What Does It Take to Run a Successful Charity Shop?

With a magnifying glass over many of the concerning aspect of the clothing industry, charity shops and second hand stores have come to the forefront as places for those concerned about their clothing consumption to refresh their wardrobes without adding the throw away culture.I spoke to Judi, recent manager of Oxfams Winchester branch who has just left to open a new Oxfam shop in Lymington, which will be sell clothing and boutique style items to compliment the successful book and music store.When and how did you get into the charity sector?

I cant remember not being involved its in the family, I worked on a SOFA project at school (Some Old Furniture Available) where we co-ordinated getting unwanted furniture to people referred by the Local Authority a load of 16 & 17 year olds driving around with a trailer full of furniture. This probably wouldnt be allowed now-a-days! I started volunteering for Oxfam when I graduated from Uni and had a bit of time before starting my proper job.

I enjoyed it and have generally volunteered in a nearby Oxfam over the past 20 years when not actually working for Oxfam. I love the variety, being part of a community and doing my bit to make the world a slightly better place (I would love to be a doctor / engineer etc but dont have the intellect or personality to be so selfless) (I have also worked in Social Housing / in education with adults with learning disabilities and for a brief period 4* & 5* international hotels). What made you work in a charity shop?

See above I would (probably) never work for another charity retailer, I am passionate about Oxfam and the work it does.Have you noticed a change in Charity shoppers over the past 10 years?I think we are seeing an increasingly diverse group of people coming through our doors and their motivations can be very different.

It is becoming more difficult to predict what will sell at what price. There is a growing group of people willing to upcycle items / people like yourself who like the less than perfect but there are still plenty of people who still believe it should be sold very cheaply even if it is as new with tags.How do you price items ?

If we had the answer to perfect pricing life would probably seem dull! Research, experience and gut instinct. We regularly compare high street prices, other charity & 2nd hand retailers and look at what hasnt sold in our shop and consider why.

We have a very experienced team in Winchester who are great at spotting the items where we need to seek advice whether its from the internet, local auction house or the V&A. We have also benefited from Southampton University interns who have helped analyse the situation and propose solutions for the everyday items.You sell some lovely vintage pieces.

Do you curate these in the shop?We are so lucky to have an extremely knowledgeable and dedicated volunteer who takes a lead on this. We are known for our Vintage section so I think we are a destination for donors which enables us to maintain the department.

New volunteers quickly learn to keep an eye out for items that may not be perfect but have that certain something.What do you do with garments that dont sell?We consider whether to reduce the price, save them for a time when they are more seasonable or send them on to another Oxfam shop that gets less donations.

Items that are unsaleable in our shop go to Wastesaver (Oxfams recycling centre in Yorkshire: does the future look like for charity shops?I wish I knew! Retail on the High Street is changing and we have to adapt with that (Oxfam is looking at this).

We sell more online now (although items donated to our shop always go onto the shopfloor first). Oxfams online shop is helping us reach a wider audience. We have to keep listening to customers & donors and work to meet their needs as well as our priority of raising as much money as possible to alleviate poverty.

In the picture, Im wearing my handmade fingerless gloves that were a leaving gift from one my team here in Winch they have little bows as thats on trend this season and purple / yellow in honour of Winchester Fashion Week!If anyone is interested in volunteering at the Lymington Oxfam store, please contact Judi at: rg.uk