DelW
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Oxfam still have some books-only shops, which not only have larger stocks, but also sort the books into categories, making browsing for a specific subject easier.
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Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon
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Brightonboy
Member
I have regularly looked in charity shops for books in the past (I am a bookworm...) and it has always irritated me that the vast majority of charity shops seem to make not the slightest effort to do even the most basic of sorting of the books on their shelves either by author (for fiction) or category (for non fiction). I am sure they would sell more if they did that (and the same goes for CDs and DVDs).
Some send books and media to companies like World of Books. As well as donors creaming off the best items to sell online, the charity shops do this with what they receive. On one hand it's making the most money for the charity, but it does diminish the retail experience as the shops are left with what donors and shop staff don't value, or they buy in Amazon returns in bulk and resell.
AI tools let volunteers/staff quickly research items of bric a brac, rather than having to rely on someone knowing the value of an item.
The golden age of charity shops is drawing to a close. Gone is the afternoon out in a secondary town or shopping area where you could go between a dozen charity shops finding bargains. Everything is researched, price checked online or the shops have closed down.
Bexhill is a good place if you like an old school charity shop (and you can go by train!)
michaelh
Member
Ludlow even used to produce a map of the charity shops.
Those shops are great. CDs and vinyl also sorted between rock/pop, classical etc. As @Brightonboy notes with respect to books, this vastly improves the browsing experience!
Steddenm
Established Member
Could TJ Hughes be going under as people have been receiving emails saying that online purchases will no longer be possible. Their stores are all full of tat anyway and nothing of any value.
Leyland Bus
Established Member
Didn't they go under once before or did they get away with slimming down?
Tbh, I was convinced they had long gone until I stumbled across one in Bury's Millgate Centre the other week... I was very surprised!!!
jon81uk
Member
They went into administration back in 2011
Leyland Bus
Established Member
I didn't imagine it then! Many thanks.
Overpriced charity shops are a bugbear of mine. We have one for a small local charity that sells stuff for next to nothing, and has a good throughput of stock. It's always busy in there (I regularly buy 1000 piece jigsaws for 50p, and re donate them when I'm done) and I've been told it makes a good profit.
Oxfam on the other hand have just doubled the price of old OS maps from 99p to 1.99. I used to go in there once a month and buy a fistful for a tenner. I won't be going in there any more, 10 quid is what I might have in cash in my wallet, 20 quid is not. So they are losing out by setting prices too high.
WesternLancer
Veteran Member
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Oxfam seem to have quite an advanced web sales presence that works co-ordinated with the shops - at least for books / maps etc / CDs etc - shop volunteers list the items for their central website and upload the info I think - if you buy from the website it's the shop that then dispatches it I presume - maybe they know that's the going rate for old maps on line so have set the price at that.
But I would think cashflow is at least as important so pricing in the shop to ensure a sale would be a route to that.
eyebrook1961
Member
I can understand that charity shops look on t'internet to gain information as to what to charge (from the likes of Ebay etc) but, when you look at what a lot of the shops are pricing items at, it looks like the prices are being set as the "starting price" you see on ebay as opposed to the "sold item" price - so pricing things at a higher price than would seem realistic to be able get a sale, with the result that stock just lingers on the shelves until disposed of by other means
317 forever
Established Member
I saw one in Preston Hospital last Saturday.
They seem to have a few hospital branches then , the one in the Royal Free Hospital in London is still branded WH Smith.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
Yeah, the hospital locations have always been part of the WH Smith travel arm, not the high street retail arm. It made sense as the locations have a very similar profile: a large and bored captive audience, and the resulting ability to do some heavy-duty price gouging on any customers who come through the door.
duffield
Established Member
It's funny because my experience is that I find plenty of quality items in charity shops. I got a new with tags item, price £90, for £6 a few days ago.
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It's not gone for me! I do this regularly all over England!
lyndhurst25
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Just a few weeks ago, TJ Hughes opened a new store in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire.
xotGD
Established Member
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Look at it another way. You are making a £1.95 donation to charity, and as a thank you they give you a book.
If you support the aims of the charity, you shouldn't have a problem with that.
And the same book, new from a book shop, would set you back maybe £8, with no charitable benefit.
michaelh
Member
I think that you have missed the point. Charity shops need to get real. They can't try and sell things at unrealistic prices just because they are Charity Shops.