Oooooh, I Feel So Cheap! (PDSA)

Member Name: chrisandmark

Product:	PDSA
Date:	28/01/08 (109 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some real gems to be found, a good selection of clothes and purse-friendly prices

Disadvantages: Overpriced curtains

There are lots of decent charity shops dotted around the various shopping centres local to me, but my favourite by far is the PDSA. I've always liked the PDSA shops and have been in loads of different branches so although for the purpose of this review I'll mainly be talking about the Erdington branch in Birmingham, I've found that the shops are usually pretty much the same in both layout and the type of items for sale.

The shops are always kept clean and are tidy and well maintained, I always think when I go in that if PDSA can keep all their clothes on the hangers and not thrown all over the place then why can't Cancer Research or Age Concern?! Disabled access and pram access is generally good, the aisles are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair and the rails are low enough to be accessible to anyone. I obviously can't speak for every PDSA shop in the country here so if in doubt check the layout of the shop before arriving with your huge double buggy and not being able to move once inside!

Everything seems to have fallen into a natural order; baby and childrens clothes are hung on rails in age order, and separated again into boys and girls items. This makes mooching for bits and pieces for the kids' a piece of cake - I hate it when I spot the perfect dress for my 8 year old only to find it's for age 13 and will be much too big.

Ladies clothes make up the bulk of what's available in here, my local PDSA seems to stock a lot of clothing for 'older ladies' which can make wading for trendier stuff a bit of a pain but it's very often worth it. I've picked up some great jeans from PDSA, including a recent pair of genuine Dolce & Gabanna skinny jeans for just a fiver! The ladies clothes are arranged by size and the sizes are clearly (and accurately) marked on the top of the coat hanger - the sizes available obviously depends on what has been donated recently, but I find a good range of sizes are usually available from an 8 up to an 18 and above. My mum is a size 22 (although she wouldn't thank me for broadcasting that!) and always says that PDSA is pretty much the only charity shop which caters well for her clothing-wise.

There is a token rail of men's clothing in my local shop; sweatshirts, shirts, jeans and coats are usually available along with a small selection of ties. It's on the men's clothes that the largest bargains are to be had, I have a sneaking suspicion that this is because men still feel there is a stigma to shopping in charity shops so neither donate their stuff OR go in to buy much. I know my fella will try to stand outside with a fag or nip into Greggs when I go into any charity shop, not just PDSA, although he wasn't complaining last week when I bought him a fab Berghaus jacket for a fraction of the cost of going into Town for the same thing!

All clothing in PDSA is clean and nothing ripped or stained is sold; there is sometimes a 'bargain' rail where everything costs 50p, but even in this section the clothing is all wearable and in brilliant condition. I've never bought anything which has so much as a button missing or a stiff zip, everything smells fresh enough to wear straight out of the shop without you needing to wash it first - although I always do, but that's a habit dating back to the grubby Oxfam store days.

Since having baby Hollie my visits to PDSA seem to revolve around browsing through the baby clothes. When you have a young baby you realise just how quickly they grow out of their clothes, so I always buy in confidence from charity shops knowing their baby clothes will generally have had very little wear. I'm still kicking myself over a Timberland baby tracksuit which I missed while pregnant - I'd gone in without my purse as I wasn't planning to buy anything and by the time I'd run to find Mark to grab some money some other bitch (ha!) was just paying for it. MY tracksuit!

My local PDSA also sells a small range of soft furnishings; they stock good quality lined curtains, cushion covers in sets and individual designs, also table linen and the odd set of blinds. Prices on these aren't that cheap to be honest, I've sometimes seen a pair of curtains I like in here and known exactly where I'll get the same curtains brand new for less. Sometimes they'll have something quirky enough to warrant paying brand new prices for second hand goods, a good example is a cappuccino wall hanging which matches my newly decorated kitchen perfectly - I paid £10 for this, which I think is expensive for any charity shop.

In most PDSA branches there will be a small selection of books, I love browsing the old fashioned book case in our local shop and usually spend a couple of quid on a novel or two. Paperbacks are generally priced around the 50 - 75p mark, while a hardback can usually be picked up for £1.50. A bargain compared to the big bookshops, and cheaper even than the more competatively priced supermarkets. I like the fact that there is so much diversity on the book shelves, people have donated these books so you're basically getting to choose from whatever other people like - I've discovered plenty of new authors from books picked up in PDSA and have also picked up Mr Men and Goosebumps books up for the kids' for around 20p each.

I'm not sure if this is all PDSA stores, but our local branch has started stocking PDSA branded new items. Before Christmas they were selling some beautiful luxury Christmas cards with an animal theme and these were priced on a par with Woolworths and the like, but with the added feel-good factor of supporting a worthwhile charity.

Don't forget that as well as shopping at PDSA for your bargains you should also be sending your old stuff in for them to sell to other people. The PDSA do an awful lot of good work in keeping our animals safe and healthy, providing pet advice to anyone and free treatment for people who can't afford to take their pet to a private vet. It's the success of their shops which goes some way to them being able to provide this service, and I think we should support them as much as possible.

Find your local PDSA shop here http://www.pdsa.org.uk/managed/finder.html and enjoy the bargains!

Summary: I love a good mooch in a charity shop, and PDSA is one of the best!