UK's high cost of living means heavier traffic in charity shops: Charity manager

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Charity thrift shops in the UK have grown more and more popular, as they are places people shop not only to help the needy, but also to afford basic needs due to soaring inflation, according to a charity official.

Last summer charity shop sales jumped 22% – higher than the pre-pandemic period – due to rising inflation.

High prices continued to drive more people to visit charity shops during the second half of 2022, and charity shops saw a "Christmas boom" amid the cost-of-living crisis in December, according to figures.

To understand the current situation's effects on charity shopping, Anadolu Agency spoke with Philip Morgan, the regional manager of Mind, a mental health charity, at one of the charity's shops in London.

Saying that people have wanted to shop more sustainably since the coronavirus pandemic, Morgan added that they also want to feel that they're doing something good for the community.

However, he said these are not the only reasons behind the rise in shopping at charity thrift stores.

"There's a huge population out there that have no other choice than to shop in charity shops because that's all they can afford nowadays," he said.

Mind is the UK's largest mental health charity, with 160 shops across the country. Clothing accounts for the majority of its sales, but they also sell a wide range of items, from books to household goods.

Morgan underlined that there has been an uptick in sales in all of the shop’s departments, where people have started shopping more for items they use every day.

- Changed shopping habits

"I think people now are more switched on to the fact that you can buy good stock, brand-new stock, in charity stores at a fraction of the cost that you would spend within the high streets," Morgan added.

On COVID’s effect on charities, when Mind saw a "huge increase" in helpline calls due to isolation and other mental health issues, he said that at the same time, shopping at charity shops also surged "as the pandemic almost changed shopping habits and people wanted to shop more sustainably and shop more locally."

On Mind's work, Morgan said they are "constantly lobbying and campaigning" with the government to improve mental healthcare services within the National Health Service.

"But we're also very conscious of the fact that we need to streamline and adapt our services to meet the needs of the public as the mental health emergency changes."

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Jessica Miller, a children's author, said for a long time she has been regularly shopping at charity thrift stores.

However, the current economic situation has also affected her way of charity shopping, said Miller.

"Due to the cost of living, I definitely cut down on anything non-essential," she said, adding that the way second-hand shopping is more environmentally friendly is another reason for her frequenting charity shops.

Now she’s not looking in shops for something new, said Miller, but instead "mostly looking at second-hand shopping."

"I'm spending more on basic needs, and I’m cutting back on non-essentials like eating out or holidays. Things like that are not on the agenda at the moment," she added.

Going to charity shops to spend less is common for many people, not just herself, she said.