charity shop foraging - yay!

[red]

wandered into the one and only charity shop here as I was passing - always on the lookout for demijohns -and struck lucky - nice clear gass one complete with an airlock for a quid - yay!

then turned and spotted an old singer sewing machine, the kind you power by turning the handle, looks well used, but appears to work.. got needle and bobbin, and its wooden case - 7 quid. I impulse bought it.

can't wait to try it out !

[the.fee.fairy]

Nicely done!!

The sewing machine might need a good service, depending on when it was last used. I bought one in an auction (mine's a vesta - same principle) nd it had a good service, and was reoiled and it worked like a dream. The lady said that they can get gunked up with old oil and get jammed, so if you're in any doubt, get it looked at (i think servicing mine cost £16).

Look up the singers on the internet - the one i've got is a special one made for a specific family because of the painted pattern on it.

Well done! I wish charity shops round here had good stuff in stock!

[Milims]

Charity shops are a regular haunt for us - where ever we are!! Apart from clothes we've picked up all sorts of goodies. I bought a beautiful machine engraved, silver, art deco locket for £4, Torquay ware to add to my collection for not much, and various brewing stuff and books etc. I think they are a terrific idea - you get to buy from a source where the profits go to somewhere worthy and quite frankly there is a better choice of goodies than there are in most of the "ordinary" shops round here - and I can send the clothes that the kids have grown out of but aren't worn out - so we don't get too cluttered! In fact we are such regulars that if the kids want something they say "Mum if we see ...(what ever it is thats been advertised or their mates have) in the charity shop can we buy it?"!!

[Silver Ether]

000000000000h I love charity shops ....They are great for books and jigsaws too ... and you can take them back when done with... My fav buy was a loooooooog time back in the days when I was a mum and the kids were really tiny ... didn`t have a lot of cash being a stay at home mum... and our daughter had grown out of summer clothes, you know how fast they grow at 10/12 months old and we were off in our caravan for a bit of a tour round ... and it was very hot ... went into a local charity shop and got loads of lovely little sun outfits .. old fashioned types not stuff that worn now and she was so cute ... shhhhhhhhh dont tell her that was good enough ... but I then took them to a nearly new shop and sold them on for the same money I had paid for them ... now that is a bargain ...

[Stonehead]

then turned and spotted an old singer sewing machine, the kind you power by turning the handle, looks well used, but appears to work.. got needle and bobbin, and its wooden case - 7 quid. I impulse bought it.

can't wait to try it out !

It's not often I get envious, but I've been after a working Singer for yonks (especially if a treadle one). I've come so close to getting one so often that it's driving me nuts! I went in to a charity shop recently to see if they had one - and the lady said yes, but they'd sold it half an hour before...

[Meredith]

I do the rounds to my local charity shops regularly. It's rare I come away with nothing and there's a certain amount of 'the thrill of the chase'. I find ordinary shops a bit boring. You go into a regular shop and you know exactly what you're going to find, not so with buying secondhand.

I'm sure with a bit of an oiling your Singer will serve you well. I'm ashamed to say that my Grandma had one and I got rid of it because I didn't appreciate it's worth at the time.

[the.fee.fairy]

then turned and spotted an old singer sewing machine, the kind you power by turning the handle, looks well used, but appears to work.. got needle and bobbin, and its wooden case - 7 quid. I impulse bought it.

can't wait to try it out !

It's not often I get envious, but I've been after a working Singer for yonks (especially if a treadle one). I've come so close to getting one so often that it's driving me nuts! I went in to a charity shop recently to see if they had one - and the lady said yes, but they'd sold it half an hour before...

Stoney - have a look at House Clearance Auctions - that's where i got mine from. There's always interesting stuff at these places.

[red]

I've been after a working Singer for yonks (especially if a treadle one). I've come so close to getting one so often that it's driving me nuts! I went in to a charity shop recently to see if they had one - and the lady said yes, but they'd sold it half an hour before...

i just got lucky - dont usually see anything as worthwhile as this.. or for so cheap.
yes i would love a treadle one too - but they all seem to have been made into pub tables round here....

[yugogypsy]

My small favorite thrift store has a bit of everything. I got a bike helmet this week as I was given a bike.

Thats where I buy all my dishes and most of my clothes.

And when our chickens get laying next Spring we're going to donate a few dozen eggs each week, and I do donate all I can in the way of clothing etc.

I'm about to do another clean out, so I'll be filling the car with boxes and bags for them this time.

Charity thrift stores are popular and very necessary in our economically depressed area.

Lois

[Thurston Garden]

Slightly off thread...

There's often grumbles in local papers about charity shops taking over high streets. Comments are usually along the lines of high rents pushing traditional retailers away and charity shops degrading the appearance/amenity of areas.

Charity shops pay the market rent like everyone else - building owners are not charities - I have never met one, nor had one as a client who have given a charity any favours by way of rent/fit out costs etc that would not be given to any other tenant.

What most complainers in local papers (here anyway) fail to grasp is that the supermarkets (where the complainers shop...) are what push away traditional retailers who can (or could) offer higher than market rents, thus increasing values. Charities cannot compete with such tenants, but when the tenants do not have a business case due to big retail parks/supermarkets, in come the charity shops.

[red]

they do get much cheaper business rates

and of course their overheads are down - staff dont get paid and the goods are free

I do understand why people complain - as I know of some areas in some towns where thats all there is. and then shops like Oxfam start selling stuff that is new - you go into oxfam at christmas, its hard to find any second hand clothes.. most of their store is devoted to Christmas cards and fairtrade items (usually still things people dont need)
Dont misunderstand me - I support Oxfam as a charity and in the past have worked in their shops when I had more time on my hands - but it is hard for a small gift shop to compete. In my nearest town they dont have many chain shops at all.. very alternative etc.. but oxfam have two shops there - the normal kind (with high proportion of fair trade food and gifts) and now have opened a book shop. its going to be hard for the existing second hand book shops to compete with one that has cheaper rates, free staff and free books. - oh and people think they are doing a good dead shopping there.

I still think charity shops are a good idea, instead of perfectly good things going to landfill etc.. but I also think the councils etc should perhaps limit how many in one street.

[Thurston Garden]

I am not aware that they get reduced rates in Scotland. They may qualify for Small Business Rates Relief like any other small rate payer though. Yes, the overheads are significantly lower but here the shop managers do get paid, albeit at a reduced rate. - the jobs are advertised in the paper.

I think however, as a surveyor, that in the current market, limiting the number of shops in an area would only result in shops being boarded up and vacant for lengthy periods. This sadly has a snowball effect and then a reduction in values, both on commercial, and then on residential properties. Until local Councils stand up to big retailers and either refuse planning consent or take large chunks of planning gain, charity shops are better for a street than a sea of 'to let' boards.

Fortunately our High Street is fairly vibrant, and there are only 2 charity shops (strangely, both of which I have had an involvement with as a surveyor, although prior to moving to the area). The council has however bowed to pressure both from private individuals and Asda itself to consent to a new build store which will be open for Christmas. The planning gain required was £200k from Asda to the town, half of which the Council collared to put a lift in one of their own buildings! Asda will loose £200k down the back of their sofa on a daily basis.

The big signs are up already: Do your Christmas Shopping Here! Asda open for Christmas. Watch the letting boards go up on the vibrant high street in 2008.....

And yes to Oxfam selling new stuff....completely agree.

[the.fee.fairy]

I don't go in Oxfam. I admit it.

The thing is: Near me, there are 3 different towns that i visit, and i always go charity shopping before i go 'real' shopping. Oxfam are always always always so expensive!! They chartge £4.50 for a hardback book! I love shopping in charity shops for books, but if the BHF, and Cancer Research can sell books for £2 maximum, why can't Oxfam. I think they trade on their name a lot.

There's an RNIB Bookshop in one of the towns too, and that's overpriced.

I'd rather a street full of charity shops that Asda and Tescos though

[ina]

What really annoys me is when I buy a book for, say, £1.50 in one charity shop, and it still has the sticker on it from another charity shop, where it had only cost 80p! Yes, OK, it's a good way of re-using books if they get returned to a shop after you've read them - but can't they even be bothered to take off the old label?

Sorry. I know I'm an old fusspot.

And some shops have no idea of what to charge for items. In one particular local Red Cross one I have bought crystal glasses for pennies, and at the same time they wanted 50p for a cup which I know could be bought in one of those pound shops, 4 for 99p. They sell a real silk dress for £3, and jeans, which probably came originally from ASDA or T***o's at £3.50 or so, for £4... Sometimes I point out these things to them, and if I think I'm getting something way too cheap I put some extra money in their box.

[red]

yeh I agree - better to have charity shops than boarded up shops. yup managers get a wage - but often cover more than one shop - the day to day running is by free staff


yes on the prices too - oxfam is too expensive. when i volunteered there - i found they had a price list for items.. you have to look it up.. so the pricing system is the same across the country.. sometimes I would point out that if the t-shirt came from peacocks or similar in the first place, it was probably only a quid or 2 to start with so you cannot price these things for more.... but rules was rules..and oxfam wants to be a cut above other charity shops and only sell decent stuff.....
then predictably no one would buy it - why would they when they could buy new for less £s - then we would chuck it. we had so much stuff donated.. things only stayed out for a couple of weeks, then got chucked... chucked stuff was sold on for rags, buttons etc... to some other business.