Sometimes charity shops can’t accept donations (Stock Image) (Image: Olga Pankova via Getty Images)
Are you planning on donating items to charity in the near future? One charity shop worker has revealed why your donations might occasionally be turned away – and it’s not down to staff being rude or unappreciative of your generosity. There’s nothing more satisfying than decluttering your home while knowing you’re contributing to a worthy cause.
However, Stacey, who works in a charity shop and frequently shares thrifting content on her social media channels, explained that charity shops aren’t always able to accept your belongings, but this shouldn’t discourage you though, as there will invariably be another charity prepared to welcome your pre-loved items. Stacey, who posts on TikTok as @queenofpreloved, said she’d spotted someone on social media sharing a photograph of a sign outside a charity shop which read ‘no more donations’.
“I know that the assumption immediately, and I did it myself, is that the charity shop isn’t getting their stock out of the back because the prices on the shop floor are too high, therefore, nothing’s moving, and if only they reduced the prices, the stuff in the back would come out, and they’d have a higher turnover,” Stacey explained. But she said she understands this isn’t the reality, adding it’s “not that black and white”.
Stacey revealed that “she’s really lucky” with the shop she oversees, explaining the environment is excellent, and they benefit from numerous dedicated volunteers who are pleased to attend daily for a few hours and assist. This enables donations from the public and clothing banks to be processed efficiently.
However, she noted that without such a strong volunteer base and relying solely on staff, it would be unmanageable to sort through contributions, label them, steam them, and display them on rails, while simultaneously monitoring the shop floor and processing transactions. “So the reason sometimes that they can’t take your donation is they simply don’t have the volunteers, and maybe they don’t have the room,” she clarified.
Stacey acknowledged that she recognises some charity shops do set prices high, which can lead to stock becoming stagnant, but she emphasised this “is not always down to the staff”.
“Some charity shops have target sheets for brands, and they have to price accordingly,” she said. “It’s out of their hands; it’s not their choice. We don’t have that. My charity shop, we price accordingly what we think, we’re given that responsibility, and we’re happy to take it, because it means we can price to our demographic.”
Stacey explained that they are well aware of what “people are willing to pay” in their local area, and that their “turnover is great”. She also stressed that people “have to remember” that charity shop staff and volunteers must “sift through a lot of stuff,” with a considerable amount needing to be “put in rag [piles] because it’s stained, it’s dirty, it’s ripped”.
Stacey further revealed that “dirty bedding” is frequently donated, and that “that rag has to go somewhere in the duration before it’s picked up”. She noted it’s “taking up a lot of room” out back, which can occasionally mean quality donations are turned away.
She went on to say: “The fast fashion has a lot to answer for, the stuff that people aren’t gonna pay for because it was a £2 top from Shein, so we’ll be lucky if it goes out of our 50p bin. Do you know what I’m saying? So it’s not that black and white.”
In the comments section beneath the video, a fellow charity shop manager expressed gratitude for the clip, writing: “As a fellow charity shop manager, thanks for this, most people have no idea of the sheer volume of work that goes into it. We sell pretty much all clothes under £5 and it moves quickly, but there’s just not enough staff/volunteers to keep on top of the sheer amount of stuff coming in, around 60 per cent of which is unsellable and takes so much time to sort through.”
Another person expressed gratitude, commenting: “Thank you for saying this. Where I volunteer, there are multiple days each week where the shop manager or sales assistant is on the shop floor all day, with maybe two volunteers through the back.
“One emptying and one steaming. We only have two pens, one of which is for transfer and summer/winter stock although our driver is going to be off for 10 weeks. Then even when we are able to get through donations half of it is for rags or the bin.”