Charity shops everywhere

[Lost property]

Long may charity shops continue! I always mooch around them whenever I am on holiday in the UK. Recent trips to Great Malvern, Largs and Llandrindod saw me load my suitcase with several dozen classical CDs; the charity shops in Aberystwyth were particularly rewarding, with one shop having a shelf full of Rossini rarities (not the kind of thing streaming is any good for. when you want the libretto as well). Given the very low prices in some stores (3 or even 5 for £1), if you don't like it when you play it, the loss is bearable. There are a few, such as Oxfam Bookshop in Preston, which habitually overprice their vinyl, on the assumption that all vinyl is somehow collectable, but even here there are some bargains. What I find frustratingly rare are DVDs of older films, not the famous classics, most of which I now have, but the lesser films which I still enjoy watching. Nowadays the best source for them is TV: I record on HDD, watch and if it's worth keeping make a permanent copy on DVD.

Amen to that. Charity shops are an invaluable resource on any High Street given you can acquire some fantastic bargains and the same with the furniture outlets. I'm more than happy to say I've acquired many such thanks to the diligence of my late lady, bless her, wasn't going to pay more than she needed to get the same quality as you would for full price items.

Given the current crisis, multiple, charity shops may well find their footfall increasing significantly.

Of course, if you prefer your High Street to display only chains, upmarket boutiques, trendy deli's etc, and can't bear the thought of them being desecrated by such outlets, well nobody is forcing you to visit one

 

[ComUtoR]

I've managed to find a few 1st edition books I was looking for in Charity shops.

 

[route101]

I just think it’s cheeky. I often look out for railway books,I asked once why a particular shop seldom has any (decent ones). Apparently someone had an arrangement to have first pickings. This also happens at recycling centres where staff will keep back stuff for their regulars.

People do it at sports shops like JD sports, there was a queue one morning as I passed. Apparently, there was new trainers, and they buy them to sell on.

 

[Alan Glaum]

At the moment all my local charity shops are taking donations by appointment only - suggesting they have a lot of stock

 

[Busaholic]

At the moment all my local charity shops are taking donations by appointment only - suggesting they have a lot of stock

A lot of unsaleable stock if they didn't take these precautions. People sometimes try to use charity shops as depositories for their junk as being easier than a trip to the council dump, particularly when the nearest is several miles away. After my wife died earlier this year I sorted out many bags of good clean clothes, some unworn and still with tags, including some items I was advised would sell for a good price on ebay, and arranged to drop them off at a charity shop. A little while later, after further forays into drawers, etc, I asked them if they wanted more and they almost bit my hand off! I'm just pleased for them, I'd much rather they had the money and save me the hassle.

 

[PeterY]

Every empty unit in my town becomes a charity shop. Selling books cds and dvds yet who even buys dvds anymore? They seem to take over prime sites too. I am sure years ago pre 2000 we never had many charity shops. Why are there so many why can’t they just auction goods on eBay instead rather than clogg up the high street?

I love charity shops and I volunteer for a hospice one in Hemel Hempstead. It has been interesting reading everyone's comments.

We still sell quite a few CD's but DVD's have dropped off.

We have a e-bay site for rarer items and if we think it's valuable, we check the items on e bay first before we put them out for sale.
70% of clothes are unsaleable but end up in the rag bag, so we still get some money. It's easier to get good quality women's clothes and they make up the bulk of our sales but men tend to wear their items longer, me included.

I'm not proud, I get quite a few of my clothes from charity shops, most of my furniture in my flat came from a furniture charity shop and its been good quality stuff at a fraction of the retail price.

I say to customers "if you see something nice buy it now because it won't be there when you come back"

I very rarely see any railway related books or items and if we do it's put out for a small premium. (after I've had a look)

So IMO charity shops are a good way of recycling.

 

[Bantamzen]

Every empty unit in my town becomes a charity shop. Selling books cds and dvds yet who even buys dvds anymore? They seem to take over prime sites too. I am sure years ago pre 2000 we never had many charity shops. Why are there so many why can’t they just auction goods on eBay instead rather than clogg up the high street?

Charity shops do perform a function, as articulated by many other posters on this thread. That there seem to be more is probably more a reflection on how the country is doing economically, rather than them just taking over. The more people that are hard pressed financially, the more demand there will be for charity shops, just as there will be for high street store brands such as Poundstretchers, Home Bargains etc.

 

[E27007]

Charity Shops are encouraged , Govt Policy, Charity Shops enjoy certain privileges in taxation,
Charity shops have to pay rent on their premises, and bills for services like electricity and gas, like any other business.
But Charity shops do get some tax concessions, as all shop profits go to fund the work of the charity, which provides public benefit.
The key concessions are no VAT on the sale of donated goods, and 80 per cent mandatory non-domestic rate relief, which is funded by central Government.

 

[TheSeeker]

I'm with Henning Wehn on this one "We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is the failure of the state to carry out its responsibilities".

 

[BrandanM]

I say to customers "if you see something nice buy it now because it won't be there when you come back"

Rarely has there been better advice than this. A number of times I've gone away 'to have a think about it' and returned only to find the item sold.



I endorse what others have said about charity shops being a great source of cheap, interesting items. I both buy from, and donate items to, our local Salvation Army shop.

Slightly off-topic, but on a similar theme, car boot sales are fantastic places to find great value books/DVD's etc...
I recently aquired a London Transport Museum DVD: 'The London Bus', a railway DVD: 'In Brunels Tracks-Bristol To Plymouth' and Michael R. Bonavia's book 'The Cambridge Line' at one such boot sale.

Just last weekend there were two big boxes of railway books (probably someone's lifetime collection) for sale at bargain prices. Those with a more in-depth knowledge on the subject than myself would probably have had a field day!.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm with Henning Wehn on this one "We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is the failure of the state to carry out its responsibilities".

Like most "extreme" positions this has a point but goes a bit too far. Certainly the existence of food banks and charitable homeless shelters indicates policy failure, and medical research charities arguably so too. But things like voluntary youth organisations? Do we really want a State monopoly on those?

That said, a bit of background is useful - Germany has a concept we don't have of an e.V. - "eingetragene Verein" or registered club. We would bracket that sort of thing under charity - stuff like Scouting and the likes - but they have a whole different concept for it which has charitable features but isn't the same thing as a charity. So perhaps if you take all of those out (and there are a lot of them - Germany likes its clubs) he would be closer to having a point.

 

[david1212]

I'm with Henning Wehn on this one "We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is the failure of the state to carry out its responsibilities".

Like most "extreme" positions this has a point but goes a bit too far. Certainly the existence of food banks and charitable homeless shelters indicates policy failure,

A big +1 to this.

and medical research charities arguably so too.

Medical research is a grey area. If people individually want to contribute through what ever route be that legacies and direct donations, charity shop donations and purchases etc no reason for any interference.

But things like voluntary youth organisations? Do we really want a State monopoly on those?

That said, a bit of background is useful - Germany has a concept we don't have of an e.V. - "eingetragene Verein" or registered club. We would bracket that sort of thing under charity - stuff like Scouting and the likes - but they have a whole different concept for it which has charitable features but isn't the same thing as a charity. So perhaps if you take all of those out (and there are a lot of them - Germany likes its clubs) he would be closer to having a point.

IMO no.

Also the balance between provision what is essential and what is not e.g. IMO basic care for those who can not live at home should be state provided but then a charity to fund making the place more pleasant, entertainment, trips out for those who physically can go, birthday and Christmas gifts etc.

 

[Busaholic]

Charity Shops are encouraged , Govt Policy, Charity Shops enjoy certain privileges in taxation,
Charity shops have to pay rent on their premises, and bills for services like electricity and gas, like any other business.
But Charity shops do get some tax concessions, as all shop profits go to fund the work of the charity, which provides public benefit.
The key concessions are no VAT on the sale of donated goods, and 80 per cent mandatory non-domestic rate relief, which is funded by central Government.

Further to that, some shops will qualify for full business rate relief on the basis of having a low rateable value, a 'temporary' measure brought in by Chancellor Osborne that continues to this day. Some may also only pay a peppercorn rent, especially if they are long-term tenants.

 

[adc82140]

I'm with Henning Wehn on this one "We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is the failure of the state to carry out its responsibilities".

It depends. Certain charities should not need to exist- the Air Ambulance, Cancer Research, Macmillan, the British Heart Foundation. These should all be taxpayer funded.

The RNLI should be funded by a mooring levy.

But the likes of Oxfam etc that provide overseas aid, what is the alternative funding structure?

 

[Bletchleyite]

The RNLI should be funded by a mooring levy.

Should the RNLI even need to exist? Really, the whole thing should be the job of the HM Coastguard, and is in a few places.

Having said that, I think our voluntary Mountain Rescue services have a long tradition of being hillwalkers/climbers helping other hillwalkers/climbers. Expensive insurance policies as needed in other countries are the realistic alternative to a charitable approach.

 

[AM9]

The RNLI should be funded by a mooring levy.

I've long held this view but never dreamt that it would be aired on RUK. The RNLI's work falls into providing rescue service for three main areas:

a) commercial shipping including ferries and fishing boats​

b) leisure boats and watersports​

c) individual swimmers and others in difficulty near waterways and the sea​

a) & b) definitely should be funded through registration of all craft that are moored and/or insured for loss. c) should be part of a public service much in the same way as the land emergency services are, all of whom are frequently called to jointly provide rescue support. Lifeboatmen frequently perform a hazardous role, similar to that endured by some police and firemen so should be supported in the same way.

 

[AY1975]

We still sell quite a few CD's but DVD's have dropped off.

I've heard that quite a lot of charity shops no longer accept CDs and/or DVDs, presumably because they're now yesterday's technology and because they've already got too many.

I occasionally donate stuff to my local Barnardo's charity shop. A few years ago I took them a load of audio and video tapes but they said they had stopped accepting them because not many people wanted them anymore. Until then they had still accepted them despite no longer selling them, but they told me that a lot of the tapes that people gave them had just ended up being binned.

I was surprised how many of my audio cassettes I managed to sell on eBay when I had a clear-out during the first lockdown, though. I suppose a lot of people still have cars with cassette players.

 

[Ediswan]

Should the RNLI even need to exist? Really, the whole thing should be the job of the HM Coastguard, and is in a few places.

If anything, it has been going the other way. HM Coastguard lookouts have closed and been replaced by the volunteer Coastwatch.

 

[Broucek]

I'm with Henning Wehn on this one "We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is the failure of the state to carry out its responsibilities".

It depends whether you think that the state should be the provider of everything and that there should be no direct connection between the more and less fortunate except via tax and the public services they pay for

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

I'm with Henning Wehn on this one "We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is the failure of the state to carry out its responsibilities".

Oxfam has dozens of shops in Germany. But old telephone boxes offering free books are ubiquitous too.

Tafeln, food banks, exist even in small German towns.

 

[Gloster]

One of the problems that they have had is that people did a lot of clearing out during the lockdown. Some people were fairly quick to get their stuff to the charity shops afterwards, but the shops tended to have fewer people to sort things. Some ended up choc-a-bloc with stuff and couldn’t take any more. They may have got rid of much of what they received, but there are still people coming in and saying, ‘I have had this stuff in my hall/spare bedroom/garage for two years and it really must go. Otherwise it will go to the dump and there’s some good stuff there’. Saying in advance what categories they will take avoids a lot of upsets.

 

[E27007]

"Charity" can outperform Commerce Take the NHS Blood Service.
Here we donate our blood to the NHS as an act of charity to the service without receiving payment.
Elsewhere blood is sold for money.
The net result is "sold" blood is more likely to be sourced from individuals who are short of money, or down on their luck, possibly not in the best of health.
Donated blood tends to be individuals who are healthy and fit.
Donated blood outperforms commercial blood , cost of production is lower and less likely to be a source of illness or infection to the recipient

 

[py_megapixel]

It depends whether you think that the state should be the provider of everything and that there should be no direct connection between the more and less fortunate except via tax and the public services they pay for

In my view, at least, that connection shouldn't have to exist for the less fortunate to have a reasonable standard of living.

 

[Kite159]

One of the problems that they have had is that people did a lot of clearing out during the lockdown. Some people were fairly quick to get their stuff to the charity shops afterwards, but the shops tended to have fewer people to sort things. Some ended up choc-a-bloc with stuff and couldn’t take any more. They may have got rid of much of what they received, but there are still people coming in and saying, ‘I have had this stuff in my hall/spare bedroom/garage for two years and it really must go. Otherwise it will go to the dump and there’s some good stuff there’. Saying in advance what categories they will take avoids a lot of upsets.

Also a problem charity shops have is some people donate stuff which is fit only for the dump. I.e. ripped/stained clothes, books with pages missing, media which has heavy scratches. Mixed up with stuff which can be sold, which take up time to process the good from the bad and to dispose of the bad.

Although that is an issue for many years.

 

[SteveP29]

The aren't clogging up the High Street because usually no one else wants to rent the empty shops, so landlords rent them to charity shops at discounted rates just so they get some rental income rather than none (and so the landlord doesn't have to pay business rates on empty properties). At least with a tenant, the premises are being looked after and don't need regular security/maintenance checks.

It's not new either. I last worked in our town centre 30 years ago, and there were plenty of charity shops back then. The difference was that they didn't used to be in prime locations, they were usually on the side streets around the central shopping area, or in smaller shopping precincts further out of the centre. Now because the "big" names have vacated the city centre, the charity shops are relocating into the otherwise unwanted prime central areas.

And as @Bletchleyite says, they're often staffed by volunteers

Also, a charity shop wins over any 'normal' shop because they are entitled to 75% mandatory relief from Non Domestic Rates, they can also apply for discretionary relief from the other 25%

 

[xotGD]

I buy most of my books from charity shops. Both fiction and non-fiction. With most I donate again after I have read them - or leave on a train for someone to find. Non-fiction I tend to donate to the Oxfam book shop rather than a general shop.

My main problem is my rate of buying usually exceeds my rate of reading.

 

[Falcon1200]

Most people steam these days. Most of HMV shops is taken over pop figures and t shirts.

I don't steam (very often), or stream, at all! And I bought a DVD, from an HMV store, on Thursday, although I agree that they are now far more interested in Manga, T-shirts and sweets than music or movies.

But back to charity shops, my sister loves them, mainly for clothes shopping, and has to be dragged away; They serve a useful purpose in recycling unwanted items which might otherwise be dumped in landfill. And a charity shop is better than no shop at all.

 

[Magdalia]

I'm with Henning Wehn on this one "We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is the failure of the state to carry out its responsibilities".

Broadly speaking I agree with this, but with 2 big exceptions.

One is charity shops. They make a huge contribution to recycling stuff from people who don't need that stuff any more to people who do. It is hard to imagine either the state or the profit making private sector doing that better than charities.

The other is research, particularly medical research. Again this is an area where the state and the profit making private sector don't have a good track record. Charities have much more freedom to pursue lines of research that don't easily fit into government policy objectives or ability to make a quick profit.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Like most "extreme" positions this has a point but goes a bit too far. Certainly the existence of food banks and charitable homeless shelters indicates policy failure, and medical research charities arguably so too. But things like voluntary youth organisations? Do we really want a State monopoly on those?

Agreed. More generally, there will always be a role for charities because in a free society in which people have different viewpoints, you're never going to have universal agreement on exactly what the State should and shouldn't provide. No matter how much (or how little) the State chooses to pay for from taxation, there will be always be some groups of people who think that there is a need for something else at the margins to be done. And if those people are sufficiently civic-minded and active, then you'll a have a new charity formed. It therefore doesn't make sense to make out that the existence of a charity always inevitably represents a failure of the State (although there certainly are examples in the UK - such as the homeless shelters you cite - where you could argue that's the case).

 

[trainophile]

I love them. I'm horrified nowadays when I see the prices of clothes in "normal" shops. Charity shops can afford to heavily discount their stock as it hasn't cost them anything. They are a win win, both for donators and buyers, and also of course the charity. I'm very sad when I see another one has closed down, and I wonder what will happen to stuff that clearer-outers would have normally donated. Anything that keeps anything out of landfill has to be good.