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.

Shop lift

No we aren’t having a lift fitted in our shops, well the reason being we are small premises with one floor.

The other day at work a woman came into our shop and I distinctively remember her husband walking out with a leather jacket on his back which he plucked from our rails and thanked us with two fingers, a charming sort of guy who ended up in a nice place called prison. Anyway he’s out now and unreformed.

His wife, a small blonde still comes in and we always watch her closely but on this particular day while she was in “browsing” I mentioned to one of the volunteers my particular dislike of this woman and to watch her because she steals. Ten minutes later directly outside of the shop two police officers were quizzing her over some stolen jewellery and they weren’t quiet about it. Apparently some rings had gone missing and they wanted to search her handbag, they let her go and another ten minutes later a police car pulled up outside the shop blocking her and her car in.

She got out and they were asking if she had MOT etc, she started waffling on about not understanding the question (yeah right) she then ran into the shop and asked if she could pay for the shoes she had on her feet and when she tried them on she forgot to pay! After watching her so closely she had managed to walk out the front door in a pair of shoes she hadn’t paid for. After that she was arrested (not because of the shoes unfortunately) Although controversial, the police are a little more relaxed on charity shop theft than in a standard retailer, although this isn’t true in terms, it can feel this way.

Theft is a daily fight, we as retailers forge a war against but often lose as it can go undetected and you have to have a trained eye. One thing I’ve noticed lately is people (particularly women with teenage daughters) donate some bags and two days later come to the till with a selection of items saying “oh I brought some bags in the other day and I’ve accidentally brought some of my daughters clothes in and she’s so upset, can I have them back, I don’t think I should pay for them” what do you do? It’s a hard one as accidents happen but it’s happening more and more, coincidence or organised theft?

I remember one occasion when working with probation workers who were doing community service hours - they wanted to place lady in our shop who had just been convicted of stealing from a charity shop. Work that one out.