More quality, less rubbish. (Second Hand Shops in general)

Member Name: mqueen

Product:	Second Hand Shops in general
Date:	14/10/01 (146 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great selection, bargains to be had

Disadvantages: Aroma of smelly feet can be off-putting

As a bit of a conneiseur of second hand shops (so I like to think!), I have been in the best and the worst over the years.
The worst are those that have very little in choice, and what they do have is a pile of grimy rubbish, with an over-inflated price tag on them. The shops where the items are not even jumble sale quality, and the owners/assistants are ever so slightly eccentric! Lets be honest. Who in their right mind is going to part with hard earned cash to buy a Max Bygraves LP, or one of those old 70's music centres with door knobs for controls? Yet, there are thousands of these items around, they seem to be breeding.

And, the smell! If I enter the shop and I am immediately confronted with an aroma of armpits, or fags, or mould or cheap air freshener (or a combination of all of them), I have to take my leave! It speaks volumes about the quality of the merchandise, and the clientele. Unless you want to bring on asthma or nausea, get out while you still can.

Even in the second hand market, care has to be taken to array and present the right things for customers. A good selection of everything is what I like, although specialised shops offering just one or two types of goods from a particular era are also good places to know, ie, Victorian fire places, or film and music memorabilia.

The merchandise must be laid out properly, and cleanly. Although, sometimes, if willing, it can be a good experience to rummage through those shops that resemble Steptoe's yard, you can find some really good bargains.

But, on the whole, a well arranged selection with realistic prices on them is what the public want. No one wants their intelligence insulted with prices that are obviously a rip-off for sub-standard goods. Everyone wants to think that they've bought a bargain, something worth more than what they paid for it. And second-hand shops should accomodate this. A happy customer will come back and will recommend to others.


Charity shops can be great. I have bought some great items in the past. I remember seeing a suit in Next for around £179 that I wanted, but, no money! A few months later, I came across the exact same suit, in my size, in Oxfam for £4.99! I don't think it was worn. I took .37 seconds to decide whether to buy it, and it's now one of my favourite items of clothing!

But, I do resent charity shops that are run by paranoid pensioners who chastise customers for expecting quality where they don't find it. Although the charity shop is helping a good cause, and the customer should remember this, merchandise is still being offered. It should still be in a usable state, and if, on getting an item home it's found to be less than usable, a full refund should be given. I've met shop assistants who like to send you on a guilt trip for daring to ask for a refund, as if you are depriving sick people of badly needed funds. Not right. An outright donation is fine, and is not expected to be returned. But, buying goods, is different. In this arrangement, you give your money for an item in return. It so happens that the money goes to a good cause. The customers rights and dignities should still be remembered, and nothing short of that.

What second hand shops have I been in that I would recommend? Well, I can't remember them all. It's often the little known town or village that you come across in your travels that are the best.

On a recent visit to Shropshire, we came across a great bric-a-brac-come-antique centre in Church Stretton. It was an enormous old building, with different sections offering affordable goods. Something for everyone. Leominster had a few excellent second hand shops that I would recommend. Ironbridge, although small, has a good selection of charity and second hand shops with goods at reasonable prices. If you are into books, and you didn't know, then Hay-on-Wye near the Welsh border is what some cal
l the second hand book capital of the world. There are loads of shops! Nearly every shop in the village sells second hand books. Again, something for everyone.

I am a great believer in the repair and re-use of older things. Older furniture and household things seem to have a charm lacking in much of todays products. I am a fan of antique china and porcelain, particularly Spode and Jasperware. A good example piece, bought at reasonable price is a great day out for me! Or, on other occasions, a couple of CDs and a book can satisfy me equally.

I think there will always be a need for second hand things, but the emphasis should be on lower prices and knowing when to call it a day for a piece of white melamine chipboard furniture, pre circa 1982. Can it be shifted onto a short sighted customer (does the shopkeepers conscience allow it!), or should it be broken up and used to fuel the garden bonfire? When these issues are raised and dealt with successfully, then second hand shops will be ever more popular and flourish as never before!

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