Unfriendly staff in charity shops

Gosh, that's counter productive. Charity shops can't do without donations. Like yours petra, the Oxfam near us, is a wee treasure trove. The displays reflect the season, they do colour themes. They had rainbow arrangements last week for Pride. Loads of books, jigsaws, games, toys. The manager is very enthusiastic. They can't always accept big bags of donations as the area is small, and so you check to see if the 'no thanks ' is at the door.

I used to manage a very large group of volunteers,including meals on wheels, drivers, friendly visitors etc. Only certain ones were sent to particular op shops ( no further comment) .There were, of course, some really lovely shops but then there were some others …

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I'd be irritated too.

The charity shops where I live mostly have friendly staff. My favourite of the three nearby is the one run by young people, who will take absolutely anything and everything!

I’m afraid charity shops have to take what they can ( staff) they arnt exactly knocking on the door 😥

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I'd be irritated too.

The charity shops where I live mostly have friendly staff. My favourite of the three nearby is the one run by young people, who will take absolutely anything and everything!

It’s certainly not our shop, people pop into us for a chat and cupper. It’s like home from home.
We go beyond what others do. I collect big items ( I’m the only driver) and deliver big items.
We have a list in the sorting room with items that customers are looking for.
We are lucky in that we are a local charity for local people ( no jokes 😂)
3 of us run the shop without any interference from the organisation we support.
Our manager and our PAC tester are unpaid.

At least 50% of enquiries and requests for information on our local Nextdoor website stipulate "I want........, I need........Anyone got a................ Nowhere does a please or a thank you appear. It's endemic these days, so not only in charity shops I'm afraid{sad}

The charity clearly could have been more polite and grateful. However, I suspect the staff are quite new volunteers, unused to retail work and possibly on work experience, not employed by the charity itself.
When staff are recruited for retail work, they would be chosen for their people skills and receive training in customer service.
Sounds as though you were served by the “before” version !

I'd be irritated too.

The charity shops where I live mostly have friendly staff. My favourite of the three nearby is the one run by young people, who will take absolutely anything and everything!

Occasionally I get thanked. We are expected to quietly deposit our bags in a designated area and then leave.

I agree, you were not treated with respect. Like me, you have likely donated half of your household contents to a charity, so a smile and a thank you would be appreciated.