Have you ever bought clothes in a charity shop?

I've done well over the years, especially on dresses with good labels - Hobbs etc, usually get them for €5 - €10. As someone up thread said, its the thrill of rummaging that I enjoy

I've bought clothing from U.K charity shops, but there's nothing in my style over here. I usually just go in for the books/pass some time in town.

When I left Ireland, I'd never particularly bought anything in a charity shop. They mostly just smelled musty and a few sad moth-eaten clothes hung in a corner. Then I went to England and discovered that charity shops could be awesome. I personally am a fan of "bohemian" clothes - I like gypsy skirts and brocade or velveteen tops that you usually only find at insane prices in shops that smell of incense and play Bulgarian panpipe music at you. Charity shops can be great for those and because the clothes are a bit fancy and odd, they don't tend to be worn much ("What on earth has Aunty Gladys sent me?"). It's the sort of clothing you either wear to death over years or you get rid of it to a charity shop asap. Also found a gorgeous silk Persian-style embroidered ...not really sure what it is, tbh, either a king-sized bedspread/duvet protector or possibly an extremely fancy tablecloth in one for a fiver. It weighs a tonne and it's a bit impractical for anything, but I've treasured it home from England again and live in hope of finding a use for it! Also good for finding long lengths of linen or other materials that can be salvaged from old fancy curtains and the like.

Also great for books. Often ailing books, ancient and over-loved, in need of a kindly retirement home, but books you don't find in new bookstores.

Since getting back from England, charity shops in Ireland seem to have improved. They're still not as good as those in England, but it might be that the ancient and cheerfully boho university city I was living in just had particularly good ones.

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

A poster said the charity shops they visited had a 'smell'. None of the charity shops I visit in Dublin have any bad smells, everything is tidy, neat and clean. The sole function of charity shops is to raise funds for a particular charity and they do a very good job. To find good bargains you need to go regularly as stock comes and goes.

The smell seems to have faded off, but it's a very specific one when you get it. Smells of Old. A sort of musty, thick smell, often mixed faintly with lavender or dodgy incense. But bear in mind it's a good ten-fifteen years since I tried charity shops prior to going to England and discovering how awesome charity shops can be. And it may have been that the specific ones I was in were just not very good - you know, a few piles of battered boardgames and jigsaws that would know are missing three vital bits, a shelf of tattered books, a pile (or row) of boots and shoes, some musty clothes on a rail, a few bits of dubious electronics and a shelf of tat. And the smell, as mentioned!

Charity shops seem to have seriously upped their game though and you can get some great bargains in there, especially if you're fortunate enough to find a pair of jeans that fit. But if you're ever in Norwich, find Alladin's Cave (yes, it is spelled weirdly), across from the Loft auctioneers. It is amazing. Actually, there's a row of decent charity and second-hand shops on that street.