Charity Shops

[welshlass]

I am a great believer of recycling and helping charities. I therefore recycle good used clothes to charity shops and i once did buy secondhand clothes from charity shops. Why did i stop you ask! Because the charity shops have become greedy. You can buy cheaper new clothes than used charity clothes. You will pay for example for a tee shirt in a charity shop anything from £3 but in a good retail store and good quality product a new one for £3.

These charity shops do not have to pay for their premises i am lead to believe that they do not pay any vat and/or tax and their workers work for free they are volunteers. So why are they so greedy, surely if they sold the items for a £1 or £2 they would sell more. It is better to make a little profit (they have their clothes donated)on a regular basis. They charge dearer for branded named clothes, at the end of the day these are second hand clothes donated for free what difference does it make if they are branded goods? Why do they charge more for these. I am also fed up with poeple knocking my door asking for donations to numerous charities. I am by no means tight but charity begins at home. This government should be assisting these charities.

I apologise for moaning but it does get me annoyed when i see the prices they are charging. I now just walk away and refuse to pay the prices they are asking. I would rather but new for a few pence more. Are there people out there with a different view on this?

sian

 

[Gumbo]

I think it may be because the Charity Shop have to pay the going rate for property rents, which are not cheap. Not offering an excuse just a possible reason

 

[welshlass]

I think it may be because the Charity Shop have to pay the going rate for property rents, which are not cheap. Not offering an excuse just a possible reason

I am led to believe that they do not have to pay rent. Our local councils subsidise them. But they do have to pay for heating

 

[Guest]

As far as I am aware Charity Shops do not pay the normal rates that a commerical business has to cover. However they do employ senior staff in full time management positions, and therefore have to pay all the rates associated. Therefore in many ways they have become just another commerical enterprise and in fact many do indeed sell new stock, which is contradictory to their charitable staus. Not all Charity Shops are in this category, but the 'big boys' certainly seem to have forgotten their purpose in life.

 

[DeliDave]

we put anything we have for the air ambulance but as welsh lass says why dont the government pay for it .The police helicopter is out loads of times where we live in daventry for minor crime often with little result(its a bit rough round here) yet the air ambulance often saving lives has to be self funding.I agree with nipping little things in the bud and twelve year olds tracking accross fords on stolen mopeds need stopping but a helicopter out at god knows how much an hour and nothing for air ambulance with proven life saving results seems mad to me

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Sian,

We all have the choice of where to shop, and if find you can make your purchases cheaper than at charity shops, then you can vote with your feet.

For some people, there is a satisfaction in supporting a charities, it may be in recognition of a service they have benefited from (hospices come to mind), or it might just be seen as a good cause. Over recent years, the generosity of the public to general appeals has waned, so many charities have to resort to other types of ventures such as direct begging via postal and television appeals or shops where customers actually get something for their money.

Ask any shopkeeper what the costs of running a shop are, and rent will be only one of the significant costs. There are building and stock insurances, maintenance costs, rates. Legal fees to administer the lease. Unless the local authority owns the premises, they will only be able to change the rates. Rates are by no-way insignificant, but they are probably only a relatively small amount of the general running costs.

Even if the shop is staffed by volunteers, that does not mean there are no labour costs. There still has to be staff insurance, Managing personnel costs, because the organisation still has to comply with equal opportunities legislation, which involves having stated policies checked by legal teams, Even if VAT is not payable, it still has to be accounted for. And of course costs such as heating and lighting still have to be met.

Charities by definition are not allowed to make a profit, so the more they can make from sales in the shops, the more the charities aims will benefit.

Charity shops are also good for recycling, a plus point these days.

I do agree there seems to be an explosion of charity shops, but it is a refection on societies reducing generosity.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

I must agree with Sian. I do not know what part of Wales she is living but here in Bridgend there are no end of charity shops and they all seem intent nowadays to charge as much as possible. My wife and I often browse through the shops but now vary rarely buy there as their prices are rediculous. Even their CDs are now dearer than the main store prices. One shop here was selling a second hand CD dearer than a new identical one in Tesco. Comparing clothes prices it appears that Peacocks and other similar stores in town are as cheap, if not cheaper, than many charity shops and you are buying new.

Incidentally the charity shops in Porthcawl are even dearer than Bridgend and offer a far worse choice of goods.

 

[grahamgreatbarr]

The books are very cheap.

 

[Dustydog]

I was amazed to read the combined sales income of all the uk charity shops this year was

 

[Gumbo]

So what are they doing right that MFI, Woolies JLR etc aren't??

NOT Buying Stock !!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dustydog]

Gumbo

How right you are. Plus of course I believe a lot of volunteers help . But we British spend our money there. I for one would not like to wear dead mens clothes but that doesn't stop others.

So why do so many people buy there? Cheap prices. Primark do it well for example.

I still have a theory that if I could buy a new LR Disco for the same price as my Sorie I may have supported the Solihull boys.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Essexeddie]

A friend of mine owned a charity shop and made a fortune out of it. I could tell a few tales about it.

After about ten years of running the shop he retired to spain.

.

 

[Steve L]

I eco your sentiments as well.

I can only afford rebok trainers, ben sherman shirts, kelvin cline and hand made shoes because of charity shops.

These days though, you have to realy look hard to find the affordable bargains! The reason for this is the well paid managers who now set financial targets for the shops and I think often forget what charity shopping is all about.

We return our clothes to the charity shops so that someone else can benifit from them after us. We also find it fun having a wardrobe of clothes that if bought new would of cost litteraly thousands of pounds, but to us was bought for less than

 

[Dustydog]

Ah!! Steve

You've hit the nail on the head. There is more to these charity shops than meets the eye. So they aree using high tech management skills to maximise sales even though the goods are free.

If people like Woolies JLR etc looked at their management philosophies maybe not so many of them would be failing.

Cheers

Alan