Charity Shops All You Need To Know (General Charity Shops)

Member Name: Machair1

Product:	General Charity Shops
Date:	27/10/08 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, helping charity ,and reducing landfill and CO2 emissions

Disadvantages: Can be difficult to find a bargain

My love of charity shops began many years ago when as a nursing student money was tight and I was saving up for the deposit of the first house I was going to buy with my fiancé. Clothes were not really in my budget but luckily I didn't need many as I had a uniform to wear most of the time.

In the 80s charity shops were filled with Laura Ashley summer dresses, the ones with puffed sleeves and flowers in bright summer colours and I loved them! Looking back on that era always makes me smile because I have long since abandoned the floral dresses for low waisted jeans and fashionable tops from places like River Island and Fat Face. However, now 20 years on from my frugal times I am shopping like a student to keep my student daughters at university. I have entered a new era of shopping from these places and to my delight they are now stocking some of the things I love.

The thing is with charity shops the quality varies so much and really you have to be prepared to search long and hard for that bargain. They are there, but many items are sold which in my opinion are actually jumble. It really depends on where you go and if you are lucky. There are also many items which look like the impulse buys of shopaholics, and many still have their labels on!

So here is some advice. Monday is not a good day to shop in these places as they have usually sold anything good over the weekend, and the assistants have not been able to sort out the latest donations. By about Wednesday the stock is better and you will have more chance of finding a bargain.

Be very careful if you shop in them at busy times. A sad reality is that they are targets for thieves, and I have been in many times when people have had their handbags stolen or even more dreadful people actually steal from these places. Better to take the minimum in with you when you go in the way of cards and money so you can keep an eye on it, and don't go in with one of those handbags which have a press stud closure and it is inviting theft.

Another tip is to really check the item over carefully in the light of the shop window if you can. Sometimes items are donated because they have a fault. Either a small hole/stain/or sometimes they are not the size they say and have maybe been washed on the wrong settings. So either be prepared to try them on or take a tape measure.

When you get the item home you often find it has what I call "The Charity Shop Smell" not pleasant or fresh so I usually wash mine if they are delicate with Lakeland Lavender Wool Wash which I have reviewed in another article. Whites I freshen up with something fragrant like Surf with Bergamot and Lemon. By the time I have finished and items are in my wardrobe you wouldn't know whether they were bought new or not! I know this because I have several pairs of Fat Face and River Island jeans and they have either been bought new or second-hand. I can't remember which is which but the savings mount up to hundreds of pounds

Clothes are not the only thing you can find in these places. Great buys are pictures and frames. pottery and all kinds of books, cds, and household items.

When I was 18 I really shopped in these places because I had to and now I also feel I have to because I am back supporting family members in the same situation- but you know it isn't the main reason I go in them anymore. Now in my late forties I have seen a lot of life and have lost dear dear friends to Leukaemia, Testicular Cancer, Pancreatic cancer and heart failure. I have friends and family battling breast cancer, my mum is recovering from a stroke. I have rescued cats from the Cats Protection League and seen the work of the RSPCA.
Many of these charities rely on these shops to fund their work and in the case of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund are paying for cutting edge research working on new treatments which may have meant some of my family members would have been here today if the treatments available now were then. The government simply does not have the resources to fund these things adequately and that is now my main reason for supporting them.

I went into Age Concern last week and like many of these shops they have a range of free leaflets covering so many topics which I feel will help me so much now my parents are aging. In The Imperial Cancer Research fund shops there are leaflets on cancer and this is helping so many people to be aware of the symptoms. The same is true in the British Heart Foundation where there are leaflets on healthy eating, certain conditions and so on.

Finally if you have a new charity shop you don't recognise in your area, or someone leaves a collection bag on your doorstep and you are not sure if it actually a charity you can call the Charity Commission on 0870 333 0123

Finally a really big part of all this is one of my favourite issues and that is recycling. Did you know that UK charity shops and textile recyclers help reduce CO2 emissions by 8 million tonnes per year from their recycling and re-use operations. There is increasing recognition of the contribution charity shops make in reducing the volume of items that go to landfill.

More and more charity shops are taking in large household items of furniture and are testing and reselling electrical items as well.

So if you want to help save the planet, reduce your bills for all kinds of things and help someone who maybe you don't know, it's your chance.
Yes they do vary so much in quality. There are some in London which are brimming with designer labels due to the wealth of the local population. There are some which look like a jumble sale. It's like panning for gold!
Finally if you want to help but don't want to trawl the shops how about going to www.oxfam.co.uk where you can browse the bargains online and have them delivered to your home!

Lastly why not have a clear out and see what you can find to donate?
Did you know most people only wear 20% of their wardrobe so see what is lurking in the back of yours!

Summary: A great way to help the planet and your pocket!