Charity shop
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A charity shop (British English), thrift shop or thrift store (American English and Canadian English, also includes for-profit stores such as Savers) or opportunity shop or op-shop (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a retail establishment run by a charitable organization to raise money. Charity shops are a type of social enterprise. They sell mainly used goods such as clothing, books, music albums, shoes, DVDs, toys, and furniture donated by members of the public, and are often staffed by volunteers. Because the items for sale were obtained for free, and business costs are low, the items can be sold at competitive prices. After costs are paid, all remaining income from the sales is used in accord with the organization's stated charitable purpose. Costs include purchase and/or depreciation of fixtures (clothing racks, bookshelves, counters, etc.), operating costs (maintenance, municipal service fees, electricity, heat, telephone, limited advertising) and the building lease or mortgage.
Terminology
Charity shops may also be referred to as thrift stores (in the United States and Canada), hospice shops, resale shops (a term that in the United States also covers consignment shops), opportunity (or op) shops (in Australia and New Zealand), and second-hands (секонд-хенды) in Russia.
History
One of the earliest known charity shops in the United Kingdom was set up by the Wolverhampton Society for the Blind (now called the Beacon Centre for the Blind) in 1899 to sell goods made by blind people to raise money for the Society.
However, it was during the
The first Oxfam charity shop in the United Kingdom was established by Cecil Jackson-Cole in Broad Street, Oxford, and began trading in December 1947.[4]
Popularity
In the early 2010s, shopping at a charity shop became popular enough to earn a name in
Second-hand goods are considered to be quite safe. The South Australian Public Health Directorate says that the health risk of buying used clothing is very low. It explains that washing purchased items in hot water is just one of several ways to eliminate the risk of contracting infectious diseases.[5]
Charity shops also tend to be relatively inexpensive which has led to an increase in their popularity during the
Sale of new goods
Some charity shops, such as PDSA , also sell a range of new goods which may be branded to the charity, or have some connection with the cause the charity supports. Oxfam stores, for example, sell fair trade food and crafts. Charity shops may receive overstock or obsolete goods from local for-profit businesses; the for-profit businesses benefit by taking a tax write-off and clearing unwanted goods from their store instead of throwing the goods out, which is costly.
Charity shops by region
Australia
In Australia, major national opportunity shop chains include the
Canada
The Mennonite Central Committee operates 85 thrift stores in Canada and United States. Beginning in 1972, the first MCC Thrift Store opened in Altona, Manitoba.[9]
Denmark
Most of the charity shops in Denmark are operated by either The Danish Red Cross or by Christian organizations. The Danish Red Cross has 250 shops in the country and 10,000 volunteers working in the shops.[10] DanChurchAid has since 1972 operated charity shops, and currently operates 114 shops.[11] The Blue Cross, founded as a Christian organization,[12] runs 55 charity shops in the country, and focuses mainly on helping alcoholics, addicts and other socially marginalized groups.[13]
A study from 2019 shows that danes on average had spent 5.475 kr. on second-hand items the last 12 months, and that 77% of danes had either shopped or sold second-hand, although the study was not exclusive to charity shops.[14]
Red Cross | Blue Cross | Folkekirkens nødhjælp (DanChurchAid) | Kirkens Korshær (The Church's Army) | Kræftens Bekæmpelse (The Fight of Cancer) |
---|---|---|---|---|
c. 250[10] | 55[13] | 114[11] | 240[15] | 15[16] |
New Zealand
A large variety of op-shops exist throughout New Zealand. Some are secular and some belong to religious organisations. Charities include St Vincent de Pauls (Vinnies), 60+ shops;
The term "op-shop" is often used to mean any second-hand shop regardless of its charitable status.
United Kingdom
Oxfam has the largest number of charity shops in the UK with over 600 shops. Many Oxfam shops also sell books, and the organization now operates over 70 specialist
There are over 9,000 charity shops in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Their locations can be found on the Charity Retail Association (CRA) website,[24] along with information on charity retail, what shops can and can't accept, etc. The CRA is a member organisation for charities which run shops. British charity shops are mainly staffed by unpaid volunteers, with a paid shop manager. Goods for sale are predominantly from donations – 87% according to the official estimate.[25] Donations should be taken directly to a charity shop during opening hours, as goods left on the street may be stolen or damaged by passers-by or inclement weather. In expensive areas, donations include a proportion of good quality designer clothing and charity shops in these areas are sought out for cut-price fashions.[citation needed] 'Standard' charity shops sell a mix of clothing, books, toys, videos, DVDs, music (like CDs, cassette tapes and vinyl) and bric-a-brac (like cutlery and ornaments). Some shops specialise in certain areas, like vintage clothing, furniture, electrical items, or records.
The two largest charity shops in the UK are run by Emmaus. Emmaus Preston store opened in 2016 is on one level and covers 47,000 square feet and Emmaus in Rochdale operate a three floor Department Store since January 2019 which offers the department store feel to the charity store. These stores are run by Emmaus Companions and the money they generate directly benefit the people who work in it. Both stores sell predominantly furniture and white goods but include smaller concessions of clothes, bric-a-brac, books and music.
Almost all charity shops sell on their unsold textiles (i.e. unfashionable, stained or damaged fabric) to textile processors. Each charity shop saves an average of 40 tonnes of textiles every year, by selling them in the shop, or passing them on to these textile merchants for recycling or reuse. This grosses to around 363,000 tonnes across all charity shops in the UK; based on 2010 landfill tax value at £48 per tonne, the value of textiles reused or passed for recycling by charity shops in terms of savings in landfill tax is £17,424,000 p.a.[26] Gift Aid is a UK tax incentive for individual donors where, subject to a signed declaration being held by the charity, income tax paid on donations can be reclaimed by the charity. Although initially intended only for cash donations, the scheme now (since 2006) allows tax on the income earned by charity shops acting as agent for the donor to be reclaimed.[27]
Charity shops in the UK get mandatory 80% relief on
Largest charity retailers
The Charity Shops Survey 2017 revealed the ten largest charity retailers in the UK based on annual income and number of stores.[30]
Charity | Annual Income (£) | Number of Stores |
---|---|---|
British Heart Foundation | £176.4m | 724 |
Oxfam GB
|
£92.5m | 640 |
Cancer Research UK | £84.5m | 594 |
Barnardo's | £70.3m | 710 |
Sue Ryder | £55.0m | 451 |
The Salvation Army | £48.0m | 230 |
Age UK | £42.6m | 404 |
British Red Cross | £30.0m | 341 |
Scope | £21.3m | 225 |
Marie Curie | £16.4m | 178 |
United States
In the United States, major national thrift shop operators include
See also
- Consignment
- Car boot sale
- Flea market
- Give-away shop
- Jumble sale
- Surplus store
- Sustainable clothing
References
- ^ "Thrift Store or Treasure Trove–You Decide". Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ Fundraising During The First World War (PDF). British Red Cross. p. 3. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ISBN 9781473987814. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ Ruddick, Graham (14 August 2015). "Oxfam faces tough new test in the era of Lidl, Aldi and Primark". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ "Second-hand goods: A guide for consumers" (PDF). Public and Environmental Health Service website. Department of Health, Government of South Australia. October 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
As the risk to health associated with second-hand goods is very low, thorough and hygienic cleaning is all that is required to eliminate the risk of contracting infectious diseases. ... Washing second-hand clothing and bedding in hot water (hotter than 60 °C) and detergent kills these disease-causing organisms. Items that cannot be washed ...
- ^ "Rise in sales of second-hand party outfits". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- ^ Contact us | St Vincent de Paul Society – Vinnies
- ^ St Vincent de Paul | Vinnies | Shops
- ^ "Mennonite Central Committee thrift shops in Manitoba celebrate 50th anniversary". CBC News.
- ^ a b "Genbrugsbutikker". Røde Kors (in Danish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Bliv frivillig på Nørrebro i Gemmeren, en genbrugsbutik for ugne". noedhjaelp.dk – Folkekirkens Nødhjælp (in Danish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "Værdier og grundlag i Blå Kors Danmark | Blå Kors". Værdier og grundlag i Blå Kors Danmark | Blå Kors (in Danish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Blå Kors Genbrug | Blå Kors". Blå Kors Genbrug | Blå Kors (in Danish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "DBA Genbrugsindeks 2019: Danskerne genbruger som aldrig før". guide.dba.dk. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "Om Kirkens Korshær | Kirkens Korshær". kirkenskorshaer.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "Kræftens Bekæmpelse Genbrug". Kræftens Bekæmpelse (in Danish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "St Vincent de Paul Shops | Society of St Vincent de Paul".
- ^ "Family Stores". 20 June 2008.
- ^ "Red Cross Shops | New Zealand Red Cross".
- ^ "Opportunity for Animals".
- ^ "Services & Op Shops • SPCA New Zealand".
- ^ "Stockists".
- ^ "Hospice Shops – Hospice New Zealand".
- ^ "Find local Charity Shops by postcode or town. Charity Retail Association".
- ^ Charity Retail Association FAQ Archived 6 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Charity Retail Association Reuse FAQ Archived 6 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ HMRC Gift Aid Archived 6 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Charity Retail Association FAQ Archived 6 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "BBC NEWS — UK — England – Cornwall – Call to cut charity shops in town". news.bbc.co.uk. 6 June 2005. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ "UK's largest charity shop retailers revealed in survey". civilsociety.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ "Habitat for Humanity ReStores". Habitat for Humanity. Retrieved 9 May 2017.