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Great charity shop bargain

(71 Posts)
Primrose53 Wed 17-Apr-24 10:25:40

Yesterday I went in a charity shop and saw a wire basket full of knitting wool. It was all individually bagged in zip lock bags with several balls or skeins in each. Each bag was only priced at 75p or £1 and I could see it was all very expensive, designer type yarn with silk, alpaca, cashmere etc.

I chose several bags which came to £10. I have been totting up how much the yarn would cost and it came to £335!! one bag alone had 5 skeins worth £20 each.

I will be that way again next week so will give them a further donation as they have well underpriced this time. Nice to get a bargain though and the yarn is all beautiful and in just the colours I like.

vampirequeen Wed 17-Apr-24 13:49:25

Several years ago DH bought a virtually unworn (looked totally unworn) Armani full length overcoat for £10. We thought it was a copy until we researched the serial number.

keepingquiet Wed 17-Apr-24 14:18:20

This is why I love charity shops!

pably15 Wed 17-Apr-24 14:30:42

I love charity shops I have bought a few pairs of curtains ,they only cost £ 3 or £ 4 ..

AreWeThereYet Wed 17-Apr-24 14:58:49

pably15

I love charity shops I have bought a few pairs of curtains ,they only cost £ 3 or £ 4 ..

Curtains can be brilliant. I bought 2 pairs of full length curtains that looked new, damask, complete with lining, for £20 a pair. Made some beautiful roman blinds for bedrooms.

Granny23 Wed 17-Apr-24 14:59:06

Each summer we have a whole family fortnight in the same House in Castlebay on the Isle of Barra. As there are no clothes shops on Barra, shopping is usually done on line or by a trip to Glasgow or Oban. Therefore the thrift shop is usually a busy necessity. We first realised its worth when DH (left to his own devices) failed to pack any trousers in his luggage and arrived with only the pair he had on. First in the queue when the Thrift Shop opened on Tuesday, he came out with 3 lovely pairs for the princely sum of £10. On the Saturday (half marked price day) I acquired a "like New"pure wool M&S long length Camel Coat. for £5.
Since then we always take a substantial bag of outgrown child's (now teenagers who grow like weeds) clothing which is gratefully received. The shop is run by the Catholic Ladies in the Cof S church hall and all proceeds' go to the Lifeboat Funds. So we feel we have 'done our bit' as well as acquiring many bargains.

Astitchintime Wed 17-Apr-24 15:05:40

"One man's trash is another man's treasure" so they say! Well done on such an amazing charity shop 'find' and how lovely that you're going to donate some more money, you obviously appreciate quality yarn Primrose.

Mawmac Tue 23-Apr-24 11:04:03

Granny23

Each summer we have a whole family fortnight in the same House in Castlebay on the Isle of Barra. As there are no clothes shops on Barra, shopping is usually done on line or by a trip to Glasgow or Oban. Therefore the thrift shop is usually a busy necessity. We first realised its worth when DH (left to his own devices) failed to pack any trousers in his luggage and arrived with only the pair he had on. First in the queue when the Thrift Shop opened on Tuesday, he came out with 3 lovely pairs for the princely sum of £10. On the Saturday (half marked price day) I acquired a "like New"pure wool M&S long length Camel Coat. for £5.
Since then we always take a substantial bag of outgrown child's (now teenagers who grow like weeds) clothing which is gratefully received. The shop is run by the Catholic Ladies in the Cof S church hall and all proceeds' go to the Lifeboat Funds. So we feel we have 'done our bit' as well as acquiring many bargains.

We're going to Barra next month for a family holiday - a favourite with us too Granny23
I didn't know about the Thrift Shop, my daughters prefer buying seconds for the toddlers running about, so will be checking this out.
As well as praying for good weather 😂🙏

NotSpaghetti Tue 23-Apr-24 11:08:38

I always have mixed feelings about finding a genuine "bargain" in a charity shop.

I feel very cross when people pay 30p for a pot worth hundreds and then laugh about it on the antiques roadshow. I think I'd have to gift the charity a big chunk, personally.

Gardenersdelight Tue 23-Apr-24 11:10:53

My husband got a brand new Charles Twyritt suit and shirt for £80 which retailed at over 300
Which he wore for both our daughters weddings

Callistemon21 Tue 23-Apr-24 11:16:49

NotSpaghetti

I always have mixed feelings about finding a genuine "bargain" in a charity shop.

I feel very cross when people pay 30p for a pot worth hundreds and then laugh about it on the antiques roadshow. I think I'd have to gift the charity a big chunk, personally.

Yes, me too.

I'm very envy about the yarn, Primrose!

Callistemon21 Tue 23-Apr-24 11:19:28

Gardenersdelight

My husband got a brand new Charles Twyritt suit and shirt for £80 which retailed at over 300
Which he wore for both our daughters weddings

I think some brands send ends of ranges to charity shops.
DD got a brand new Helly Hansen ski jacket for £25 (1/10 the price).

NotSpaghetti Tue 23-Apr-24 13:19:44

Callistemon21 - I think they gift them - part of their CSR! And likely it's tax deductible.

I bought a new super-king duvet cover (from a well known fancy brand) - last season. £20 instead of £200.
Wish I'd also bought a king size for my "spare" room!

Primrose53 Tue 23-Apr-24 17:07:32

Went back to the shop this morning and bought a cheapo sun dress for the garden £2.50 and paid with a £20 note. Told them to keep the change as I got a bargain there last week and they were very pleased with that. 👍

Tizliz Tue 23-Apr-24 17:16:35

Charity shops are dire in north Scotland, and not many of them but one has a great big warehouse here. Think they must sort out the good stuff and send it to Edinburgh

CanadianGran Tue 23-Apr-24 17:37:34

Primrose, good for you. You will have to post photos of your projects that you knit with this nice yarn..
I'm afraid I might be one of those donating nice yarn to a charity shop. Like many knitters, I love the feel of the yarn and will buy a skein or six when I see one I like, without having an actual project in mind. Then it languishes in the yarn bin for ages. My DH is threatening /nagging me to do a clear out, but I'm not ready!

BlueBelle Tue 23-Apr-24 18:54:49

Today in the charity shop I volunteer in we found 10 empty hangers in the same age range in the boys section ( probably £20+ )
This is so so disappointing and upsetting We had a similar thing happen yesterday

flappergirl Tue 23-Apr-24 19:36:38

NotSpaghetti

I always have mixed feelings about finding a genuine "bargain" in a charity shop.

I feel very cross when people pay 30p for a pot worth hundreds and then laugh about it on the antiques roadshow. I think I'd have to gift the charity a big chunk, personally.

I always feel sorry for the person who unwittingly donated a Ming Vase or Van Gough. It's the sort of thing I'd do.

Charleygirl5 Tue 23-Apr-24 23:18:40

The only thing worth buying in my local charity shop is books. They are in superb condition, and very cheap.

Living in London if I went to an upmarket area like Chelsea or Kensington, I probably would find a good bargain.

Callistemon21 Tue 23-Apr-24 23:49:30

Charleygirl5

The only thing worth buying in my local charity shop is books. They are in superb condition, and very cheap.

Living in London if I went to an upmarket area like Chelsea or Kensington, I probably would find a good bargain.

I knew someone who used to travel to London twice a year to buy her clothes in upmarket charity shops.
She wore some amazing clothes 🙂

Cabbie21 Wed 24-Apr-24 07:13:00

I sometimes feel disappointed that the charity is not making more money out of the better quality items which are underpriced.

Chocolatelovinggran Wed 24-Apr-24 08:03:49

BlueBelle - stealing from a charity shop has to be a pretty low thing to do, doesn't it?
A friend who volunteers in one says that they used to have a collection tin on the counter for people to drop in their change. It was stolen, frequently .

Dottydots Wed 24-Apr-24 11:41:58

Yesterday, in a charity shop, I saw a summer dress that caught my eye. It was a size 10 whereas I am usually a size 12. The assistant said I could take it home and return it if it didn't fit me. Well, it looked lovely on me, just the right length as well to hide my awful ankles and only £6.
If I'm honest it was a bit tight around my tummy, but hey ho, I will just have to breathe in.

Primrose53 Wed 24-Apr-24 12:08:14

Cabbie21

I sometimes feel disappointed that the charity is not making more money out of the better quality items which are underpriced.

Some of the bigger charities employ people to list better quality stuff on Ebay. One of my nieces does this in Leeds.
Sometimes things do well, other times not but, for customers, it takes the excitement out of bagging a bargain. If they don’t sell they then get passed round other branches and if not sold they get scrapped.

Well done Dottydots 👏

Nannynoodles Wed 24-Apr-24 12:23:18

Bluebelle ours is the same, we have been loosing more and more stock recently. It’s so so sad because we are mainly volunteers and don’t have security guards obviously so I suppose it’s easier to steal from us although we do our best.
I challenged one shoplifter the other week and got a mouthful of abusive, actually quite frightening. If I though they really couldn’t afford the clothes and needed them I would have some sympathy but I really don’t think this is the case.