Charity shops

[confused
They are all shut here.

I miss the ones in our nearest town.
Strangely, I don't miss the supermarkets, (I'm shielding, ) LOL! x

I’ve done very well in Harrogate charity shops.
My favourite chassa is Church St Kensington.

There is a great one a 2 minute walk from my house. My daughter is in there 2 or 3 times a week. Grandson has had some fantastic toys from it. A wooden balance bike, a gorgeous wooden train set. Daughter has a dress that she got from there, some very trendy/expensive label. Paid peanuts for it.

In theory I like them, but don't really have the patience to trawl through the racks.

Ohhhhh I love them all..... i dont throw anything away... i pop in a bag/s and donate ..... ( only good decent items/things)

I also love them because you instantly feel the warmth and kindness when you walk I and you ca always have a good ol' natter whereas in 'normal shops' you're lucky of you manage to get a flippin smile from the person behind the PAY HERE desk ... whoaaaa.

walk in

Yes, Callistemon they're all shut at the moment, I was just saying that I love them ... when they're open

I work in one..one day a week..for our hospice..I love it...missing being there...and our hospice is struggling re lack of income...

I buy soft toys from St. Luke's Hospice shops which I send to another charity. They often have brand new ones and those which aren't are in good condition. They have put the price up a bit but they have the best choice.
I don't buy much else from charity shops nowadays. I won a lot of books in 2018 and have not got very far with them and I spent more time online nowadays so don't buy them.
Charities must be losing a lot of money. They have had to postpone all their fundraising events. I try to send a bit every couple of weeks but it won't make up for big spenders.

I hope they will make this up when they re-open.

People are taking the opportunity to have a clear out so they may be inundated with goods after the lockdown ends.

I'm missing them especially the ones at my local shopping centre I've also got lots to donate after clearing out cupboards

Me too. A new lava lamp, cushions, lampshades from MADE, 2 rugs, jewellery...

...handbags.

The only things I wouldn't buy from a charity shop are soft toys. They could harbour a lot of germs, having been slobbered over by the kiddies who owned them , grubby fingers all over etc etc

All of the charities have suffered with lockdown, I'm a volunteer and very much miss the company.
We do greatly appreciate the time and thought behind donations we receive.
Storage for donations is limited to 'back of shop' so please GNs understand we can't take 6 weeks plus of everyday volume plus lockdown 'tidying up' within a few days of reopening. It would be a shame if all the effort went to waste, let's all work together.

I love to scour charity shops for books and craft kits. I got an adorable cross stitch I made for my dad - it has a giraffe and says "A father is someone you look up to...no matter how tall you grow".

My mum likes to quilt and she often buys old flannel sheets at charity shops so she can use them as backing for her quilts. (She is very careful to wash them first.) They make her quilts very nice and warm!

There are requests on a local social media page for nighties and pyjamas to send to local hospitals, as relatives cannot get in to wash the ones that patients are wearing.
Someone suggested the charity shops might be a good source, but unfortunately all closed of course and keys handed in to HQ.

As previously said, when they do eventually open, hope people are sensible and not overload them with ‘stuff’, as most of it will be outed if too much.

Serendipity, my neck of the woods that ! Harrogate and ilkley are good ones plus great cafes marvellous scenery around,
Sadly Harrogate has shown signs of è economic downturn with many many empty shops and closed down restaurants

Yes, Lucca, its terribly sad , I mean I cant sit here and proclaim that I have never used online shopping, so I fall into the category of an Online shopper, despite the fact I can count on 1 hand the number of times..... but getting back to Harrogate yes, it's a beautiful place to visit, yes the little cafes are fabulous, my favourite part of Harrogate is Montpellier Quartners..... ( simply for its name )

I don’t believe all the blame can be put on online shopping, expensive parking, ruinous rent and rates etc contribute.

The best charity shops obviously are in affluent areas.

Lucca yes you are right about the parking, rent and rates. It has had a dire effect on York also - a beautiful city, but so many empty shops.

I love charity shops too, and when taking bags in I rarely come out without an item or three. We benefit, the charity benefits. Double bubble.

Ellylanes
I too am a volunteer. We have been discussing what we are going to do with our deluge of donations.
Probably, like many other charity shops we have to say no more donations for x amount of time
We know most of the people who donate to us so therefore know who brings in good/bad donations, I'm sure you know what I mean ?
Sad to say that a lot of donation bags will go straight in the skip. I know that might shock/offend some people but there is one very well known charity where nothing is left in the sorting room at the end of the day: it goes in the skip.
This is because they 'fear' putting a no more donations please sign.