Charity Shops - Charity Gifts and Christmas Cards


One of my obsessions is the objectionable way that some charity shops are run.

There's something very fishy in the charity shop model. Indeed, it is even the case that a charity shop is only required ot hand over 15% of its turnover to charity. Hence the vast proliferation of charity shops on the high street.

Charity Gifts

Where are the profits going? 'Area managers', company cars, huge middle-management wages, re-shop fittings and the like - charity gifts - for those in most need?

In the past week charity shops UK has had a refit. Every three years, as routine, wether it's needed or not, which has necessitated every single one of them being closed for a week..

Our local Charity Shop was beatifully laid out and excellently run. Its refit has left it exactly the same as before except for a new laminate floor.

Charity Christmas Cards

I am deeply suspicious of charity shops. And such as the Christmas charity cards, who only return 5p in the pound to the charities. Talk about a scam! What a fabulous marketing idea - 'we're a charity supporting mental health, or the homeless, or people in Africa or whatever' - which brings people eager to help flooding into the shops. And yet they give a tiny proportion of the income from charity Christmas cards to the charity in question.

Are charity shops just big business with a fabulous business model: free stock, great image, perfect marketing angle - and unfettered capitalism behind the scenes?

1 comments:

FARM-Africa said...

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