Thrift stores are charity shops

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I always wondered on Youtube videos and in magazines where they said 'you can pick this up from your local thrift store'.

I thought 'we don't have those over here' and also 'why not they sound cool'. But also 'they sound like they're taking money away from charity shops and that's bad'.

Turns out they are American charity shops.

I think the reason why I didn't know or assume was because the emphasis is so much on the savings aspect of it in American English versus the charity aspect of it in British English.

And also because there's a second hand book shop in my home town which just makes a profit rather than giving any of it to charity, something which is actually fairly common over here when it comes to books. I thought thrift shops were like that but for clothes. The books in that shop cost something between 20p and £2 rather than £7.99-£10.99.

Also it makes me wonder about TK Maxx over here and TJ Maxx over there (same brand). How do they get their stock? I never heard of anyone donating second hand stuff to them but it comes with all different labels and all jumbled up like a jumble sale/garage sale.

I think tk max get their stock cheaper because there is something slightly wrong with the manufacturing. I got told that about over a decade ago anyway. I like the idea of cheap books. I realized the other day how insensible I am being buying books all the time. Next time I need a new book I am just going to start an account at a library.

Reminds me of this.

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In the States there are a variety of thrift stores. Some focus on clothes. Others focus on used books/records/movies. Such as "Half Priced Books". Some are for profit and others are run by charities. Many people also participate in Garage Sales, where they set out things they wish to sell and no longer need in front of their garage or home. Sometimes entire communities or cities will have a city wide garage sale event. Then there are swap meets. In the area of food, there are Farmer's Markets where local small growers sell their produce.

Yeah I was going to ask about that.

Because charity shops sell books. They sell all sorts.

I've only been in specialist charity bookshops and specialist charity furniture shops. The rest don't specialise.

In my home town where the second hand book shop is successful, all the books that the charity shops receive are rubbish*. It's almost like people only take them when they're ashamed to take them to the second hand book shop. Kids' books are an exception to this.

I used to work in a charity book shop (as a volunteer, only managers got paid) and we would send the less good books* to a smaller charity shop. Anything which was genuinely bad** we'd weed out then we'd put the good stuff on the shelves.

*Mills and Boon, male audience thriller equivalents of mills and boon, erotica, self published books, unscientific stuff passing itself off as 'science', political books which are out of date and are of a dated nature
** Unreadable or barely readable books. Books with pages torn out or a lot of writing on or a missing dust jacket. Or with rubbish inside of it like some kids' books had sweets left in them Nobody wants to buy that stuff so we sent it to recycling. Which is what the donating people should've done in the first place - please don't donate damaged books or items as it wastes volunteers' time.

Charity shop thrift shop items are donated.

Used book shops and vintage clothing shops usually buy their stock from customers and then sell it at a higher price.

Commercial chain discount stores buy irregular and overstocked clothing from the manufacturer.