People don't have the income to pay the increased prices they're demanding for other folks second hand stuff.
Local authorities gave charity shops a pass when it came to rents and rates for quite a while. But they can no longer afford to do so as they're own funding has been massively cut from central government and so are demanding rents and rates from everybody on the high street. Without exception.
@Picklebobble2 yes that is true. Even the seaside towns are mostly charity shops now. It's a shame their funding has been cut. They are charging higher prices for things to make ends meet, which deters many, but how else can they survive.
@meggie Got some real bargains in Morecambe a couple of months ago. Dresses for a pound, heels for two. There were several charity shops and they all seemed to be doing a fair amount of business. I visited charity shops in almost every town I visited in the three months I was in the UK, they mostly seemed to be doing alright.
But I agree that in wealthier places the prices are sometimes too high for the people who might need the clothes, etc. But then most charity shops don't exist to clothe and equip the poor, they exist to raise money for their own purposes so prices rising to what the market will bear is unfortunately to be expected.
For me high prices are sometimes an advantage as it makes it easier for me to resist buying yet another skirt, pair of heels, etc.!
@meggie Well in my view charities need to adapt. The model they've had for a long time now needs to be redefined.
It's estimated there are some 3000 charities in the UK collecting for cancer care and research.
In a country of our size that's way too many. If they all have the same intent they need to combine. A united cancer charity under one flag would then have the financial power to actually determine cancer care policy. Maybe direct research in more appropriate areas. Maybe hire top Doctors and researchers from countries with better cancer outcomes than our own. Then perhaps we'd see earlier screening programmes; regular check-up and follow up procedures being implemented.
@Picklebobble2 A lot of those cancer charities are not set up to fund research but to support people who have cancer. Also most are so small that their combined income would not make a dent in the money needed for cancer research. Also a significant number of charities are very local and give a number of people in the area a purpose and a degree of control over what they do, much of that would be lost if they combine into a large corporation.
Earlier screening programmes, regular check ups, etc. are what the NHS has to do and mere money, while necessary, won't fix those things.
What the UK needs is to be better organized. For instance I have British friends in France who have nothing but praise for the French health service and total dissatisfaction with the UK's yet France and the UK have roughly the same number of doctors per head of population.
Here in Norway we have more doctors per head but roughly the same number of GPs per head because the bulk of the extra doctors are in hospitals. In Norway I can go to my GP practice without an appointment and see a doctor the same day, my sister in the UK will be told off by the receptionist and told to phone for an appointment. https://gateway.euro.who.int/en/indicators/hfa_507-5290-general-practitioners-pp-per-100-000/#id=19583&fullGraph=true
My impression is that the general health of people in the UK is much, much, worse than in Norway and that is what needs fixing. The health service can't do that because the causes are socio-economic not disease.
