That Charity Shop Programme

Has anybody else been watching Mary Queen of Charity Shops?  I was asked if I'd been watching it, and what I thought, in the comments yesterday.  I have to say I don't really know what to think of it all.

I feel that Mary Portas, wonderful though she is, is trying to make charity shops into something they just aren't.  She keeps banging on that people don't really want to shop in them as they are at the moment - hmm, well excuse me, but this person most certainly does want to shop in them, and the bigger a mess they are the more I love 'em.  I, for one, don't want to see all charity shops turned into faux boutiques with laminate flooring, wooden hangers and sky-high prices.  Give me a few boxes to dig about in, or racks of old linens to check out and I'm as happy as the proverbial pig in muck. 

Also, it seems to me, that when charity shops have a 'make-over' they never seem to have as much stock as they used to.  There's one in Billericay which is now positively empty since it had it's re-fit compared to how it was before.  The same thing has happened to the Salvation Army shop near my Mum's house too.  What is it with that?

I was astonished by some of the absolutely disgusting articles that these poor volunteers have to dig through whilst trying to find something that can be sold.  Dirty nappies, stinking rugby boots, ripped and paint-spattered T-shirts are ridiculous donations and really shouldn't be anywhere but in people's own bins.  It has made me think hard about what I give to charity shops as I certainly wouldn't want to make those sorters' lives any more difficult. 

Although there is room for improvement with some of the stuff that makes it out on to the shelves too. I recently bought a shirt for P in a local hospice charity shop which when I got it home I found the collar and cuffs were totally threadbare.  I was annoyed with myself at the time for not checking more thoroughly but it all had a happy ending as I used the fabric as the backing for my Patchwork Cushion.  Earlier this week I heard someone in the local Oxfam shop returning a pair of trousers she had bought as the hems had been cut off and were all raggedy.  I've rarely taken anything back to a charity shop myself (although I do recall taking back a duvet cover some years ago as when I opened it out to wash it it was covered in a bleach-like stain all over one side), but if charity shops are going to up their prices then a lot more people will be returning items if they're not fully satisfied.

Nice idea to stock charity shops with high-class items but who is really going to donate such things?  Perhaps the chattering classes will but I don't see many people donating Jimmy Choo or Mulberry handbags to their local charity shop.  Mary Portas keeps reiterating that we're in a serious recession - well, yes, quite, so do you really expect people to give away such expensive items?  Having said that, I did notice a leather Hobbs jacket hanging behind the till in a charity shop in Billericay yesterday with a £150 charity shop label hanging off it.  I have no idea how much such an item would cost new but I know Hobbs are a very expensive shop so, presumably, £150 is a good deal - although it was in a rather acid shade of yellow!

Finally, I thought the make-over of Mary's shop made it look lovely but also feel that the £15,000 (what the - that's a lot of money) could have been put to better use by the charity.  And I personally feel that she is very patronising to the (mainly elderly) volunteers who (wo)man the shop - or is that just me?

I'd love to hear your views on this. 

Comments

[Shoestring]

I haven't seen this programme but it sounds ridiculous! I expect to find plenty of things to rummage through when I go to a charity shop. It amazes me people would donate actual rubbish. I've donated a lot of clothes in the past few weeks and I washed and ironed them all first!

[Sandie]

I haven't seen the programme. Several of our local charity shops have had the retail makeover and, for me, it spoils it a bit.

The charges for items are quite high and I go with the old Tesco motto of "pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap". Surely EVERYONE loves a bargain and these shops would sell more of their stock (donated free of charge and wo-manned by volunteers) if they charged MUCH less. Better to shift more, I would have thought.

I have seen items in my local CS (women's tops) that I could buy new much cheaper in Sainsbury's

[gill]

Yes I watched the programme, it seems to me when a CS is given a makeover they charge much more for their items, so I much prefer the small local charity shops where you can have a rummage and might find a real bargain. I did find her a bit disrespectful towards the ladies who work in the shop, many of whom have given years of service and do so VOLUNTARILY! They couldn't afford to operate without these people prepared to give their time freely, so to treat them as paid employees and criticise their efforts was unreasonable. The right manager (and I think all charity shops needs one of those)will bring out the best in their voluntary staff. I'd love to be a manager of a charity shop BTW, my dream job!

[Ulrike]

Hello from Bristol! I am one of those people who always read blogs but hardly ever comment, but I have been watching the programme and have been thinking about this quite a bit.

It's a catch 22. I love a bargain as much as anybody but I also want charity shops to make as much money as possible for their respective cause.

The most important point of the first episode was that people must stop "donating" their rubbish to charity shops. It's disgusting what these volunteers (some of them in their 80s!) had to sort through. And the fact that some charity shops have to spend thousands of pounds on skips to get rid of all this rubbish is just appaling!

What I also agreed with is that the pricing has to be more consistent. You cannot sell a plate for 50p and a camera in working order for 70p. It just does not make sense. Our local CS sometimes sells horror paperbacks for 25p - which can be found on ebay for £20! I know this is very nice for whoever makes that bargain and finds the books in the CS - but not very good for the charity itself.

So, yes, I love to rummage and find a good bargain. But ultimately we should have the charity in mind and the charity shops have to strike a balance.
Sorry about the rant, really had to get this off my chest!

[Shazza]

Elizabeth, I really could not agree more with all your comments! You have stated every thought I had about the programme.

I also think her attitude to the staff is very patronising. Yes, they may be elderly but why some people think that elderly= stupid is beyond me. This isn't a personal beef on my part - I'm only (?) 43 but the way some people talk to the elderly really makes me angry. I was hoping one of them might put her in her place, to be honest!

[sharie]

Hmmmm, I wonder where all these top designer items are going to come from? Will they be able to maintatin a steady stream? The majority of people buy from the cheaper end of the market so thats what charity shops are going to end up with so need to price accordingly.
Also what about fakes? Are they clever enough to spot one and if so will it be priced properly?
BTW charity shops sell clothes that are worn to the ragman so its worth keep giving them. Junk should go in the bin at home and not taken to the shop to dispose of.

[Wendy]

Really good piece today and lots of great replies. Glad that you were interested in my comment yesterday. One of my concerns with Mary Portas was the way she hassled the old people, making them doorstep for donations etc.

[Maureen]

As I'm here in New Zealand I didn't see the programme but I do see some similarites here.
Many of the op shops are filled with rubbish which would probably go straight the skip in UK but the standard of living for many people here is very low and so surprisingly poor ( to me) items are snapped up.
We also have an upmarket shop which does have some wonderful pieces donated from some of the older, richer families here. Last year I bought a beautiful red cashmere coat which loads of people have complimented me on and it cost only NZ$60. (Having said that for people on a benefit of NZ150 that's a dream).
They also supply hand sewn tote bags, made from worn curtains and duvets, every time you buy anything and I see more and more of them in the supermarkets, way better than the plastic.
This same shop also has a couple of staff with a wonderful eye who will help you put things together for a special occasion and I have recently been added to their "Junoesque" client list so that we can get an early viewing of the big stuff!

[Maureen]

Sorry for posting again. The shop above has a lot of retro stuff and a few weeks ago there was an old male manequin in the window with nothing on but a homburg and a donegal tweed overcoat. On the floor beside him were some lovely ties which I bent down to look at. When I stood up there was a horrified old lady staring at me. I think she thought I was looking under his coat.

I spoke with the shop worker who said the manequin was very heavy to lift so she draped a kilt around him which, I think, would have satisfied the little old lady particularly as Dunedin is a very Scottish city.

Anyway, I went in there yesterday and it was all change again because he was in a posing pouch accompanied by an All Black scarf and pompom hat ensemble..tres chic!

P.S The All Blacks lost to France by the way.

[Samantha]

I am with you 100% on this one. I love Mary Portas but she did seem to be taking the charity shop off into a different direction.

The more junk and jumble the better as far as I am concerned!