Some time ago there was either a thread on here or a letter in the Star from a guy who had seen a bin full of perfectly good books being thrown away outside Oxfam in Broomhill. Not long after that I went in and asked about this and was told that no, they don't do that.

This morning I went past Oxfam in Broomhill, and there indeed was another bin full of books outside. When I went inside and asked about this, I was referred to a guy who I presume was the manager. He came out and we looked in the bin and he said 'They're all rubbish, we can't sell them'. Despite the fact that they weren't falling to pieces or damaged, in fact there were some new looking paperbacks such as two or three of Christian Jacq's Ramses series. Nothing wrong with any of them... except of course they didn't sell at the extortionate price that Oxfam had put them on sale at.

When I suggested they could put them in a box with a 10p price tag on so that they did at least get something for them, and avoided them going to the incinerator and adding unnecessary pollution to Sheffield's air, this guy said 'Oxfam don't sell 10p books'. I must say the arrogance of this reply staggered me: rather than get a small amount of money for the good causes they claim to support, and be thankful for it, Oxfam would rather destroy the items altogether. To me, as a book lover and someone who cares passionately about books, this is nothing short of vandalism.

If I had donated things to Oxfam in the belief that they were going to be sold to help those good causes, I think I'd be pretty unhappy to find they were actually going straight in the bin; in fact since they always claim to be short of books, it almost amounts to obtaining goods by false pretences in my view.

All I can say is, if you're thinking of donating any books to charity, donate them to somebody else rather than this arrogant bunch.

What does everyone else think? Am I just being unreasonable here?

I have emailed the head office regarding this to ask for clarification on there policy. I await there reply.

Its cheaper to go to town and buy brand new than to buy from oxfam they should shut down they have outlived there useful life,do you realise oxfam have a wage bill of £2,000.000 a year all top managers running about in brand new cars supplied and each are all on exspenses people should stop donating and give to the other charity shops

thats shocking and not acceptable,10p has to be better than nothing what a waste,someone must have been able to make use of the books,

Beggars can't be choosers? Apparently they can.

the wastefull what nots ! i always look for books in charity shops why cant they send em too africa for the schools

Have to be honest here and say that is a bloody disgrace. But then for quite some time Oxfam have been like this. I'd love to see the reply from them, and as the OP said, as they obviously don't want perfectly good, charitably donated items, take them elsewhere. Especially if there is a locally based charity shop nearby (locally meaning non-national charity, not just, .... oh you know what I mean).

If they have bugger all to sell to keep their senior and middle managers in clover, they will have to rethink.

yup i can believe this

oxfam are the worst for the sudden rise in prices

i buy mainly records, cds and computer games and say for records your looking at £1.99 - up
for ones they presume are collectible artists they wack a price on say £5 - £10 yet they havent taken the condition into consideration, you can buy em from secondhand record shops for that, theres no need, they get em for free, anythings a mark up, pure greed

and when they dont sell, they bin em, just knock the price down ffs and they will sell

personally ill take a chance on something ive not hard of, if i like the cover, song titles etc
but not for those prices, i have to be more picky

I know that most charity shops do eventually dispose of (i.e. throw away) books eventually if they don't sell, but most of them make a bit more of an effort than this to sell them first. I don't disagree with things being thrown away if they're broken, but as long as it doesn't have pages missing a book is never broken. Somebody somewhere might be looking for it.

I just think that Oxfam have got their philosophy all wrong these days - I always used to go to charity shops for things that were cheap - remember the old adage 'Pile it high and sell it cheap'? But now they seem to prefer putting a five or six quid price sticker on a book and leaving it on the shelves for months, rather than pricing it sensibly and getting rid of it quickly so the money is there to spend on the things they want to spend it on. Suffice it to say I can't remember the last time I bought a book from Oxfam, whereas years ago I used to buy loads.

Books will go to the incinerator I suppose ... I recall another organisation burning books ... I may go and have a root through their bins, I'll read owt.

the wastefull what nots ! i always look for books in charity shops why cant they send em too africa for the schools

Good point, but I'd suspect they would say summat along the lines of "It wasn't in a sellable condition (almost certainly poppycock), so we can't justify giving unsellable goods away."

Which will translate nicely as "We have a cosy corporate image to keep up. We can't be seen to just sell any old tat, I mean that book has a crease for a start."

<tries to get out of ultra cynical mode but can't>

Good point, but I'd suspect they would say summat along the lines of "It wasn't in a sellable condition (almost certainly poppycock), so we can't justify giving unsellable goods away."

Which will translate nicely as "We have a cosy corporate image to keep up. We can't be seen to just sell any old tat, I mean that book has a crease for a start."

<tries to get out of ultra cynical mode but can't>

i dont care if its a book i really want n slightly creased i always donate em back neways i agree its poppycock if they say that its put me well off oxfam now

I may go and have a root through their bins, I'll read owt.
bin sniffing :)

we used to do that

hmv and down the moor :P
got some interesting stuff they chucked away, suppose these days youd get an asbo for it :(

bin sniffing :)

we used to do that

hmv and down the moor :P
got some interesting stuff they chucked away, suppose these days youd get an asbo for it :(

Used to get loads of stuff out of the skip outside Currys on Queens Road. And I agree, you'd probably get in to trouble now (if you got caught ...)

Tch, that's a disgrace, surely doctors surgeries, hospitals, old peoples homes, community centres and the like would benefit?
All my chuckouts go to St Lukes cos they looked after my Nan when she was dying.

yup i can believe this

oxfam are the worst for the sudden rise in prices

i buy mainly records, cds and computer games and say for records your looking at £1.99 - up
for ones they presume are collectible artists they wack a price on say £5 - £10 yet they havent taken the condition into consideration, you can buy em from secondhand record shops for that, theres no need, they get em for free, anythings a mark up, pure greed

and when they dont sell, they bin em, just knock the price down ffs and they will sell

personally ill take a chance on something ive not hard of, if i like the cover, song titles etc
but not for those prices, i have to be more picky

I have to say that is so true, but it's not just *collectable* stuff. A couple of months ago I was on Woodseats doing just the same as you, looking through the records/CD's etc, in various charity shops (oh how my 2 year old loved it, such an interest she showed ;) ....... look I got her some toys and books at the same time ok :) ??? Anyway .....), and I saw summat in the Oxfam there for a friend of mine. A Wishbone Ash double live album on vinyl called Live Dates 2. Not the most popular band; not the most popular album, but we both love 'em and as I have a copy, and he doesn't what better time to get a pressie?

Not at 18 quid I wouldn't. 18 BLOODY QUID? You can get a CD version for about 8 quid from FOPP and the like. Now let's be totally honest, no matter how lefty, commy, tree huggingy, happy, hippy, you are, you don't use charity shops because it's a charity. It's for getting cheap stuff you want or need. The fact a charity you support gains is a bonus.

But I won't be ripped off by them, pressie or not.

What is the world coming to? Ripped off by charity shops, of ALL places ......

I agree it is a terrible waste. I don't agree with the person who says the managers had high wages and living the high life. My mothers cousin gave up a highly paid job in the city to run Oxfam, and that is true of many management but they have families they can't do it for nothing. When you think of the number of shops there are, the number of field workers throughout the world, of course they have a huge wage bill.

I'm a book lover so I'm :o at this!

Anyway, I rarely go in Oxfam because its so overpriced. Did you know they actually have a website where they sell on all the stuff people have given them that's valuable for inflated prices? It's more expensive than e-bay for collectable stuff!

Oxfam clearly dont need our stuff if they can throw it away. They're the McDonalds of charity these days anyway, all corporate. This so not green too, some 'tree-huggers' they are. :rolleyes:

Ever thought of raiding the skip and taking this stuff to an obviously more deserving charity like St Luke's? Now there's a good charity shop! :thumbsup:

Sorry to disillusion you but I had a similar experience at St Luke's shop on Abbeydale Rd a few months ago... a woman was taking lots of books off the shelves while I was browsing through them, and when I asked her where they were going she said 'To the skip so we can put some new ones out'. So I took a couple of them off her hands for nothing.

While we're on the subject of Oxfam's overinflated prices though, what's happened in the West St. branch lately? A few months ago their CDs were all £1.99, and their casettes all 49p, and I bought several as speculative purchases. Then all of a sudden, overnight, the CDs went up to £3.99 and the cassettes to £1.29. Result... I haven't bought anything from there since. There are a couple of things in there now I'd have had if they were still £1.99, but at £3.99 it's not worth it, I can wait and find a cheaper copy somewhere else.

God almighty! Now you're bothering me! I hate the thought that there might be something I've been looking for in that lot, and in St Luke's (in contrast to Oxfam) they don't really know the value of things. Talking of that, we've got a rare book worth over £150 bought for £3 at the flea market a few weeks back, it was just lying there in a pile of stuff. I'd been wanting this book for ages too, but on ebay the prices wre frightening. Who knows what these people are chucking out?! :o

God almighty! Now you're bothering me! I hate the thought that there might be something I've been looking for in that lot, and in St Luke's (in contrast to Oxfam) they don't really know the value of things. Talking of that, we've got a rare book worth over £150 bought for £3 at the flea market a few weeks back, it was just lying there in a pile of stuff. I'd been wanting this book for ages too, but on ebay the prices wre frightening. Who knows what these people are chucking out?! :o
a few years ago i bought 3 beatles fan club flexi discs for £1.29 each, and i resold them on for £60....i couldve possibly got a good £40 for em each but wasnt sure on the quality

now you can mention the price i got em for and what i sold em on for

at least i went on quality?

I agree it is a terrible waste. I don't agree with the person who says the managers had high wages and living the high life. My mothers cousin gave up a highly paid job in the city to run Oxfam, and that is true of many management but they have families they can't do it for nothing. When you think of the number of shops there are, the number of field workers throughout the world, of course they have a huge wage bill.

Of the senior management it is, though I concede that such a large organisation *has* to have competent people looking after its millions. However, Oxfam is now more of a business and corporate face than it should be.

I wonder if Nestle will get it's grubby hands in soon ........

I have to say that is so true, but it's not just *collectable* stuff. A couple of months ago I was on Woodseats doing just the same as you, looking through the records/CD's etc, in various charity shops (oh how my 2 year old loved it, such an interest she showed ;) ....... look I got her some toys and books at the same time ok :) ??? Anyway .....), and I saw summat in the Oxfam there for a friend of mine. A Wishbone Ash double live album on vinyl called Live Dates 2. Not the most popular band; not the most popular album, but we both love 'em and as I have a copy, and he doesn't what better time to get a pressie?

Not at 18 quid I wouldn't. 18 BLOODY QUID? You can get a CD version for about 8 quid from FOPP and the like. Now let's be totally honest, no matter how lefty, commy, tree huggingy, happy, hippy, you are, you don't use charity shops because it's a charity. It's for getting cheap stuff you want or need. The fact a charity you support gains is a bonus.

But I won't be ripped off by them, pressie or not.

What is the world coming to? Ripped off by charity shops, of ALL places ......

currently in a charity shop in whitby theres ian dury and the blockheads
first album new boots and panties, id love that again, not at £10 tho, its not worth that much in record collector magazine

last time i bought that was about 1989 for 10p from kennys records on the wicker :)

a few years ago i bought 3 beatles fan club flexi discs for £1.29 each, and i resold them on for £60....i couldve possibly got a good £40 for em each but wasnt sure on the quality

now you can mention the price i got em for and what i sold em on for

at least i went on quality?

You lucky bleeder (said as a HUGE Beatles fan)! Anyway, the point isn't whether you can get stuff and sell it on, but the fact that they are wilfully throwing stuff away, which people may or may not want. If they aren't of the right 'quality' for Oxfam's main shelves then, as said before, put the things in a bargain box, or even give them to other charity shops.

Some years ago, when working for a local welfare rights charity for people with disabilities, we had a shop, and would have killed for stuff like they are chucking.

By the way, what flexi-discs were they?

They're fools really, as if they did have a bargain bin, people would be attracted to come into the shop and would probably also end up buying more stuff at higher prices.

And what's wrong with them passing stuff on to other charities? Or do they have to maintain position as a 'market leader' or something?

You lucky bleeder (said as a HUGE Beatles fan)! Anyway, the point isn't whether you can get stuff and sell it on, but the fact that they are wilfully throwing stuff away, which people may or may not want. If they aren't of the right 'quality' for Oxfam's main shelves then, as said before, put the things in a bargain box, or even give them to other charity shops.

Some years ago, when working for a local welfare rights charity for people with disabilities, we had a shop, and would have killed for stuff like they are chucking.

By the way, what flexi-discs were they?
tbh i cant remember

they released a fanclub flexi disc every year
i got 3 of em, something like 67.68.69

they normally sell for like £50 / £60 each

currently in a charity shop in whitby theres ian dury and the blockheads
first album new boots and panties, id love that again, not at £10 tho, its not worth that much in record collector magazine

last time i bought that was about 1989 for 10p from kennys records on the wicker :)

Heh heh! Kenny's! My favourite for second hand music was Roadhouse Records on Northfield Road in Crookes. Real heaven in there and the bloke who ran it (who did car boots too) would alays have a good chat, talk to you properly, and never ever tried to rip you off .....

But anyway, that's my point, (not at that price), and others' too. Supporting a charity is one thing. Being ripped off is another. I quite happily give to charities as it is, but if I'm buying something ..... the consumer comes out, even in me .........

tbh i cant remember

they released a fanclub flexi disc every year
i got 3 of em, something like 67.68.69

they normally sell for like £50 / £60 each

Ah, the Xmas discs .... they REALLY can make some money .......

A part of me just cringed when I read this thread. What a waste ! Can't they be donated to the local libraries or something ? Or even put together and circulate round Sheffield, or other areas ? Surely, somebody would want those books.

I bought a book from Oxfam on West St once. It was a diet book, but the principles are basically the same as a modern book based on those original theories ! I was thinking, what a waste that books are re-plagerised basically over and over again.

A part of me just cringed when I read this thread. What a waste ! Can't they be donated to the local libraries or something ? Or even put together and circulate round Sheffield, or other areas ? Surely, somebody would want those books.

I bought a book from Oxfam on West St once. It was a diet book, but the principles are basically the same as a modern book based on those original theories ! I was thinking, what a waste that books are re-plagerised basically over and over again.

Heck, they could always thrown into Book Crossing. http://www.bookcrossing.com/

Its cheaper to go to town and buy brand new than to buy from oxfam they should shut down they have outlived there useful life,do you realise oxfam have a wage bill of £2,000.000 a year all top managers running about in brand new cars supplied and each are all on exspenses people should stop donating and give to the other charity shops

Very much agree, I used to work for the charity's (or so called charity) in sheffield at handsworth and yes oxfam deffinatly need naming and shaming tbh it is also correct that the company executives run about in top of the range cars (company cars)

they are over priced and yes i would like to see writen evidence of where that money goes what the generous public donate to them it obviously dosent seem to go to deserving places hence the company cars

Not the ideal thing for books but if their aim is to make money they could at least sell them for waste paper it is now 80 pounds per tonne, I hope they at least put them in the blue bins.

Surely the main aim of a charity shop should be to make as much money as poosible. If these books are taking up space and not selling they should go in the bin (OK- recycling bin)

Oxfam does really good work (http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/index.htm)across the globe and people should be happy to donte goods and money, rather than complain about the prices. I think that kind of misses the point. The shop should charge what the market will bear.

Of course they spend money on wages; you can't expect the organisation to be run by volunteers like the shop? Have a look at the cars outside the Hospice - we don't argue that doctors and nurses shouldn't be paid properly for what they do, do we? You need people with the skills and experience to maximise income and efficiency and you dont get these poeple for free or cheap for that matter. Oxfam spends 3 pence in every pound (http://www.oxfam.org.uk/about_us/downloads/report2005.pdf)on management and admin. How many organisations keep their costs that low?

I suppose if people dont want to give, they won't ; I am proud that I donate monthly.

..and BTW Mrs Twofour has bought loads of really nice quality clothes from Broomhill Oxfam for 3 or 4 quid a time.

i would like to see writen evidence of where that money goes

Here you go (http://www.oxfam.org.uk/about_us/accounts/index.htm)

Surely the main aim of a charity shop should be to make as much money as possible.



That's true, and that's why it seems so stupid to just deliberately throw books away rather than swallow their pride and accept a bit less for them.

Not the ideal thing for books but if their aim is to make money they could at least sell them for waste paper it is now 80 pounds per tonne, I hope they at least put them in the blue bins.
I read a news item in the star years ago about the Broomhill Oxfam, and the manageress said that unwanted books were sold on as waste to be pulped.
Obviously this is no longer the case. What a waste of revenue and an unecessary use of landfill :loopy:

I no longer donate to Oxfam. The assistants (at the Broomhill shop) will not take bags of stuff of you at the door - you have to cart them to the back of the shop by the lift whilst risking a parking ticket on the double yellows outside.

They are also far too picky, wanting to take the better items from you but refusing the other stuff.

And they have a superior attitude. Grrrrrr!

I am shocked by this story. I have always thought that throwing away or destroying books should be regarded as a CRIME (Unless they are incomplete/ parts torn out).

A few years ago, I found some childrens' schoolbooks in a skip in Dublin when I was over there, and took them to a nearby Refugee Centre, where the organisers accepted them gratefully!:hihi:

I am shocked by this story. I have always thought that throwing away or destroying books should be regarded as a CRIME (Unless they are incomplete/ parts torn out).

A few years ago, I found some childrens' schoolbooks in a skip in Dublin when I was over there, and took them to a nearby Refugee Centre, where the organisers accepted them gratefully!:hihi:
and then chuck em in a skip after youve left :P

Go to a boot fair and get a decent read for 50p to £1.
I refuse to pay more
Compare the prices for anything in a charity shop and a boot fair. No contest.
The people who run charity shops live in cloud cuckoo land.
They are getting greedy and will kill the goose that lays the golden egg

thats shocking and not acceptable,10p has to be better than nothing what a waste,someone must have been able to make use of the books,
This really is stupid - even the 2nd hand book shop on devonshire green a so-called trendy high class place sells some books outside for 20p i got a nice book on greek philosophy for that amount and im dead chuffed - whats wrong with oxfam why they have such a posh stuck up attitude is it because their big bosses swan around in mercedes benz paid for by our charity donations ?

I tried to donate a load of books to the Oxfam specialist bookshop back in Worcester, not tat but current contemporary and "3 for 2" stuff, plus recent cookery books, because there was literally a carload (8 boxes) we asked if they could collect and was told to ring up in a week or so and ask but " it was doubtful,we aren't really interested"(???!!!***). My mum started taking them down by the carrier bagload on foot and was met with unappreciative and snide remarks. I've since discovered the idea of groups of people who are interested in a particular charity, eg: RSPB, renting or buying a book for £1 at a meeting for the charity and then bringing it back and it being "rented" again, all to the benefit of the charity.Oxfam (retail) won't be getting any of my stuff ever again.

I won't support Oxfam or most "national" charities these days, the amount of money they waste is legendary. For instance the Woodseats Oxfam shop has had two refits in living memory and now rivals any shop in the standard of its fittings, also the arthritis shop there also looks like a "real shop" and charges "real" prices for its stuff. It's not a level playing field either, they don't pay council tax or VAT afaik, and they get tax benefits too

While the people who are trying to make a living from shops dont have the resources to just throw stock and fittings out into a skip. I'd have bought the old fittings from the oxfam shop if they'd been offered for sale! But no, smashed up and into the skip they went. You can get clothes from Primark, Mark One etc, cheaper than you can get old tat from Oxfam these days.

A really good charity to support is "Goodwill Villages" in India, they have one paid organiser in this country and the rest of the fund raising is done by volunteers. So you know where the bulk of your donations are going - direct to the source and used for the benefit of the people who need it.

that is realllly bad!!! i used to shop at oxfam (cause it was my only charity shop close by) but i would only pay their loest prices - they do charge rediculous prices for some things and to throw things away for no reason - RUBBISH!!

Go to a boot fair and get a decent read for 50p to £1.
I refuse to pay more
Compare the prices for anything in a charity shop and a boot fair. No contest.
The people who run charity shops live in cloud cuckoo land.
They are getting greedy and will kill the goose that lays the golden egg


If you don't want to give money to worthy causes, that is entirely your choice.

I tried to donate a load of books to the Oxfam specialist bookshop back in Worcester, not tat but current contemporary and "3 for 2" stuff, plus recent cookery books, because there was literally a carload (8 boxes) we asked if they could collect and was told to ring up in a week or so and ask but " it was doubtful,we aren't really interested"(???!!!***). My mum started taking them down by the carrier bagload on foot and was met with unappreciative and snide remarks. I've since discovered the idea of groups of people who are interested in a particular charity, eg: RSPB, renting or buying a book for £1 at a meeting for the charity and then bringing it back and it being "rented" again, all to the benefit of the charity.Oxfam (retail) won't be getting any of my stuff ever again.

Maybe they didn't have space for storage they must get loads of books donated.

Like I said, they are there to make money not to store books.

A really good charity to support is "Goodwill Villages" in India, they have one paid organiser in this country and the rest of the fund raising is done by volunteers. So you know where the bulk of your donations are going - direct to the source and used for the benefit of the people who need it.

You know where the bulk of your donations are going with Oxfam.

That's true, and that's why it seems so stupid to just deliberately throw books away rather than swallow their pride and accept a bit less for them.

I don't think pride has got anything to do with it. I think if they dont think a book is going to make money, they should get rid of it like any other shop would.

I tried to donate a load of books to the Oxfam specialist bookshop back in Worcester...

I'm familiar with that bookshop too. When it opened its nickname was 'Harrods of Worcester'.

I think the point with Oxfam and their goods is not that they have to get rid of things that are not selling its that they refuse to make any effort to actually sell that stuff! A proper shop would never just chuck out stuff that wasn't selling, it would keep reducing it in price until it did sell, and anything will sell if it has a low enough price. What's more, people will be attracted into the store by the word 'sale'.

No, the issue is that ordinary people are giving Oxfam this stuff with the best of intentions and the shops are getting free stock, so they seem to have the attitude that they can do what they like with it. This is not right. They do have a duty to try and sell these donations, even if it does mean having 'sales'. The reason they do not is they have now developed the idea that they have an 'image' to maintain.

I think it's a little bit ridiculious that Oxfam would throw away things that is supposed to earn them the money. Maybe they think that it won't earn money. If that is the case, then they are not selling it well ! Okay... I can understand that, if they accumulated things all the time, they won't have the space to store them, and hence the need to get rid of it.

Why can't they then distribute to other nearby charity shops ? Or even just move the same things around to different Oxfam shops ? A modern book may sell in the Oxfam bookshop on West St, than it will in the Oxfam Shop on Matilda St. (I don't think many people go into this one.)

The Matilda St one is okay. I've dropped things off before, and the people running it were quite appreciative. I've got a few things now, that I wanted to donate, but now that I've read this thread, I'll reconsider their ethics. I can sell things a carboot as said, or on Ebay. Why should I forsake that, if I know what I donate won't get bought ? Or even tried to be sold ? I can just save them and make it as one of those Xmas box for kids in 3rd world countries or something !

the wastefull what nots ! i always look for books in charity shops why cant they send em too africa for the schools

There wouldn't be much point sending books written in english to schools in Africa, where they speak and read the local african language.

I have emailed the head office regarding this to ask for clarification on there policy. I await there reply.

Any news?

I think this is a disgrace - people donating to help others and the ungrateful idiots are throwing things away!!!

:rant:

An alternative may be this kind of thing: www.greenmetropolis.com/

I worked for the Oxfam Bookshop in a largish city back in 1999. The minimum price for any book, then, was £1.49. Any books which spent a long time on the shelf were periodically bagged up and taken to another charity shop where they could be sold for realistic prices. Quite why they couldn't have been placed in a 'bin ends' type box and sold for whatever people were prepared to pay, I don't know. Possibly, company policy, although I would have expected the shop manager to have the freedom to amend company policy in certain situations.

Any news?

I think this is a disgrace - people donating to help others and the ungrateful idiots are throwing things away!!!

:rant:

An alternative may be this kind of thing: www.greenmetropolis.com/

...but if the book's not selling it's not making money and is taking space from something that might make money.

Looking forward to reply from Oxfam . Hope it's posted in full on here.

it is wrong that!
they could have put them all in a big box and put a collection box up saying `any donation appriciated`. Also theres the help the aged book shop down the road, they might have asked them if they would like them, but i doubt it.
when i used to study at castle college, the library sometimes used to clear out-of-date books out, but they would put them on a shelf for a couple of weeks priced at 10p. I bought a couple of books that came in handy with my studies.

can not believe it, i certainly will not be donating anything to `over-priced oxfam` anymore.
(rant finished)

can not believe it, i certainly will not be donating anything to `over-priced oxfam` anymore.
(rant finished)

I'm not sure a charity shop can be overpriced. You are after all making a donation to charity which many people do anyway for nothing in return.

Of course a charity shop can be overpriced - if it prices goods above the going market rate and, for example, tries to sell second hand items for more than you can buy them new, then it's overpriced.

I used to donate bags full of books in pristine condition to the Oxfam Bookshop on West Street, but the assistants were so ungrateful when I took them in that I found a more appreciative charity shop to take them to.

I think it's disgusting to throw them away like that.

Any charity that acts like this will lose favour with donors.

I have emailed the head office regarding this to ask for clarification on there policy. I await there reply.Did you ever get a reply from Oxfam? Perhaps you should email them this thread to give an indication of the strength of feeling?

I used to donate bags full of books in pristine condition to the Oxfam Bookshop on West Street, but the assistants were so ungrateful when I took them in that I found a more appreciative charity shop to take them to.

I'm sure the people who benefitted weren't ungrateful which is surely what's important.

I'm sure the people who benefitted weren't ungrateful which is surely what's important.

Not if they went in the bin and not on the shelf!!! I would rather give them to a charity shop who appreciates receiving them and selling them on to their customers.

Its not just books which are thrown out either. Around the back of me work I see them chucking toys and clothes away in the dumpsters.
What is worse is the druggies come and raid the bins and leave a right mess. Surely they should flippin lock em?

Not if they went in the bin and not on the shelf!!! I would rather give them to a charity shop who appreciates receiving them and selling them on to their customers.


..but what has that got to do with anything? the giving is surely the important thing, not the thanks you get from the individual who happens to be working that day...:huh:

You should try living in the real world, TwoFour.

..but what has that got to do with anything? the giving is surely the important thing, not the thanks you get from the individual who happens to be working that day...:huh:

Yes and I give them to a different charity now who appreciates the giving, doesn't throw them in the bin and sells them at a reasonable price - all unlike Oxfam. What's the problem?

[QUOTE=Nicola27]I used to donate bags full of books in pristine condition to the Oxfam Bookshop on West Street, but the assistants were so ungrateful when I took them in that I found a more appreciative charity shop to take them to.QUOTE]

I have found that sometimes the people working for the charity I donate my unwanted items too are not always full of thanks but at the end of the day the majority of these people are giving up there own time sorting out these items and selling them in the shops.

My point is that surly you can forgive them for not rolling out the red carpet when they are donating their time which IMO is very precious, I wonder how many times they get thanked :suspect:

..but what has that got to do with anything? the giving is surely the important thing, not the thanks you get from the individual who happens to be working that day...:huh:
No the giving is not the most important thing
Ensuring that the aims of the charity are being met; ethically is what should count.

So if staff are turning away or throwing away books or other donations that could gain income for the beneficiaries, then they are doing no credit to their service.

I find this really bizarre. If, for example, I knew that a charity shop was having a 10p book day I'd end up spending lots more money. Everyone loves a bargain. Surplus donations could walk back out of the shop door quite quickly and the charity would still receive money. Why would you just throw things away like books???

I hope the 150+ books I've given away to charity this month have actually ended up in the shop for sale.

someone once told me that 2p in the pound actually goes to charity 98p goes on administration wether thats true a dont know, but i wouldnt be suprised if it was
jobs for the boys & all that.

I agree with these posts. The prices in Oxfam are ridiculously expensive. My sister buys from charity shops a lot as she hasn't much money but has had to leave things before now because of the price and has managed to get clothes in the sales cheaper. Also i have bought brand new books from Tesco cheaper then the second hand books in Oxfam. As the first post says it would be better at least getting something since it is supposed to be for charity.

I have found that sometimes the people working for the charity I donate my unwanted items too are not always full of thanks but at the end of the day the majority of these people are giving up there own time sorting out these items and selling them in the shops.

My point is that surly you can forgive them for not rolling out the red carpet when they are donating their time which IMO is very precious, I wonder how many times they get thanked :suspect:

I never asked for a red carpet. A simple courteous thank you and a smile would have been more than enough. Surely that's not too much to ask? I've received that in other charity shops - Help the Aged have been extremely grateful for my donations, even going to the lengths of looking out for me after closing time so that they didn't miss the donation. The little difference means a lot.

someone once told me that 2p in the pound actually goes to charity 98p goes on administration wether thats true a dont know, but i wouldnt be suprised if it was
jobs for the boys & all that.


It isn't - in fact it's the other way round.

Yes and I give them to a different charity now who appreciates the giving, doesn't throw them in the bin and sells them at a reasonable price - all unlike Oxfam. What's the problem?

You are mistaking the perceived attitude of the person who you dealt with, with the aims and policies of the charity.

You should try living in the real world, TwoFour.

Thanks for that helpful contribution to the debate:|

No the giving is not the most important thing
Ensuring that the aims of the charity are being met; ethically is what should count.

So if staff are turning away or throwing away books or other donations that could gain income for the beneficiaries, then they are doing no credit to their service.

Not really because, as I have repeated several times, they must maximise their income.

I'm sure that generally they won't throw away stuff that can make them money but limited space means they have to make choices.

What's better, displaying a book that will sell for £2 or one that won't sell? Whcih makes more money for the charity? Which gains more income for their beneficiaries?

I know it may feel insulting to have donations turned away or not to have shop staff offer eternal and heartfelt thanks every time someone donates, but ultimately staff are giving their time for the benefit of the organisation and are on the same side as you.

Not if they went in the bin and not on the shelf!!! I would rather give them to a charity shop who appreciates receiving them and selling them on to their customers.

but as they were replaced by books or other items that were more likely to make money, then that was better shop management and ultimately made more money for the people you were trying to help.

Thanks for that helpful contribution to the debate:|

Oh, you're welcome. And I think it is a helpful contribution, perhaps not to your side of the debate but it seems like you're missing the point that a lot of people are trying to make.

No one's denying that the work Oxfam do is good. However, the fact that they just throw donated items away is insulting for the people who donated them, the people who rely on charity shops to buy items, and the charity itself. The statement "Oxfam don't sell 10p books" is absolutely disgraceful; do you think Sir Alan Sugar would have turned his nose up at selling something cheap to get of it and recoup some money? Or Richard Branson? Who do Oxfam think they are?

Whether you like it or not, real life isn't perfect, and as much as people perhaps should have purely noble inspirations for doing things, that's not the case. People expect to be thanked for making charitable donations. People expect to be given at least basic courtesy when making a charitable donation. And most of all, people don't like being fleeced - which, I'm afraid, when Oxfam are running TV adverts asking for people to donate set amounts of money every month, and then throwing away perfectly good stock, is absolutely outrageous. Oxfam certainly won't be getting my custom or donations anymore - I'll give it to one of the less snobby charities who'll actually appreciate it when I try to help.

Oh, you're welcome. And I think it is a helpful contribution, perhaps not to your side of the debate but it seems like you're missing the point that a lot of people are trying to make.

No one's denying that the work Oxfam do is good. However, the fact that they just throw donated items away is insulting for the people who donated them, the people who rely on charity shops to buy items, and the charity itself. The statement "Oxfam don't sell 10p books" is absolutely disgraceful; do you think Sir Alan Sugar would have turned his nose up at selling something cheap to get of it and recoup some money? Or Richard Branson? Who do Oxfam think they are?

Whether you like it or not, real life isn't perfect, and as much as people perhaps should have purely noble inspirations for doing things, that's not the case. People expect to be thanked for making charitable donations. People expect to be given at least basic courtesy when making a charitable donation. And most of all, people don't like being fleeced - which, I'm afraid, when Oxfam are running TV adverts asking for people to donate set amounts of money every month, and then throwing away perfectly good stock, is absolutely outrageous. Oxfam certainly won't be getting my custom or donations anymore - I'll give it to one of the less snobby charities who'll actually appreciate it when I try to help.

Extremely well said Rich. I've nothing to add to that.

Oh, you're welcome. And I think it is a helpful contribution, perhaps not to your side of the debate but it seems like you're missing the point that a lot of people are trying to make.

No one's denying that the work Oxfam do is good. However, the fact that they just throw donated items away is insulting for the people who donated them, the people who rely on charity shops to buy items, and the charity itself. The statement "Oxfam don't sell 10p books" is absolutely disgraceful; do you think Sir Alan Sugar would have turned his nose up at selling something cheap to get of it and recoup some money? Or Richard Branson? Who do Oxfam think they are?

Whether you like it or not, real life isn't perfect, and as much as people perhaps should have purely noble inspirations for doing things, that's not the case. People expect to be thanked for making charitable donations. People expect to be given at least basic courtesy when making a charitable donation. And most of all, people don't like being fleeced - which, I'm afraid, when Oxfam are running TV adverts asking for people to donate set amounts of money every month, and then throwing away perfectly good stock, is absolutely outrageous. Oxfam certainly won't be getting my custom or donations anymore - I'll give it to one of the less snobby charities who'll actually appreciate it when I try to help.

<fx: applause>

I totally agree. Even if the stock is offloaded to other charities, it has to be better than throwing it away. I am astonished by your assertion, two four, that the whole point is giving. That is merely a sop, a way of saying "I've done my bit, so now I don't have to care. What a wonderful person I am!". The point of donating to a charity is to help that charity achieve its aims. If I were to find out that any of the charities to which I regularly donate were wilfully wasting its stock/money, etc, I would stop my donations immediately.

Oxfam aren't having another penny from me.

Not really because, as I have repeated several times, they must maximise their income.

I'm sure that generally they won't throw away stuff that can make them money but limited space means they have to make choices.

What's better, displaying a book that will sell for £2 or one that won't sell? Whcih makes more money for the charity? Which gains more income for their beneficiaries?

I know it may feel insulting to have donations turned away or not to have shop staff offer eternal and heartfelt thanks every time someone donates, but ultimately staff are giving their time for the benefit of the organisation and are on the same side as you.

And first prize for the most condescending and patronising post 2006 goes to .........

They also throw away clothes that have stains on them or little tears. I am sorry but if I didn't have money and lived here or lived in a third world country with virtually nothing, I would be happy to have an item of clothing such as this.

It's a disgrace.

They also throw away clothes that have stains on them or little tears. I am sorry but if I didn't have money and lived here or lived in a third world country with virtually nothing, I would be happy to have an item of clothing such as this.

It's a disgrace.

I was under the impression that Oxfam makes quite a good income by recycling textiles that can't be sold but please correct me if I'm wrong.

I was a volunteer at Oxfam in Broomhill some years ago and they were very fussy then about the quality of the stock that they sold.

They used to throw away some donations completely that they felt were poor quality and to make sure no one took them from the bins they would make sure they were ripped up or torn before they were binned. Most poorer quality donations were instead bagged up and sent to other shops that they thought were in "a more appropriate area".

At the time I was there in the early to mid 90s the Oxfam in Broomhill was supposed to be the biggest store in the country and the one with the highest prices. I remember the then manager often complained that volunteers didn't put a high enough price on items.

Oxfam seem to have taken the high street retailers approach to charity and decided that they if the shops are well branded with good quality stock then they will make more money. Yes some of that money goes on good managers, but a really good manager might be good at bringing in more income.

Perhaps Oxfam isn't the best place if you have some older, tatty but readable books to get a rid of. Another store might jump at them. But if you have something good quality that could fetch a fair amount of money for charity then Oxfam might be the place that gets the best price for it.

so give oxfam 10 items they deem 5 to be good and then throw away the other five charge over the odds for the five they sell I DONT THINK OXFAM started out with these principles in the early days all managers were volunteers it wont be long before you need to have university degree to be a volunteer at oxfam

I have had a response from Oxfam so I thought I would post it here

Dear Anna,

Thank you very much for your message. We are aware of this Forum and have
had another message about it. We are in touch with our Area Manager in
Sheffield and will be able to provide a more detailed response soon. I can
say that our Broomhill shop, discussed in the Forum, is one of our most
successful shops and it is a shame that none of the people on the Forum
seems to have asked the shop manager directly about how she works.

In general terms, it is true that our shops do throw away (or recycle
locally where possible) some books that are in unsaleable condition (torn,
pages missing, grubby) or that are inherently undesirable, eg hotel guides
from 1990, out of date textbooks and manuals, some recipe books. At first
glance, some of these books may look worthwhile but our book pricers know
from experience that they will not sell, almost regardless of the price
put on them. Our shops do a certain amount of passing stock around, but we
would not be thanked for passing on some of these books because they are
just not going to sell.

Our shops pay for waste disposal so we try to avoid throwing things away
where possible, but we have to give priority to the books that we can sell
to raise money to overcome poverty and suffering. Our book pricers are
often extremely experienced and knowledgeable and thanks to them Oxfam has built its reputation as a bookseller and is trusted by thousands of donors
to make the most of their books.

I hope this helps explain how we work - sorry it's turned into rather a
long message. We would be very sorry to lose you and your boyfriend's
support over this and will be happy to answer any further questions you may
have. I will let you know the response from our Area Manager.

Best wishes,

Mary Malpas

Shop Support Team Advisor

All what you have stated may be correct but go to the start ot this thread how much are you getting paid and how many office staff do you have and paying them the values of oxfam are not the same as when it was first set up and your prices border on the ridicule

I have always favoured supporting more local charities myself - such as the St. Lukes hospice shops . The one at Woodseats has always been grateful for stuff that I have taken in there .

Althougth tour guides will go out of date. Textbooks and manuals rarely do.

Take mathematics as an example. The mathematics studied today is still the same mathematics from 40 years ago. I know when I was studying A-Level mathematics it was common practice to answer questions from an older textbook in your free time to extend the breadth of examples to a topic.

Also recipe books never expire, imagine if a Mrs Beatons recipe book was thrown away just because it was old.

To me throwing books away is criminal, but then I love books. I guess someone else has a different impression. I am not sure how the bookpricers for Oxfam work, but surely they don't employ highly literate people for each store with experience of book pricing?

they should not employ anybody they should all be volunteers

As to the response from Oxfam, I just repeat what I originally posted: they certainly weren't in unsaleable condition, and they weren't things that will never sell in a million years - I know there are some things like that (Reader's Digest condensed books are one that springs to mind) and I don't have any objection to throwing them away. It's true I didn't ask the shop manager about it, because I was passed on to the man who deals with the books.

It was interesting that when I said that I'm sure that most people would agree with me on this issue, this chap claimed that most people would agree with him. From the look of this thread at the moment, it appears that with one exception, everybody essentially agrees with me. Perhaps this could be pointed out to them too.

Perhaps you could ask them also why Oxfam don't sell 10p books.

I have had a response from Oxfam so I thought I would post it here

Dear Anna,

Thank you very much for your message. We are aware of this Forum and have
had another message about it. We are in touch with our Area Manager in
Sheffield and will be able to provide a more detailed response soon. I can
say that our Broomhill shop, discussed in the Forum, is one of our most
successful shops and it is a shame that none of the people on the Forum
seems to have asked the shop manager directly about how she works.

In general terms, it is true that our shops do throw away (or recycle
locally where possible) some books that are in unsaleable condition (torn,
pages missing, grubby) or that are inherently undesirable, eg hotel guides
from 1990, out of date textbooks and manuals, some recipe books. At first
glance, some of these books may look worthwhile but our book pricers know
from experience that they will not sell, almost regardless of the price
put on them. Our shops do a certain amount of passing stock around, but we
would not be thanked for passing on some of these books because they are
just not going to sell.

Our shops pay for waste disposal so we try to avoid throwing things away
where possible, but we have to give priority to the books that we can sell
to raise money to overcome poverty and suffering. Our book pricers are
often extremely experienced and knowledgeable and thanks to them Oxfam has built its reputation as a bookseller and is trusted by thousands of donors
to make the most of their books.

I hope this helps explain how we work - sorry it's turned into rather a
long message. We would be very sorry to lose you and your boyfriend's
support over this and will be happy to answer any further questions you may
have. I will let you know the response from our Area Manager.

Best wishes,

Mary Malpas

Shop Support Team Advisor

I have also had a similar email, after I emailed them about this thread. I also told them I will never donate to the again or support Oxfam Unwrapped :-( and I'm afraid I won't.

There are plenty of other "charities" out there.

I have only just come to this thread so I havent read all the posts however my company does a lot of work with Oxfam and I must say people do use them as a dumping ground for there rubbish.

Books take up loads of space and they only have a limited sales area so have to pick what they know will sell, some of the books they get donated are only fit for the bin.

Although Oxfam are a charity they are like any other buisness they have to maximise there sales and this means making hard deceisons sometimes.

I think they do a good job, they run there charity as a buisness and in the long run this is what makes them a success.

Hi,

Only just adding to the thread now. What some people forget is that the stuff going to charity shops is mostly unwanted...so there is no reason that anyone else should buy it. Just because you want to donate your junk doesn't mean that it's good quality and someone else should be grateful for the opportunity to buy it; if it's so good, why is it being given away.

Charities don't have to be subservient and thank people for any rubbish they pass on.

You aren't doing them a favour by giving them your rubbish.

Ade

[QUOTE=never wrong]they should not employ anybody they should all be volunteers[/QUOTE

A skilled employee is of far more use to Oxfam then a well meaning volunteer, I have seen some of there volunteers in action at first hand and I wonder how anything ever gets done.

Not all of them I must add, some are very good.

I have only just come to this thread so I havent read all the posts however my company does a lot of work with Oxfam and I must say people do use them as a dumping ground for there rubbish.

Books take up loads of space and they only have a limited sales area so have to pick what they know will sell, some of the books they get donated are only fit for the bin.

Although Oxfam are a charity they are like any other buisness they have to maximise there sales and this means making hard deceisons sometimes.

I think they do a good job, they run there charity as a buisness and in the long run this is what makes them a success.

Hi there!

The point was that the stuff which was being chucked was sellable, and was simply going to waste. I worked (without pay when I should have been paid; sometimes principles are important however) for a local charity some years ago (and indeed am trying to start one up again), and for a short time, we had a shop. Such goods we would have gladly taken, even if it meant putting them into a bargain bin.

All charities are run as businesses in effect, as there will always be overheads, especially if you have a shop, but if goods which could be sold are simply thrown it is wrong. Rent/leases, etc do not pay for themselves. The small amount we could have got from unwanted items may have been invaluable, if only in the short term.

If I can get my charity up and running, I have every intention of taking a salary, as I'll be working full time, with no other source of income, to achieve the organisation's aims; not to mention securing funding/raising the funds to continue to do this in perpetuity. I'll also be paying members of staff to help achieve this. It's impossible to run something on nothing. Jesus(TM), the monks of Buckfast Abbey have kept themselves (and a significant proportion of the West of Scotland) going by their produce for years. Should they just give it away and lose their homes, etc, in the name of 'only volunteering'?

I totally agree that large charities such as Oxfam will receive a lot of tat, but (certainly with regard to clothes), they have a warehouse where the wheat is sorted from the chaff. If items are in good condition (as per the OP's point), and thrown, it is appalling.

End.

Their response is dreadful, and I can assure one and all, I'll be writing to them, and they will not have a penny from me.

The clothes that Oxfam feel are unsaleable are bought and collected by a company for recycling, most of the charity shops do that now.

As for putting there books in a bargain bucket, they just don't have the space, I have seen how many books they get every week. I think they do the right thing by discarding them.

but if they were ten pence each they would sell I once saw a full set of archbolds books on law which were five years old and they wanted £30 and these were out of date most of you will realise the books have to be uptodate so the new laws can be added

I have worked in charity shops, and they do get a lot of books, many of which are trash (Keith Chegwin Annual 1984). Sometimes we did chuck books out, only because we had stock coming in which we needed space for. I think one of the main points here is the pricing, Oxfam in general charge a lot for second hand goods. I appreciate that they are a charity and want to get as much for their goods as possible, but in light of today's millions of charities they should be glad for what they get. A lot of charity shops are quite rude, and will only take 'decent, good items'. St Lukes have a sign saying they will not take car boot rejects. Well some people can't get to car boots, and appreciate stuff at low prices.

I have worked in charity shops, and they do get a lot of books, many of which are trash (Keith Chegwin Annual 1984). Sometimes we did chuck books out, only because we had stock coming in which we needed space for. I think one of the main points here is the pricing, Oxfam in general charge a lot for second hand goods. I appreciate that they are a charity and want to get as much for their goods as possible, but in light of today's millions of charities they should be glad for what they get. A lot of charity shops are quite rude, and will only take 'decent, good items'. St Lukes have a sign saying they will not take car boot rejects. Well some people can't get to car boots, and appreciate stuff at low prices.

Pricing is obviously a big point, but the main opint is that the OP saw goods which WERE sellable, being thrown away. Nobody is suggesting that total c**p should waste shelf space (in 84 a Chegwin annual would have been pretty much a non-starter), but if things ARE sellable, they should be sold, or donated to other charities; not thrown away.

A lot of charity shops don't want to acknowledge that some people buy their stuff to sell on at a profit. Some people see it as a bad thing. But there is a large Amazon seller market, where people will sell second hand books on Amazon. What is wrong with Oxfam taking it's books and putting them in bulk sales, £10 for 30 books. Amazon seller would snap them up, and Oxfam get a tenner in the till. Charity shops have to move forward with the times.

A Wishbone Ash double live album on vinyl called Live Dates 2.
I shared a flat for a while with Andy Powell. I was only 17 at the time though.

Unbelievable! If they have to get rid of some books, couldn't they recycle?
My unwanted books will be going elsewhere from now on.

I shared a flat for a while with Andy Powell. I was only 17 at the time though.

Cor!! Flying V's everywhere then??

Hi,

Only just adding to the thread now. What some people forget is that the stuff going to charity shops is mostly unwanted...so there is no reason that anyone else should buy it. Just because you want to donate your junk doesn't mean that it's good quality and someone else should be grateful for the opportunity to buy it; if it's so good, why is it being given away.

Charities don't have to be subservient and thank people for any rubbish they pass on.

You aren't doing them a favour by giving them your rubbish.

Ade
If someone dies what happens to their stuff??? People also get divorced, married, merge homes, move homes, relocate to other parts of the country or move overseas. People also even get rid of stuff when they do up their home.

Not just Oxfam do this - our local hospice Charity shop has a paper bank round the back & it is regularly full of good books. In fact only the other week I helped the local Big Issue seller retrieve a pile, which we loaded on his trolley & I sold the rest for another local charity!

I think it is quite clear from all these comments that none of you have any idea what running a charity shop involves

yes these days they are run like businesses, they invest, in order to make tremendous amounts of money for the people they are aiming to help, and that is not achieved by selling poor quality items at whatever price

people are not paid a fortune to work for charity, the size of the organisations and the infrastructures required and managed are huge, skills and experience and knowledge do not come for free on such a huge skill

the old school way was not productive, charity shops sold cheap stuff at ridiculously bargain basement prices, and that doesnt happen anymore, so yes u have had your hay day of bargains, although they are still out there, believe u me!

there is so many individual inaccuracies in every single message posted on this topic that i would not know where to begin!

one thing to leave you with, instead of whinging about the prices in charity shops, get your self down there and offer your help by volunteering?????

PS: taking items from bins is actually theft! items remain the posession of the outlet untill they are collected by the bin men

with regards to what is sellable, a book lover looking in a bin will argue that any book is sellable, they are often blind to the fact that it is clearly not!

they most certainly do, every single oxfam book shop and even most of the standard shops that sell books have a lot of expert knowledge regarding books

Very much agree, I used to work for the charity's (or so called charity) in sheffield at handsworth and yes oxfam deffinatly need naming and shaming tbh it is also correct that the company executives run about in top of the range cars (company cars)

they are over priced and yes i would like to see writen evidence of where that money goes what the generous public donate to them it obviously dosent seem to go to deserving places hence the company cars
there is one company car in the whole of the UK within Oxfam, fact, like it or not

many employees high up in the organisation may appear to be rich because they have had tremendously successful careers elsewhere and take a huge pay cut to offer their services to charities

if anyone wants any questions answering RE charity retailing email me on markbaldwin69@hotmail.co.uk

I think it is quite clear from all these comments that none of you have any idea what running a charity shop involves

How dare you be so patronising. As it happens, not only am I trying to set up a charity, but did indeed work for, and for a time manage a local charity, which had a shop.

So indeed, I do know what is required. Indeed, as I worked for a local 'one man band', I dare say I have a bloody damn sight more insight into it than you. Feel free to correct me if you think I'm wrong.

If you would care to see the point of the thread, the opinions of those who agree with the OP, and, to be sure, the whole point of the OP, you would realise that we are talking about goods which are sellable, and are being wilfully thrown away, neither donated elsewhere nor even recycled.

This from a charity is unacceptable, especially one which spends as much as it does on advertisement, let alone its (necessary) wage bill.

You, quite frankly, have lost the idea of what a charity is, given your posts.

Any organisation the size of OXFAM requires full time, paid staff. That isn't being questioned. What, however, is being questioned, is the organisation throwing away goods which could be sold, by themselves or any other organisation.

I have only just come to this thread so I havent read all the posts however my company does a lot of work with Oxfam and I must say people do use them as a dumping ground for there rubbish.

Books take up loads of space and they only have a limited sales area so have to pick what they know will sell, some of the books they get donated are only fit for the bin.

Although Oxfam are a charity they are like any other buisness they have to maximise there sales and this means making hard deceisons sometimes.

I think they do a good job, they run there charity as a buisness and in the long run this is what makes them a success.

Thank you. At last someone posting common sense.

I think it is quite clear from all these comments that none of you have any idea what running a charity shop involves

yes these days they are run like businesses, they invest, in order to make tremendous amounts of money for the people they are aiming to help, and that is not achieved by selling poor quality items at whatever price

people are not paid a fortune to work for charity, the size of the organisations and the infrastructures required and managed are huge, skills and experience and knowledge do not come for free on such a huge skill

the old school way was not productive, charity shops sold cheap stuff at ridiculously bargain basement prices, and that doesnt happen anymore, so yes u have had your hay day of bargains, although they are still out there, believe u me!

there is so many individual inaccuracies in every single message posted on this topic that i would not know where to begin!

one thing to leave you with, instead of whinging about the prices in charity shops, get your self down there and offer your help by volunteering?????

PS: taking items from bins is actually theft! items remain the posession of the outlet untill they are collected by the bin men

with regards to what is sellable, a book lover looking in a bin will argue that any book is sellable, they are often blind to the fact that it is clearly not!

Thanks for the best post of this thread so far.

How dare you be so patronising. As it happens, not only am I trying to set up a charity, but did indeed work for, and for a time manage a local charity, which had a shop.


is that the same as managing a charity shop?

If you would care to see the point of the thread, the opinions of those who agree with the OP, and, to be sure, the whole point of the OP, you would realise that we are talking about goods which are sellable, and are being wilfully thrown away, neither donated elsewhere nor even recycled.


Oxfam's response stated:
"In general terms, it is true that our shops do throw away (or recycle
locally where possible) some books that are in unsaleable condition"

Your opinion of what is saleable and Oxfam's are obviously different (even though you didn't actually see the books). They have to make money from their shops. Do you think they are deliberately trying to make less money or what?

<fx: applause>

I am astonished by your assertion, two four, that the whole point is giving. That is merely a sop, a way of saying "I've done my bit, so now I don't have to care. What a wonderful person I am!". The point of donating to a charity is to help that charity achieve its aims.


Yes...exactly! you donate to charity shops and buy from them to give to the charity and help them acheive their ends.

So why not let them do what they do and stop moaning about their shop policies. They know what they are doing. Let them get on with it. I will continue donating to Oxfam and support their good work.

You, quite frankly, have lost the idea of what a charity is, given your posts.


According to the arguments on this thread the idea of a charity is

1- to be eternally grateful for every donation including the many bags of useless garbage that people take in. (Of course shop workers should be courteous, though)

2 - To keep items in the shop regardless of whether they are going to sell or to fob these off on to other charity shops (what an insult)

3 -To be lectured to by people who haven't the first idea of what is involved in maximising income for charitable causes.

When you set up your charity shop, I'm sure you will do a great job and rasise more money than Oxfam per square foot of shop. Post back here when it happens.


OK thats it...I'm all ranted out...

Oxfam is wayyyyy too expensive here in Nether Edge. You can buy similar things cheaper elsewhere, it's not good value. The music is curiously overpriced, especially LPs. Actually it's sometimes cheaper to buy the CD, brand new, in fopp.

Two four really seems to be the only one who has a sound grasp of the modern concept of charity retailing here, well done! (is that patronising enough for ya? ha ha)

what happy hippy seems to be missing is the fact that what she thinks are sellable, and what a lot of people think are sellable, simply are not desirable, and it is therefore inefficient to give them any time or space on the shelves at all

i most certainly think you are wrong happy hippy, i am a professional retailer, i run a tremendously profitable charity outlet, and let me assure you i do know what i am doing

RE: recycling, i agree that if it can be done at a local level at zero cost then it should be, however it is not a charitys responisibility to recycle, it is a charitys responsibility to make money for their beneficiaries, ultimately

by very definition all charitys, in the same way that businesses aim to be, are run as cost effectively as possible, they may spend money on marketing, but they would not do this unless they knew that they would be getting far more back in return

is that the same as managing a charity shop?

As it was at that time, yes, it was the same.

Oxfam's response stated:
"In general terms, it is true that our shops do throw away (or recycle
locally where possible) some books that are in unsaleable condition"

Your opinion of what is saleable and Oxfam's are obviously different (even though you didn't actually see the books). They have to make money from their shops. Do you think they are deliberately trying to make less money or what?

Let's get this right. The OP said the goods were sellable. As he was the only one on this thread to have seen them and felt so strongly as to post, I'll take his word about it. If the goods weren't sellable due to their condition, being out of date, etc, then, as I have already said, fine. Nobody could sell them. However, for the umpteenth time, they were in a sellable condition, etc.

Yes...exactly! you donate to charity shops and buy from them to give to the charity and help them acheive their ends.

So why not let them do what they do and stop moaning about their shop policies. They know what they are doing. Let them get on with it. I will continue donating to Oxfam and support their good work.

Because they appear to be getting shot of goods which have use. That's why. Incidentally, I'd like to know what the phrase, 'recycled locally' in the response from Oxfam, means ...... could it be what I and others have been advocating with regard to other charities, or actual recycling?

According to the arguments on this thread the idea of a charity is

1- to be eternally grateful for every donation including the many bags of useless garbage that people take in. (Of course shop workers should be courteous, though)

Nobody has said the rubbish should be kept and sold.

2 - To keep items in the shop regardless of whether they are going to sell or to fob these off on to other charity shops (what an insult)

Fob off? Any locally based charity would be more than happy to take surplus goods which are sellable. Note I say 'locally'. Small, independent shops need more sellable goods. What's better? 'Recycling locally' (I really do hope they meant this) among local charities or chucking them inthe bin?

3 -To be lectured to by people who haven't the first idea of what is involved in maximising income for charitable causes.

And you're an expert in the field are you? Different charities have different aims, and therefore different reasons for their expenditure.

When you set up your charity shop, I'm sure you will do a great job and rasise more money than Oxfam per square foot of shop. Post back here when it happens.

I actually said I'm trying to set up a charity, not a charity shop. If you're going to give out cheap, low blows, get your facts straight.


OK thats it...I'm all ranted out...

Too right, I'm having a rest too :)

Two four really seems to be the only one who has a sound grasp of the modern concept of charity retailing here, well done! (is that patronising enough for ya? ha ha)

Don't be glib, it really doesn't help you.

what happy hippy seems to be missing is the fact that what she

He

thinks are sellable, and what a lot of people think are sellable, simply are not desirable, and it is therefore inefficient to give them any time or space on the shelves at all

I've said this already. I really wish people would read the whole thread before posting.

i most certainly think you are wrong happy hippy, i am a professional retailer, i run a tremendously profitable charity outlet, and let me assure you i do know what i am doing

Now then, here's the rub. As you say 'charity outlet', can I infer from that that you mean 'outlet as part of a large charitable organisation'? That, as I stated before, is a totally different kettle of fish to a small, locally based charity, with or without a shop.

It's like comparing Tesco to the corner shop. You can't do it.

RE: recycling, i agree that if it can be done at a local level at zero cost then it should be, however it is not a charitys responisibility to recycle, it is a charitys responsibility to make money for their beneficiaries, ultimately

And there are no ways of doing that at zero cost? I might add that a charity is there to achieve its aims, as set out with the Charities Commission. If at the same time, it can help others outside of those aims, then that in itself is an act of charity.

by very definition all charitys, in the same way that businesses aim to be, are run as cost effectively as possible, they may spend money on marketing, but they would not do this unless they knew that they would be getting far more back in return

Agreed, and raising/maintaining awareness is always needed. Charities probably need to be an even tighter ship too, given the tax status, etc.

In addition to this, you are looking at it from a shop manager's point of view. I am looking at it from a charity management point of view. These are wholly different things, and need to be seen as such.

lets face it after all this OXFAM is the pits and very badly run it,s not like when it started come on be fair it is not.And all of you trying to defend them should be ashamed the point is years ago every was very cheap now very dear. THEY HAVE LOST THE PLOT

May one suggest that the happy hippy may have a little too much time on her hands?

why is that you kept replying

May one suggest that the happy hippy may have a little too much time on her hands?

Read his posts instead of making 'ad hominem' attacks (too much time on hands, get a life etc).

You're just making it obvious that you haven't now. Enaging in discourse requires that you read posts and comprehend them.

May one suggest that the happy hippy may have a little too much time on her hands?

His hands, for the second time. And, no. You may not suggest it. As a full time Dad, worker, and trying to get a charity started, I think I have my hands full.

Stay on topic and stop trolling.

Why is this thread getting so personal? Does anybody actually agree with books that could be sold in the shop being thrown away? Isn't that the whole point of this thread? It doesn't matter what they do with books that are in such a bad condition that they cannot be sold, we are talking in this instance about books that could have made money for the charity if only they would get off their high horse and be prepared to charge less for their stock.

And Two Four, one of your threads today mentioned yet again the being "eternally grateful" for donations point and I presume that yet again it was directed at me. For the last time, I do not expect them to be "eternally grateful" for my donations, but I do expect them to say thank you and smile, as I would expect from anybody working in customer service. Without donations they would not be able to run the shop at all.

I do entirely agree that donations should be accepted with grace and thanks, that should go without saying

ultimately, if the books were genuinely saleable, then they shouldnt have been thrown out

however, if for instance we take a very small unit/outlet that simply cannot have the space to store goods, then often they may not have any choice

also, it is often not cost effective transporting goods from one store to another due to van costs etc.

these are the cold hard facts

with regards to passing on goods to other charities, this is also bad practice, if a donor has given goods to one particular charity, they would not appreciate them being moved on to another

how would all the oxfam haters like it if they had donated goods to another charity and that charity had then donated them to oxfam??

yeah u r right we shouldnt make this personal!

but it nearly always ends up this way coz people have emotions

PS: i did read ur posts properly but i thought id keep on calling you SHE just to see if it would wind u up, ha ha, sorry!

If I were to give something to a charity shop, it would be because I wanted to donate it to a charity. If it was then passed to a different charity shop I would not complain, because it would still be going to charity.

However, if I then found it had been thrown away, I would be annoyed, because I could have put it in my own bin & not wasted time/transport taking it to a charity shop in the first place.

I do entirely agree that donations should be accepted with grace and thanks, that should go without saying

ultimately, if the books were genuinely saleable, then they shouldnt have been thrown out

Bit of a turn around from our resident expert ..... it was clear from the OP's point of view they were genuinely as such .......

however, if for instance we take a very small unit/outlet that simply cannot have the space to store goods, then often they may not have any choice

We're not. We're talking about an international charity, with more transport and/or storage at its disposal than you or I could ever dream of having for ourselves.

also, it is often not cost effective transporting goods from one store to another due to van costs etc.

This has to be the most ridiculous thing I have heard outside of the BNP threads. An email couldn't be sent, via local networks to other charity shops/charities, to say that goods which were sellable, but not able to be kept by a certain shop, were going for whatever reason? A couple of local cost phone calls for the general good? Other local charities couldn't pick up goods? You are simply talking nonsense.

these are the cold hard facts

No they aren't at all. Give me some figures as to how the goods thrown away by OXFAM, and/or the outlet for whom you purport to work, prove that binning perfectly good wares is cost effective and contributes to the aims of the charity, and I might give your argument some credence.

with regards to passing on goods to other charities, this is also bad practice, if a donor has given goods to one particular charity, they would not appreciate them being moved on to another

how would all the oxfam haters like it if they had donated goods to another charity and that charity had then donated them to oxfam??

I think that's fair, to a point. What I would say, however, is that the donation was made to THAT charity, to create funds. If the said charity then found it COULDN'T create funds from said goods, all of sellable quality, then the further act of charity isn't a bad thing. Let's not forget that this is CHARITY, not self-aggrandising, or profit making.

yeah u r right we shouldnt make this personal!

You made remarks which were personal, and as far as I can see, can't substantiate your claims, and have turned on your heels.

but it nearly always ends up this way coz people have emotions

Talking utter rubbish doesn't help either. It's nothing to do with emotion; it's to do with people 'running' charity shops who have absolutely no idea of what charity is, or for what one stands.

PS: i did read ur posts properly but i thought id keep on calling you SHE just to see if it would wind u up, ha ha, sorry!

That troll like remark said it all.

As someone who has 'an immensely profitable* charity outlet', your puerile comment there cements my thoughts. Not only can you not spell correctly (something a decent manager should be able to do, especially when you have such a 'strong' argument), nor can you refrain from text speak, nor do you even know when to use upper case letters, but you simply have no argument but playground taunting, and poking the tongue out.

You have no idea about the subject at hand: should you have, I would suggest you prove it.

*question 1, When did charities ever make profits?

1. Writing is actually one of my strong points, as is a keen attention to detail with regards to spelling, punctuation and grammar. When I want to. Not when I am posting replies to messages in forums.

2. By viewing proceeds from a charity shop as profits I am able to focus on maximising said funds, operating as if I am running my own small business.

3. Yes admittedly I got personal and I shouldn't have done because that is a sure fire way to lose any debate

4. From the OP's point of view the books were sellable. I would tend to believe that they were probably not. Then again, I can not claim to know for sure the standards and skills of every shop manager in the country.

5. You have a clear lack of knowledge with regards to the costs asscociated with the moving of goods, whether it be from shop to shop, or area to area. Obviously phone calls and emails are very low cost but they do not move things, van costs would be huge across a large organisation

6. I sell what I can sell for as much money as I can get for it. That is the aim. As someone pointed out previously, why would a shop throw away perfectly good items? Then again, lets face it, it may happen from time, with a large volunteer work force mistakes can be made.

Ultimately, whilst I think that your heart is in the right place, I think you may be a bit of an idealist.

With regards to getting personal, attacking someone for poor typing or SPG is as playground as it gets!

If you want to set up an effecient charity you will quickly realise that in reality idealism gets you know where.

And Two Four, one of your threads today mentioned yet again the being "eternally grateful" for donations point and I presume that yet again it was directed at me.

No it wasn't.

Oh, and by the way, I do find your quips incredibly witty

Please don't call me an expert, I mean fair enough, I do know an incredible amount about everything, but I wouldn't go as far as saying I am an expert on anything.

Oh, go on then, if you must.

And you're an expert in the field are you?

Not at all but I am not trying to tell them how to run their shop. It seems to me as though you and others on this thread are.

lets face it after all this OXFAM is the pits and very badly run

It would be great if you had facts to back this up.

eg how much money does that shop make? and how much money do other similar sized charity shops make?

Then we can make a sensible judgement as to how well this shop is run. The bottom line is all that counts.

If anyone can show me they do significantly worse than other shops, I will eat my words and buy you all a drink.

Oxfam recently won the award for running the most profitable chain of charity shops I do believe

this all sounds a bit outragoeus really - i love books, why couldnt they donate them to me?! seriously though they could have pass them on to a different (lower class!!!!) of charity shop. i get tonnes from my local FABLE (epilepsy) for 50peach bargain! i got JERRY SPRINGER the other day hehe! great stuff
Some charities make me mad, but i have heard a lot of naughty stuff about oxfam and i would never donate to them. The clothes you donate to 3rd world countries actually get sold to Arabs who then sell them to the africans. Shocking but true and seen by my best friends own eyes.

this all sounds a bit outragoeus really - i love books, why couldnt they donate them to me?! seriously though they could have pass them on to a different (lower class!!!!) of charity shop. i get tonnes from my local FABLE (epilepsy) for 50peach bargain! i got JERRY SPRINGER the other day hehe! great stuff
Some charities make me mad, but i have heard a lot of naughty stuff about oxfam and i would never donate to them. The clothes you donate to 3rd world countries actually get sold to Arabs who then sell them to the africans. Shocking but true and seen by my best friends own eyes.


In the end, if you want to support Oxfam and the causes it supports, then you donate to Oxfam, if you don't, then you don't have to donate do you.

But you also shouldn't spread rumour and facilitate urban myth.

what urban myth what rumour it may be true you dont know do you and of course you dont have to donate to oxfam.This thread was started stating a fact oxfam were throwing away books I dont think after seeing some of the replies this can be disputed. how about this rumour I think you work for oxfam

1. Writing is actually one of my strong points, as is a keen attention to detail with regards to spelling, punctuation and grammar. When I want to. Not when I am posting replies to messages in forums.

Why? Do you have to be less clear in responses on fora? By not appearing to bother, it certainly ensures that you don't give the impression that you're management material.

2. By viewing proceeds from a charity shop as profits I am able to focus on maximising said funds, operating as if I am running my own small business.

Again, I have stated this before, however charities legally don't make profits.

3. Yes admittedly I got personal and I shouldn't have done because that is a sure fire way to lose any debate

So why continue it with another personal attack (which has since, thankfully, been removed by the mods)? As you acknowledge it does you no good, why persist? Let's keep it to a reasoned debate, eh?

4. From the OP's point of view the books were sellable. I would tend to believe that they were probably not. Then again, I can not claim to know for sure the standards and skills of every shop manager in the country.

On what do you base your first sentence in this paragraph?

5. You have a clear lack of knowledge with regards to the costs asscociated with the moving of goods, whether it be from shop to shop, or area to area. Obviously phone calls and emails are very low cost but they do not move things, van costs would be huge across a large organisation

And you have a clear lack of understanding of my point, or more likely, a clear lack of wishing to understand it. At which point have I said that any large organisation should transport goods to other places? I have consistently said small, local organisations would benefit, and, should they wish to take sellable goods, they would pick them up. Of that there is no doubt. Please stop being so supercilious.

6. I sell what I can sell for as much money as I can get for it. That is the aim.

Agreed; nobody has said otherwise, so your point is?

As someone pointed out previously, why would a shop throw away perfectly good items? Then again, lets face it, it may happen from time, with a large volunteer work force mistakes can be made.

So now we are going from 'We can't possibly keep it and it's probably tat' (paraphrased), to 'Well, it could just be a mistake.'. Once again we have a turnaround ........

Ultimately, whilst I think that your heart is in the right place, I think you may be a bit of an idealist.

That is because charities are about ideals. As I stated previously, I'm looking from a charity management perspective, not a quasi-petit bourgeois viewpoint. Running the small outlet for a charity requires realism; running the organisation requires realism and idealism, which should be borne out all through the organisation.

With regards to getting personal, attacking someone for poor typing or SPG is as playground as it gets!

If you want to set up an effecient charity you will quickly realise that in reality idealism gets you know where.

Not when you are throwing unfounded accusations as to the abilities and experience people have in this field. With regard to your last sentence, when you have ever run a charity (not an outlet), you will realise that without ideals, and sticking to them, you will never get off the ground.

Kindest regards,

Oxfam recently won the award for running the most profitable chain of charity shops I do believe

Apparently so ..... and others may have got more profits had surplus stock gone to them: even more to the common good.

We are quite clearly banging our heads against each other

And your petulent analysis and breaking down of each post is incredibly boring. You seem to think that it is clever, but it isn't.

Censorship is also intolerable.

You really do need to get down off your high horse, management material and all that nonsense, getting bogged down in the intricacies of each post

despite the fact that you want to set up a charity etc. you seem to be terribly elitist

what urban myth what rumour it may be true you dont know do you and of course you dont have to donate to oxfam.This thread was started stating a fact oxfam were throwing away books I dont think after seeing some of the replies this can be disputed. how about this rumour I think you work for oxfam


seens that sheffield forum won't let me call you a moron, may I inform you that i dont work for oxfam, but i am a long term supporter purely because of the huge amount of work they do providing the basics that the poorest people on this earth need to survive

that can not be debated

you have just called me a moron I have been called worse by very educated people get the drift

Congrats, you have been insulted by more educated people than myself

You must be proud

We are quite clearly banging our heads against each other

And your petulent analysis and breaking down of each post is incredibly boring. You seem to think that it is clever, but it isn't.

Censorship is also intolerable.

You really do need to get down off your high horse, management material and all that nonsense, getting bogged down in the intricacies of each post

despite the fact that you want to set up a charity etc. you seem to be terribly elitist

Simply re-explaining to you what my arguments are, of which you clearly take no notice, is hardly petulance. You clearly have no conception of the aims and articles, etc, of a charity; nor do you seem to care (it is merely a business to you, and a means to your salary, however much you have worked for it), nor what a charity actually is.

I find it amusing that someone who, has backtracked on their opinions, even changed their style of writing, generally ignored the arguments presented, and then resorted to displays of vulgarity and who has openly admitted to trolling, should say I should get off my high horse.

I assume your post was removed due to your personal attack on a forummer, who disagreed with you. You reacted with language which was unacceptable, and certainly unbefitting a manager. It's not censorship; it's keeping it civil.

If this is a general display of your people management skills, you can thank your lucky stars I don't know where you purport to work.

Congrats, you have been insulted by more educated people than myself

You must be proud

A prime example ........

I really don’t see what the problem is with Oxfam getting rid of stuff, display space in shops is expensive and they have to make the best use of it they can.

If you look at the tags in charity shops they generally mark on how many weeks stuff has been on display if it’s been there beyond a certain time period they’ll either move it onto another shop in their chain, donate it to another group of shops and in some cases even through it away.

What else can they do? There simply isn’t room to display everything they are donated until it’s sold, to do so would simply be ruinously expensive and grossly inefficient.

seens that sheffield forum won't let me call you a moron, may I inform you that i dont work for oxfam, but i am a long term supporter purely because of the huge amount of work they do providing the basics that the poorest people on this earth need to survive

that can not be debated

That's fair, and agreed, they do work tirelessly on the ground and in the frontline.

That wasn't the point of this thread though was it?

I really don’t see what the problem is with Oxfam getting rid of stuff, display space in shops is expensive and they have to make the best use of it they can.

If you look at the tags in charity shops they generally mark on how many weeks stuff has been on display if it’s been there beyond a certain time period they’ll either move it onto another shop in their chain, donate it to another group of shops and in some cases even through it away.

What else can they do? There simply isn’t room to display everything they are donated until it’s sold, to do so would simply be ruinously expensive and grossly inefficient.

That's the point, goods which could have been given elsewhere, weren't, and neither were they even being recycled at the very least. Oxfam are more guilty of this than most, but to be fair, that could simply be because they are the biggest, or at least perceived to be, charity with a network of shops, and will have more surplus stock.

On the subject of storage and display however, going back a bit, I've just counted up how many books are in the small bookcase to the side of me, and it's just short of 300. I know from moving house recently, that they all went in one, decent sized box.

Is this too much to keep to one side, and if so, it's hardly too much for a local venture to come and pick up really, is it?

We know shelf space is limited, but you would never go into an ordinary shop and find them simply binning stock because they did not have space for it. No, they have sales in order to get rid of stuff, even if they have to put a stupidly low price on it.

I remember a 2nd hand bookshop on Hunters Bar closing down years ago - they had an offer where you got given a carrier bag for 50p and could fill it with as many books as would fit into it, all for 50p. Believe me, I barely thought for a moment about what i was stuffing my bag with, and what's more, I went back for a few more bags full.

Why can't Oxfam do that? There really is no reason beyond they want to maintain an 'image' of some kind. Perhaps they don't like being perceived as a 'charidee shop' (probably true given the vast amounts of choccie and nicknacks that they sell - its more like an ethnic goods store than a charity shop). But Oxfam is a charity shop. And its full of stuff people donate in the hope that it will raise money for starving people, not in the hope that it will be chucked in a bin just to maintain 'image'.

I know someone who remodels clothes she buys in charity shops but will not go in oxfam because anything vaguely interesting is shoved on a student-oriented 'retro' rail - and costs more than stuff in proper retro shops!

I really don’t see what the problem is with Oxfam getting rid of stuff, display space in shops is expensive and they have to make the best use of it they can.

If you look at the tags in charity shops they generally mark on how many weeks stuff has been on display if it’s been there beyond a certain time period they’ll either move it onto another shop in their chain, donate it to another group of shops and in some cases even through it away.

What else can they do? There simply isn’t room to display everything they are donated until it’s sold, to do so would simply be ruinously expensive and grossly inefficient.

yes this is more along the right lines of what actually happens in the majority of cases, and it is the most practical way of dealing with stuff on a day to day basis

We know shelf space is limited, but you would never go into an ordinary shop and find them simply binning stock because they did not have space for it. No, they have sales in order to get rid of stuff, even if they have to put a stupidly low price on it.

I remember a 2nd hand bookshop on Hunters Bar closing down years ago - they had an offer where you got given a carrier bag for 50p and could fill it with as many books as would fit into it, all for 50p. Believe me, I barely thought for a moment about what i was stuffing my bag with, and what's more, I went back for a few more bags full.

Why can't Oxfam do that? There really is no reason beyond they want to maintain an 'image' of some kind. Perhaps they don't like being perceived as a 'charidee shop' (probably true given the vast amounts of choccie and nicknacks that they sell - its more like an ethnic goods store than a charity shop). But Oxfam is a charity shop. And its full of stuff people donate in the hope that it will raise money for starving people, not in the hope that it will be chucked in a bin just to maintain 'image'.

I know someone who remodels clothes she buys in charity shops but will not go in oxfam because anything vaguely interesting is shoved on a student-oriented 'retro' rail - and costs more than stuff in proper retro shops!

50p bags, sales, promos, offers etc generally give out the wrong impression

sales etc. say we have too much stock therefore we dont want any more, which can be good if a shop wants to put people off from giving them certain things, but in general it shows that we are not getting good prices for goods and this often reduces the quality of stock donated

if you put rubbish out for sale, or put big boxes of books out for sale for next to nothing, then people will stop donating, or conversly will donate loads and loads of low quality goods

Simply re-explaining to you what my arguments are, of which you clearly take no notice, is hardly petulance. You clearly have no conception of the aims and articles, etc, of a charity; nor do you seem to care (it is merely a business to you, and a means to your salary, however much you have worked for it), nor what a charity actually is.

I find it amusing that someone who, has backtracked on their opinions, even changed their style of writing, generally ignored the arguments presented, and then resorted to displays of vulgarity and who has openly admitted to trolling, should say I should get off my high horse.

I assume your post was removed due to your personal attack on a forummer, who disagreed with you. You reacted with language which was unacceptable, and certainly unbefitting a manager. It's not censorship; it's keeping it civil.

If this is a general display of your people management skills, you can thank your lucky stars I don't know where you purport to work.

the word i used was moron, hardly worthy of being censored, and i only said that because of the way in which said forummer cockily implied that i worked for oxfam, which is not true

it very much is a business, and it has to be such in order to be fair to beneficiaries

you are unbelievably critical and cynical, and also regurgitate the same lines of personal criticism over and over again

and if you did know where i worked? how much more of an empty threat could you possibly have made, what power or influence do you really think you could exert?

50p bags, sales, promos, offers etc generally give out the wrong impression

sales etc. say we have too much stock therefore we dont want any more, which can be good if a shop wants to put people off from giving them certain things, but in general it shows that we are not getting good prices for goods and this often reduces the quality of stock donated

if you put rubbish out for sale, or put big boxes of books out for sale for next to nothing, then people will stop donating, or conversly will donate loads and loads of low quality goods


And that sums it up really - Oxfam just want to cherry pick the most expensive items out of what you donate and sell them, then bin the rest because they're too image conscious to sell them at anything less than the extortionate prices they've put on everything else. Too proud, as I said earlier.

Incidentally I'm amazed this thread has run and run, even after it's been moved to general chat. I really started it because, as a book lover, it just makes me curl up to see books being thrown away - because they're then gone for ever. Sometimes, somewhere, that might just possibly be the last copy of that book in existence, heading for the incinerator just because some Oxfam manager thinks it looks a bit tatty because one corner is turned over or whatever.

unfortunately, shoppers tend to only want to buy nice clean fresh looking books, unless they are collecting books which are of a certain age and therefore are going to be in less good condition

the word i used was moron, hardly worthy of being censored, and i only said that because of the way in which said forummer cockily implied that i worked for oxfam, which is not true

No, you used it as an insult to the forummer. This is a matter which shouldn't be discussed on the public area, so feel free to PM me should you wish to continue this particular issue.

it very much is a business, and it has to be such in order to be fair to beneficiaries

And precisely where have I said that a charity shop is otherwise? You appear to have lost all grip of your argument, to the point where you are questioning me on things with which I agree. The point is, if I may remind you, that these things could have been sold, even if elsewhere. Equally, when the potential cost of giving goods, which are sellable, to other causes, is zero, precisely where does this impinge on your values in creating money for the outlet?

you are unbelievably critical and cynical, and also regurgitate the same lines of personal criticism over and over again

Barring the fact that you have absolutely no concept of what a charity is, I haven't criticised you at all. To be sure, I have agreed with you on several points. Not once could you say that I have made a personal attack; on the contrary, you have, if not to me, but to the point that your post was removed. Moreover, you are the one who, having defended the action of throwing away perfectly good stuff (the original point, lest it be forgotten), have simply ignored all other ways of not throwing away good wares, which could create further income for other charities.

You are simply undermining your own argument to the point where I simply do not believe you do run an outlet for a charity. Nobody should let someone as blinkered as you do this.

Of course this is just my opinion.

I would love to know how you come to the conclusion that I'm cynical about this. What is cynical in wanting goods which could raise revenue for good causes, actually doing that? You don't even have a grasp of what the word cynical means, let alone charity. I hardly think there is someone in the upper echelons of Oxfam saying "Ha, we stopped them from having our stuff we could have sold ......".

It's hardly the place for Montgomery Burns is it?

and if you did know where i worked? how much more of an empty threat could you possibly have made, what power or influence do you really think you could exert?

Given your inability to understand what a charity is, let alone the fact you regard your part as simply being a job, not part of the charity itself, your insulting remarks, your utter intransigence with regard to 'recycling' of sellable goods, your general attitude, frankly, I'm sure that the trustees of whichever charity you work for would like to know how you deal with people who disagree with all of the traits you clearly have displayed.

unfortunately, shoppers tend to only want to buy nice clean fresh looking books, unless they are collecting books which are of a certain age and therefore are going to be in less good condition

Unfortunately that's exactly the sort of book I go into charity shops to look for. Shame they're all in the bin then, eh?

No, you used it as an insult to the forummer. This is a matter which shouldn't be discussed on the public area, so feel free to PM me should you wish to continue this particular issue.



And precisely where have I said that a charity shop is otherwise? You appear to have lost all grip of your argument, to the point where you are questioning me on things with which I agree. The point is, if I may remind you, that these things could have been sold, even if elsewhere. Equally, when the potential cost of giving goods, which are sellable, to other causes, is zero, precisely where does this impinge on your values in creating money for the outlet?



Barring the fact that you have absolutely no concept of what a charity is, I haven't criticised you at all. To be sure, I have agreed with you on several points. Not once could you say that I have made a personal attack; on the contrary, you have, if not to me, but to the point that your post was removed. Moreover, you are the one who, having defended the action of throwing away perfectly good stuff (the original point, lest it be forgotten), have simply ignored all other ways of not throwing away good wares, which could create further income for other charities.

You are simply undermining your own argument to the point where I simply do not believe you do run an outlet for a charity. Nobody should let someone as blinkered as you do this.

Of course this is just my opinion.

I would love to know how you come to the conclusion that I'm cynical about this. What is cynical in wanting goods which could raise revenue for good causes, actually doing that? You don't even have a grasp of what the word cynical means, let alone charity. I hardly think there is someone in the upper echelons of Oxfam saying "Ha, we stopped them from having our stuff we could have sold ......".

It's hardly the place for Montgomery Burns is it?



Given your inability to understand what a charity is, let alone the fact you regard your part as simply being a job, not part of the charity itself, your insulting remarks, your utter intransigence with regard to 'recycling' of sellable goods, your general attitude, frankly, I'm sure that the trustees of whichever charity you work for would like to know how you deal with people who disagree with all of the traits you clearly have displayed.

again, over analysis, over criticism, yes you have been personal, as have i, and my charity are incredibly happy with my performace

good luck in the future, but please stop using big words to make yourself appear intelligent

again, over analysis, over criticism, yes you have been personal, as have i, and my charity are incredibly happy with my performace

good luck in the future, but please stop using big words to make yourself appear intelligent

Edit - double post

again, over analysis, over criticism, yes you have been personal, as have i, and my charity are incredibly happy with my performace

good luck in the future, but please stop using big words to make yourself appear intelligent

I'm merely responding to your personal criticism, so let's both nip the personal stuff in the bud, eh?

It's hardly over analysis when you haven't answered my arguments. That's all that is required. You have backtracked, ignored the fact that in so many ways I agree with you, and yet still seem to lack the ability to see past the end of your nose.

I'm very glad that your charity is happy with your performance as a shopkeeper (if that is indeed what you do) - long may that continue. It doesn't alter the fact that your perspective is different from mine. I can see yours; you refuse to see mine.

And that sums it up really - Oxfam just want to cherry pick the most expensive items out of what you donate and sell them, then bin the rest because they're too image conscious to sell them at anything less than the extortionate prices they've put on everything else. Too proud, as I said earlier.

Incidentally I'm amazed this thread has run and run, even after it's been moved to general chat. I really started it because, as a book lover, it just makes me curl up to see books being thrown away - because they're then gone for ever. Sometimes, somewhere, that might just possibly be the last copy of that book in existence, heading for the incinerator just because some Oxfam manager thinks it looks a bit tatty because one corner is turned over or whatever.

Just what I wanted to say! :thumbsup:

50p bags, sales, promos, offers etc generally give out the wrong impression

sales etc. say we have too much stock therefore we dont want any more, which can be good if a shop wants to put people off from giving them certain things, but in general it shows that we are not getting good prices for goods and this often reduces the quality of stock donated

if you put rubbish out for sale, or put big boxes of books out for sale for next to nothing, then people will stop donating, or conversly will donate loads and loads of low quality goods

Clearly Oxfam are incompetent as booksellers, as this what both chain bookstores and independent booksellers, whether new or second hand, do all the time.

Sorry to say but the reasoning that putting out goods for sale cheaply will stop people donating is rubbish! Not only do people not think about donating to that extent (they just fling the stuff in the car and drop it off, they don't analyse the stock levels of the store), but that's what charity shops are all about - cheap goods! That's why we shop in them! If we want full price we go to Waterstones where we know we will get what we want - we go in charity shops to get something for a dirt cheap price. Knock prices down even more and even more customers will be pouring in through the door.

Sales, promos and offers give out the wrong impression? Someone tell Philip Green, Dame Shirley Porter and Anita Roddick they've been doing the wrong thing all these years.

The ironic thing is, most of the Oxfam shops are staffed by people who just don't have the slightest idea of what some books are worth. I've heard many a tale of a book selling on eBay for hundreds that was bought for a few pounds in Oxfam. Who knows what these people are chucking in the bin?

If any of them had knowledge of bookselling they'd know that some of the most valuable and rare books might sit on the shelves for years on end until the right buyer/collector comes along.

Sounds like the managers are taking the p**s to me

Clearly Oxfam are incompetent as booksellers, as this what both chain bookstores and independent booksellers, whether new or second hand, do all the time.

Sorry to say but the reasoning that putting out goods for sale cheaply will stop people donating is rubbish! Not only do people not think about donating to that extent (they just fling the stuff in the car and drop it off, they don't analyse the stock levels of the store), but that's what charity shops are all about - cheap goods! That's why we shop in them! If we want full price we go to Waterstones where we know we will get what we want - we go in charity shops to get something for a dirt cheap price. Knock prices down even more and even more customers will be pouring in through the door.

Sales, promos and offers give out the wrong impression? Someone tell Philip Green, Dame Shirley Porter and Anita Roddick they've been doing the wrong thing all these years.

The ironic thing is, most of the Oxfam shops are staffed by people who just don't have the slightest idea of what some books are worth. I've heard many a tale of a book selling on eBay for hundreds that was bought for a few pounds in Oxfam. Who knows what these people are chucking in the bin?

If any of them had knowledge of bookselling they'd know that some of the most valuable and rare books might sit on the shelves for years on end until the right buyer/collector comes along.

Verily, verily, verily.

reply to happy hippy in general

if i thought for one second that you would accept it gracefully if i were agree to any of your points then i would

but i doubt very much if you would or not

yes never wrong (ironic?) i do know everything,???????????????? i???t

i really really really wish they did not edit this forum

coz if they did not never wrong i would call u a c???

yes i am a new poster, not a regular, and that means what exactly?

As one of the 'they' who have editing powers on here, we rarely edit posts BUT our software will remove swearing.

Verily, verily, verily.

verily verily verily wrong

oxfam are one of the biggest (if not the biggest) second hand book retailers in Europe

As one of the 'they' who have editing powers on here, we rarely edit posts BUT our software will remove swearing.

fair enough

Clearly Oxfam are incompetent as booksellers, as this what both chain bookstores and independent booksellers, whether new or second hand, do all the time.

Sorry to say but the reasoning that putting out goods for sale cheaply will stop people donating is rubbish! Not only do people not think about donating to that extent (they just fling the stuff in the car and drop it off, they don't analyse the stock levels of the store), but that's what charity shops are all about - cheap goods! That's why we shop in them! If we want full price we go to Waterstones where we know we will get what we want - we go in charity shops to get something for a dirt cheap price. Knock prices down even more and even more customers will be pouring in through the door.

Sales, promos and offers give out the wrong impression? Someone tell Philip Green, Dame Shirley Porter and Anita Roddick they've been doing the wrong thing all these years.

The ironic thing is, most of the Oxfam shops are staffed by people who just don't have the slightest idea of what some books are worth. I've heard many a tale of a book selling on eBay for hundreds that was bought for a few pounds in Oxfam. Who knows what these people are chucking in the bin?

If any of them had knowledge of bookselling they'd know that some of the most valuable and rare books might sit on the shelves for years on end until the right buyer/collector comes along.

Oxfam's customers are usually pensioners or students though, and they can only afford to pay 2 quid at the most for a book that was probably bought on Amazon or somewhere for £16.99 2 years ago or whenever.

I know this cos I've worked in 2 different Oxfam shops, King St near the Markets in Town, and the Glossop Road one opposite Hallamshire Hospital.

I only worked in the King St one though cos I was sent by there back when I was on a YTS at age 19... 19 is far too old to go on a YTS though, I was the oldest person there apart from the staff FFS, all the others were 17 at the most straight out of School.

Clearly Oxfam are incompetent as booksellers, as this what both chain bookstores and independent booksellers, whether new or second hand, do all the time.

Sorry to say but the reasoning that putting out goods for sale cheaply will stop people donating is rubbish! Not only do people not think about donating to that extent (they just fling the stuff in the car and drop it off, they don't analyse the stock levels of the store), but that's what charity shops are all about - cheap goods! That's why we shop in them! If we want full price we go to Waterstones where we know we will get what we want - we go in charity shops to get something for a dirt cheap price. Knock prices down even more and even more customers will be pouring in through the door.

Sales, promos and offers give out the wrong impression? Someone tell Philip Green, Dame Shirley Porter and Anita Roddick they've been doing the wrong thing all these years.

The ironic thing is, most of the Oxfam shops are staffed by people who just don't have the slightest idea of what some books are worth. I've heard many a tale of a book selling on eBay for hundreds that was bought for a few pounds in Oxfam. Who knows what these people are chucking in the bin?

If any of them had knowledge of bookselling they'd know that some of the most valuable and rare books might sit on the shelves for years on end until the right buyer/collector comes along.

your theories with regard to economics, retailing and donors are simply not right

and no charity shops are not about buying things for cheap, they are about buying things at a reasonable price, that reflects the quality and desirability of the product, with the effects of the sale price on the donor, the customer and the beneficiary all taken in to account

most good charity shops that specialise in books are have a reasonable book section tend to have someone that knows what they are doing, the ones that dont are the ones with boxes of cheap books who do not make much money in the long run

totally agree that high value collectbale books should not be got rid of after 3 weeks etc, but should be rotated and held onto untill they eventually sell

Also, in most of the Charity shops I've ever worked in (and I've worked for nearly all the major local charities at some point) the book shelves consist of mostly 30 odd year old Mills and Boon type books that nobody ever reads any more so they don't sell, not even on eBay.

reply to happy hippy in general

if i thought for one second that you would accept it gracefully if i were agree to any of your points then i would

What are you talking about?

but i doubt very much if you would or not

As there are only two options, I would have to do one of them, yet you doubt if I would do either; clearly impossible. You are simply shooting from the hip, and becoming personal again. Is this because you have no argument?

I have said that I agree with you on several points, yet you simply don't answer anything put to you. That's all. Should you answer questions in a reasonable way, without insults, or bombastic and arrogant rhetoric, you may find that you don't get so hot under the collar.

verily verily verily wrong

oxfam are one of the biggest (if not the biggest) second hand book retailers in Europe

We ALL know this. Precisely what has that got to do with anything?

Also, in most of the Charity shops I've ever worked in (and I've worked for nearly all the major local charities at some point) the book shelves consist of mostly 30 odd year old Mills and Boon type books that nobody ever reads any more so they don't sell, not even on eBay.

I think that was the case a few years ago, but to be fair, if you visit the shops at Woodseats (and there are a few charity shops there), they're not like that anymore.

We ALL know this. Precisely what has that got to do with anything?

you were agreeing with the previous post that said oxfam were rubbish booksellers!

What are you talking about?



As there are only two options, I would have to do one of them, yet you doubt if I would do either; clearly impossible. You are simply shooting from the hip, and becoming personal again. Is this because you have no argument?

I have said that I agree with you on several points, yet you simply don't answer anything put to you. That's all. Should you answer questions in a reasonable way, without insults, or bombastic and arrogant rhetoric, you may find that you don't get so hot under the collar.

what i am trying to say, is that i feel that if i were to agree with any of your points then all you would do is go "ha ha look at mark baldwin back tracking again, ha ha, he doesnt have any arguements, look at me ive won"

you would not accept it gracefully if i were to be submissive and agree that you make some good points

admittedly you have agreed with certain things ive said

I think that was the case a few years ago, but to be fair, if you visit the shops at Woodseats (and there are a few charity shops there), they're not like that anymore.

Indeed they're not. Down goes the laminate flooring, up go the prices, and the bookshelves fill up with new looking chick lit paperbacks. Yippee.

my posts have been removed can somebody tell me why?.

you were agreeing with the previous post that said oxfam were rubbish booksellers!

I actually meant the sentiments in all parts of that post bar the first para, but I wasn't clear on that.

In fact, it was mud-like.

Indeed they're not. Down goes the laminate flooring, up go the prices, and the bookshelves fill up with new looking chick lit paperbacks. Yippee.

Agreed about a couple of them, but believe me they're not all like that down there. Which is why some I use, and others I don't.

what i am trying to say, is that i feel that if i were to agree with any of your points then all you would do is go "ha ha look at mark baldwin back tracking again, ha ha, he doesnt have any arguements, look at me ive won"

you would not accept it gracefully if i were to be submissive and agree that you make some good points

admittedly you have agreed with certain things ive said

Don't be so paranoid. You backtracked on your main point, having been offensive and arrogant, which is why you got the reply you did. Fight fire with fire and all that.

We both agree on certain things, so it's much easier to debate when language as you have just been using is employed.

Cheers for acknowledging that by the way; when the debate is peaceful, I'll accept anything gracefully, and concede, or agree with the same due respect.

your theories with regard to economics, retailing and donors are simply not right

and no charity shops are not about buying things for cheap, they are about buying things at a reasonable price, that reflects the quality and desirability of the product, with the effects of the sale price on the donor, the customer and the beneficiary all taken in to account

most good charity shops that specialise in books are have a reasonable book section tend to have someone that knows what they are doing, the ones that dont are the ones with boxes of cheap books who do not make much money in the long run

totally agree that high value collectbale books should not be got rid of after 3 weeks etc, but should be rotated and held onto untill they eventually sell

The point is that Oxfam staff simply do not know what books are worth. They try to flog recent 2nd hand paperbacks for almost the cover price, when they can be bought fresh and new in Smiths, Waterstones or the local supermarket for the same prices Oxfam charge, if not for less. Yet they have rare Folio Society hardbacks which have knock-down prices on them, possibly as the covers look a bit 70s and tacky so the staff simply don't know what they're selling.

Then there are the branches that do know what is valuable and flog books on the internet for huge prices.

But what they all have in common is a lack of knowledge of what is collectible and sought after but not necessarily worth large sums. These are the books that might be a bit tatty looking, with garish covers, and obscure authors. These are the books being binned.

Anyway.........My theories aren't right? Well as I say, they've worked for the world's top retail giants and if I (or anyone else) had any better ideas I'd probably be in a position to buy out the Tesco chain. :rolleyes:

Charity shops are about buying things cheaply. No matter how much the people involved with them might like to think we're all hand-wringing types who "just wanna help a charidee" the fact remains that we shop in them to get bargains. So if the shops knock prices down even further, the excess stock will be bought.

Have you never been to a car boot sale or jumble sale? Have you never seen the sorts of junk people will buy if its cheap enough?

Mind you, I suppose the starving African kids would rather rest happy in their refugee camps at night knowing that Oxfam has maintained its shiny clean image rather than lower itself to sell that box of slightly dog-eared books at 10p each. :rolleyes:

Don't be so paranoid. You backtracked on your main point, having been offensive and arrogant, which is why you got the reply you did. Fight fire with fire and all that.

We both agree on certain things, so it's much easier to debate when language as you have just been using is employed.

Cheers for acknowledging that by the way; when the debate is peaceful, I'll accept anything gracefully, and concede, or agree with the same due respect.

there we go we are all happy again! ha ha

lets agree to agree on some points, agree to disagree on some points, and disagree to agree on some points ha ha

oooh i feel all reflective

ps: none of the above is meant to be ironic

The point is that Oxfam staff simply do not know what books are worth. They try to flog recent 2nd hand paperbacks for almost the cover price, when they can be bought fresh and new in Smiths, Waterstones or the local supermarket for the same prices Oxfam charge, if not for less. Yet they have rare Folio Society hardbacks which have knock-down prices on them, possibly as the covers look a bit 70s and tacky so the staff simply don't know what they're selling.

Then there are the branches that do know what is valuable and flog books on the internet for huge prices.

But what they all have in common is a lack of knowledge of what is collectible and sought after but not necessarily worth large sums. These are the books that might be a bit tatty looking, with garish covers, and obscure authors. These are the books being binned.

Anyway.........My theories aren't right? Well as I say, they've worked for the world's top retail giants and if I (or anyone else) had any better ideas I'd probably be in a position to buy out the Tesco chain. :rolleyes:

Charity shops are about buying things cheaply. No matter how much the people involved with them might like to think we're all hand-wringing types who "just wanna help a charidee" the fact remains that we shop in them to get bargains. So if the shops knock prices down even further, the excess stock will be bought.

Have you never been to a car boot sale or jumble sale? Have you never seen the sorts of junk people will buy if its cheap enough?

Mind you, I suppose the starving African kids would rather rest happy in their refugee camps at night knowing that Oxfam has maintained its shiny clean image rather than lower itself to sell that box of slightly dog-eared books at 10p each. :rolleyes:

im trying to learn from my exhanges with happy hippy, and not make things personal, but that was all nonsense

cheap digs at oxfam or any charity are pathetic, i support oxfam but i dont think ive really said much here bad about any other charities

fair enough not every charity shop is full of experts, but in the end they are mostly volunteers and can only do their best

charity retailing is entirely different to supermarket/high street retail and can not be compared in any shape or form

recent 2ndhand paperbacks shouldnt be priced at full price agreed, but in excellent condition should be priced around half or a shade over of full retail, depending what is realistically achievable at a specific location

10p books would not save many "starving African kids" as you put it

i am not so naive as to even for one moment believe that the majority of people who charity shop do so solely to help charity, we are all consumers and we need to maximise the utility from what we have got in our pockets

charity shops cannot be run like jumble sales, prices have to be higher, wages, rents, rates (to a certain degree), electricity etc, all have to be covered, unfortunate facts of life mathom

im trying to learn from my exhanges with happy hippy, and not make things personal, but that was all nonsense

cheap digs at oxfam or any charity are pathetic, i support oxfam but i dont think ive really said much here bad about any other charities

fair enough not every charity shop is full of experts, but in the end they are mostly volunteers and can only do their best

charity retailing is entirely different to supermarket/high street retail and can not be compared in any shape or form

recent 2ndhand paperbacks shouldnt be priced at full price agreed, but in excellent condition should be priced around half or a shade over of full retail, depending what is realistically achievable at a specific location

10p books would not save many "starving African kids" as you put it

i am not so naive as to even for one moment believe that the majority of people who charity shop do so solely to help charity, we are all consumers and we need to maximise the utility from what we have got in our pockets

charity shops cannot be run like jumble sales, prices have to be higher, wages, rents, rates (to a certain degree), electricity etc, all have to be covered, unfortunate facts of life mathom


Of course Charity shops also have preferential treatment when it comes to issues such as tax, they rarely have any staff costs and they certainly don't have to pay for their stock. Take a store like Smiths, it must pay for its stock so it must also make damn sure it sells that stock, even at knock down prices. Charity shops on the other hand have it easy, because well meaning people give them stuff to sell, which in the case of Oxfam, they feel they have a right to just throw away if its not to their taste. Without any attempt to sell it more cheaply or pass it on.

So not only are Oxfam in some ways exploiting the goodwill of the public but they are being very un eco-friendly to boot. I suppose by this kind of logic they would also view passing goods on to the homeless or poor as 'undercutting' their image. Not very 'Christian'. :rolleyes:

As for 'cheap digs' - I'm sorry but if Oxfam want to be 'corporate' then they will have to learn to take criticism operating in the market place which revolves around price, customer service and corporate responsibility. Even charities can't be exempt from the standards we have started to demand of business.

And 10p would buy a hell of a lot for an African child. If ordinary paperbacks were 10p I might buy a dozen or more, but if they're £4 I'll be more likely to keep my money in my pocket. There is absolutely no justification anyone can give for denying those kids the chance of even 10p worth of clean water.

Of course Charity shops also have preferential treatment when it comes to issues such as tax, they rarely have any staff costs and they certainly don't have to pay for their stock. Take a store like Smiths, it must pay for its stock so it must also make damn sure it sells that stock, even at knock down prices. Charity shops on the other hand have it easy, because well meaning people give them stuff to sell, which in the case of Oxfam, they feel they have a right to just throw away if its not to their taste. Without any attempt to sell it more cheaply or pass it on.

So not only are Oxfam in some ways exploiting the goodwill of the public but they are being very un eco-friendly to boot. I suppose by this kind of logic they would also view passing goods on to the homeless or poor as 'undercutting' their image. Not very 'Christian'. :rolleyes:

As for 'cheap digs' - I'm sorry but if Oxfam want to be 'corporate' then they will have to learn to take criticism operating in the market place which revolves around price, customer service and corporate responsibility. Even charities can't be exempt from the standards we have started to demand of business.

And 10p would buy a hell of a lot for an African child. If ordinary paperbacks were 10p I might buy a dozen or more, but if they're £4 I'll be more likely to keep my money in my pocket. There is absolutely no justification anyone can give for denying those kids the chance of even 10p worth of clean water.

rarely have any staff costs, wrong

as far as im aware no tax is paid because no profit is made (correct me if im wrong happy hippy!);)

in some ways charity shops have it easy coz they dont pay for the bulk of their stock, but also they do not get to pick and choose what they sell like a standard retailer can, they have to make do with what they get given, standard retailer can choose exactly what they want and what they think will sell

does oxfam actively push christianity???? i dont know, i dont think it should, so where did religion come into it?

so you might buy a dozen paperbacks at 10p each? now lets think about that, if a shop had enough reasonable fiction to put out for sale between 99p and £2.49 per book instead, that generates far more sales, 10p per book is crazy

i would agree that if a shop hasnt got enough great quality stock it could lower its quality standards and prices, but i still dont think that is very good retailing

when charity shop shelves are empty and they are throwing away poor quality books then complain, i know we seem to have moved away from the OP point re the books being sellable, but if a book is only worth 10p then it has to be in very bad condition

crime fiction and science fiction tends to achieve 99p-£1.49 per book even in poor condition

any idea what 10p buys?

I have had my posts removed for whatever reason and MARKBALDWIN is still posting futile arguements once again i ask why have my previous posts been removed and will MARKBALDWIN PROVE he runs a charity shop

how do i prove i run a charity shop you idiot?

so you might buy a dozen paperbacks at 10p each? now lets think about that, if a shop had enough reasonable fiction to put out for sale between 99p and £2.49 per book instead, that generates far more sales, 10p per book is crazy

i would agree that if a shop hasnt got enough great quality stock it could lower its quality standards and prices, but i still dont think that is very good retailing

when charity shop shelves are empty and they are throwing away poor quality books then complain, i know we seem to have moved away from the OP point re the books being sellable, but if a book is only worth 10p then it has to be in very bad condition

crime fiction and science fiction tends to achieve 99p-£1.49 per book even in poor condition

any idea what 10p buys?

Yeah but 10p per book is better than 0p when that book goes in the bin. That in my view is what's really crazy.

And 10p still buys you a book at some charity shops (I can name one in Sheffield if you like) and it also buys you a book at plenty of car boot sales, which (funnily enough) is where I buy a lot of mine now.

I have had my posts removed for whatever reason and MARKBALDWIN is still posting futile arguements once again i ask why have my previous posts been removed and will MARKBALDWIN PROVE he runs a charity shop

please identify so called futile arguements

The point is that Oxfam staff simply do not know what books are worth. They try to flog recent 2nd hand paperbacks for almost the cover price, when they can be bought fresh and new in Smiths, Waterstones or the local supermarket for the same prices Oxfam charge, if not for less. Yet they have rare Folio Society hardbacks which have knock-down prices on them, possibly as the covers look a bit 70s and tacky so the staff simply don't know what they're selling.

I have to say that is true, indeed I said it about a Wishbone Ash album ages ago. That wasn't an isolated thing either. It's nice to get a bargain, and that is one of the reasons people use charity shops; an astonishing bargain is even better! But as Mathom says, the majority of stuff in charity shops is general lit/music/clothes, whatever it matters little. So when the stuff which is there is priced farcically close to its brand new price, and things which are sellable are being thrown (the original point), it does grate.

Having found this to be consistent in Oxfam shops, I won't look for things there.

Then there are the branches that do know what is valuable and flog books on the internet for huge prices.

But what they all have in common is a lack of knowledge of what is collectible and sought after but not necessarily worth large sums. These are the books that might be a bit tatty looking, with garish covers, and obscure authors. These are the books being binned.

To be fair, if a charity can get a lot of cash by selling in an auction to provide even more welfare for the people/animals/environment/whatever I have no problem with that. But I object to sellable goods being lobbed away, or being ripped off.

Anyway.........My theories aren't right? Well as I say, they've worked for the world's top retail giants and if I (or anyone else) had any better ideas I'd probably be in a position to buy out the Tesco chain. :rolleyes:

Charity shops are about buying things cheaply. No matter how much the people involved with them might like to think we're all hand-wringing types who "just wanna help a charidee" the fact remains that we shop in them to get bargains. So if the shops knock prices down even further, the excess stock will be bought.

I also agree with mathom here. Although the principle of the shop is to raise charitable funds, and the choice of donating goods may be doen to the individual, people buy from charity shops looking for a bargain, and therefore, cheaply.

Have you never been to a car boot sale or jumble sale? Have you never seen the sorts of junk people will buy if its cheap enough?

Mind you, I suppose the starving African kids would rather rest happy in their refugee camps at night knowing that Oxfam has maintained its shiny clean image rather than lower itself to sell that box of slightly dog-eared books at 10p each. :rolleyes:

Again, I do agree. But if it really is too much to keep, it's easily possible to keep the items in circulation.

there we go we are all happy again! ha ha

lets agree to agree on some points, agree to disagree on some points, and disagree to agree on some points ha ha

oooh i feel all reflective

ps: none of the above is meant to be ironic

Heh heh! Agreed!

Of course Charity shops also have preferential treatment when it comes to issues such as tax, they rarely have any staff costs and they certainly don't have to pay for their stock. Take a store like Smiths, it must pay for its stock so it must also make damn sure it sells that stock, even at knock down prices. Charity shops on the other hand have it easy, because well meaning people give them stuff to sell, which in the case of Oxfam, they feel they have a right to just throw away if its not to their taste. Without any attempt to sell it more cheaply or pass it on.

To be fair, there can be monumental staff costs for a charity. The outlets would never survive on volunteers (hence my dog with a bone stance about shop management and charity management); we all have mouths to feed. It's true that some large charities can have a workforce of volunteers, subsidised jobs (New Deal, etc), but every outlet needs to have stability, which can only come from a paid member of staff as a manager, at the very least.

All this is a bit off point, but rents, leases. electricity, etc don't come free either.

Registered charities have tax exemption, and belive me, to maintain it, it is counted to the penny. Staff still have to have their NI, Income Tax paid however. There is a special bit for VAT too ....

However, stock for shops is (extremely rarely) paid for, so, to go back again, to simply throw it out, and not at least send the good stuff around is wrong.

So not only are Oxfam in some ways exploiting the goodwill of the public but they are being very un eco-friendly to boot. I suppose by this kind of logic they would also view passing goods on to the homeless or poor as 'undercutting' their image. Not very 'Christian'. :rolleyes:

Agreed, and agreed.

As for 'cheap digs' - I'm sorry but if Oxfam want to be 'corporate' then they will have to learn to take criticism operating in the market place which revolves around price, customer service and corporate responsibility. Even charities can't be exempt from the standards we have started to demand of business.

And 10p would buy a hell of a lot for an African child. If ordinary paperbacks were 10p I might buy a dozen or more, but if they're £4 I'll be more likely to keep my money in my pocket. There is absolutely no justification anyone can give for denying those kids the chance of even 10p worth of clean water.

<fx: applause>

bugger all because the stock is overpriced isn't going to do a thing.

The stock is over priced in there..the robbing ********. :rant:

rarely have any staff costs, wrong

as far as im aware no tax is paid because no profit is made (correct me if im wrong happy hippy!);)

Ish ...... but that was the theory for exemption ...... ;)

in some ways charity shops have it easy coz they dont pay for the bulk of their stock, but also they do not get to pick and choose what they sell like a standard retailer can, they have to make do with what they get given, standard retailer can choose exactly what they want and what they think will sell

That's a very fair point, but it still doesn't really explain why decent goods can't go elsewhere, instead of in the bin.

does oxfam actively push christianity???? i dont know, i dont think it should, so where did religion come into it?

I don't think it does; neither should religion come into it. A starving Christian is the same as a starving Muslim is the same as a starving Hindu is the same a starving Pagan.

Starving.

so you might buy a dozen paperbacks at 10p each? now lets think about that, if a shop had enough reasonable fiction to put out for sale between 99p and £2.49 per book instead, that generates far more sales, 10p per book is crazy

i would agree that if a shop hasnt got enough great quality stock it could lower its quality standards and prices, but i still dont think that is very good retailing

when charity shop shelves are empty and they are throwing away poor quality books then complain, i know we seem to have moved away from the OP point re the books being sellable, but if a book is only worth 10p then it has to be in very bad condition

crime fiction and science fiction tends to achieve 99p-£1.49 per book even in poor condition

any idea what 10p buys?

Listen, nobody is saying that Oxfam should put all books out for sale at around 10p each, but they should not be in the least surprised when 2nd hand books do not sell at the high prices they do charge for them. The issue is that Oxfam as a result are throwing these books in the trash because they won't sell - can they not put two and two together and realise that if you mark down the price, i.e. have a sale, or a bargain bin, they will sell?!

I might say "no thanks" to that weird foreign cookbook offered for sale at £2, but if its only 10p I may well give it a go. That's 10p more for the kids Oxfam hope to help - if they just chuck stock away it basically equates to throwing money in the bin.

Not only that, but as Britain's biggest chain of second hand booksellers they actually have a responsibility not to willingly destroy books which may be rare cultural artefacts.

In the end, if you want to support Oxfam and the causes it supports, then you donate to Oxfam, if you don't, then you don't have to donate do you.

But you also shouldn't spread rumour and facilitate urban myth.
Erm how can it be a rumour if its true? Rumours are lies arent they? please correct me if im wrong:(

I gave a lift home to someone who lives close to the Oxfam at Nether Edge, and he reported he had lifted quite a few nice books out a skip being used by Oxfam to dump excess stuff. Within the last week. It's anecdotal but it's the best I can do.

What can I say, I'm sure they're still at it and I'm sure all their shops do it.

Personally I went round town at lunchtime and bought 4 books from two different charity shops, and they were 10p each. If Oxfam don't want to sell books at 10p it's just as well that others do - that's 40p in their pocket and 0p for Oxfam.

Erm how can it be a rumour if its true? Rumours are lies arent they? please correct me if im wrong:(


i was actually referring to another post which was making unsubstantiated claims.

the post i was referring too seems to been have removed

What can I say, I'm sure they're still at it and I'm sure all their shops do it.

Personally I went round town at lunchtime and bought 4 books from two different charity shops, and they were 10p each. If Oxfam don't want to sell books at 10p it's just as well that others do - that's 40p in their pocket and 0p for Oxfam.

i think oxfam may well survive without that 40p, if in place of those 10p books they had up to date fiction at £2-3 a pop

etc etc

BOOKS : If you have books you are finished with I'll tell you who is always glad of them, homeless hostels, womens refuges and the like. I cleared out boxes of books from my attic recently, divided them into women's, men's, kid's and general and delivered them to a womens refuge and to a hostel for homeless men. They were not only glad of them but really suprised that I had even known the hostel was there!! So if you have books to spare or even magazines and comics, give them to your local hostels for the homeless and refuges etc. Even refuges for asylum seekers would be glad of books to help improve their english. But Charity shops only really want books in pristene condition nowadays!! They have all gone up market, no junk shops left anymore. Junk shops were great places to have a hoke around weren't they? But that's a whole other subject so I'll end here. TTFN, Alison.

i think oxfam may well survive without that 40p, if in place of those 10p books they had up to date fiction at £2-3 a pop

etc etc

Which is why, as I've stated before, recycling them round other, smaller organisations can only be good. It would also foster much more good will.

BOOKS : If you have books you are finished with I'll tell you who is always glad of them, homeless hostels, womens refuges and the like. I cleared out boxes of books from my attic recently, divided them into women's, men's, kid's and general and delivered them to a womens refuge and to a hostel for homeless men. They were not only glad of them but really suprised that I had even known the hostel was there!! So if you have books to spare or even magazines and comics, give them to your local hostels for the homeless and refuges etc. Even refuges for asylum seekers would be glad of books to help improve their english. But Charity shops only really want books in pristene condition nowadays!! They have all gone up market, no junk shops left anymore. Junk shops were great places to have a hoke around weren't they? But that's a whole other subject so I'll end here. TTFN, Alison.

Very, very, very good point.

Originally Posted by markbaldwin
does oxfam actively push christianity???? i dont know, i dont think it should, so where did religion come into it? - REPLIED : I don't think it does; neither should religion come into it. A starving Christian is the same as a starving Muslim is the same as a starving Hindu is the same a starving Pagan.
Starving. Eireann go Brach!
------------------------------------------------------------
Oxfam have no religious affliations, you may be thinking of Christian Aid or Tear Fund etc. As far as I know Oxfam was set up by a group of Oxford uni students during a famine in the 60's or 70's.

TTFN
Alison

i think oxfam may well survive without that 40p, if in place of those 10p books they had up to date fiction at £2-3 a pop

etc etc

To add further Mark, I think this was the original point. Given the size of Oxfam, 40p *might* seem a drop in the ocean, but when multiplied over hours or days, for others, it *might* make a difference. Equally, indeed more so, as johnandy said (and this hadn't crossed my mind either), hostels, etc, may welcome extra stuff.

Years and years ago, I ended up in Roundabout (long story, great people), and anything for people to read (workers and homeless kids alike) would have been greatly appreciated. I'm actually ashamed I never thought about hostels during this thread, given the help I had .

Nice point johnandy :thumbsup:

Originally posted by HAPPY HIPPY: Years and years ago, I ended up in Roundabout (long story, great people), and anything for people to read (workers and homeless kids alike) would have been greatly appreciated. I'm actually ashamed I never thought about hostels during this thread, given the help I had .Nice point johnandy
__________________

As the saying goes "Most of us are only 2 pay cheques away from being homeless".
It's not just books you know - if there is a drop-in centre for rough sleepers in your area, they always need soap, shampoo, towels and changes of clothes and underwear for adults, doesn't need to be good stuff just clean. There but for the grace of God etc etc
TTFN, Alison.

i think oxfam may well survive without that 40p, if in place of those 10p books they had up to date fiction at £2-3 a pop

etc etc

But why couldn't you have both? These shops did.

And I'm sure Oxfam will survive. Shame about that starving kid in Africa though.

Use to deliver New Deal 25+. Put a lad on placement there who's job it became to assess if the books can be sold to make money on e bay or were ok to put in shop or were not worth anything. So it is an educated assessment not that they can't be bothered.

But why couldn't you have both? These shops did.

And I'm sure Oxfam will survive. Shame about that starving kid in Africa though.

you keep on going on about the starving kids in africa, why dont you get off ur arse and do something about them then?

Or do u?

you keep on going on about the starving kids in africa, why dont you get off ur arse and do something about them then?

Or do u?

That's a bit harsh Mark, but at least you ask the question. The point is (and we know Oxfam *does* do a lot beside this waste - that is indisputable) that stuff which could be used goes west.

Personally, from metalman's posts, I think it's fair to take an inference that he *does* do something, otherwise he (and others) wouldn't be so wound up about it. Were he not bothered, do you honestly think he (and others, myself included) would have been so vehement about it all?

May I suggest the followings for charity shop manager's consideration?

- Arrange a "You name the price" corner in shop to get rid of any "unselleable" or "unvaluable" items. Then place a "Donation" box next to the corner.

I believe many people will be more than happy to make donations while taking free items away from a charity shop. Even not, you could, on the other side, help the needy people who get what they want/need without spending a penny. This may be a nice way to get rid of things.

I have helped charity groups for marketing and business consultation for several years and I do appreciate their difficulities to run business. They always have to strike a balance between mission of charity and making profits. It's not easy, is it? However, since most items being sold in charity shops are obtained from donations, I dont appreciate the way to simply throw them away when they are regarded as "unselleable". This may put people off to donate items to charity again as they may think it not for good causes!

why is Markbaldwin so obessed with oxfam, he did not join the forum until this thread was posted and every post he has placed is re oxfam.I thought a forum like his was for people to discuss various subjects. I think there is a ultereior motive with marlbaldwin anybody who as a passion for oxfam, I would have thought, posted elswhere on the forum on similar matters.Is he a mole

He Threw Books In A Bin!!?!?!??!! :o NO!!!! *winces* I'm a real book lover, sorry ppl but this is really wrong, there are so many little children or schools with low budgets that could use books. They are PRECIOUS! and some child will CHERISH getting books in a poorer country. If I were in your town I'd be diving in the bin and sending packages of books to St.Vinnies. But then... I'd take a bullet for my Harry Potter... ^^P

He Threw Books In A Bin!!?!?!??!! :o NO!!!! *winces* I'm a real book lover, sorry ppl but this is really wrong, there are so many little children or schools with low budgets that could use books. They are PRECIOUS! and some child will CHERISH getting books in a poorer country. If I were in your town I'd be diving in the bin and sending packages of books to St.Vinnies. But then... I'd take a bullet for my Harry Potter... ^^P

I know, and doctors' surgeries, community centres etc. I know that dry and boring looking text books on things like engineering and maths that wouldn't sell here would be snapped up by organisations working with third world schools and educational institutions; they're always asking for them! Even the so-called unsaleable Mills & Boon books that get whizzed could be passed on to pensioners who certainly don't have the spare cash to spend on £2 - £3 books.

There's a point where charities stop focussing on being charities and become semi-corporate lobbying organisations and I think Oxfam have got way beyond that point.

why is Markbaldwin so obessed with oxfam, he did not join the forum until this thread was posted and every post he has placed is re oxfam.I thought a forum like his was for people to discuss various subjects. I think there is a ultereior motive with marlbaldwin anybody who as a passion for oxfam, I would have thought, posted elswhere on the forum on similar matters.Is he a mole

what are you going on about always wrong?

i did only join this site to reply to this thread of messages, so what????

im not obsessed with oxfam, i am just defending their point of view

am i a mole? no

are you a ****? yes

OK people, please chill. :)

There is space here for different points of view - but try and keep the expression of them civilised.

Please don't swear at each other, and if there are issues between posters, can you take them to PM or MSN?

Thanks!

OK people, please chill. :)

There is space here for different points of view - but try and keep the expression of them civilised.

Please don't swear at each other, and if there are issues between posters, can you take them to PM or MSN?

Thanks!

yes but PM should not be used to make empty threats would you not agree joe?

yes but PM should not be used to make empty threats would you not agree joe?

Indeed not. Abuse of the PM system usually ends up with people having PM priveleges revoked for a considerable time.

And on that note, can I make a suggestion?

If people are genuinely concerned about this, then how about we approach the manager of Oxfam West Street and ask for guidance on policy?

That way, we all know the score and we can post it here. I give books to this shop and I would be rather peeved if some of the stuff I give was binned, because there are other charities who could use them.

Perhaps some guidelines that we can post would be valuable - at teh moment it seems to be a lot of guess work and probably / possibly. I'd be happy to volunteer to make the call, so to say.

Joe

good idea, and then would it then be finalised and you can close the thread save tempers fraying

Well, we'd hope that people could keep their cool anyway on threads here.

So, here's what I'll do. I'll contact the Oxfam shop on West Street and at Broomhill and ask them what their polcy is on contributed books, given that there has been some concern expressed.

Then we can post it up here. Then, people will know where they stand and can act accordingly?

And on that, I'll close this thread until I get an answer.

Thanks folks.