Festive boost for charity shops as household budgets squeezed
Charity shops have been booming this Christmas.
The prolonged squeeze on household incomes and the high quality of goods donated to charity stores are encouraging more shoppers than ever to look for second-hand bargains.
Sales at Les Bourgs Hospice Charity Shop are up at least 10% this year, and last week alone the store sold more than 6,300 items to nearly 1,700 customers.
‘I think people are more conscious of keeping the cost of Christmas down now, particularly with the cost-of-living crisis,’ said shop manager Danielle Bullock.
‘The quality of our items is also very good. We make sure that every item we sell is like new.’
The charity retail sector in the UK has expanded again this year after record growth in sales last year and a recent survey by Oxfam found that about one in four people would buy children’s gifts from charity shops this Christmas.
Les Bourgs had noticed similar trends locally, with a big increase in second-hand shoppers in recent years, and a particular surge in goods bought from its children’s toys section in the run up to Christmas.
On its busiest trading days of the pre-Christmas period, Les Bourgs’ store at Rue des Huriaux in St Martin’s has sold more than 1,500 items, with shelves restocked from a supply of donated goods which has reached more than 18,000 in a single week.
‘December is definitely our busiest month and we get a lot more donations than normal,’ said Ms Bullock.
However, a large number of donated goods never reach the shop floor.
‘Almost two-thirds of donations have to be recycled or go to waste,’ said Les Bourgs chief executive Rob Jones.
‘We spend almost £4,000 a month on wastage and it takes up a lot of staff time. It is important that everyone considers the quality of what they are donating.’
Mr Jones and Ms Bullock thanked donors and said the success of the shop depended on a continual supply of good quality items, as well as the loyalty of customers at Christmas and throughout the rest of the year.
The store is Les Bourgs’ single biggest source of income, providing about 20% of its funds each year, and helping to buy supplies and contribute to the salaries of the nurses who work at the hospice at Andrew Mitchell House in St Andrew’s.
