Justice is served

It’s been a stressful week but constructive. Last weekend we had some video games stolen, on Monday a police offer entered the shop with a brown paper bag full of video games with our stickers and gift aid references on them. So we were able to immediately identify them!
We matched them up to our records and we had no record of this sale which became evidence the police could use to charge the offender.

People still find it so hard to believe people shoplift from a charity shop!

On a more light-hearted topic we have experienced a couple of really busy weeks in the shop, some nice donations brought in and people seem happy to spend!
Lots of new customers and younger people are coming in who I’m finding are buying more than they used to – probably because we are offering affordable fashion which can be mixed and matched with high streets purchases.

The shop attracts a diverse range of customers, students with a limited budget buying in bulk, small clothes businesses such as vintage shops stocking up with our selections and the more established customer with probably more disposable income who finds charity shop retailing quite a novel and addictive pursuit.

We welcome all into the shop and hope they continue to support the charity, not only with their donations but also their custom.

I see you everywhere I go Mr Customer

Poor Steve, the Van Driver. The man who puts out endless bags and loyally follows them up a few days later in his little white van trawling the streets for goodies so we have something nice to sell in our shops. People used to give more but now rogue van collections are about, unauthorised (and not registered charities) following up the trail of charities like us and collecting the bags before we can do so. It’s frustrating and it’s wrong. Plain Jayne and Simple.  So Steve and Mike work together as a team week in week out trying to get us that stock. They don’t only do that, they also move stock between shops (stock rotation, usually stock that hasn’t sold in a shop after having it on the rails for a few weeks), moving furniture between our units and generally heavy lifting stuff. Today along with a volunteer they have been to collect some private donations from a farm, including a nice table and chairs and a leather sofa. So it’s not true what they say about white van men some of them do good!

One thing I must record for prosperity: there is a customer that I see everywhere. He rides a bike and is always drunk. I see him at work when he comes into the shop (fair enough you may think) but I then see him cycling down the road near where I live (30+ miles away) I see him sat on random benches in and around areas around the city, garden centres, parks etc EVERYWHERE. I parked under a bridge the other day in a town I grew up in and it was raining heavily and I was having a heated discussion with one of my friends and there he was strolling by, bike in hand. I almost believed I was stalking him, a series of unfortunate events actually. He once asked me if I was an exotic dancer, well if he sees me now he won’t think that because I’m hastily piling on the pounds and I have a wedding to go to soon. Maybe hes God? Who knows, although that is blasphemy as God is definitely never drunk. Except when he made Cliff Richard.