Thrift Store

Warning: mkdir() [function.mkdir]: Permission denied in /home/webs/affiliatelib2/CacheManager.php on line 12

Warning: mkdir() [function.mkdir]: No such file or directory in /home/webs/affiliatelib2/CacheManager.php on line 12

Warning: fopen(/home/templatecore2cache//*cluesnet.com/ad/ad3bef17ca9c62119c0eaca18a0f87ea8b9e9522.tc2cache) [function.fopen]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/webs/affiliatelib2/CacheManager.php on line 130

Warning: fwrite(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/webs/affiliatelib2/CacheManager.php on line 131

Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/webs/affiliatelib2/CacheManager.php on line 132

A charity shop, second-hand store (United Kingdom), thrift shop, thrift store, hospice shop (United States, Canada), resale shop (when not meaning consignment shop (U.S.)), or op shop (Australia/New Zealand, from opportunity shop) is a retail establishment operated by a charitable organization for the purpose of fundraising. Charity shops are a type of social enterprise. They usually sell mainly second-hand goods donation by members of the public, and are often staffed by volunteers. Because the items for sale were obtained for free, and business costs are low, the items can be sold at very low prices. After costs are paid, all remaining income from the sales is used in accord with the organization's stated charitable purpose. Costs include purchase and/or depreciation of fixtures (clothing racks, bookshelves, counters, etc.), operating costs (maintenance, municipal service fees, electricity, telephone, limited advertising) and the building lease or mortgage.

Popularity of charity shops Charity shops are often popular with people who are frugality, people who live on a limited or fixed income, collectors, and people with unusual tastes. This last group includes members of various subcultures. For example, clothing from charity stores was often modified by early Punk fashion rockers. In the United States shopping at a thrift store has become popular enough to earn a slang term, thrifting.

Environmentalists may prefer buying used good goods as this uses fewer resources and may do less damage to the environment than by buying new goods. In addition, reusing second hand items is another form of recycling, and thus reduces the amount of waste going to landfill sites.

Also, people who oppose sweat shops often purchase second hand clothing as an alternative to supporting clothing companies with whose practices they have ethical concerns.

New goods sold at charity shops Some charity shops also sell a limited range of new goods which may be branded to the charity, or have some connection with the cause the charity supports. Oxfam stores, for example, sell fair trade food and crafts. Other stores may sell new Halloween supplies and decorations where old vintage clothes are popular for use as costumes. Some stores specialise in selling books, music, or bridalwear. Charity shops may receive overstock or obsolete goods from local for-profit businesses; the for-profit businesses benefit by taking a tax write-off and clearing unwanted goods from their store.

History of charity shops In the U.S., many thrift shops are operated by churches. Some of these shops are fundraising venues that support missionary activities in other countries. Other of these shops are themselves missionary outreach centers.

The first Oxfam charity shop in the United Kingdom was established in Broad Street, Oxford, and began trading in December 1947 (although the shop itself did not open until February 1948). Oxfam opened some of the first charity shops.

However, predating this, one of the first Red Cross shops was opened at 17 Old Bond Street, London, as early as 1941. In total over two hundred “permanent” (for the duration of the war) Red Cross gift shops and about 150 temporary Red Cross shops were opened during the war years. A condition of the shop licence issued by the Board of Trade was that all goods offered for sale were gifts. Purchase for re-sale was forbidden. The entire proceeds from sales had to be passed to the Duke of Gloucester’s Red Cross and St John Fund. Most premises were lent free of rent and in some cases owners also met the costs of heating and lighting.

During World War I similar fundraising activities occurred such as a bazaar in Shepherd’s Market, London which made £50,000 for the Red Cross.

United Kingdom Charity shops Oxfam has the largest number of charity shops in the United Kingdom with over 800 stores. Many Oxfam shops also sell books, and the organization now operate over 70 specialist Oxfam Bookshops, making them the largest retailer of second-hand books in Britain. Other Oxfam affiliates also have stores - Jersey, Germany, Ireland(45 shops in NI/ROI), the Netherlands and Hong Kong.

Other charities with a strong presence on high streets in the UK include Age Concern, Cancer Research UK, Help the Aged, Save the Children, Scope (charity) and Sue Ryder. Many local Hospice cares also operate charity shops to raise funds.

Gift Aid is a UK tax incentive for individual donors where, subject to a signed declaration being held by the charity, income tax paid on donations can be reclaimed by the charity. Although initially intended only for cash donations, the scheme now (since 2006) allows tax on the income earned by charity shops acting as agent for the donor to be reclaimed. HMRC Gift Aid

See also

Consignment shop
Give-away shop
Goodwill Industries
Jumble sale
Salvation Army
Surplus store
Deseret Industries
Non-Profit Franchise

Notes

External links

Association of Charity Shops
TheThriftShopper.com - Thrift shop directory
Do Good Toolbar - A charity shopping toolbar
Locations and Review of Southern Ohio Thrift Shops
CharityShopChic.com - A blog about charity shop shopping
Children Make Every Shop Important - Free Fundraising for Children's Charities
Inventory: on op shops - a book about op/thrift shops

The Salvation Army Thrift Store
The Salvation Army National Recycling Operations is pleased to announce the arrival of its Gift Card / Value Card Program Starting Monday, January 14, 2008 at participating NRO ...

The Salvation Army Thrift Store » Store Locations
Greater St. John’s Area. Waldegrave Thrift Store 11 Waldegrave St St. John’s NL A1C 4M5. P: (709) 753-8501 F: (709) 753-8511. Conception Bay Thrift Store

Charity shop - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A charity shop, second-hand shop (U.K.), thrift shop, thrift store, hospice shop (U.S., Canada), resale shop (when not meaning consignment shop (U.S.)), or op shop (Australia / N.Z ...

Thrift Stores
Services offered by The Salvation Army Kansas and Western Missouri Division. ... Thrift Stores. The Salvation Army Thrift Store is a familiar sight throughout the community ...

Adult Rehabilitation Centers : Family Thrift Stores
FAMILY THRIFT STORES & DONATIONS To many people, The Salvation Army is the place where they donate used clothing and household items. It's a great way to recycle goods that can be ...

Thrift Store Safety Checklist
In a recent national study of thrift stores conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an estimated 69 percent of the stores were selling at least one type of ...

Thrift Stores - About Us
About Us . The Rescue Mission Alliance has four thrift stores that sells good quality, low cost ...

Thrift stores - definition of Thrift stores by the Free Online ...
A shop that sells used articles, especially clothing, as to benefit a charitable organization.?

FREE GEEK: COMPUTER THRIFT STORE
Non-profit community organization providing free computers and education to those in need through the reuse and recycling of old computers.

Flickr: Thrift Store Addict's Photostream
Guest Passes let you share your photos that aren't public. Anyone can see your public photos anytime, whether they're a Flickr member or not. But!