Charity Shops Making Donations Uncomfortable

Cancer Research has one pound rails of clothes so you can't go wrong!
Some of my friends are brilliant at finding bargains in charity shops. I'm less good unless searching for something specific for a fancy dress costume or a particular colour.

It's true that if you go to shops in wealthy areas the quality is much better. I almost walked past a charity shop recently thinking it was a high end boutique!😅

Most clothes where I live are cheap to start with from Sainsbury's or Asda.

Magenta I have not personally experienced that but a friend did in tragic circumstances. A young daughter died and her clothes were taken to an Oxfam shop where each garment was inspected at the counter, those disdainfully rejected were handed back to the grieving family.

I am sadly disappointed by the attitude I get when making donations to the local hospice shop, including ; “It isn’t rubbish is it ?”
Who in their right mind would go to the trouble of lugging a heavy bag all the way there when they can put it in the bin ?
I’ve been told independent charities are more appreciative and have found the Dizzy ( Diabetes charity ) shop welcoming but they are farther away.
I have also used Anglo Doorstep collection and found them very good but there are things they don’t take.
We are moving house, downsizing from a large family home, and I hate waste and I’m finding the brainpower and effort to give stuff away to appropriate places to be exhausting !

Far better to sell 20 at £2 than 2 at £7

I quite agree. Get rid of more stuff quickly, making room to put out the rest.

I think many more people sell on Vinted and similar, though looking at comments online, that doesn’t always work out well.

We are really lucky in our town and have a charity book shop where I take and buy books. Always thanked. I do put my donations in stiff paper carriers collected over the years from shops when they used to give a bag free. So the donation looks better than in an old carrier bag.

Same with clothes to the hospice or BHF shop. Always clean and folded and in small quantities. But I can do that as I live a short walking distance and pass by them frequently.

All the charity shops have bags and boxes of stuff left outside on the pavement on a monday morning. That must be a heart sink moment for the staff arriving. They have to climb over the rubbish before they can open the door.

My stuff has never been inspected, but I have no idea what happens to it when it's taken behind the scenes.

As I said we are lucky in our town. I can believe all the stories above of not so friendly shops. Often the attitude of the staff filters down from the manager. And the attitude of the manager filters down from the "powers that be" of the charity. Happy manager happy staff.

I would like to know what Charity Shop’s policy is regarding worn out textiles. It used to be called Shoddy, but now seems to be called rags which can be re-cycled. I think they get money by weighing in the rags. I suppose it depends on the space they have to store it.
When I had a shop, I used to value and make small repairs for a local charity, brought in by the shop manager who lived nearby.

After my mum passed I called in to my local charity shop to ask if they wanted mums clothes.
Mum was always a very smart lady and kept her clothes in very good order. She would never wear anything she called 'fuddy duddy' .
Their answer was, if you don't mind them going to the rag man we'll take them! I just said, don't worry I'll find somewhere who wants them.
I found our local 'Mind' charity who were more than willing to take them. Although it is a mental health charity, they also help people find accommodation and furnishings, so all mums furniture went to them as well.
Sometimes you just have to pick and choose where you donate to.

I do doorstep collections no problem.