Recession-hit bargain hunters flock to Clapham’s charity shops (From Wandsworth Guardian)

Recession-hit bargain hunters flock to Clapham’s charity shops

10:50am Monday 5th December 2011 in Your Neighbourhood

Shoppers in Clapham Junction are turning more to charity shops since the economic downturn.

Many charity shops on the high street including Trinity Hospice on Lavender Hill, and Cancer Research UK and Ace of Clubs on St John’s Road have experienced an increase in sales since the recession.

Agnes Maciol, Manager of the Cancer Research UK store said that there has been a 6% sales increase from last year.

She said: “I think it’s because of the financial climate, many people turn to charity shops.”

Duncan Laird, a retired volunteer at the Trinity Hospice agreed, indicating that shoppers are now targeting charity shops for their needs much like any other store in the high street.

He said: “Far more people are coming in. People often ask for specific things. Before the recession people would come in and browse. Now they come in and ask for a coat or a lampshade.”

The Charity Retail Association also indicated that there has been a growing trend in shopping for second hand goods since the economic downturn, attributing it to the quality of products available at lower prices.

A study by the Association revealed that 58% of charity shop buyers said that low prices were an important factor in purchasing from charity shops.

While a third said it was the most important reason they shopped there altogether.

Shoppers in Clapham Junction echoed these findings, saying that price was a big factor.

Jeremy Chick, 31, from Wimbledon said: “If your budget is limited the importance of a bargain can become all encompassing.”

Sam Robson, 26, from Clapham North agreed, but also explained that another motivation was the fashion element linked with buying second hand clothing.

He said: “I've got plenty of friends who dedicate days to shopping solely in charity shops in order to get that vintage look. Plus it has the added bonus of being cheaper than high street stores.”

Some of the Clapham charity outlets have also tried to make the most of this interest by transforming their image, resulting in them becoming genuine competitors to other high street stores. Agnes said that charity shops have become part of the retail sector, and that nowadays they do actively compete with other high street stores in terms of pricing, merchandising and quality.

She said: “People are more likely to come in now as they know it’s not like a jumble sale anymore.”

Shopper Cils Williams, 23, from East Dulwich has also noticed their transformation.

She said: “They look like proper shops, they look like H&M now. Back in the day it used to be like someone’s basement. Everything would be everywhere and it would be hard to find anything. Now it looks like they’re competing with other high street shops.”

Ace of Clubs charity shop takes on the appearance more associated with a high end boutique, rather than a store raising money for the Clapham day centre it runs for South London’s homeless and vulnerable people.

Amanda Brooks, Business Manager at Ace of Clubs and behind the shop’s decor, said that choice of fabrics and colours they use are all to bring on the wow factor for customers.

Before their image make-over last year, Amanda said that the shop had looked more like a jumble sale. But now they use big window displays to try and tell a story and create the best possible visual impact.

“Fabulous spreads fabulousness,” she said. “If you have amazing stuff in the window, we’ll get amazing stuff in, as they know we’ll display it beautifully.”

Avid charity shopper Shreena Soomarah, 25, from Battersea Park especially likes the Clapham charity shops due to their decor, as well as the bargains that she always manages to find.

She said: “I use charity shops in Clapham quite a lot. Mainly because the ones in the area really make an effort, especially the ones along St John's Hill.”

She added: “I've had some great finds in them too. Rare vinyl for £1, posh things from House of Fraser for 10% of the price, and my mum got a genuine Louis Vuitton handbag for £10!”

Charity shops have clearly benefited from the economic situation, however high street shops including Unique Shoes and Giftland on St John’s Road have suffered a decrease in sales in the last year.

Joe Kasias, Sales Assistant at Unique Shoes said: “If last year was 100%, this year it is 20%, especially in the last two weeks. This time last year we did £14,000. This year in the same week, four.” He added: “Now people are attracted to places that are a lot cheaper.”

Another trend that has also been a bi-product of the economic climate is the amount of donations received at the charity shops.

While shoppers are now more likely to visit, workers at the stores indicated that they have seen a decrease in donations since the recession.

Duncan said: “There are fewer donations though. My theory would be that people are holding onto their clothes a lot longer. People might have given clothes to charity to buy new clothes, but now they might not be sure if they’ll have a job next week so they’re holding onto their clothes a lot longer. “ Agnes had also seen a decrease at her branch, and has tried to improve the quality displayed in her store to generate more donations coming in.

She added: “Every season they would change their wardrobe, now they think twice.”

For further information about Trinity Hospice, Cancer Research UK and Ace of Clubs see their websites: www.trinityhospice.org.uk, www.cancerresearchuk.org and www.aceofclubsclapham.org Based on information supplied by Sandy Dhaliwal.