When I started this blog I decided that one of the things I’d write about is my charity shopping. I haven’t done that in much detail yet so I thought I’d start by sharing a few goodies I’ve bought recently and to dispell a few charity shopping myths.
I won’t list all of the things I’ve bought because some of them need alterations and will come up in later posts but here are a few particularly nice finds.
A trilby to keep the summer sun from burning…
A gorgeous folky skirt with applique flowers…
A slinky silky top….
A cute little empire line dress.
None of these things cost me more than 5 quid!
Despite what silly Mary Portas’ programme ‘Mary Queen of Charity Shops‘ might lead you to believe charity shops are not necessarily dingy, cluttered places selling useless bric-a-brac, far from it. The Oxfam shop in Nottingham city centre is a veritable retro boutique!
Often times charity shops are portrayed as sad little places run by out of touch and grumpy old ladies – also wrong. The ladies and gentlemen who work in charity shops are of all ages. A couple of the shops I frequent are staffed by teenagers and some of the others have younger people who are responsible for dressing the shop windows. One particular shop in Sherwood has a new item in the window that I covet nearly every time I go by. Sometimes I pop in and buy it before someone beats me to it!
The workers in charity shops are nearly always volunteers, giving up their free time to support a charity. So treat them nicely and be polite, they don’t have to be there!
Finally, charity shops are not a dumping ground for for rubbish. So often donations that are taken to the shops are not suitable to be sold. The shops do care about the goods and only want their customers to have good quality items. If you’re donating to a charity shop check that the items are clean and not damaged, make sure they’re in good enough condition for you to want to buy them yourself. Unsuitable items have to be thrown away and it costs the charity shop money to dispose of them.
The virtues of charity shopping are not all selfless. Yes, you’re giving your hard earned cash to something worthwhile but in return you get lovely new (to you) goodies at a very low price and guilt free. Don’t bother with the budget high street shops, hit the charity shops instead.
Nicely summed up chick – you and I have both had some fantastic finds in charity shops – and you know my feelings about the charity shop programme! At the risk of going on a rant about things, I feel the disrespect that (some) people show towards charity shops is symptomatic of the attitudes to other things in life – the environment, work and each other. Little bit of effort from all of us would make a much happier place for us all. Here endeth the sermon…..x
Word! :)
Sigh, I think it’s time to hit the Sherwood charity shops again, I’m having withdrawal symptoms. The shops on Carlton hilltop are pretty good, but you seem to get more quirky items in Sherwood for some reason.