The next time you visit the high streets around London, take a look at the number of charity shops on an average stretch of road. Chances are that you’ll see plenty. Charity shops are great places for bargain hunters to frequent, and they’re also obviously a great source of revenue for a charity. What’s more, they are great for recycling old and unwanted items and fostering community support in a positive way.
Figures from the Charity Retail Association show that charity stores make a big contribution to the economy too. They provide over 17,000 paid jobs and over 200,000 jobs for volunteers around the UK. But, despite the benefits charity shops bring, many see them as a contributor the the decline of local high street because of sheer saturation.
Seeing the Good In Charity Shops
Now, a recent think tank has claimed that not only do charity shops provide a useful service to local people – particularly in poor areas where affordable goods are essential – they also play a vital role in boosting local businesses.
The Demos think tank conducted a range of interviews with 150 charity shop managers, 150 volunteers and over 2,000 members of the public. The results from the volunteers showed that 80% of them had decided to volunteer in order to gain vital experience in the retail industry, in the hopes that it would lead paid employment.
Many of the charity shop staff argued that their shops act as a form of community centre. Over the course of a working day, many elderly and vulnerable people will pop into their local charity shop for a chat. At the same time, over 91% of volunteers said that socialising and meeting new people was a huge benefit to volunteering and over 60% said that the work was a big benefit to their own mental health.
Charity Misconceptions
Despite this, shoppers sometimes do not view charity shops in the same way. Only 30% felt that charity shops provided a sense of community; likewise, only 30% thought that they encouraged people of different age groups to meet. Perhaps this was due to the figures which indicated that only 20% of respondents had ever met a charity worker.
A spokesperson for Demos argued that the benefits that charity shops bring to the high street are often unrecognised. This is particularly true in a time of austerity where local councils want to make their high streets as commercially successful as possible.
Highlighting the Charity Shop’s Importance
The spokesperson went on to call for more support from local authorities to help use charity shops to spur local regeneration. At the same time, they argued that charity shops should do more to highlight the contributions they make to local communities and address the negative perception the public has.
Demos went on to suggest that charity shops should take the time to produce more prominent displays to show how the money spent in the shop has been used in providing support and aid for the benefactors of the charity.
Demos also wants the Job Centre to do more to promote volunteering as a method of gaining experience. The organisation has also suggested that a further study on high street footfall in charity shops would be beneficial when it comes to determining future policy.
About the Author: This article is written by Sam Wright. Sam is an enthusiastic bargain hunter. He is working with the Third Sector Jobs website.
Cover photo credit: Howard Lake
