Tuesday 2 March 2010

Charity Shops, who do you donate to???

Boy you can tell I’m on holiday can’t you!
I have enough brain power to blog, third time this week.
Today enough was enough, Gav was beginning to look like a yeti and no matter what I did to his hair, blow dry it, straighten it (yes I got the straigteners on it) or coat it in wax he looked awful!
So we went to the Barbers today, our friend Petes Barbers Bababaro.
It just happens that the barbers are on a stretch of shops that has 5 CS’s on it!!
So you know what’s coming next, don’t you?
I decided to leave Gav in the good hands of Pete, with strict instructions to sort his hair out and off I went to the shops.
I was amazed to see that 3 out of the 5 CS had a minimal amount of stock, which surprised me as our CS is inundated with stock all the time.
I wonder if the general public is being a bit more picky with whom they donate to; from my observations it seems that they are donating to shops that will benefit charities in the UK, & more close to home charities like hospices.
Which is easy to understand, we all have a favourite charity we support.
The problem is that some CS’s end up with too much and end up binning stuff and some have not enough.
I love my CS’s missions and would hate to think that a CS would have to close due to lack of stock; I even noticed a sign in one CS window saying “Bric a Brac Needed”
So I have decided that next time I want to donate to a CS, I will think about the CS’s I go into and if they have good levels of stock and I will give to one I know has less stock than others.
I love CS’s as I know a lot of you do too and if any were to shut due to lack of donations I think I would be a little sad, as we all love our thrifting don’t we.
Any way rant over, don’t know where that came from, brain is obviously on holiday and has time to think about stuff other than work.
So off I popped to Help the Aged, not much stock in there sad to say.
Oxfam which had a little more stock but tend to focus on books more that other stuff.
Link Romania quite a lot of stock, lots of furniture – I bought 5 silver desert spoons 10p each.
Mind – not much in there either, looked a bit dilapidated to be honest.
Then last but not least the Local Lions CS, which had lots of lovelies.
I got quite carried away.
Before I was even in the shop, I saw the green tea set in the window and had to have it 4 cups & saucers + 2 other saucers with a similar pattern, £2 I couldn’t refuse.
The pattern reminds me of CK’s Provence Rose.


I also found a couple of pretty egg cups for Easter, 3 children’s books, 2 old pillow case in pretty fabric & something to add to the Giveaway I’m planning.
I also popped into the local green grocers and bought 2 pots of pretty primroses.


I have potted one in the pink pot I got yesterday.
So I’m off to Suffolk tomorrow, my basket from yesterday is filling up with things to take with me.
Hopefully I will blog from Mum’s, enjoy your week.
Luv

15 comments:

Nearly there Claire said...

I don't donate to where I like to shop, I would end up bringing it all back home with me after seeing it lonely on the shelves ha ha!

Great post, gigged my memory of some forgotten CS I haven't visited in a while.

I want those tea cups!!!

Love
C. X

{Bellamere Cottage} said...

Lovely finds, Sophie....I love the pink pot with the primroses. How cheery is that? :-)

Warm blessings,
Spencer

Sal said...

Oh I love the charity shops...the perfect morning is to go for a rummage in the charity shops,followed by coffee! You'd love my town as there are so many charity shops in it..about 15 I think!
I love your pink pot too.
;-)

KC'sCourt! said...

Charity shops are my downful over the years.........but saying that I have found some good finds! And like Sal it's charity shops then coffee/lunch whenever I go to Taunton!

Kissed by an Angel said...

I have to say that my local CSs were really disappointing! I want some lovely cups and saucers - much like the gorgeous set you bought!! But alas - nothing!! Perhaps I should pay you a visit!!!!
xxxx

lemonade kitty said...

I wish I'd seen those pretty green cups and saucers first I'd have snapped them up!! hehe. I take my unwanted goods to the red cross just because its on a side street and I can park outside, and the other shops are on the High street. Love Lucey xx

Dawn said...

My donations ususally go to the shops nearest to the car park! One is a hospice shop and the other is a local charity which supports an Eastern European orphanage (I think) as well as giving to local good causes.
Not so sunny this afternoon!

Victoria - Florence and Mary said...

Hi Sophie,

Your teaset is lovely.

As for where I donate I choose the charity shop where I get my best bargains as they are reasonable priced like the CS of old rather than my local high street ones which seem to compete with CK!!!

Victoria xx

Elderberry-Rob said...

The CS in this area are very pricy and it is rare to find something really nice that doesn't have a big price label. I take my sellable things to Help the Aged or put them on freecycle and I visit the British Heart shop regularly because the lady there has been showing me how to knit. I always hope to find something special one day.

Em said...

Oh I really like those green cups and saucers, very nice!
By the way thanks for all the great name suggestions.
Emma x

PinkLady said...

I mostly give to Hospice shops or the RSPCA shop because that one is out of the town centre and I don't have to pay to park! Plus it happens to get great stuff in so I never come out empty handed! xx

Floss said...

Over here we donate to Secours Catholique - it's just about the only choice. When I vist my parents in Edinburgh I tend to take their stuff to the CS which I think will sell it best - some of their books and clothes are very good and I hate to donate them to a shop that will scrumple them up or undercharge for them. Barnardo's are good where they are.

Kelly said...

I donate to our local Hospice CS. They have a huge shop in our nearest town. I, like V, find our high street CS's overcharge for things like furniture and where I would buy something normally the prices seem unreasonable so I often don't bother!
Haven't been bargain hunting for ages, I'm more likely to donate than buy these days!

Lucy Pursglove-Jones said...

We have 6 charity shops in our small town and I must admit I much prefer the one that is for a local hospice (Vine House). The larger ones for the bigger charities are not like CS shops at all; they seem to practice top range retail at prices to match! x

LissyLou said...

I mostly donate to Little Havens - childrens home(when its the childrens things, as they sell alot of that there), The British heart foundation and sometimes oxfam in our high street as they are the most pleased to recieve the things.
The cancer research (which we donate money to everymonth) people in our town are really rude and put too higher prices on things!!

Funny what makes a person give to who isn't it??


Just added the last of the red heart goodies for sale on my blog...please go take a look xx