Donations to charity shops

nanna8

Just wondering if people have stopped reading these days because many of our op shops won't accept books because they have too many. A big bag of books goes for about $5- and some of the books look new and unused. Lovely cookery books included- I guess Mr. Google has taken over for recipes.

That's surprising nanna8, I haven't been since before lockdown but I always found that books were very expensive in Australia compared to the UK.

Our local charity shop said no to cookery books years ago.
Rather sad. You can even download Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management on to your kindle now.

I am so lucky, provided the book is in good condition cookery as well as the usual crime and horror books are for sale. The books are sold cheaply so there is a good turnover. I have missed it during lockdown.

Surely if the sacks are dumped on the pavement, it is fly-tipping and it is the local council's responsibility to remove it, not the charity's.

The charity shop was presumably shut at the time so that there was no one there who could have accepted ownership of the bags on behalf of the charity.

nanna8 There was a news item today to say that people have been reading more than ever during lockdown and sales of new books both paper, electronic and audible. For charities the problem has been people having clearouts especially of books (to make room for more?) and the fact that they have been closed for most of lockdown as non-essential shops.

We were so surprised yesterday, first day out of lockdown, to see a queue snaking down the street from a charity shop. Good to see.

There are some lovely books on sale in the op shops. I never pay full price these days( as Callistemon says, they are expensive here new) I strongly object to paying around $20 for a novel, ridiculous. They do have sales, though, usually around $5- $10 per book but they are not usually the ones you want. The other day I bought a beautiful royal copenhagen glass candleholder for $3. Op shops rule, don’t they ? Take stuff and recycle is the right idea in my book.

Op shops?

Op shops Aussie for charity shops

I’m sure there’s more reading going on round here than ever. Apart from ebooks, we’ve all kept going by swapping books and some have been putting them outside their gates for people to help themselves. I’m looking forward to my first charity shop visit in ages, to stock up on mine. And to ask what donations they want right now and whether they’d rather I hung onto them for a while. In normal times they always appreciate books - they sell them at 3 for £1 so have a brisk turnover. Another local shop charges £2 each, then sends bin bags full of recent releases to be pulped, which seems daft.

But what is an OP?

Lucca

Op shops Aussie for charity shops

Aveline

opportunity shop
in British English
NOUN
Australian and New Zealand
a shop selling second-hand goods for charitable funds
Also called: op-shop

Although my DD calls them charity shops.

?. That makes sense. Thanks

People are just downright lazy, that's why it's easier to dump on charity shops, they get rid of your rubbish. The very idea infuriates me. I too give good quality clothes to charity's shops, or I cut up unsaleable clothes for rags.

Old t shirts make good dusters.

Op = opportunity , sorry I didn’t realise they are not called that elsewhere.

I called at my lovely local charity shop today. Bought some books and a game for the DGS and asked the two volunteers at the till whether they needed donations at the moment. I got an immediate “Yes, please” with a smile from one and a scornful laugh and “Everyone’s asking that. The answer’s no” from the other, who I’d never seen before. As I was leaving the first assistant whispered to me that I should bring them in, the Rottweiler overheard and told me to ring first, or I might have a wasted journey.

I rather think it might depend on who answers the phone!