The charity shop experience

With the recent demise of HMV and Blockbuster, there has been a lot of talk about the future of shopping on the high street. Will high street shops one day cease to exist? Is internet shopping the way forward? Here, Hannah Godber, Area Retail Manager for TAAS, talks about what she loves on the High Street...

Charity shops are unhidden gems on the high street. If you have ever ventured into the charity shop world you are most likely a charity shop addict if you haven’t then you are missing out- big time!

Up to 2010 I had never set foot in a charity shop, I had donated clothes over the years but even then I hadn’t taken a look at the stock in the shop, I’ll be honest I was a charity shop snob - little did I know my views were very wrong & that I had been missing out on the best retail shopping experience on the high street & working with lovely people.

January 2011, a move to the Peak District  and I decided to take up the opportunity of managing a small charity boutique in Cheshire-  I was really not sure what I was taking on or even doing but I was intrigued and it fitted into my new lifestyle.

It was the best decision I could have made, I had my eyes opened and couldn’t believe I had dismissed ever shopping in a charity shop- you live and learn and in this case I really had misjudged the magical world of charity shops.

On my first day I received donations from a footballer’s wife had I really been missing out on designer hand bags at a fraction of the price?!

The best thing about charity shops are that they cater for everyone, they are full of goods at affordable prices and you can spend hours looking in all of them buying lots but not spending a fortune.

There are groups of people who meet every week and visit a different town for a charity shop hunt; charity shops are the ‘cool’ thing to do, they are the future of high street retail and are popping up all over locals towns and cities. They offer the perfect shopping solution in times of recession.

They are no longer the old fashioned junk shops they are cool, clean, bright and are giving high street shops a run for their money.  The best thing is whichever charity shop you shop in your money is going to a good cause and that for me makes the charity shop experience even more appealing!

So for those of you who are still unsure about going into a charity shop and what to expect I hope this has enlightened you to pop into one – I hope you will be just as surprised as I was.