Everyone is saying that “green is the new black”. What they mean is that it pays to purchase gently worn or recycled items from charity shops. In fact, it’s the latest trend among many people, old and young, throughout the UK. On top of being trendy, consumers can also beat the credit crunch that may prevent them from buying new.
A recent study has shown that charity shop profits hit a very high mark last year as consumers hunted through second hand shops for bargains. Shops benefiting charities seem to be collecting the most, with more than £500 million. The Salvation Army routinely gets a great turnout of people throughout its 47 stores, with clothes recycling banks that made a profit of £6m, up from 64% in 2007. Other organisations that have seen rising profits are: Sue Ryder Care which netted £2.8m, an increase of 35%, and Age Concern England, the Children’s Society and Save the Children all had increases over 15%. The most profitable charity shop in the UK, Oxfam, also saw an increase profits. The charity made over £21m in profits, recovering nicely from the previous year’s decline of 20%.
Charity shops have received bad press over the years and many people still believe that the products they sell are in bad shape or all but useless. This is not true. Each item is examined and determined if it is suitable for the sales floor. Although no items are declined, shops such as Oxfam have a donation programme which will send less than perfect items to those in need.
For a list of charity shops throughout the UK, be sure to go to charityshops.org.uk
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