Charity shop volunteer says two types of customer behaviour need to be stopped

A charity shop volunteer has opened up about customer behaviour, charity shop pricing and what really happens to donations left outside after hours

Charity shops have never been more popular. Once seen as a last resort for bargain hunters, they have undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, with increasing numbers of shoppers actively choosing second-hand over brand new.

Driven by the rising cost of living, a growing awareness of sustainability and a rejection of fast fashion, more people than ever are heading to their local high street charity shop in search of quality items at affordable prices.

Accompanying this transformation, platforms including Vinted, Depop and eBay have revolutionised the second-hand marketplace, with unprecedented numbers of individuals both purchasing and selling pre-loved items online.

Virtually anything can be discovered on Vinted, from a jumper you wore during your teenage years to artwork created by an actual guinea pig.

This explosion in interest has witnessed charity shops experiencing unprecedented footfall, with shrewd customers perpetually seeking an excellent bargain on clothing, footwear or furnishings. And with this increased activity has emerged a mounting boldness amongst shoppers to challenge pricing – placing numerous volunteers in an uncomfortable position.

Now, one charity shop volunteer has entered the discussion, offering her perspective on what she believes constitutes reasonable customer conduct regarding negotiating prices in store.

She explained: “I’m coming across more and more pieces on here and other communities complaining about charity shops, how their prices are too high and quality of stuff too low. How they no longer help the local community and they’ll all be out of business soon enough.

“I’ve been volunteering in a local charity shop for two years. It’s a regional charity for a local hospice, so have quite a few shops in the county. For me pricing is simple; shelf space is key and rotation of items need to be high to keep the cash flow high.

“95% of the stuff we price we do without looking stuff up, as between us we have a good knowledge of what previously stuff has sold at. For the other 5%, where something is unusual and/or potentially valuable, I’ll look up the sold prices online and put it on the floor for half of that.”

She continued: “We put the financial week on each tag, so if somethings been on the shelf a while we’ll reduce, and then reduce heavily until it sells (top tip: check out the week number in the label, the older the item is the more likely they’ll be open to a haggle).

“I don’t mind haggling if it’s done with respect and a smile. Extra points if they mention gords mid haggle. If they’re aggressive or rude, I ain’t gonna budge.

“As noted above, I’m more likely to agree to the haggle if an item has been on the shelf for more than a few weeks. Or of they’re buying multiple items in one go.”

The volunteer also disclosed what actually happens to donations left outside the charity shop entrance, despite the establishment no longer accepting additional contributions.

She explained: “It’s true that we don’t accept donations in the shop, we’ve got dedicated sites with parking too drop stuff off at. As we’re a hospice we get a lot of house clearances and stuff left to us in wills too, so all in all we have plenty of donations.

“People still leave stuff outside the shop after hours, usually stuff we can’t sell and it then costs us to dispose of it. The volunteers or workers don’t riffle through the best stuff to bag before it goes onto the floor (not that I’ve seen anyway! ).”

She continued: “We want to sell things, I want to make money for what I think is a good cause. Maybe we’re lucky as it’s a hospice that people donate decent stuff to.

“We get bequeathments where someone’s died that had a hobby they loved, so now and again we’ll get a load of vintage cameras or LPs, that are genuinely interesting to research and see what we can realistically get.”

She added: “Yeah of course eBay, marketplace have changed the market and that’s just technological progress. We get resellers in the shop quite regularly and personally I’m OK with it as I don’t care who buys our stuff, it’s all money for the charity.”

She continued: “We want to sell things, I want to make money for what I think is a good cause. Maybe we’re lucky as it’s a hospice that people donate decent stuff to.