Charity shops defy credit crunch

11:07am Friday 24th October 2008

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DESPITE months of people tightening the purse strings and businesses fighting to stay afloat, not everyone is suffering as a result of the ongoing credit crunch.

Charity shops, which have a presence in most Wiltshire towns, have been flourishing in the adverse economic climate, with people hunting for bargains as winter and the Christmas period approaches.

Alison Nash, manager of the Dorothy House Hospice care shop in The Martingate Centre, Corsham, said she had definitely noticed more people coming in and looking for clothing in particular.

She took over the running of the shop a year ago and said in that time she had noticed the number of customers creeping up steadily.

“Certainly in the past few weeks I have noticed a lot of people coming in and buying things like coats,” she said.

“We are also still getting good donations at the moment, but we realise that could change in a few months when the new season comes in and people are holding on to what they have got to save money.

“We take donations of everything, except electrical goods here so there is a lot to choose from.”

In Melksham, Julie Gray, assistant manager of the Tenovus charity shop in Bank Street, said she had noticed a similar pattern.

”I think people are looking for clothing, but also looking at what they can get for Christmas for friends and relatives,” she said.

“We have sold quite a lot of coats and jackets over past weeks and we have been getting quite a few donations in too, I haven’t noticed a drop.

“On top of the Christmas period, we have the roadworks going on in Bank Street at the moment, but we have been lucky that there is a walkway through the construction right to our door so I think that has been drawing more people in.

“We have definitley seen an increase in customers in the past few weeks as I suppose people are just being more careful with their money and seeing how they can save.”

But children’s charity Barnardos, which has a Family Centre in Trowbridge and shops in Frome and Devizes, said it is expecting financial donations to fall as the credit crunch bites.

A spokesman for the charity, which supports and helps children with problems ranging from neglect, abuse and vulnerability, said:”Barnardo's is not immune to the impact of the economic downturn but it is well set to weather the storm in the immediate future. We have seen a slight falling away in donations and income from our retail shops, and this might get worse.

“We know that many people are under pressure themselves, but the support of our donors is needed more than ever to help us to continue our work with some of the most vulnerable and poorest families in the UK.”