Minimalism: Top tips for donating to charity shops as they reopen

by Lucy Moore | 11 April 2021

If you have been stockpiling the things you want to get rid of in your home throughout lockdown, you may be excited at the prospect of being able to donate them all as charity shops reopen tomorrow. Before you pile your car high with bags and boxes, here are a few tips to curb your enthusiasm.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Be mindful of limitations: As with the reopening of charity shops post lockdown one and two, there may be restrictions as to how much you can take to each shop. Our local charity shop asked for only one bag from each customer so they weren’t overwhelmed with stock. Call up your closest donation centre first and just ask how much they are willing to take. If it’s one bag per day, do several drop offs over the next few weeks so everyone’s happy.
Make sure everything you are donating is cleaned first: People are more conscious of cleanliness thanks to Covid, so anything that looks dirty will automatically put off customers and likely won’t make it to the shop floor and thus not result in a sale. Only send laundered clothing and clean anything you can with spray or wipes such as toys, shoes and books beforehand to make them look more appealing.
Ask yourself- would buy it if you saw it on the shelf?: While you might be keen to get rid of things in one go, some items are simply not in a fit state to sell on. Anything that is unsafe or well past its best should be taken to the local tip and not the charity shop. Don’t use your local donation centre as a place to dump everything- just the things you think could make money.
Donate things in bags you don’t want back: Charity shops are asking for sealed bags now, so make sure that your stuff goes in a supermarket carrier or a bag for life that you aren’t too precious about and tie the top. The items will most likely be stored before they are sorted, so the pieces need to be easily moved around together before they are opened up.
Donate via post: If your local charity shop doesn’t reopen right away, you can always send pre-approved things via post. Check out the charity’s website for more details- this is a great alternative if you can’t find a different charity in your immediate area and many offer this service for free.
Larger donations: If you want to make a donation of furniture for example, you can call and arrange for the charity to pick this up for you, given that it is not too far away from their shop. Call once the store is open to enquire about arranging this and it will save you having to wrestle larger items in your car.

RELATED: What does it mean to dream about a charity shop?

Shops are usually about the choices you have in your life and if you couldn't find anything to buy, perhaps you feel you don't need anything else in your life right now- it's fine as it is. Or maybe you are struggling to find your next path but feel you need one. When you buy something from a charity shop in a dream it often signifies the appreciation for what you have in your life but you may also like to give others help where you can in the hope that they will feel the same one day. Another interpretation is that you might have been trying to convince someone else lately about the importance of giving things away. Perhaps something they don't use could be of value to another person and your aim was to get them to see that...