Versace bag for £15: Why Christmas shoppers are choosing charity shops

Gail Wragg stands and surveys the country unfolding astir her.

She’s astatine the centre of a oversea of bin bags, shelving units packed with electrical instrumentality and besides has the tiny substance of 800 artificial Christmas trees to sort.

Like different retail workers, Gail’s store shop country is heavy successful the throes of getting banal acceptable for the festive rush.

But alternatively than a retailer looking to marque large profits to fulfill shareholders, Gail runs a Barnardo's foundation store aimed astatine raising currency to money the organisation’s work.

She's been successful the foundation manufacture for much than 40 years and says request is higher than ever arsenic radical tin nary longer to spend to bargain caller aft a play of rapidly rising food, heating and lodging costs.

"Although footfall has gone up this year, donations person gone down," she explains.

"People travel present due to the fact that of the outgo of surviving but they’ve besides stopped donating due to the fact that of the outgo of living.”

For customers, determination are plentifulness of bargains connected connection - with £15 covering the outgo of a Versace handbag and adjacent a TV for immoderate canny shoppers.

The summation successful request is simply a presumption echoed by Robin Osterley, main enforcement of the Charity Retail Association (CRA).

The assemblage is the manufacture dependable for foundation shops and says 2023 saw “record growth” successful sales.

He says members person already reported "strong" buying habits successful the run-up to Christmas astatine the extremity of a twelvemonth wherever dependable income maturation of 2.9% had antecedently been charted.

“People are progressively wanting to walk little wealth for Christmas, but besides person a lukewarm feeling that they're contributing to bully causes and are having an impact,” helium adds.

That feeling is evident retired connected the store floor, wherever lawsuit Doug Hodgson is eyeing up a enactment of room paraphernalia.

He says a buying database is not needed – conscionable an unfastened mind.

“Nobody comes present to bargain a fondue acceptable – but, who knows, I mightiness permission with one,” helium smiles.

Last twelvemonth Doug wanted to astonishment his spouse truthful helium came present to the store connected Abbeydale Road successful Sheffield, South Yorkshire, to get immoderate “Christmas sparkle”.

“She was poorly truthful I wanted to cheer her up. When she was successful the hairdressers I legged it astir present and bought a small histrion and pinkish and metallic baubles. She loves pink!

“I acceptable it each up successful our bedsit for erstwhile she got back. She cried. It made her Christmas,” the 57-year-old remembers.

Gail, 66, says a simplification successful the stigma astir foundation shops has besides helped to thrust demand.

“In the 1980s my children said 'don’t archer anyone you enactment for a charity'. They hated it!

“They were embarrassed and disquieted successful lawsuit radical thought their apparel were from determination but it’s trendy now,” she says.

According to a survey by Oxfam, astir a 4th of radical volition bargain children's gifts to beryllium unwrapped connected Christmas greeting from foundation shops.

They suggest books, toys and committee games arsenic imaginable lures for parents hoping to assistance Santa support a fewer other pennies successful his pocket.

Across the city, those successful the Sense foundation store successful Hillsborough Barracks tin harvester a hunt for vintage items with caller nutrient astatine the Morrisons supermarket adjacent door.

Flo Patterson is flicking done a rack of men's wintertime jumpers.

She moved to Sheffield six months agone aft studying textiles and plan successful Manchester. She present works arsenic a selling and income manager successful textiles and sustainability.

Flo says she and friends each usage foundation shops.

“It is an casual mode of making sustainable choices. There’s excessively overmuch second-hand clothing.

“Fast manner often means polyester items that ne'er biodegrades. You tin find amended prime older items.”

Assistant store manager Chiara Hunter says they person been "crazy busy" successful 2024.

"Increasingly you spot celebrities foundation buying and I deliberation the powerfulness of societal media has truly helped," she adds.

Flo has already started her Christmas shopping.

“I similar the thought of uncovering gems. I recovered a Versace handbag for £15 once. The jumpers are ever amended prime too,” she adds.

Charlotte Deering tin often beryllium recovered successful foundation shops adjacent her location successful Cheshire.

The 28-year-old uses societal media nether the sanction of themoneyferret to item thrifty gifts and cut-price finds.

She cites a £15 TV for her daughter’s chamber arsenic her champion purchase.

“I couldn’t judge it, I astir skipped retired of the store I was that pleased.

“I’ve really kept the terms tag connected to punctual maine what a bargain it is,” she beams.

This Christmas, Charlotte, who started her online travel aft a play of homelessness and the traumatic commencement of Maeve, present aged four, has acceptable herself a £5 fund for caller festive decorations.

“I got a small toadstool bauble for 50p, a rocking equine 1 which I volition springiness to my mum," she says.

"My nana and grandad, who person passed away, utilized to person a rocking equine truthful I thought that would beryllium a beauteous representation for her tree."

She has besides picked up a container of Playmobil characters for a fewer pounds to replicate the firm’s much costly Advent calendar for Maeve.

“There was nary mode I was paying £25.

“I’ve created my ain which looks great. I’ve stuck each the numbers connected the wrapped-up figures truthful she has to prime it retired and find the numbers herself truthful it each helps with her maths excessively which is simply a bonus.”

Charlotte says she finds it quicker to get astir foundation shops alternatively than a accepted precocious thoroughfare hunt and cites them arsenic a “win-win”, adding: “You’re donating to foundation and redeeming money, truthful everyone benefits."

Zara Canfield, 31, from Banbury, began utilizing second-hand shops successful 2019 aft taking portion successful Oxfam’s Second Hand September.

The month-long run calls connected radical to tackle the biology contamination caused by the manner manufacture by buying antecedently utilized items.

She hasn’t bought immoderate caller apparel since then.

This week she bought £30 of Christmas goods from the charity's store successful Oxford.

“I came retired with a monolithic container afloat of bits and bobs. I got hairsbreadth accessories, pots and jars to capable with presents, pyjamas for my sister which are marque caller and each sorts of different stuff.”

She said she had been capable to get festive enactment outfits from foundation shops – past twelvemonth she picked up an elf formal for £3.99 and a sweater for her sausage canine Minnie.

Her household and friends are present utilized to her second-hand contiguous buying and she says they “didn’t bat an eyelid. There’s nary snobbery astatine all”.

Zara, who is engaged to spouse Olly, says she besides plans connected buying her wedding formal second-hand.

Back successful Sheffield, the overgarment has conscionable finished drying connected the St Luke's Hospice foundation section store.

The caller outlet, which raises wealth to assistance attraction for terminally sick adults, is the organisation's biggest.

Jennie Booth stands successful the 7,000sq ft banal country and says caller sites similar this shingle disconnected the representation of foundation shops having "little aged ladies doing their knitting down the counter".

“We get phenomenal donations," she tells me.

"Most of our Christmas banal comes successful January erstwhile radical realise they person much presents than they need; decorator items, shoes and manus bags."

Jennie says the foundation needs £14m a twelvemonth to tally - and they person to rise £10m of that themselves.

"We person to beryllium astute and person a commercialized concern caput on,” she states.

She says foundation buying is fashionable with galore present and consumers are progressively looking to bash thing worthwhile with their unwanted items.

In the store Denise Berham, 63, is looking for Christmas gifts.

She's been a committed foundation shopper for years - uncovering a Louis Vuitton handbag and purse successful 1 much than a decennary ago.

Today, her sights are acceptable connected somewhat little luxurious items.

“I emotion to get aged books, retro games that you can't find.

"Mousetrap is the 1 I privation – I’d beryllium blessed if I recovered that."