Charity Shops

Yes, Glamma, the uniform shop is a great idea.

I tend to go into our local charity shops only very occasionally, usually looking for things like odd wine glasses or ornaments. I sometimes see clothes that I`d like, but they don`t seem to get donations from biggies like me! I`d like to clarify as to why I look for odd wine glasses, we have a matching set, but they`re quite large, with longish stems, and our partly disabled daughter can`t use them, so I look for smaller ones that will suit her. Last Christmas I saw some on a shelf in Oxfam, quite small, very pretty, looked like a set, but each one the pattern was in a different colour. The price said £1.50, I thought that was each, but it was for all 4, so I bought them, still only used one, but they`re there for future necessity.

Got a smashing Nica bag (£5.99) from the British Heart Foundation shop today! Looks brand-new but had a tiny ballpoint ink mark on it, which I deftly removed with a dab of hairspray. Delighted!

Great idea of having a uniform shop glamma! I can think of so many times that expensive jumpers got torn at the cuffs, or holes in trouser knees from rough play in the playground, and it puts you off risking the same thing happening again. I would have used such a shop, and would have donated still good quality uniforms that were only worn a few times before school hols, then they grew out of them by next term.

I worked at Barnardo's and found them very ungrateful for the donations they where offered and their pricing where really out of place for the area,there was a large proportion of single mum's in the area and they also outpriced the cheap shop's such as P-----k.I must give credit though for the cleanliness of their shop's and merchandise though everything was washed and cleaned and pressed before displaying.
Now I have been at the SVP local shop for a long time and we are kept very busy on a Saturday and what we do is if something has not sold in 2 weeks we reduce to 50p or 3 for a £1 and have a" Saturday Sale Bonanza" it keeps the stock fresh and encourages people to call in.I have also started a uniform shop with the help of 4 local schools who donate their outgrown uniforms to us and we can then help the families who are struggling a wee bit.I love to browse through Charity shops and have recently found a Landsend full length leather coat still with labels on for £8.00 and I have seen the original price in their catalogue ? only thing is its a size too small for me so the diet will have to get going again before the winter sets in.

With regard to charity shops. I too have had trouble with Barnardos when donating but never with anyone else.

We love nothing better than mooching down a high street with a few charity shops. I don't buy many clothes in them these days but we have bought lots of toys and books especially Lego and Action Men and we are moving onto board games. My 12 of everything dinner service is now 14 of everything plus 8 fishplates and 6 more serving dishes!
We donate to the local Cancer shop and gift aid our donations so they make more from them. However I have also started using Freecyle for getting rid of heavy stuff. I don't have to find a parking space in order to get rid of stuff - people come and collect it.

Huge fan. In my son's area we have bought some toys and books for his children. In an excellent charity shop in Teddington they bought the entire Fisher Price farm in very good nick, for £16, and gave it to their eldest daughter for Xmas. I hasten to point out that they are not poor or even hard up, just sensible when it comes to toys . In my area I bought some binoculars for £8, huge stack of lego type bricks for £1.99,a coffee table for £5.00. I'm not too good about buying clothes though. I hate jumble sales and the smell it seems to exude and I get that from clothes in charity shops. I know it is upsetting to see a high street with a lot of charity shops. Better then a lot of empty shops which would a] put off shoppers and b} put off prospective new shop owners. We don't wanted that deserted boarded up look.

Love charity shops!
I'm still working on the jigsaw that my grandson and I started three weeks ago - one of those mystery story ones with no picture. It may get finished when he comes again! if it's complete it goes back. It should be, as it was sealed.
(And (shhh) I got a present today for my sister for that December celebration.
I collect presents over the months, as she has far more money than I do, so I find things that are not just in the ordinary shops. This is a smallish salad bowl with two individual bowls, just right for her and boyfriend.)

As well as the hospice charity shop that sells all kinds of furniture, we also have a charity shop that specialises in vintage clothes and jewellery.

Charity shops? Love them. Bought a silk jacket for £4.00 and it is beautiful. Visited The Bethany Trust sop in Aberdeen today and they have bargains galore and super friendly helpful staff. A must to visit again next time I am in town.

We have a fantastic hospice shop in our town and I think it pulls the standards of the others up as well. There's nothing like a good bit of competition in charity retail! I have had amazing finds over the years - a mink coat when I was working in Siberia (essential, give me some slack here, it has since gone on to another charity shop), a couple of Jaeger jackets, a complete tea set that started off with the teapot - I just carried on round the shelves and found the whole set. I would rather shop in Barnardos than P*****k - in P*****k everything has been on the floor at least once and it's like a jumble sale. In a charity shop you can fool yourself that you're doing something creative and good for the planet.

I can't walk past a charity shop, which annoys DH if he is with me. I love looking round them and usually buy something. Books for me, knitting wool and toys for the grandchildren. Also most have new diaries, birthday & christmas cards. When I have read the books I hand them in to our local charity shop.

Anagram I have never had an incomplete puzzle yet they always seem to be safely bagged up within the boxes and for about £1 to £1:50 for a1000 piecer you cant really go wrong.

I love charity shops.

I have bought quite a lot of clothing from our`s and hardly ever buy a new book.

Also bought several pairs of knitting needles, although I had to ask for them because they were kept behind the counter for Health and Safety reasons.

Jigsaws - I'd never be sure all the pieces were there!

Charity shops are ideal as a jigsaw puzzle exchange service. Buy from one and return to another and give them some profit.

I love them as my mother did before me. My recent bargains have been a deck shirt, a linen skirt, linen shirts Timberland sandles and a Monsoon wrapover jumper. All brand new, I assume they are end of lines donated by High Street stores.

that's alright then! If you'd said sage or apple green I might have been more interested!

It wasn't a very nice green, anyway, when! A bit of a bilious type of green, really....

Thank you * Marelli* i'm just kidding really. You look trim in your photos and I'm fetchingly cuddly (fat) so it's a cert it won't be my size.

keeping away from glass at the moment. Been doing too much comfort eating

When - I'll look tomorrow! Do you really want it?

Any cashmere is my idea of heaven! I gave away a pale pink one that had shrunk. But it would fit someone size 10!

One of my local ones has a separate shop for furniture (we bought our temporary dining set from them, then donated it back when we were able to buy what we wanted)

I do however have an issue with our local BHF shop. I have seen Primark jackets in there priced at around £8 to £10! They would have cost less than that new!

PS Almost all of our books (fiction) come from charity shops.

Go back and get it Marelli. Green cashmere is my idea of heaven (not that it would fit me!)