new Marie Curie shop open here and their prices are so unreasonable, especially on things like less than great quality Primark stock that I've already walked past it 10 or so times and not seen a single choosy Hartlepudlian in there. I think it's all about the charity shop being realistic about their customer base and about the stock they have. Let's keep it open and welcoming for all and not leave everyone thinking they would rather wear Primark.
I could have written this post almost word for word - I agree with you on all points! The worst is that most of the big charities are run with the same corporate models as big businesses and get many more benefits because they're charities. I wouldn't mind if most of the money directly benefitted the people it's supposed to help, but it does seem that most of it goes on running costs. I try to support small, local charities over the chains, but that's pretty hard as most of the shops near me are chain ones.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of the people who suggest wanting a bargain is uncharitable are those that think they're doing the chairty a huge favour by bestowing their largesse on them 'oh look at me, I'm such a wonderful, caring person - I spent £15 on a dress from XYZ charity shop last week', and yet they wouldn't put 10p in a tin in the street because the person looked 'scruffy'.
Wish more charity shops were like Vera's!
I'm with you 100%. I was aghast when I came across a Primark t-shirt in my local charity shop for £8. I'd seen the same one BRAND NEW in Primark for £6. Even worse? The one in the charity shop was well worn with pilled areas around the armpits and the lovely makeup stains you mentioned in your post. I quite literally threw a fit in the middle of the shop!
ReplyDeleteYes, charity shops should make money for their charity, of course. But to charge the same or MORE for as used item as one would pay for a new item? I think not. In fact, I find it incredibly insulting.
I absolutely agree with you. In fact I was shopping the charity shops in Clitheroe last Saturday and was downright shocked at the prices Oxfam in particular were asking for their clothing. I was looking for an item of clothing I can convert into something 'new' for our local village show but no way was I going to pay £15 for a second hand skirt from Primark!! I did eventually find a linen skirt from George in another charity shop for £3 which will make a lovely bag. But having not frequented charity shops for clothing since I gained weight and went beyond the standard 12-14-16 sizes, I was shocked and dismayed by the prices. Fair enough if the item cost £60 new, to ask £20 in a charity shop but if something was £5 new I don't think they should be charging £10+ for what was originally a cheap piece of clothing.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. The charity shops in Brighton have become far too pricey, and it really irritates me when I see blatant primark dresses, with the labels cut off, being sold for £15+ in the vintage sections of a few I have popped into lately. I still go to them all, but have found myself going out of town more often to have a rummage through the much more old school style and priced charity shops around the countryside.
ReplyDeleteI agree if someone donates a designer or high value vintage piece it should be sold at the right price, and those who have a bit of vintage knowledge will know and understand it is still worth the money and probably a bit cheaper than the vintage boutique a few doors down. However, I disagree with them trying to charge £400 in the one down my road for a 1960's dress. Yes it may have been designer, but if it was really worth that much, it should have been sent to auction, not try to sell it in a side street charity shop off the beaten track.
Love the outfit pictures though, you do snap up some brilliant finds on your rummages!
Emma
xxx
I bought a black Alexon blazer for £5 in a charity shop two weeks ago. On the rail next to it was a black Primark blazer for £5. Both in excellent condition.
ReplyDeleteNo logic.
Totally agree with you...
ReplyDeletePrices increasing and reduced customer numbers must surely mean less money for the charities??
Keep prices reasonable, keep your customers happy and keep the money coming in for the good causes.
Totally agree with you...
ReplyDeletePrices increasing and reduced customer numbers must surely mean less money for the charities??
Keep prices reasonable, keep your customers happy and keep the money coming in for the good causes.
Very well said and spot on. They are getting silly with the pricing.
ReplyDeleteX x
I am completely with you! this is why I don't shop in charity stores anymore. I browse, but I don't buy. I do however shop at boot sales, my favourite one is in Pimlico (Capital Carboot) and just this sunday I picked up 2 novels, 1 cook book, a Joseph skirt! a silk Topshop skirt and 2 Zara blouses for £11.50!!!! there is no way possible that I would have been able to get all that from a charity shop.
DeleteI'm one of those people who wishes they could find all these amazing things in charity shops for 50p that are actually worth £100's and look amazing, but whenever I go in, I find that I'm put off by the expensive Primark tat as you say. For those who say that charity shops should price on the higher end of the scale - theres nothing stopping you donating an extra £10 if you feel like you've had a great bargain.
ReplyDeleteI especially dislike the "vintage" charity shops that are popping up - we have two within a minutes walk in Bristol which I popped into when they opened...£30 for a M&S polyester dress that was frumpy 30 years ago? Er, no thanks.
Totally agree, I have a fav local one that I always got to first and now avoid the larger ones.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad who is a pensioner and getting confused was buying at a charity shop for way over the price he could buy new on the high street, but assumed he was getting a bargain as it was in a charity shop. A lot of people who are elderly or have mental health problems are encouraged to buy from charity shops to help with budgets and don't always have the energy or mobility to shop around. I feel this is taking advantage of a vulnerable people as they do believe that charity shops wouldn't rip them off and that they are getting a good deal!!
So totally agree - everything you and the other comments have said rings so true. We have one small independent Charity Shop in the next village that is still reasonable, but those in the nearest town of Bishop Auckland are becoming way overpriced. I still do the rounds when I am in Bishop but no longer make a special trip just to "charity shop" and most times these days I leave empty handed. As has been pointed out, I don't mind paying a fair price but so often the prices for high street and supermarket labels are even higher than the original prices.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. I don't mind spending out on higher quality items but I'm sick to the back teeth of £9 Primark dresses with holes. My budget is currently tighter than it has been in years but even my local charity shops are out of my price range. I have 4 on a tiny stretch of road, St Peters tends to only put out good stuff, but you will pay through the nose. Barnados is the cheapest and they have had most of my custom in recent times, you have to search but occasionally they have beautiful things stashed around the shops.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Manchester I completely fell out with shopping in chairty shops. The local one had a "vintage" range which included items from Topshops with the white label, not the black one. The prices were sky high and it was constantly empty.
I don't think it's uncharitable to not want to spend over the odds. I always donate clothes and home wears to the charity shop even though I don't drive and have to lug it on the bus, but when I'm faced with a £11 TU dress that smells of cat, I think I'll walk away.
X
I work in the charity sector so this is an interesting one for me. I agree, that a lot of charity shops are quite over priced lately. I put this down to several reasons, some of which you have touched on:
ReplyDelete1) The volunteers are simply not aware of what they are pricing. The budget stores (Primark and the like) are doing a great job of making their cheap wares appear more expensive, and the humble (and often elderley) volunteers do not realise the as new price of a donated item. True - training would go a long way here. But where does that money come from when the staff are volunteers themselves?
2) Costs of everything have gone up year on year but charitable income increases only marginally - especially in a recession. The shops cant cost more to run than they bring in or they become pointless.
3) Tieing into that, income from other areas for charities is down. (Charity shops are a small percentage of a charities income) Income has to remain stable, if not increase year on year and if it falls from events, legacies etc it needs to be made up elsewhere.
I'm not saying that doubling prices of stock is logical, or fair to the consumer but it has to be seen from both sides.
I personally agree with better training from staff. But where the money for that will come from is beyond me I'm afraid...
Whilst i agree that poor quality/awful cheap clothing shouldn't be overpriced, i do know that each major charity has a set guidance for what should be charged for what, including pricing lower end stock cheaply, and higher end not so.
ReplyDeleteA great deal of stock gets shuffled around to different branches where they know they'll get the best prices/items will sell. Also a large proportion of stock going into charity shops isn't second hand anymore, a great amount of it is end of line and that's where the overpriced supermarket clothing quite often comes from, namely because it's not second hand, and is in fact put into the shops with set prices.
Shop around, as i know branches have different ratings and you may be paying out more because where you're shopping is a category A and therefore they can charge top tier, this is ranty and doesn't make much sense, but it's certainly not as black and white as poor staff training or charities looking to make the biggest buck, I guess it doesn't help that there's much more competition for a bargain nowadays and especially for vintage.
Whilst i agree that poor quality/awful cheap clothing shouldn't be overpriced, i do know that each major charity has a set guidance for what should be charged for what, including pricing lower end stock cheaply, and higher end not so.
ReplyDeleteA great deal of stock gets shuffled around to different branches where they know they'll get the best prices/items will sell. Also a large proportion of stock going into charity shops isn't second hand anymore, a great amount of it is end of line and that's where the overpriced supermarket clothing quite often comes from, namely because it's not second hand, and is in fact put into the shops with set prices.
Shop around, as i know branches have different ratings and you may be paying out more because where you're shopping is a category A and therefore they can charge top tier, this is ranty and doesn't make much sense, but it's certainly not as black and white as poor staff training or charities looking to make the biggest buck, I guess it doesn't help that there's much more competition for a bargain nowadays and especially for vintage.
Their high prices are one of the reasons I don't buy much from charity shops nowadays and I used to buy lots. There are 2 charity shops where I live now but until recently there was only the one and I visited it several times a week and usually bought something. Now I still go in but usually 3 or 4 times a month and rarely buy anything because at the prices they charge I'd rather wait until next time I go shopping and buy new.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm really lucky with my local charity shops. They're not cheap-cheap, but the last thing I paid over a fiver for was a 1970s suit in mint condition (£8) and I got a hat by Frederick Fox (Royal Warrant holder) for £5 last weekend. It could be because I'm in a VERY working class town and they all price for the local market; friends constantly tell me that I'd pay a lot more in Bath.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, a higher turn over of stuff is a much better idea for a charity shop and selling things for an overinflated price will have it sitting on the shelves for months. Yes, it's for charity, but the cost of the product to the charity was nil, so making anything on it, quickly, has to be better for the charity in the end. Selling 17 shirts for £2 each in one day, surely has to be better than having 17 shirts priced at £10 each sitting on the shelves for 3 months.
ReplyDeleteFabulous post, and I couldn't agree more with the points you raised. Like many of the other commenters I've noticed that it's the 'chain' charity shops that have ludicrous prices and the smaller, messier, more local charity shops price their goods at a far more sensible level. I rarely darken the door of our local Marie Curie shop as their prices are waaaaaaay too high for me but I visit the other two 'local' charity shops in our high street every time I go past them. I also make a point of donating my goods to these local shops too.
ReplyDeleteI also strongly object to the 'gentrification' of some 'chain' charity shops - with a massive hike in prices as a consequence. There is one chazza in Billericay that has laminate flooring, really expensive wooden hangers, all the clothes are arranged by colour and it feels like you're walking into a posh designer shop rather than a charity shop. Naturally, their prices have also gone through the roof. Why do they do this? The clothes are still second-hand - with all the stigma that has for some people - and yet those of us who are more than happy to wear second-hand clothing are now being put off by the 'boutique' style of the shop and by the mahoosive prices they're charging to pay for that. Seems nuts to me. And don't get me started on some charity shops charging customers for plastic bags - that is positively scandalous as far as I'm concerned!!
I just wanted to add my two pence worth,I think Mary Portas had good intentions when she up marketed the old charity shops, mainly to help them make more money from the stuff they have donated to them, but it has gone totally out of hand.
ReplyDeleteWhat I dont understand is that surely the pricers know for example that a Primark item was originally cheaper than a monsoon item, its not rocket science to work out that they cant put the same resale price on them.
The big chains have there prices set from head office, well they used to when I worked in one a few years back so maybe we should lobby the head offices of the worst culprits ?
I completely agree with you on this one. I don't mind paying a bit more than I'd like, or than I'd pay at a boot sale to support charity. But when second-hand items are the same price, or more than they are new then it really turns me off.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you. (And I work for a charity and have volunteered at many charity shops in the past). I think the prices charged by some charity shops for things that are cheaper NEW is just crazy. It completely changes the model of a charity shop- to be a bargain for customers and benefit the charity while selling stuff that has been donated.
ReplyDeleteThe charity is receiving the stock as a donation and so should charge fair prices if they want constant sales in my opinion. It can be a bit of a balancing act, but I think charging fair prices will benefit both parties with loyal customers. The charity needs to get money in and turned over quickly, not having a £28 jacket sitting in their shop for months. I still love charity shop shopping, but have become a lot more selective due to the prices.
Well said!
ReplyDeleteI do wonder about the ignorance of the volunteers who are pricing up the goods, but surely the managers should know the difference between a quality label and some Primani cheapy dispos-a-top?
Like others, I've found that charity shop prices vary by location. At the recommendation of a colleague, I once spent an afternoon trolling the charity shops of Kensington and Holland Park. Didn't buy a thing because everything was so highly priced. (The cheapest thing I recall was a shunken cashmere jumper for £20.) Never again.
On the other hand, near where I work in Berkshire are some fantastic charity shops. Some are local charities; some are national. All have good quality clothing at reasonable prices.
I am a relatively new charity shop shopper and was astounded to find the abundance of primark and supermarket labels items that were ridiculously priced. I shop at charity shops because I want something a bit different and to occasionally come across a little gem of something that is a high quality item that I would not usually be able to afford. These reasons also coincide with wanting to be a bit more eco friendly and supporting worthwhile causes. I really disagree with the shops charging an equal or higher price for low quality items, it feels like they think their customers are fools to be prepared to pay for them. And don't get me started on the things they choose to label as "vintage"
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you! I'm not an avid Charity shopper, but I do enjoy looking in them every few weeks to see what I can find (and I also won a Charity Shop Challenge once, a whole outfit for under £15, yay!). But I've noticed recently prices going up ridiculously in them - for example there's one near my uni bus stop that I like to look in, it's a nice big one and often has quite good stuff (I guess because it's an easy place for students at uni to drop their unwanted clothes), but they price things like: All Tops: £6, All Dresses: £8 etc. So it's fine if you come across an unworn Topshop item, but come across a well used Primark item and you're just not going to pay that amount for it.
ReplyDeleteI do very much support the fact that they are 'charity' shops, and I sometimes donate my clothing for that reason, but they would possibly gain more money marking things appropriately, and as you said, training the staff to recognise what should be marked higher or lower (because sometimes I've heard people come across some amazing designer finds marked the same price as everything else because they haven't realised what it is!!). I know a lot of staff are probably volunteers, so it would be difficult to get proper training, but all it needs is a sheet on the wall with the most popular brands marked on it so they can check it against that when marking the prices.
Rant over now, sorry!
http://xrebelangelx.blogspot.co.uk/
I totally agree with you, Thrify Mrs. A year ago I decided to give up high street shops altogether in an attempt to save money but not necessarily sacrifice my fashion sense, and so far so good - I have pin-pointed the ones in my local area in Hertfordshire which have the nicer clothes and the well organised rails, and I visit them weekly. What I've noticed, especially in Oxfam shops, is the "Vintage" rails that are popping up and ever-increasingly priced up, obviously due to being labelled as something rare and therefore worth spending more money on. And you're right: TU and F&F dresses, handbags and shoes keep appearing with a price tag on not much less than what they originally retailed for, and in fact "vintage" is another term for "clothes that are actually very worn out but could pass as antiquely cool".
ReplyDeleteNot cool, not cool at all.
What's the answer - do we write a mass blog to the shops and charities??
Button Brown
I completely agree, it's not uncharitable, I do quite a lot for charity completely seperate of charity shops so if somebody was to say I was uncharitable for not paying £10 for a £6 primark dress I would be really upset!
ReplyDeletehttp://theredoneblog.blogspot.co.uk/
I think as I shop in charity shops nfairly regularly I begrudge paying massive amounts of money for stuff I could get as cheap new but I don't mind spending a bit more on something like a cashmere jumper which I wouldn't buy new because of the cost, it's a difficult balance to gain..
ReplyDeleteMaria xxx
Amen! Honestly i think they're completely out of touch. They know that Primark & supermarket brands are ridiculously cheap so why on earth would we pay the same price or more for an item second hand?! My local Oxfam also sells clothes at around the £20 mark which I don't mind paying if the item is worth it but they don't even have a changing room to try stuff on. No changing room = no sale. They need to wise up.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, I'm late in commenting.
ReplyDeleteBrilliantly and most eloquently put, Mrs T. I also read your exchange with someone on Twitter who said that they would far rather pay £12 for a Primark dress in a charity shop than give the original price of £9 to Primark. That's bonkers. In this day and age when everyone is feeling the pinch big time, over-priced goods in charity shops is wrong. Who wants to buy something that doesn't represent good value for money?
Hiya Hun, well thought out post.
ReplyDeleteI used to be so into my charity shop thrifting. I supported charity and got stuff at a good price ( stuff that had been donated to the shop ie FREE). In return I took bags and bags of items I didn't want to these shops and they sold them on.
Now I go into cs and see supermarket and Primark marked up at high prices. These items were given for free and are USED. It makes me cringe; do they think we are stupid or have so much money we can afford the huge price hike and turn a blind eye to the fact we can buy new much cheaper elsewhere.
The point has been put forward that training cs staff costs money but I'm sure it wouldn't cost that much to print a sheet of A4 with a list of supermarket and cheapo shop brands and hang in up on the back of the sorting door!!!!
No I won't go into cs which set out to rip the customer off. I refuse to donate to these shops and yes I'd prefer to sell my items on at car boot sales than give these robbing B@rstewards a penny.
Thankfully a few charity shops still remain that I am happy to support - long my they be in business!
Hear, hear!
ReplyDeleteI haven't trawled thru' the 80 comments you have received, (tho' I probably WILL), but I guess we all know who is to blame. And I lay that blame firmly at her door!
I am fed up of tat at high prices and will very rarely 'do'the CSs now. I am getting rid of better quality stuff than I can buy!
The only person I know who does well is Vix, and guess that is a lot to do to being where she lives. (But she does have an exceedingly good eye for a bargain!).
Z xx
I've been mulling this over for a few days now. I am a volunteer in one of these 'chain' charity shops, mainly because I think the work that they do is marvellous, and I live in an area that benefits from having these goods available at a lower price. I agree that some of these charities are getting selfish and greedy, and insisting on milking as much as they can out of their customers.
ReplyDeleteHowever. The attitude you have about staff not being able to tell that, for example, 'Atmosphere is Primark', is really uncalled for. We're not stupid, and I know that at least in the charity I volunteer for, we have a price list based on the brand and what the item is. We cannot deviate from that. I know that some of the prices aren't right, but it isn't up to me to decide what we charge, or any other volunteer, or indeed even the manager sometimes.
I hear complaints like yours all the time, and yes, I agree, in some places the prices are shocking. Not all shops are putting out stained, unclean clothes, though. Maybe if you're not happy with the standard of stock that your local shop is putting out then say something about it to the manager, who can try to do something about it.
I couldn't agree with you more.
ReplyDeleteIn my town, as in quite a few others, the charity shops (7 in all) are the only high street stores that are surviving as they are given preferential treatment because they are a charity! It's sad to see that these charities have jumped on the 'rip-off Britain' bandwagon.
When I walk into a charity shop, my first thought is not all warm and smug, wanting to give my money to a good cause; I go in there to find a bargain!
Long live the bootfair and Freecycle, oh, and bring back the jumble sale!
It's so hit and miss these days. I love looking in the Hospice Care shops in Exeter and often find some bargains. I bought a pair of brand new Dorothy Perkins wedges for £4 but some second hand Primark sandals were £6 (the same as they were priced as new in Primark). It makes me feel a bit cheated.
ReplyDeleteNot totally related but I also have beef with the ASOS marketplace selling Primark and Motel as vintage and often priced the same, if not higher, as the original price. Vintage is one thing, vintage inspired is another.
Just this week I saw a floral cardboard storage box in a hospice charity shop window, that'll do nicely I thought. When I went to look at the price tag expecting it to be £1/£2 I was astounded to see if was £5! For a second hand empty cardboard box - needless to say it stayed in the shop. I still can't get over it, I could have bought a new one for less down the road!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me they charge what the market will bear and if only a few people buy at more expensive prices then they will probably make more money. I can t believe that they are doing it if it does nt work.
ReplyDeleteHere in the States we have thrift stores - Salvation Army and Goodwill being the two biggest. They are huge stores; the size of supermarkets and the prices are not too bad but have risen like yours. They also give work to people who have real trouble finding a job (no volunteers) and everything has a different colored label and every week one color is 50% off. It seems that lots of little stores in high streets is very inefficient.
Also we are in very hard times and people who have turned their noses up are in dire straits and are giving us more competition.
I am a co-manager direct a charity shop in Sydney Australia for the Lions Club to which I belong run entirely by volunteers for the last 6 years. We have made a fortune to donate to locate causes, schools, Lions Eye Bank, etc by not ripping people off - we don't keep the money ourselves but pass it on to others to further their cause. BUT we only charge a MINIMAL price for our items - most adult clothing is $3 (about 1 pound), winter coats $5, children's clothing 50c to $2 - same goes for designer stuff, no differentiation. We only sell quality clean clothing in good condition (no pilled or faded stuff). We have noticed that other CS are doing the same as UK, just plain greedy. Whenever we are in the UK I check out the stores so I know this from experience. We feel that by offering all items cheaply to those in need or just like a bargain then we are doing our worthwhile work - and not ripping people off. Everyone is happy and our customers come from up to 40 miles away. Yes, you are right you can buy a lot of clothing as cheap in the likes of Target, KMart etc. Come and see our stuff in our gorgeous shop, it looks like a boutique and smells luscious.
ReplyDeleteI seriously can't believe that charity shops could price items that high! £10 for a second hand H&M T-shirt is mental. I work in a large chain charity shop; in London too, and nothing is ever priced anywhere near that high. Even really nice dresses and things like that never tend to go above £7-8 mark (unless it's something really special). Everything is in brilliant condition too, all checked and steamed before it's put out. I can't understand how people could be so clueless about what they're doing.
ReplyDeletei never thought about in this way. i do, however, think that used items should always be less (considerably) than what you could buy it for new. so while they should make as much money as they can, why would people want to pay more for a used item? i'm with you!
ReplyDeleteHi there, I find this post very interesting and couldn't help but not post a responce! Note: this comment should not be taken in anyway offensively, I'm just trying to put a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteI am 17years-old and started volunteering in a charity shop when I was 12 and since then I have had a very different perspective on how charity shops work and how items are marked up (priced). I volunteered at the shop for 3 years and then was offered the paid job as the Saturday assistant and I now work the front of shop instead of sorting donations out the back; this has again given me another perspective of the charity shop.
The charity I work in is for a local hospice where terminally ill patients can spend their final weeks in comfort and peace. The charity also provides nurses who do home visits to patients who would prefer to be at home in their last weeks. I wanted it to be made aware of how much pressure is put on the shops to provide the finance for these services to be provided to the patients - free of charge.The NHS only covers 13% of the finance needed to provide the service. To provide the services the 12 shops in the local areas of the hospices must raise altogether £50,000 a week!
Prices do vary from shop to shop in our chain according to average income in the local area to make the shops more accessible to local shoppers, I know this from working in 3 other shops as well as my own when I have been asked to cover. Also each different shop tends to have specific items that sell best e.g. books, clothing, furniture or bric-a-brac and the shops will be tailored to offer more of this item in each indivual shop to try and maximise sales.
Another thing is that prices are not set by the managers at each shop, everything in the shop is decided by the 'top honchos' who rarely visit each shop and do not have to face customers everyday with complaints - mainly about pricing! From their perspective they are running the shops as if they were a normal business; setting prices for items simply to cover costs and raise as much profit as possible for the charity and the patients who need the care - thier is a long waiting list for the hospice. Managers in the shop cannot alter the prices and trust me, they wish they could because they themselves know that the prices are rediculous! As you mentioned charging higher prices for clothing that you can buy cheaper new. Although i would like to mention here that my particular shop does not charge these sorts of prices but there are other charity shops on the same high street that do.
Yes charity shops do also have overheads for example rent, which used to be discounted for charities in our areas, but no longer are due to it being hard times for everyone. This means that small local charities such as overselves have to pay the same rent as the national businesses on the same highstreet such as new look, primark etc. Something that is hard to do when we sometimes barely reach 3-figure revenues for a day. It is important to also remember that prices for the treatments that we provide are also going up to are budgets are further increasing as we do not charge anything for the services the hospice provides.
And yes there are always wages - not even people working for charities do it for free. Nurses and carers at the hospice have wages, but each shop has a manager, assistant manager and saturday assistant. Some people may find it wrong that people who work for a charit are paid - but it is there fulltime job, they work 9-5 just like anyone else. And yes they do have volunteers to help but often they only work a few hours each week e.g. 1 morning a week. People might also find it unfair that a Saturday assistant gets paid, but yes this is also my only source of income and a regular 9-5 saturday job. And if you really think about it, who would want to volunteer 9-5 on a saturday every week? I know for certain that my chairty shop at least is struggling for volunteers, so much so that the manager and assistant manager are run off their feet having to do all the work themselves.
ReplyDeleteMy job as the Saturday assistant is hard. Althought it has its ups - lovely old ladies chatting to me, regular shoppers asking me if theirs anything good in this week, customers who I actually know on first name basis and know all about their lives and vice versa - haha. The job also has its downs - people trying to haggle for a bargin, customers shouting abuse in my face about my morals 'stealing from a charity' and how much of the revenue 'actually goes to the patients', people saying right to my face that I personally am ripping them off. Out of all of the downs, I have to say the worst is over-hearing peoples coversations in the shop as they look at the price-tag and call it a outrageous or people looking around the newly refurbished shop ( we had a fire and the entire shop was smoke damaged and had to be refitted, prices did not increase to cover the costs, the insurance paid every penny) and saying that the refurbishment is what their money is paying for and not the patients. Many people talk right next to me without realising that I can hear what they are saying, and the things they say hurt as I have become attached to this charity and the shop and the things they say hit me personally. The things people say also stay with me even when I go home; Only 2 weeks ago, I walked out of work and burst into tears at how abusive someone had been to me that day. People tend to assume things about the shops with acctually knowing what is going on behind the scenes.
I know for certain that at the shop I work for, on a Saturday - supposedly the busiest day - we sometimes barely make £300, how is that going to contribute to the £50,000 we must raise each week?
Again this is not meant in a disrespectful or rude way at all, just sometimes people do not realise the whole story. Just spare a thought for no.1 the patients who desperately need the care the charity shop is *trying* to raise money for and no.2 the people who work in the shops and have to hear what people say and cannot do anything about it because they are set targets by the top bosses which the must meet and a literally struggling and scraping to meet.
Thanks for reading P.S sorry for going into 2 posts HAHA xoxo
Hi, just foudn your blog -I Love it! I used to volunter in a local charity shop before I had my son, at first everything was priced really reasonably. The shop then introduced an assistant manager to its payroll, which meant items from Primark or asda, were being marked up even more than they would have been in the shop, brandnew.
ReplyDeleteI happend to pop in there last week, and the volunteers were saying how bad the intake has been and that the stock rooms are full to bursting, however they have guidelines on prices that they must follow. It's a real shame as it was such a great shop before.
I read your post a few weeks ago and it saddenednme, but part of me thought 'ooh thank goodness this chazza shop pricehikenhasnt affected little old Sheffield!'... How wrong i was. New charity shop opened on a street with, i admit, is fullmof boutiquey independent shops. I went in today and it seemed like all the dresses we at least £25!! I have never andwould never spend thatbon a second hand charity shop dress . And guess what.. Some of them were primark. Yep. Primark. Ridiculous!!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! Lately all the charity shops I have been in have been charging silly prices. Yes it is for charity, but that does not mean that the should be charging lots of money, especially for basic items. Ultimately, the price of goods being sold in a charity shop should reflect the shopping experience - which is not high end, but great for people looking for something cheap and cheerful and happy to rummage for it in a charity shop environment.
ReplyDeletei was looking around for the first time tonight.to see if anyone had noticed this 'event'.. I live in the charitable South East'..i find the charity shops are only appealing to the wealthy..so those guys,can remain 'pious' in the negative sense..whilst they do their main shopping in Topshop or worse..(better for them)...one t-shirt from Marie Curie can cost 6 quid whiLst you can buy 3 t-shirts from PRIMARK for 12 quid..the ..trouble is...if THE CHARITY SHOPS ARE CHARGING MORE,ITS BECAUSE THEIR CONCERNS I.E cancer,heart disease.elderly people.the disabled etc..ARE SIMPLY DEMANDING MORE MONEY BECAUSE OF THE GOVERNMENT CUT BACKS,,KNOWN AS 'austerity/..PRIMARK do not have those concerns,the same as most high street shops selling cheap goods to the poor,neither do most of the people at boot sales..havimg sad that,,in the past..ive known people to grab an original TURNER print..priced at 2000 pounds from a charity shop for two quid..Now the charity shops have got wise to that and have more stuff officially valued..thats a good idea..its a debate..but it comes down to the how much money you are giving to the CHARITY...hope my comment is useful..im pious in the positive..but im comparatively..poor..so gaddamit..i always look for what i think is a bargain anywhere...
ReplyDeletecharity shops have overhead because of the government cutting back on the charities concerned..Primark and guys at carboot sales don;t..charity shops have become a way for the more wealthy to remain pious in the most negative of ways without giving up any of their real cash..these shops have re-directed theire sales tactics towards a higher bracket for good reason
ReplyDeleteunfortunately..i have also noticed this..i think the price increase is necessary..charity shops have overheads that involve giving to their chosen charities..as these charities have been hit by government austerity cuts..Primark and the guys at car boot sales dont have these overheads..car boot sales are best..maybe even E-BAY...I hope the more wealthy will go to charity shops more so they can keep pious for their own benefit..but i think the charity shops may have chosen the wrong sales tactic
ReplyDeleteI think charity shop prices are rdiculous. It is cheaper to buy new in supermarkets. It is disgusting when they sell tatty looking books for £4.00 because it is old. But these books are worthless. Madness!
ReplyDeleteAnyone know of the best/ cheapest charity shops in the Bexley/ Kent area?
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