Tips For Charity Shopping

This post has been a long time coming - I think it was one of the first posts I ever decided on doing. But I didn't know how to photograph for it, plus I had a million other ideas so it was pushed aside until now.

Charity shopping is one of my favourite past times. There's just nothing better than bagging yourself a good bargain, and, strangely, it's something that's usually overlooked. A lot of people I know don't like charity shopping, as they either 'never find anything' or they think it's 'cheap'. I used to work in a charity shop, and I spend a lot of time rummaging around in them, so I thought I'd type up some tips for all of you savvy shoppers out there!

♥ Know What You're Looking For, But Keep An Open Mind. This is kind of a contradictory point, but hear me out. It's always worth keeping in mind what it is that you're actually looking for, whether that's shoes, clothes or bags. If it's books you're interested in, you could also consider writing a list of all of the titles you're after and keeping that with you. But more often than not, you'll walk out with something you weren't looking for. That's just the way this shopping system works.

 

♥ Be Patient. Following on from the point above, more often than not, you'll probably walk out empty-handed, too. My ratio of purchases to no-purchases from charity shops is probably 1:5 or 1:6. But whenever I do find something, it is so worth the wait. I've gotten River Island jeans, Aldo Heels and Topshop jumpers before, and they'll be the only purchases I'll have made for a long time.

 

♥ Don't Limit Yourself To One Size. The trick to finding amazing clothes is to rummage through every size - within reason. If you're a size 8, then consider searching through sizes 10 & 12 too. Don't discount the men's section, either. I've found a lot of nice clothes that's a bigger size than I am, and if they're cardigans or jumpers they're usually perfect as I prefer them slouchy. In fact, one of my favourite purchases I've made is a H&M black lace skater dress (pictured above) which is a size 10, whilst I'm a size 8. (Also, check out the children's book section when looking for books, as most YA books are put there!)

 

♥ Communicate. Talk to the staff. Find out what days are their stock rotation days. At the charity shop I used to work in, they put out 200 new items every day, which meant that there was always something new to look at on my lunch break. If you're lucky, and become acquainted with the staff, they might even keep an eye out for some of the things you're after, especially books. Don't be afraid to ask them to check out the back of the store, too. I've been incredibly lucky through this, and have managed to nab books that haven't even been put out on the shop floor yet.

 

♥ Don't Be Tempted By The Price. I have made this mistake many times. That jumper may be £3, but are you actually going to wear it? Does it really fit in with your personal style? I think that books are my downfall with this - most shops price books up between 50p and £2, meaning I'm ever so tempted. But put your practical shopping head on - is it decent quality? Are any pages ripped? Are you going to read it?

 

I hope this post helped! Charity shopping is so much fun, especially if you make a day of it. My mum and I will have charity shopping days sometimes, and stop for coffee between stores. Have you ever made a holy grail purchase from a charity shop? xx

 

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