Anyone feel that Charity shops are becoming too expensive?

[pastymuncher]

The ones in Elgin used to be good for used books from 50p. Nowadays it's minimum £3-4 which is what i can get brand new books for in Tesco and Asda. They must be making money anyway because Elgin town centre is nothing but phone shops and charity shops.

 

[bhavv]

I spent 2 months working in a charity shop (Oxfam) to boost my CV as I had no work experience and couldnt find a single job between 16-19 years old (I applied just about everywhere, and never got a single reply).

So I worked for nowt ironing and washing donated clothes, and working on the till over summer, and then Asda employed me

They paid me for my all day rider bus ticket, but they didnt even pay me to get food :x

I couldnt ever buy the second hand clothes my self, but I bought lots of the fairtrade food they sell.

Its funny really, work in a charity shop for 2 months, work at Asda for 3 years, join the orchestra and choir, complete a degree minus the dissertation ....

And completely unemployable for 15k per year jobs. Everywhere that I applied to after graduating didnt even bother to reply to me! (basic call centre and secretary / recetionist jobs!). It was like looking for my first job all over again ... gogo getting a sickie and IB + DLA instead!

 

[ElectroBlaster]

I wouldn't say they are well run, well not the one that I worked at. It had about 5 different managers over the space of 8 months and was a dump upstairs, where they stored everything.

Do they by anychance raise for heart disease/heart health? The one in Exeter has/had a really bad rep. They couldnt get anyone to run that shop. I dont know about now but about 12/24months ago it was hell. I volunteered with them and the manager had no control. They allowed a teenager (volunteer) the run of the place, also to compound matters worse he had ADHD so would proceed to wind up anyone he felt needed to be picked on and would think nothing of throwing sharp objects at people for a laugth. All the other volunteers were either to scared to say anything or just were so broken they just allowed it. I took it for a week, talked to the manager, got nowhere and the final straw was I almost lamped him so I left! Last I knew the assistant manager had enougth and got a bus driving job and the ADHD lad got promoted. Makes you wonder how they even managed to get any donations let alone money.

 

[Nitefly]

And completely unemployable for 15k per year jobs. Everywhere that I applied to after graduating didnt even bother to reply to me! (basic call centre and secretary / recetionist jobs!). It was like looking for my first job all over again ... gogo getting a sickie and IB + DLA instead!

What happened to you?

 

[Flibster]

Some things have got significantly more expensive in them.

Used to buy a load of book from chairy shops. Not anymore, normally cheaper to get them from Amazon seller now.

 

[Scougar]

Have to say we found some VERY classy old school green leather sofa's and chair's in a big charity shop in the city centre. They were asking too much for it to be honest, and at the time my daughter's needs were the priority, but really wanted that set.

And "wouldn't be seen dead in a charity shop" ? Really. Fool you, tbh. Father-in-law has picked up a few things like $400 jeep electric 4x4's for $5, and crazy things like that in Charity shops, and many things like that at garage sales. Massive sheep rug.. £2 or something crazy, found by my wife in a st.luke's hospice.

Prices in the heart foundation are a joke though. You could buy some of the stuff they sell in there cheaper brand new.

We must have donated about £500 worth of stuff to a local animal shelter charity shop when we moved. Hope it helped the animals, and the people buying it

Makes it sound like we go in a lot... but honestly it's hardly ever, and I'm always stunned what my wife would pick up when she did go.

 

[Scougar]

And completely unemployable for 15k per year jobs. Everywhere that I applied to after graduating didnt even bother to reply to me! (basic call centre and secretary / recetionist jobs!). It was like looking for my first job all over again ... gogo getting a sickie and IB + DLA instead!

At one time, I couldn't seem to find a job either. I works for 5 weeks in McDonalds just to pay the bills. It was a total hoot to be honest with you, don't look it over when you need to keep the cash coming in (Takes a lot of 'massaging' your pride though). I then got a job working for Marconi Telecommunications in Coventry. So don't give up

Also.. I recently put up my C.V. on Monster, and put my employable regions as 5 area's in the U.S.A. Annoyingly, I keep getting contacted by people from the U.K. about jobs , and the phone keeps flippin' ringing. I would have loved that but I don't want the U.K. So.. if you haven't already.. put some work in and get your C.V. up on monster and other sites etc. Don't rule out agencies either.

If your in a job already, I apologise.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I have set foot in a few but nothing ever grabbed me. A few of my friends buy the odd bit of clothing from there, personally I can't wear other people's old clothes without knowing where it came from. I go to TK Maxx instead lol. It is probably just a psychological thing with the secondhand clothes. As for books, I like buying new books, the smell

The other stuff they have just feels like tat.

 

[Scougar]

I have set foot in a few but nothing ever grabbed me. A few of my friends buy the odd bit of clothing from there, personally I can't wear other people's old clothes without knowing where it came from. I go to TK Maxx instead lol. It is probably just a psychological thing with the secondhand clothes. As for books, I like buying new books, the smell

The other stuff they have just feels like tat.

I reckon the only thing I could ever wear from a charity shop would be a jacket. I don't browse clothes in there lol. (I do however love going into Army Surplus stores... I have so much army stuff... including flak jackets lol.)