The ‘squeezed middle’ is fuelling a boom in charity shops as families are forced off the high street to buy second-hand clothes and furniture.
The demand has prompted one charity to open three out-of-town superstores as customers clamour for used stock such as clothes, electrical goods, sofas and beds.
The Sue Ryder organisation, which provides palliative care in communities, has opened a 2,965sq ft store in King’s Lynn which took more than £2,100 on its first day of trading.
In the past year, the charity has opened a 4,000sq ft shop at a retail park in Fakenham, Norfolk, and another 2,723sq ft shop in a former golf store in Meanwood, Leeds.
Jo Panks, of Sue Ryder, put the expansion down to a new type of customer.
She said: ‘It’s the squeezed middle and the people who wouldn’t normally have shopped with us a year or so ago that we are seeing now.’
The success story is mirrored elsewhere in the charity sector.
Oxfam’s 700 shops and online store announced annual takings of £85.9million in 2011, an increase of 6 per cent on the previous year.
Wendy Mitchell of the Charity Retail Association, said: ‘People feeling the pinch in their pockets are turning to charity shops to buy high-quality, low-cost items.’
It emerged this week that the disposable weekly income of the average family has fallen by 6.5 per cent in a year to £144, according to the Asda Income Tracker.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1tT7cq9DX
Charity shopping
Charity shopping
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Charity shopping
I used to love finding old furniture and such at charity stores. The bedbug epidemic has made me steer clear in the past few years.
"Hang on while I log in to the James Webb telescope to search the known universe for who the fuck asked you." -- James Fell
Re: Charity shopping
Me too -- only for books scarves, and handbags. Last summer I bought a vintage Ferragamo bag in perfect condition for $20 --- and its a $750 bag!
“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg, paraphrasing Sarah Moore Grimké
Re: Charity shopping
My bets buy was a signed first edition of "the Tailor Of Panama", John Le Carre, for 50p!
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
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MajGenl.Meade
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Re: Charity shopping
Time, considered as a helix of semi-precious memories
In the 50's (20th century-wise and not personal), a lot of my clothes came from the regular "jumble sales" which were usually held at churches and usually run by the Townswomen's Guild - at least they were in Wickford. The industrious ladies would collect donations of second-hand stuff for a couple of weeks and then the great day would arrive when the tables groaned with woolies, socks, even a school uniform if one was lucky.
Many of the kids in our area recognized their own clothes, a few sizes later, on their neighbours. But they couldn't afford to mock because they were wearing someone else's hand-ons anyway.
The jumble sales were great places to visit - aside from the annoyance of a mother insisting one stand still while a pair of trousers or a jacket were critically held up and squinted at to see if they might fit (some day). I wonder if the villages of England still have Townswomen's Guilds and jumble sales. Probably it's all boot sales these days
Meade
In the 50's (20th century-wise and not personal), a lot of my clothes came from the regular "jumble sales" which were usually held at churches and usually run by the Townswomen's Guild - at least they were in Wickford. The industrious ladies would collect donations of second-hand stuff for a couple of weeks and then the great day would arrive when the tables groaned with woolies, socks, even a school uniform if one was lucky.
Many of the kids in our area recognized their own clothes, a few sizes later, on their neighbours. But they couldn't afford to mock because they were wearing someone else's hand-ons anyway.
The jumble sales were great places to visit - aside from the annoyance of a mother insisting one stand still while a pair of trousers or a jacket were critically held up and squinted at to see if they might fit (some day). I wonder if the villages of England still have Townswomen's Guilds and jumble sales. Probably it's all boot sales these days
Meade
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
Re: Charity shopping
Townswomen are discerning individuals with great concern and passion for their communities.They have excellent networks, they influence people, they get things done.
These ladies are members of the Townswomen's Guilds, a professional organisation formed when women first won the right to vote, with the express aim of educating women about good citizenship.
The organisation has stood the test of time and remains a powerful lobby on national and regional issues, fighting on a broad range of matters today that affect men and women alike.
Townswomen's Guilds members are nationwide, of all ages, backgrounds and experiences and meet up regularly through nearly 800 branches to enjoy a range of enriching activities
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”