Charity Shop Gems

[Emeralddragon]

Come o we've all been in one charity shop or another and every now and again we find some really good things. Why just today myself and my GF were going shopping for some clothes and we decided to go in and hunt around in a Mr's Quinn's Charity Shop. My GF got herself a nice pair of jeans for a fiver but best of all was my little buy. A beautiful dress of black nylon covered with dark blue shimmering designs covering its entirety and a polyester lining. Not exactly a fancy description i know but it looks wonderful. Now why its such a gem besides looking great.

1. It only cost €5
2. It was the only dress in the shop that was on sale (2 in the window to be displayed till wednesday.... going back to have a closer look at them then) and it just happened to be in my size.

It was fate i tell ya.

Now who else wants to share news of some great things they pulled out of a charity shop?

[debra54]

Hi, I recently picked up a real bargain in a charity shop in Leicester. The shop didn't have much in the way of clothes or undies, except a brand new M&S cross-over corselette, in its original box! Size.... mine 38B! At £3.00 it was a real bargain and it looks and feels superb!
:happy:

[Helen MC]

About 25 years or so ago I found a friendly Charity Shop in a large town about 20 miles from here. The Manageress was a very friendly lady then in her late 40s who soon realised I was a CD and that the clothes I was buying for my "Girlfriend" were really for myself. She said straight away that she had a few CDs as customers and had no problems with this. Over the next few years she sold me quite a few lovely items , skirts, dresses, bras, school uniform including her daughter's when she left school and no longer needed or wanted it as she was then the same build as myself. Although they were not supposed to sell second-hand knickers and panties, for aesthetic and hygiene reasons, she kept these for me and I made a suitable donation for each bag ostensibly sold as "cleaning rags" but from which I salvaged all that I liked and which fitted me to wear. She also gave me advice about what suited me and how to look more like a woman. Unfortunately the shop was in a run down area which was due for re-development and the shop closed as the area was demolished and a large shopping precinct (mall) was built in its palce. This lovely lady retired and moved to Bournemouth and we have since lost touch.

[GG Vanya]

A word of caution....

I was reading the news online, and came across an article about the recurrence of BEDBUGS here in the US.

There were suggestions on how to avoid them and how to detect them. It was mentioned that you should always pull back the linens in hotels and check in the edges of mattresses for them.

The thing that blew my mind was that they said one of the greatest sources of getting bedbug infestations is buying clothes in THRIFT stores. They recommended that you either launder them in HOT water, or drop them off at the dry cleaners' before you even bring them home.

Not a nice topic, I know, but forewarned is fore armed!

[tekla west]

I take it that charity store is the quaint way of saying second-hand? I'm just guessing, being American I really don't speak English as John Cleese would remind me.

But the second hand stores here rock my world. I can find stuff with the store tags still on them. Never been worn. Way cool. And for the price I can buy something, wear it a couple of times and then turn it back in for store credit, which is cool too.

If you are ever here in SF, be sure to check out the Goodwill Flagship store at Mission and Van Ness, you will not be the only CD in there by a long shot.

Very open.

[Emeralddragon]

Cool. I will start saving for the plane ticket. Kinda hard on disability allowance but doable.

Almost forgot... yes charity shops are second hand shops. Gonna go donate some stuff to the same place tomorrow.