What has happened to the Mind Shop?

[Ridgley]

I thought charity, shops means charity affordable there no point buying something in there if you are paying the same price has something new unless it is antique:)

[Huguenot]

Lol! I think charity shop means they give the proceeds to their nominated charity, not that they give it to you!

[Ridgley]

I am not asking, them to give it me I am just saying it should be cheaper not matter where the shop is -smart arse

[ianr]

I've been in there a few times since the re-opening, mainly for books. Haven't found it uncomfortable, so ignore what I said above.

Have you seen the Mind Christmas cards? I don't think I remember cats on them before, but there seem to be as many now as there are robins. Real cats, too, that is, and out in the snow (but not afaics assaulting robins). Is this a trend, and what does it mean?

[huncamunca]

If MIND are producing Xmas cards with cats on, then they are marketing to the local demographic, which is to be applauded.If this is the case, It is rather sad that cats are the pet of choice for the hood bludz.

Pets lite for the facebook generation.

Cats are up there with tapeworm in terms of the benefit they bring to society.

[Gimme]

Sally81 Wrote:

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> Did a little trawl of the charity shops this

> weekend. We picked up a picture that we love from

> St Christopher and it was a fabulous, affordable

> price. The stuff in Mind is definitely too highly

> priced. We all know it's for charity, but most of

> us go in hoping to find a bargain and people know

> when they are paying over the odds. There is a

> jacket in there that was mine at the moment. It

> wasn't expensive in the first place but it is

> priced at more than I paid for it new!

> Also, I do find the staff in there really awkward.

> They don't encourage me to buy at all. It has a

> strange atmosphere.

Amazing isn't it. A charity shop that is highly priced and you are paying over the odds!!!! Next thing you know and they will be trying to make a profit to further the goals of their charity. I think the best thing might be a trade war between the charity shops to drive prices down to the bone so that people can acquire goods at bargain basement prices.

It's in the name 'C-H-A-R-I-T-Y' shop. They aren't there to give you the best bargains, they are there to make profits that can be used to help people. If you want bargains, go shop in Primark and fill your boots with sequined tops made by child labourers in sweatshops.

[marianne1]

I thought the original purpose of charity shops was to help those in need of help?? People who would like to clothe themselves and their children in fairly decent clothing because they cannot always afford to buy in chain stores and like to dress in reasonably fashionable clothing. Believe it or not, there are still people out there on the minimum wage who need to decide between food and fairly fashionable clothing - this is where charity shops come into their own. Their main purpose should never be merely to make a profit! This was never the original idea of Oxfam et al - although in this materialistic world, perhaps things have changed ....

[peterstorm1985]

I have always understood the mainstream Charity shops to be the exact opposite of what marianne1 suggests. Oxfam, in particular, is and always has been a development charity raising funds for work overseas, consequently, the purpose of their shops has only ever been to make a profit to allow them to do vital work.

Of course there are many who need a low cost clothing supplier and charity shops often provide this, but that is a handy by-product of the mainstream charity shops not their purpose.

[cmck83]

I always thought it was a bit of both to be honest.

[peterstorm1985]

cmck83 Wrote:

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> I always thought it was a bit of both to be

> honest.

There have always been some small/independent charity shops whose purpose is to provide low cost clothing etc for the local community, particularly in areas generally perceived as deprived, but if you look into the history of the major charities, that have high street shops, their use of the 'charity shop' is quite clearly for the income provided. Most charity websites explain what the charity is for - do a quick google search now and you'll be hard pressed to find any that say that their shops are provided to benefit the purchasers of the donated goods rather than (or in addition to) raising cash to further the societies' expressed intentions.

[Applespider]

But, if there are items in there being priced above what was paid for them (and they're not genuinely vintage/retro), then that smacks of bad merchandising from whoever sets the price. If you've got no cost price, then your margin should be good anyhow unless you're in extortionate premises so you should really be pricing to sell and get a quick turnover of stock; it encourages repeat business if people feel they are getting even a slight bargain and encourages others to make donations. I'm not saying that they have to be stupidly low prices but they should be realistic given that the donated items are secondhand.

[Gimme]

marianne1 Wrote:

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> I thought the original purpose of charity shops

> was to help those in need of help?? People who

> would like to clothe themselves and their children

> in fairly decent clothing because they cannot

> always afford to buy in chain stores and like to

> dress in reasonably fashionable clothing. Believe

> it or not, there are still people out there on the

> minimum wage who need to decide between food and

> fairly fashionable clothing - this is where

> charity shops come into their own. Their main

> purpose should never be merely to make a profit!

> This was never the original idea of Oxfam et al -

> although in this materialistic world, perhaps

> things have changed ....

This is a very interesting point of view and one I never considered. Perhaps you are right. On balance, PeterStorm is probably right in that charities don't care about clothing people cheaply as long as they are increasing their funds but perhaps there is a subsidiary effect of providing cheap clothing to those who need it. Although there is perhaps also a view that people of limited means don't NEED fashionable clothes, and it is just aspirational marketing that makes them think that they do...

[peterstorm1985]

Gimme Wrote:

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>................................... Although

> there is perhaps also a view that people of

> limited means don't NEED fashionable clothes, and

> it is just aspirational marketing that makes them

> think that they do...

Good point - 'Fashion' is completely unnecessary and damages our environment. If everyone who wore 'fashionable' clothing recycled their clothes by sending them to the charity shop when the next fashion came along then it wouldn't be so bad, but they don't. Far too much perfectly good clothing goes to landfill in ordinary domestic rubbish. Perhaps if more of us took good quality clothes to the local charity shops there would be the 'pile em high sell em cheap' volumes that would allow the prices to be reduced (as Applespider's post), thereby helping those in local need as well as furthering the charity's aims. Unfortunately, it may simply be that those who manage the shop on a day to day basis don't have the fashion/retail knowledge to tell if something should be ?5 or ?50. Or perhaps they do - just because the original price was low doesn't mean someone might not pay more for a particular item of clothing. The cross-over between second hand and 'vintage' is somewhat arbitrary in the eyes of the buyer.

[Applespider]

And then there's fashionable (as in exactly what the market prescribes no matter how ridiculous) as opposed to looking good in 'classic' clothes as opposed to clothes purely designed to keep you decent and/or warm.

I don't subscribe to the viewpoint that poor should be reduced just to the last option. Clothes do serve a purpose beyond warmth and decency. They are vital in that first impression when working (or interviewing) and can give a huge boost in self-confidence and self-worth.

If you are managing a retail shop (even on a partial volunteer basis which I don't believe is the case for the managers), then you really should have some local retail knowledge which would include a rough idea of clothing outlets/prices. And even if you don't when you start, a quick search of completed eBay auctions every so often would probably give you some idea of what harem pants are currently worth...

[Gimme]

What in the devils name are Harem Pants????

[Penguin68]

These are Harem pants

[ahoward3]

East Dulwich Mind is a rip-off.

Half of the clothes I have ever owned are from charity shops, but this particular shop is ridiculous and I've never known anything like it.

[Sue]

ahoward3 Wrote:

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> East Dulwich Mind is a rip-off.

> Half of the clothes I have ever owned are from

> charity shops, but this particular shop is

> ridiculous and I've never known anything like it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I have to agree, they had a coat in there for forty quid the other day - nothing particularly special, if I recall.

At least they seem to have reduced the price of books though, some of those were ridiculous as well. It's coming to something when you think that charity shop books are so expensive you might as well buy them new!

[dazeykat]

Yes, it makes no sense to price things at a level at which they won't sell quickly, so as to make room for more. The stock is donated so any sensible price is profit for the charity. If customers know that there are new things every day they are far more likely to visit often I would think. I don't go in the Mind shop because it is too cluttered and overstocked, even after the revamp.

[Gimme]

ahoward3 Wrote:

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> East Dulwich Mind is a rip-off.

> Half of the clothes I have ever owned are from

> charity shops, but this particular shop is

> ridiculous and I've never known anything like it.

Rubbish isn't it. Charity shops that aren't really cheap. When their whole purpose is to give people cheap clothes as well.

Don't you think that the Big Issue is a waste of money these days as well...

You could get something to read on the bus for a lot less in a newsagent instead!

[dazeykat]

Gimme, I think you are deliberately missing the point. If the items on sale for charity are offered at unrealistic prices, and never sold, then donations to them are worthless. When I give stuff to a charity shop I have in mind that someone who needs/wants that item will reuse/recycle it as well as the charity making some small profit. The Mind shop does not make best use of the items donated if so many of us charity shop browsers don't even go in!

P.S. The Big Issue is not worth buying anymore - it used to be great. These days I often give the seller the price of one and don't take the magazine. I also think that devalues the enterprise.

[hibbs]

I donated stuff to the Mind shop today and they seemed very nice and appreciative, I did try and donate to the other charity shop on LL but alas I couldn't find a parking space, sorry but convenience plays a major factor to my drop off charity donations..

[Ann]

Agree totally with dazeycat. Surely charity shops should charge appropriately. To try and sell a second hand coat for ?40 to me is ridiculous when high street prices can often be less. Second hand clothes have limited marketability, primark will have done nothing to encourage any change.

Charity shops have to face up market forces as do other retailers, the shop space is after all paid for.

It saddens me also that The Big Issue is not really worth the payment, I haven't bought one for a few years. The last one I bought didn't encourage me to do otherwise.

[peterstorm1985]

Ann Wrote:

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> .......Surely charity shops

> should charge appropriately. To try and sell a

> second hand coat for ?40 to me is ridiculous when

> high street prices can often be less.......

Was it a nice coat? I admit to buying the odd thing in Primark but they don't last long - better to buy good quality second hand.

Sometimes the Mind shop staff will get the pricing wrong but if they manage to sell a coat at ?40 rather than ?20 then that's an extra ?20 in the till to be spent on the charity's purpose. It would be interesting to know what the Mind shop takings are each week compared to the other charity shop in Lordship Lane but I suspect that they may be quite high. I have a gift aid card for the Mind Shop (they were the first charity shop in the area to introduce it so they get all my second hand goods) and I get notified on a regular basis the amount that they have received for my donations. Having seen what price was put on goods that I had previously given to the other charity shop and almost wept at the waste I am regularly chuffed to see how much Mind have managed to flog my stuff for.

[ahoward3]

Gimme Wrote:

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> ahoward3 Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > East Dulwich Mind is a rip-off.

> > Half of the clothes I have ever owned are from

> > charity shops, but this particular shop is

> > ridiculous and I've never known anything like

> it.

>

> Rubbish isn't it. Charity shops that aren't really

> cheap. When their whole purpose is to give people

> cheap clothes as well.

>

> Don't you think that the Big Issue is a waste of

> money these days as well...

> You could get something to read on the bus for a

> lot less in a newsagent instead!

I didn't mention the word cheap, I called the shop a rip-off which is exactly what it is; overpriced.

If something is more expensive second-hand than what you can get it for brand new it defeats the point of buying second-hand.

I don't have the money to just give to charity, but some times I need things and so if I can get what I need at a reasonable price and know that the money I have paid is going to a good cause then thats a bonus. That's how a charity shop works. I also donate things to charity shops when I no longer need them.

Sorry for not having more money than sense, but overpriced is overpriced.