Thursday, June 14, 2012

Charity Shops

I thought it would be kind of neat to do a post on charity shops.  I find it fascinating, and I really appreciate it, that I have blog readers from different parts of the world.  I have noticed that there are a variety of charity shops in England!  Upon doing a search on the web I found Oxfam, British Red Cross and Cancer Research...there are several more as well.  


Here in Montreal, we don't have any charity shops from the above mentioned organizations.  However, we do have one that helps people to get back into the work force, which we all know is a great cause!  We have another one...The Salvation Army, and most of us, if not all, are familiar with the good work they do.  We have yet another one where the organization helps people who need nursing care.  Since all these shops are run by and for registered charitable organizations, they are able to take donations from the public and price them...and they are able to sell the items without charging tax, because they are organizations of charitable/non-profit means.


Personally, I just love these stores!  I, being on a tight budget, and also being a person who appreciates the opportunity of helping others, shop in these stores for practically everything I need.  I feel that I am doing the following:  getting things I need at very affordable prices, helping the environment by purchasing things that can be reused, and helping those in need!  It just makes me feel good to frequent these stores...and so I do on a very regular basis.


I am sharing a few photos of charity shops in the U.K.





So how about you?  Do you ever purchase anything from charity shops in your area?  If you feel comfortable sharing this, which part of the world do you live in?  What charity shops are in your area?  What type of things do they sell?

Thank you all so much for visiting me here, and I really appreciate and look forward to your thoughts.  Please click on the "comments" link at the end of my post to share.

22 comments:

  1. Wow, these Charity Shops are really attractive and modern looking! Here, we have Goodwill and Salvation Army. I would much prefer to give to Salvation Army, but they make it very hard!! They close very early each day and will not even let you put things in the drop box. The box is always overstuffed and it seems like thy never empty it, either. This saddens me. On the other hand, Goodwill is open every night till nine, and they have a dive through donation center with people waiting to help you unload your stuff. So we have been taking all our stuff there, several carloads recently. I love salvation Army better, but they make it too hard. End of rant.

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    1. Hi Ginny,

      I completely understand and I would do the same thing are you are doing under those circumstances. In my area, Goodwill and the Salvation Army thrift stores are open the same hours. Here in Quebec there are strict laws as far as what hours stores can open and how many employees can work after a certain time, such as 6 p.m. From Monday to Wednesday, stores are open to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday they are open until 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday until 5 p.m. Goodwill has drop boxes throughout Montreal and several of them, and they empty them on a regular basis. Both Goodwill and the Salvation Army here will even go with a truck to some residences that call saying that they have a bunch of things, including furniture, that they wish to donate.

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  2. Des boutiques utiles... Gros bisous

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  3. great idea for a blogger's posting !
    anni

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  4. Hello Linda,
    I found you via 'Depression Marathon'. I am a fellow Canadian, living in a small town in Ontario.

    We have 'Value Village' here and they are all over I guess, even some in the states. You can get a 'supersavers' card with them and get and earlybird special on their half price events. Anyways, they are big! But we also have the Salvation Army Thrift Shops in towns nearby and they are my favourite.

    I make blankets and quilts out of second hand clothes and sheets and so I frequent these shops with enthusiasm and purpose. It is way more fun than regular shopping. I give my colourful blankets to women's shelters. It is my way of 'contributing' even though my depression makes it impossible to give in other ways.

    Nice to find you. I will pop back.

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  5. Charity is good great cause! It’s interesting and nice knowing about the charity shops there. It feels so good how u get things as well helping other through the charity stores.

    Linda there’s no such charity shops here in India, but sometime people organize for collecting and selling things that help indirectly the poor and needed. Thanks for sharing the photos.

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  6. We have Goodwill and Salvation Army near us, but I especially love to visit my friend in Wisconsin, where we can spend a day at thrift stores, including St. Vincent dePaul, fondly know as St. Vinney's.

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  7. Well, I haven't found any charity shops yet in Costa Rica.
    In France there was Emmaus, the Abbe Pierre foundation to help people help themselves, but in my area I only ever saw one charity shop and it was always closed.
    I loved them when in England....but going back to see my mother I now find that the better items are being sorted out and directed to 'higher end' areas which is a real shame.

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  8. Such stores seem a great idea.

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  9. I love your cute little charity shops. Here in the Twin Cities, we have thrift stores. They're usually located in former grocery stores and they're really big. I buy almost everything those second-hand places and they're great for browsing too!

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  10. We have Oxfam as well, Linda, in Belgium, Brugge, and a lot of good second hand clothes shop !
    Lie(f)s.
    @When I make 'big mistakes' in English, will you please correct them ? Thanks !

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    1. Hi Lies,

      I will be happy to...but I find your English very good. :)

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  11. The charity shops nearby are Goodwill and The Salvation Army, and there are many thrift stores. I should check them out more often because you make some very good points. I just don't like to shop that much at the best of times but whenever I am clearing things out during my spring cleaning, I will take lots of items to those two stores. My parents were staunch supporters of The Salvation Army and I have a soft spot for them. I live in the northern part of Virginia.

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    1. Hi Denise,

      I hear you. I actually dislike shopping. Somehow shopping at these charity stores makes me enjoy shopping, just because of the points I mentioned. I find some really neat things there and whatever I buy...the money goes to a good cause, so this makes me feel good about shopping, unlike at the regular "hustle and bustle" retail stores.

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  12. Charity is a movement to help each one. They are beautiful. Thanks Linda for your well being. I quite like to go and frequently buy something.

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  13. Anonymous5:49 PM

    Hi..Linda..I think these shops are so neat and you can get nice things at a good price while helping others.

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  14. Hi Linda, You are right about our charity shops in the UK......you can find a multitude on any shopping street in the country. I live just outside a small town, in England, and we have 5 different charity shops on the high street. Some people complain that we have far too many, and there is some evidence that may strengthen that argument. My daughter recently wanted a number of pretty cake stands, during the celebrations for our Queen's Jubilee, and trawled charity shops to find them......she found as many as she needed, and at really cheap prices....result!

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  15. Thank you all so much for your comments. I really appreciate it!

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  16. Hi Linda. Thanks for visiting my blog. Yes there are many charity shops near where I live in England, and I visit them regularly. It appears to me though that they are becoming more expensive lately as the staff become more knowledgeable about the value of things.

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  17. I read your answer to my comments Linda, and again you have inspired me to check these places out. Thank you again :)

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  18. Hi Linda, thanks for leaving a comment on my blog recently. In the UK there are charity shops in every town nowadays. In my home town we have British Heart Foundation, Oxfam, RNLI (lifeboats), Red Cross and many others. We often buy books for my son (he's five and loves books).

    Glen

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