An Ode to the Great British Charity Shop

Helloo, it's Daisy. So as you may already know I am completely in love with charity shops, wherever I am I cannot go past one without going in and I don't often leave without buying something. Bloggers and youtubers from the US are constantly sharing their plethora of thrift shop purchases however here in the UK I feel like our equivalent, the humble charity shop, doesn't get nearly as much love and affection and I feel it is my mission to try and change that! So without further ado, here is my list of 6 reasons to shop charity...

1. Price

Being a poor and lowly student, I really don't have the funds to splash out on clothes so this one is a biggie for me. Put simply charity shops are DIRT CHEAP! I find on average they charge £5 for things like tops and skirts, £10 for dresses and mere pence for jewellery, making it easy to come away with around four or five items for under twenty quid. Of course these prices are variable, with some charity shops (usually for bigger charities like Oxfam) charging slightly more than others, however they are all significantly cheaper than all the popular high-street and online stores. I love having new clothes and the sweet sweet thrill of the purchase is in no way diminished by the fact that I've only spent a couple of pounds. Charity shops sell both new and old items so you really get the biggest price reductions when buying second-hand high-street or designer items, just last week I picked up a brand new Miss Selfridge dress and a Topshop Unique skirt for £10 and £3.50 respectively - bargain!

2. Charity

Ok, ok this one is obvious but never the less it is a massive plus point. Of course the very function of a charity shop is to raise money for charities, which has to be a positive thing in anyone's book (unless you are a heartless miser). There are hundreds of charities out there that have shops from huge national causes like Cancer Research UK and The British Heart Foundation, to small charities for things like local hospices and animal sanctuaries. These are especially beneficial because you know exactly where the proceeds are going and that the money you spend is going to benefit causes in your local community. These viral charity challenge crazes like the' ice bucket challenge' and the 'no make-up selfie' are all well and good for raising lots of money in a short space of time but by going to charity shops regularly you are constantly donating to good causes without having to be prompted, pressured or 'tagged'. By saving yourself some dosh and shopping second-hand you are donating money that could help cure a crippling disease, give an abandoned dog a home or provide care and support for an elderly person and when you think about it like that, charity shopping is a really worthwhile thing to do.

3. Sticking it to the man

By giving your money to organisations who really need it, you are keeping from handing over all of your hard earned cash to retail giants like Sir Phillip Green and the Arcadia group, which owns stores including Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins. The Arcadia group is owned officially by Green's wife, who resides in Monaco, enabling the company to avoid paying UK tax and keep more money for themselves - naughty, naughty. Unfortunately this and groups like it make millions from British consumers every year without really giving back to the people thy are making all their money from. So in a way, buying clothes from charity shops and attempting to avoid these big companies from time to time is like giving a swift middle finger to the corporations in possibly the most un-anarchistic way possible. I'm not going to pretend I don't buy clothes from big chain shops because I do, however sometimes it is good to think about where our money is going and occasionally making a conscious decision to fill the pockets of worthy causes instead of big companies.

4. Environment and Ethics

With today's culture of throwaway fashion we are going through so many clothes at such a rate we are seriously harming the planet. High-street stores update their stock so often it is hard to keep up, with certain items in one season and straight out the next. Buying clothes from charity shops is like a form of recycling - with you taking someones unwanted things and using them again instead of them being thrown away and this is especially true if you then donate your unwanted items back to a charity shop for someone else to use. With trends moving so fast it is so much better for the environment to keep recycling clothes in this way instead of constantly buying stacks of new ones that, lets face it, you will probably be bored with in a few months anyway.

5.Originality

Now for some pluses from the style perspective. One of the main reasons I love shopping in charity shops is to find items that are different from what I can find in ordinary shops. I have always liked having clothes that no one else has and charity shops are a gold mine of unique treasures waiting to be discovered, with clothes from brands you've never heard of and styles you've never thought to try.  Whenever someone compliments me on an item I am wearing its usually something from a charity shop that someone has particularly noticed because they haven't already seen it on the rails at New Look or scrolling the pages of Missguided. I know many people have the misconception that there is nothing stylish to be bought from charity shops but I promise there are, especially if you're willing to get creative when putting together outfits. To be honest a lot of the things in charity shops could easily be put in a 'Vintage' shop and slapped with a £30 price tag. Granted if you dressed in head to toe second-hand you might end up looking like a bit of a tit, but what I suggest is to mix charity shop items with new pieces, to create looks that are really individual. 

6. The Thrill of the Chase

Finally, what really excites me about charity shops is not knowing what you might come across. Sometimes going round bigger shops can feel a bit 'samey' and uninspiring, with many shops often just presenting a different slant on the same thing. On the other hand, with charity shops you never know what you are getting yourself into! You could find a sixties looking swing dress, a worn band t-shirt or a sleek and sharp pair of trousers - you just never know!  Buying clothes like this can really help create original looks and push you to think outside your comfort zone. Really, nothing pleases me like finding an amazing item, that is fabulous and unique AND costs me less than a fiver and usually I find at least three of these per shopping trip. Yes, often half the stuff in there is hideous but if you wade through the shoulder-padded, lilac blazers and the noughties denim gypsy skirts there are some real gems to be discovered - and hey, maybe those things are your bag!

I hope I have convinced some of you to at least give charity shopping a try! To convince you a little further before I go I thought I'd address two of the most prolific rumours about second-hand clothes:

-NO, no one died in them! (Probably) 

-Yes, they do smell a certain way but that's nothing a couple of washes won't get rid of!

Thanks a lot for reading and go get charity shopping!

-Daisy