were you brought up in charity shops??

foxinsox · 24-06-2011 11:09PM

I love charity shops

The things I've got over the years in them have been great bargains.

I find it amazing that in this day and age people are still funny about shopping in charity shops.

I've got some great bargains:

Longchamp handbag RRP €475 - I paid €6

Rock and Republic jeans RRP ? - I paid €2

Newbridge purse RRP €60 - I paid €5

That's only the ones I can remember, but I've got lots of fantastic stuff.

And books, thousands of books great value.

stevejr · 24-06-2011 11:13PM

foxinsox wrote: »

I love charity shops

The things I've got over the years in them have been great bargains.

And books, thousands of books great value.

They're better value in the library;)

Ronin247 · 24-06-2011 11:14PM

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

I worked for a charity that runs charity shops, be aware that a good bit of the clothes are dead peoples.

I wouldnt worry about that,I got my sisters cast offs( I am male) and the odd parcel from Amerikay.......and I do mean odd.When I think of some of the sh*t my aunts and uncles sent us they must have been smoking crack when they bought some of it.

Feckin dead peoples clothes dont scare me.

EGAR · 24-06-2011 11:15PM

stevejr wrote: »

They're better value in the library;)

Ya but ya but - you have to give them back to the library. And thousands of peeps may have had their grimy fingers on them.

The Princess Bride · 24-06-2011 11:24PM

Ronin247 wrote: »

I wouldnt worry about that,I got my sisters cast offs( I am male) and the odd parcel from Amerikay.......and I do mean odd.When I think of some of the sh*t my aunts and uncles sent us they must have been smoking crack when they bought some of it.

That's gas.When we were little,we had dozens of cousins, and even though money was very tight,we always had nice clothes.
Our mams used to say 'oh, it came in an american parcel'.

It didn't dawn on me for years that it couldn't have, as we had no relations in America:o

Abi · 24-06-2011 11:29PM

u_c_thesecond wrote: »

The other day i was in a charity shop and got a lovely top for 4euro, delighted with myself, on my way out bumped into an old school friend who had no problem saying to me "Have you no shame shopping in there"?

Um... last time i checked we were in a recession and no one had notions anymore!!!:rolleyes:

I was raised in charity shops, a lot of my clothes were from there, and i had some pretty nice clothes. As an adult i have gotten lovely stuff there, and I will be teaching my kids that theres no shame in it. My husband on the other hand wont go near the place cos his mother raised him to be ashamed of it, says the woman whos on the dole and still looks down on everyone!

So were you a 2nd hand clothes kid??

What did you say to her when she said that? I would have told her to get over herself (that was the nice version of it).

OT: No, I wasn't brought up with charity shop clothes, but my mother wouldn't have spent a lot on our stuff either, because we flew through clothes. I don't buy clothes in charity shops, but I do go in for books and a nose through cd / dvds etc. I've a magpie eye too, so if I spot a nice candle holder or something, it will get snapped up. I regularly leave clothes and stuff into them too.

I've no shame going in or coming out of a charity shop, anyone that thinks theres something to be ashamed of being in one is a moron in my book.

Wolfe Tone · 24-06-2011 11:33PM

Superbus wrote: »

As long as they didn't actually die in the clothes, then I'm OK with that.

I know for a fact one bag of clothes I got were the clothes the owner died in.

I'm sure thats very rare.

Aishae · 24-06-2011 11:34PM

charity shops are my hunting grounds for things i collect. i havent bought many clothes - got a top once. just dont tend to spot any id go for. but i still like browsing em. when i go on holiday i zero in on the charity shops. the ones in the uk are great. i came home with loads of cats (figures) craft stuff, a dog coat and dog toys (those new from the RSPCA shop) in january.
when i was in NZ id look in the salvation ar,my shops. youd find stuff local craft groups donated. like hand knit blankets etc. well worth a nose.

feck snobs!

stovelid · 24-06-2011 11:39PM

Never dressed in second hand stuff by my parents but we were given kids clothes (and ourselves give) and had no problem taking them. Most of the clothes were/are worm only a few times or not at all given the sheer volume of clothes you receive and how quick kids grow so what's the problem...

In terms of fashion: used to be quite a lot more interesting second-hand clothes shops in Dublin when I was younger. It wasn't about getting clothes cheap, it was about getting something different that nobody else would have. Used to love searching for stuff in them when I was a teenager.

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

I know for a fact one bag of clothes I got were the clothes the owner died in.

Nice piece of clothing = result

stevejr · 24-06-2011 11:41PM

Daegerty wrote: »

I was brought up by wolves. they taught me english and all

Hope they didn't teach ya football....

stevejr · 24-06-2011 11:44PM

stovelid wrote: »

Never dressed in second hand stuff by my parents but we were given kids clothes (and ourselves give) and had no problem taking them. Most of the clothes were/are worm only a few times or not at all given the sheer volume of clothes you receive and how quick kids grow so what's the problem...

In terms of fashion: used to be quite a lot more interesting second-hand clothes shops in Dublin when I was younger. It wasn't about getting clothes cheap, it was about getting something different that nobody else would have. Used to love searching for stuff in them when I was a teenager.

Fleas spread quick enough though.....:pac:

fatherted1969 · 24-06-2011 11:53PM

My ma used to read loads of books down through the years. About 5 years ago she bought a stack of books and found one with her own signature on it and dated 40 years ago so you never know what will turn up with a good rummage.

The OH loves the charity shops and markets as well.

giles lynchwood · 24-06-2011 11:58PM

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

I worked for a charity that runs charity shops, be aware that a good bit of the clothes are dead peoples.

Thank you,now i'm sitting here naked:eek:

dark crystal · 24-06-2011 11:59PM

Didn't buy from charity shops growing up very much at all, but my communion dress was a charity shop job alright. My parents just couldn't afford a new one at the time.

Lovely it was too

previous user · 24-06-2011 11:59PM

My mum buys all my clothes in charity shops.

ringadingding · 25-06-2011 12:21AM

I often browse in them , don't feel shame or whatever.
But I rarely buy as I find it mostly to be overpriced ****.

I often see a penneys top marked at say 8 yoyo's when they are 6 new in the shop.

I prefer the car boot and jumble sales that the uk have, they're wicked.

Capt'n Midnight · 25-06-2011 12:29AM

fatherted1969 wrote: »

My ma used to read loads of books down through the years. About 5 years ago she bought a stack of books and found one with her own signature on it and dated 40 years ago so you never know what will turn up with a good rummage.

The OH loves the charity shops and markets as well.

I got a book for my dad , turned out it was one he had given to someone as a Christmas present.

Love the eclectic mix of books you can find amid the dross. Some times it's just bestellers, stuff you have already and Mills&Boon and other's it's like being a kid in a sweet shop. Then it's lots of fun to browse and flick through the books. And the real joy of being amongst several browsers and recognising a spine and it's *grab* *mine* without even having to look at the cover. ( yes I know the pensionner with her shopping trolly probably won't want one of the Dune series with the original cover, but I'm not taking any chances.)

The most embarassing thing is trying to figure out how to carry *way too many* books

But I have a rule , I can't take any more in unless I get rid of at least as many. Well that was the plan...

u_c_thesecond · 26-06-2011 03:34PM

Abi wrote: »

What did you say to her when she said that? I would have told her to get over herself (that was the nice version of it).

I just said "Theres a recession on and i wont pay 15euro for a new top when i just got one for 4euro in here"

katiebelle · 26-06-2011 03:51PM

We had the clothes in parcels from america and the Uk that were then handed down through all the kids. I discovered charity shops when I was in my teens and had no money. It was the 80's so no one had money really. I used to get creative and modernize the clothes a bit myself. I dont buy from charity shops now mostly because they dont have many fat bast@rd clothes in there :-) . Never shopped in charity shops for my kids though and they are all a bit snobby about charity shops now.

phasers · 26-06-2011 03:53PM

My Mam hates them, she says she feels itchy whenever she's in them

I love charity shops though, I brag about finding bargains all the time! My brother loves them too now, not really for clothes but furniture and other bits and bobs

rainbowdrop · 26-06-2011 04:16PM

Oh God, me and my 2 brothers were raised in clothes from charity shops. My Mum's favourite was the 'Spastic's Society' (they have changed the name now cos apparently it wasn't politically correct:p). Think we were just as ashamed of the name of the shop as the fact it was a charity shop!

Used to hate it when we were kid's, we went to a very snobby school where you could get bullied if you didn't have the latest trainers (which we didn't). We were poor compared to most of the others in our school.

I would go into charity shops now and buy books, but I wouldn't buy clothes in there for me or my daughter. Not cos I'm a snob, just that I still remember getting the piss taken out of me when I was a kid.

genie · 26-06-2011 10:04PM

No, I wasn't a charity shop kid but I lived in the UK for a year and the town had 28 charity shops!

I could pick up all the best sellers a few days after publication for a fraction of the price!

I volunteered in a charity shop in the UK to get retail experience, and the clothes were steamed to within an inch of their lives before being put on sale by a team of rather scary elderly ladies. Unfortunately, in some Irish charity shops the smell of musty clothes and moth balls hits you the moment you walk in the door. The worst was a charity shop in Longford, the smell was truly awful! :eek:

The one thing I would not buy from a charity shop is underwear (especially knickers), even though I often see bras on sale. I was in a charity shop in Enniskillen the other day and the woman in front of me was buying a bickini. I couldn't take my eyes off the bottoms, and couldn't help but think, "Are you really going to wear those?!" :eek:

wobblyheadedbob · 26-06-2011 10:05PM

I've always gone into charity shops, you can find some great unique items in them. When I was younger it seemed to be easier to get stuff in them, a lot of the old ones in Dublin city centre seem to be gone now unfortunately

MickShamrock · 26-06-2011 10:06PM

Nope. Was unaware of their existence.

flahavaj · 26-06-2011 10:10PM

Its no different to buying stuff from e bay really is it, except a charity shop is cheaper and for a good cause?

AnneElizabeth · 26-06-2011 11:01PM

I can't understand why people buy clothes in charity shops - you get tops for €3 in Penneys and they're new! Plus there's the added "Somebody was sweating in this... or worse". I worked in a charity shop, the clothes the come in are complete rubbish and over priced.

Aishae · 26-06-2011 11:04PM

AnneElizabeth wrote: »

I can't understand why people buy clothes in charity shops - you get tops for €3 in Penneys and they're new! Plus there's the added "Somebody was sweating in this... or worse". I worked in a charity shop, the clothes the come in are complete rubbish and over priced.

that seems to depend on the charity shop though. some are way overpriced for 2nd hand though.
ive only ever bought the odd thing - like a jane norman top (4 euro) - as you say a lot of it isnt great

Aoifey! · 27-06-2011 12:12AM

I didn't get much in charity shops when I was a kid, I just lived out of Penneys instead. Now I go between the two. You can find some hidden treasures in charity shops. My mother does costumes for musicals and pantomimes sometimes and she'll get half the costumes from the charity shop.

watna · 27-06-2011 01:17AM

I regularly buy things second hand, but not really in charity shops. There's loads of second hand clothes shops here called op shops (opportunity shops). There's one in particular called the Recycle Boutique. It's a huge shop and you can get some great bargains on quality stuff that hardly been worn. They only take good quality fashionable stuff. You can sell stuff there too. I've bought bags of clothes down there and they sell them for you. If it hasn't sold after 6 weeks it goes to the charity shop. You get half the price they sell them for. They merchandise the shop really well and it's great fun to look through the racks, you never know what you'll find! They have a vintage section too and I've bought some fab dresses there.

Kiwis love buying stuff second hand, everything gets sold on and lots of people would never dream of buying new furniture or appliances for example. It's one of my favourite things about living here. It's nothing to look down your nose at. I'd love if they opened something like the recycle boutique in Dublin. If you wanted a top for a night out but didn't have much money you could pop in and get something for a fiver or if you had loads of clothes in the wardrobe you weren't wearing you could get a bit of money back off them and know they were going to a good home, and not to those scam artists that pretend they're a charity and pick up the bags of clothes and sell them on. I don't know if it could catch on in Ireland though. I think there's too many people like the OPs friend. Maybe there is one in Ireland now, since I left.

Aishae · 27-06-2011 10:00PM

was inspired to check out the charity shop near here - got a lovely top, jane norman it was, with tags stil on too. 7 euro, tag said 43. got mum a top for 4 euro, didnt fit her though. its laura ashley too. i said giz it here, bit big but will do nicely with slacks. also a nice newbridge silver necklace with this symbol i love - for a tenner. score. will browse again in future.

were you brought up in charity shops??

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