Janepie33 Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 I walked through the door with 3 bags of donations. "May I leave these please"? I asked politely, expecting to be directed to the back of the shop, as usual, to leave my goods. Half way across the shop I was stopped by a rather officious woman (whom I had never seen in the shop before) who demanded "What is it"? "Clothes, shoes, various things and some audio tapes". I replied "Oh "Ooops, word censored!"ody buys those any more" (referring to the tapes) "We have to pay for things we can't sell to be taken away and it is very expensive and we loose money" she informed me brusquely. She then proceeded to rummage through my bags telling me what she would or would not take. I held up a cocktail shaker and she looked at it disdainfully before pronouncing "Oh no, I'm sure we can't sell that". I was, at this point, kneeling in the middle of the shop floor, surrounded by other shoppers and another staff member. "I've never had to do this before" I retorted timidly. "Well you should have had your bags searched every time you came in and if you didn't, then people weren't doing their jobs properly" she barked. I was so shocked at my treatment by this woman, that I gathered the unwanted offending items and shuffled out of the shop. Which was a shame as I had planned to look through the book display and Christmas cards. Also, many months ago, I took the time and trouble to organize my gift aid card. The woman did not even bother to ask for my gift aid details. My donations will be going to a different charity shop in future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlina Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Wow. That's bad. A friend of mine became a volunteer at an Oxfam shop awhile ago. She spent weeks regaling us with tales of fabulous stuff rejected, piles of books thrown away etc and in the end stopped volunteering and stopped donating to Oxfam as it was all so dire. I've not given anything to Oxfam since either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 That's awful - and I'd be inclined to complain to their Head Office! My local Cancer Research shop is happy to take anything and I have signed up for Gift Aid so they get a bit more. This does mean I have to wait while they tag the bags, rather than my usual ninja-style drop and run. I am really careful not to give them stuff that is damaged or broken or anything like that, but it would be my idea of hell to have them go through my bag in front of me! I would definitely find another charity shop. And for the record - I bought my cocktail shaker in a PDSA shop and was very happy to have it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janepie33 Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 That's awful - and I'd be inclined to complain to their Head Office! I have! AND it was a Mind shop and part of their logo says "For better mental health" !! Well mine certainly wasn't better today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Sounds like they've been watching too much Mary Queen of shops and forgotten their manners. I'd have left everything on the floor spread out and hurrumphed out. By the way, older people who can't see well and dislike modern technology are very keen to get audio tapes. Well, my MIL anyway, I guess she's not alone in that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I have had two similar experiences. On the first occasion I had a snotty woman say 'Books? We don't want any more books cluttering the place up'. I took them to the Sally Army shop a couple of streets away where I was welcomed with open arms and thanked effusively. On the second occassion, I had my son with me to help with the heavy lifting. He was about 15 at the time, and was wearing a hoodie. He was told to 'clear off, we don't want your sort in here'. She got told in no uncertain terms, and I reported her. I understand that she got shown the door. I think that whilst there are many wonderfully dedicated volunteers, it is a line of business that can attract some unusual sorts too. These are the people who would be better suited to behind the scenes work that didn't involve dealing with the public. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counturchickens Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 We were going to buy a desk in one of our local shops, but couldn't see the price so wanted to check. The woman on the till was on the phone the whole time we were in the shop, obviously nattering to a friend. We gave up in the end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucknette Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Its not just me then I took a bag of baby clothes freshly washed and pressed all buttons present and correct into my local charity shop. I was met with WHY HAVE YOU BOUGHT SO MANY CLOTHES IN! and had them snatched off of me with the woman telling the other helpers LOOK WHAT SHES BOUGHT IN, REALLY SOME PEOPLE! all said in a loud shouty voice. Needless to say I have never been back to a charity shop. I now drop and run outside their doors or I get someone else to take it. They need to modify their attitudes Im afraid as I can be volatile and she got off lightly but out of respect for the other helpers I didnt even answer her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I agree that most charity workers are wonderful & do a great job. I also agree that it must be hard work,dirty,annoying & difficult. However,you have been treated appallingly & I am glad you have reported the incident! I think that some volunteer positions attract a certain type of rather brusque,strident & overbearing person who think that they can act how they want because they are doing work for charity. These are also the sort that bray endlessly that they volunteer for charity,rather than quietly & stoically get on with what they are doing. I tend to avoid all charity shops now & use the various banks at the big Tesco in town,or fill those bags that sometimes get left on the doorstep for jumble sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 We have a lot of charity shops amongst our local shops and the majority take everything with a smile and a thankyou, but the Help The Aged shop has a very rude manager and we stopped taking things in there long ago and on a recent visit I noticed that they had very little stock. I think I might know why Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 What an appalling experience. I found it very difficult to go into a charity shop with donations more than once, because I always hated that...that..look that some of them give you. Even if I was well dressed in smart business clothes, and delivering good quality things. I worked my way around town, and eventually ended up at my local Oxfam shop. The reaction there was very different, and they seemed really pleased. I joined their TagBag scheme, and I've been back many times since. I did have a hiccup a while ago, where the girl that was manning the back of the shop where deliveries goes couldn't be bothered to even look up and acknowledge me, and I found myself feeling really small again. I could feel myself resoving that That Was It. No More Charity Donations, it could all go in the damned bin for all I cared. The day was saved by one of the other volunteers coming in, and being very helpful. Even now, I still have to take a deep breath before going in though. However, now that I have read about your experience, and the experience of others, and I know I am not alone, I will be prepared. Next time it happens, I am going to tell them that their reaction is unacceptable, and if they behave like that to their donators, they will find that the donations stop. So thank you for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 How very rude of these volunteers! I haven't taken anything to the shop myself as I don't drive and a bag of clothes can be quite heavy but I do leave bags to the charities I know who do doorstep collections. Even if the person who you happen to see first doesn't feel your items are right, they might be for a different shop in a different area. I am glad you have complained though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janepie33 Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Haven't had a reply re my complaint yet so I have sent the email again! To add insult to injury, there was a plastic bag from the very same charity sitting on my doorstep when I arrived home! Popped into a different charity shop today, just to see if they were selling audio tapes and children's story tapes. They were! Should have taken a photo and sent it to Mind woman! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasperaliceuk Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I am frankly quite appalled at that and all the other experiences some of you have had. I am a volunteer at the local Hospice Charity Shop. Been doing it for about six months and I love, love, love it. I only do a Friday afternoon officially but am to be found there during the week helping out as it is so busy. I thought I'd answer some of your questions/concerns, assuming they are pretty much the same for each charity. I should point out we are not a national chain such as Cancer Research, we only have 14 shops so no big spend budget for shop fittings, large premises etc. We make a point of accepting donations with a smile. They are taken out the back and sorted there, never in front of customers - that would be downright rude. Yes, companies are paid to take away waste. To quote one incidence, a chap turned up with a car load from his deceased mother. I think we found 6 saleable items - the rest was broken, dirty, cracked, torn - honestly in the most awful condition - so it had to go in the dustbin. When someone is recently bereaved its not the time to be questioning what is in the car. We pay for a special collection every day as there is so much. And we do get a lot of rubbish dumped outside the door overnight, stuff which really people could not be bothered to take to the dump so we get to deal with it. Clothes are steamed to freshen them up and iron out creases but anything unsuitable for sale, ie dirty, ripped or just plain worn out, is bagged and we receive a sum of money per kilo - so no waste there. Same with books - we have so, so many. We store as many as we can, bearing in mind you can hardly swing a cat in the storage area, and this is rotated with stuff on the shop floor. Old stuff is taken off and bagged to receive a sum per book. Sometimes books go straight into the bag, torn or manky books, things such as art catalogues from exhibitions, ancient text books etc. A new arrangement means we can now get money for recyclable items, glass and china and electrics. And also, we circulate goods around shops if we find it hasn't sold in one for a couple of weeks. Alongside this, bric a brac and cloths are carefully sorted. You would be amazed how much comes in new with labels or is valuable, so much so that it is sent to auction if we feel we would not command the right price in the shop. Today I have been visiting local jewellers as a loose diamond came in with jewellery. Where there is an opportunity to make serious money for the hospice I won't let it pass. The shop is an invaluable stop for the lonely who love a chat, the mentally and physically disabled who don't feel intimidated in coming in (with carers or not), those who by circumstances need to buy as cheaply as possible and those who want to grab a bargain. A bit of banter with customers is fun. Yes, we get dealers, we get people who will try to beat you down by 20p, we get drunks and aggressive people, we get shoplifters (!!!) - all part of the tapestry of life. So, in short I'd urge you not to abandon your local charity shops. Good things are not thrown away willy nilly. By all means complain about rudeness - that is inexcusable as after all we are offering a public service. Oh and we do take audio tapes, just not VHS! And, honestly, although it is hard work (sometimes dirty), it can be fun! So, if anyone is at a loose end, do think of volunteering. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 thanks so much for that - it's really interesting to hear from the 'other' side of the counter, and it's great to hear that very little is wasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indispensable Hobbes Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 It's such a shame that there are people going on like that in the world. I bet 90% of people throw away things that can be donated, charities are always screaming for donations. Perhaps we should ask in the shop if they are accepting donations of the items we take and go elsewhere. I've just bought a Portmeirion hen storer from the PDSA eBay page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janepie33 Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 I've just bought a Portmeirion hen storer from the PDSA eBay page Do you store very small hens!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emily95 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I can only second what Sue has said. For my DofE a while ago I volunteered at my local Hospice charity shop. I needed to work there for 3 months, but ended up enjoying myself so much that I stayed there for 2 years, only stopping because my A levels required so much more of my time. All donations were welcome at the shop, we took everything into the back and sorted through it all, never infront of the customer and thanked the person who had donated the items profusely. Any books that were unsaleable were recyled, or sent onto a charity that could use them. Metals were recycled and clothes we couldnt sell were sold to the rag man. Any items that were too expensive for the shop were auctioned. I am still amazed at some of the donations we received!! All clothes were steamed before they went out into the shop and our Manager would take clothes back to her house to wash them so that we were able to sell as many of our donations as possible. I loved receiving a whole bag full of freshly washed and neatly folded clothes, I would have been so please to sort your donation Chucknette! Whilst I agree that there are some terrible charity shops out there (my brother worked in the one across the road from the one that I worked in (for a much more well known charity) for his DofE and had a very different experience) there are also some wonderful ones too. I would definitely encourage you to continue to donate as they can really make a difference to people's lives - not only the people that buy the goods, but the more donations a shop receives, the more staff they require, and that sort of volunteering work can give people who wouldnt normally get an opportunity to work in a shop environment some experience of working in a team and feeling valued. I know that the people I worked with really got a sense of achievement out of being there. One woman in particular was going on a course that was paid for by the charity as a thankyou for her hard work and it was really making a difference to her life and self confidence, it was wonderful to see. Finally, as Sue says, if you do have any spare time, definitely consider working as a volunteer! I really do miss working at the shop and all the friends I made there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forestchook Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Please don't take the actions of one (hopefully) volunteer as being representive of the shop as a whole. If you tried another time you will hopefully find a far more friendly volunteer. You could try asking to speak to the manager about the person you were faced with. They should appreciate the information and to speak to the person in question about their actions and attitude. If they had any sense they will keep them off the shop floor in future because its no good if they are putting off donors question. They sound the type to be putting off customers too. I help out at a barnardos shop (when its open and I'm not otherwise occupied). We are unable to take VHS tapes and electrical goods, but certainly do not rummage through bags to check there are none there. Well I don't anyway. If the donor mentions them I apologise for not being able to take them and suggest trying one of the other shops nearby who might be able to take the items. Apparently our ex deputy did make some disparging comments along the lines of 'Oh great just what we need' about some donations, while on the shop floor. The manager was NOT amused. On the flip side we do get some very stroppy customers and/or donors. I once had a lady insist she had given me a twenty pound note instead of the ten I gave her change for. She continued to insist even after I had re-opened the till and shown there were no twenty pound notes in there. She still demanded to see the manager and asked them to check the till was not ten pounds over at the end of the day. None the less, for the most part I do enjoy volunteering there. N Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&T Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I love our local Hospice charity shop. I take stuff there (all appreciated), and get all sorts. Toys especially are great value - as long as I can clean them thoroughly, I am happy - and saved a lot! I managed to find some "new" maternity tops from there last week as well - 3 tops, good makes, £12 - bargain! And all goes to a fantastic cause. The ladies in there average about 120 years old - and are all lovely. (Even though it can take a long time to get served as they swap their glasses over 6 times, and count the money 10 times!) I used to have to "manage" volunteers - herding cats is a good analogy. I feel sorry for the managers in that respect - but you did right to complain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasperaliceuk Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 The ladies in there average about 120 years old - and are all lovely. (Even though it can take a long time to get served as they swap their glasses over 6 times, and count the money 10 times!) I would like to stress I don't fit in that category....yet! I do have to admit to the glasses though! On and off like a yo yo to see small print! Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&T Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 The ladies in there average about 120 years old - and are all lovely. (Even though it can take a long time to get served as they swap their glasses over 6 times, and count the money 10 times!) I would like to stress I don't fit in that category....yet! I do have to admit to the glasses though! On and off like a yo yo to see small print! Sue I am sure you don't!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I've been going around a number of charity shops lately buying china for my nephews wedding and the difference between them has been interesting, many of the volunteers are lovely people but some are weird. I bought quite an expensive teaset in an Oxfam shop but thought 'ah well the money is going to charity' the guy serving took an age to wrap and ended up putting it into 3 separate carrier bags. I paid before he started wrapping (which was a mistake). When he finally finished I reached down to pick up the two bags he'd done earlier and they had gone. One of the volunteers had taken them into the back room. I asked for them quite insistently and eventually one bag came back, I explained again there were two bags and she just stood there looking at me, the man serving me looked helpless. It wasn't until I started insisting on a refund of my money and they could keep the teaset that she went and got the other bag. She claimed to have thought someone had left them as a donation which I'm sure they do but I cant understand why she didn't check with the guy serving before walking off with them. And it still doesn't explain how she missed the elaborate wrapping process or the age for her to accept I had paid for my goods and wanted them. Whilst all of this was going on the next customer gave up in despair at ever being served, dropped her stuff on the counter and walked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indispensable Hobbes Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I've just bought a Portmeirion hen storer from the PDSA eBay page Do you store very small hens!? Hen, egg storer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 "Well you should have had your bags searched every time you came in and if you didn't, then people weren't doing their jobs properly" she barked. Where does she think she is? an airport????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
