Forgive me for asking this, but why do you take items to a charity shop? I know that when I donate stuff to charity I do so because it is going to a good cause and it might do someone else a good turn.
Get this then. My friend recently donated clothing to a local charity shop and several days later received this email.
"Supporting
Sense with your donations enables us to continue to provide essential care to
deafblind children and adults, their families and the professionals who work
with them. You really make a difference.
To donate this
money to our Charity you need do nothing further. If
we do not hear from you within 21 days of the date of this letter, we will
assume you wish to donate the money raised to our cause. Should you, however,
wish to claim the money raised, please write to ’The Admin team’ at the postal
address below and be aware that we will deduct 5% commission + VAT. "
What? Do people actually raise money by getting the charity shops to sell their stuff? I'm sorry, I simply can't get my head around it. Surely if you are strapped for cash you would take your clothes to a "nearly new" shop on a sale or return basis, have a garage sale or sell at a car boot sale . Is it me? Is there something that I'm not seeing here?
And now to something completely different!
A VERY INTERESTING FACT ABOUT DEAD PENGUINS ! !
Did you ever wonder why there are no dead penguins on the ice in Antarctica
?
Where do they go?
Wonder no more!!!
It is a known fact that the penguin is a very ritualistic bird which lives
an extremely ordered and complex life. The penguin is very committed to its
family and will mate for life, as well as maintain a form of compassionate
contact with its offspring throughout its life.
If a penguin is found dead on the ice surface, other members of the family
and social circle have been known to dig holes in the ice, using their
vestigial wings and beaks, until the hole is deep enough for the dead bird
to be rolled into, and buried.
The male penguins then gather in a circle around the fresh grave and sing:
"Freeze a jolly good fellow."
"Freeze a jolly good fellow."
You really didn't believe that I know anything about penguins, did you?
It's so easy to fool OLD people.
I am sorry, an urge came over me that made me do it!!!
Oh quit whining I fell for it, too
Douglas Adams
-
"It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty
as an Airport' appear."
11 hours ago
10 comments:
What!? I had no idea charity shops do that...I definitely donate goods thinking the proceeds (or the goods themselves) will go to someone more in need of it than I am.
What would be interesting to know though is how much is raised from things donated, although recognising the sheer amount of admin needed to keep track of that I'd never expect it.
Looking at the possibility of a positive side to this - perhaps this encourages people to donate good quality or more vaired things to a charity shop, and therefore people to buy things from a charity shop?
They want to turn the money raised by selling your donations into a monetary donation so they can claim
Gift Aid.
Some charity shops are not ran by the actual charities that are benefiting...
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/guidance-notes/chapter3/sectionf.htm#gg
I think there are people disguised as charities who do this kind of thing. However, the good charity shops don't. They ask if you can gift aid the items sometimes.
I do believe that a lot of unsold items do go to the rag man, though, for recycling.
You are naughty! I really was falling for that penguin story!
Maggie x
Nuts in May
We are thinking along the same line Chapati !
Ashley, thanks for that info. I guess I should have said that my friend had filled in the gift aid thing but was advised it would not apply if she wanted the money to be paid to her. Another friend had a similar letter from the Red Cross.
Yes, Maggie I guess I didn't make it clear that she had filled out the gift aid think and as I said above the Red Cross are sending out similar advice. It's the donors head that I can't get into!!
I didn't know that Charity Shops did that, is this something new they have started???
Love the penguin story, whilst reading it I was thinking Ive never seen that before....and then got to the punch line ....up till then I was a believer lol
Hello R&C, lovely to blog-see you again. That kind of charity shop sounds like nonsense. Much like your penguin story - utterly daft! GBS x
I was totally taken in by the penguin story too. I guess that I shouldn't admit that because I do try to present myself as an intelligent human being. Not many people see me in that light though!
Utterly daft GBS? What can you mean? BTW way GBS? George Bernard Shaw? I just realised that my comments consists entirely of questions don't they? I wonder, can you write an entire book of questions? And would you want to? And would anyone read it anyway?
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