Win-win-win-win-win

The title of today's post? I'm talking about charity shops. 

Win 1: For people whose houses are full of clothes and items they no longer need - they can take them to a charity shop, thus decluttering their houses, freeing up space.

Win 2: People who donate such items to charity shops have the added satisfaction of feeling that they have done good. Giving away items with a fungible value instead of money. Throwing them away (especially if they can have a second use) is morally reprehensible.

Win 3: People who have a need can be buying things cheaper when used versions can be bought,  entirely adequate to their needs.

Win 4: By paying for an item at the charity shop, the buyer's money is giving to a good cause; the money raised through the sale helps society.

Win 5: The environment gains by re-assigning an unused utility rather than unnecessarily wasting natural resources to create a new one. The circular economy in action.

Case study: when pootling around the house or działka in winter, I like wearing a warm cardigan with a zip at the front and two pockets. I have a cotton one and a fleece one. A third would come in handy. I could also do with another warm shirt with breast pocket. So, finding myself across the road from Warsaw's Westfield Arkadia shopping centre the other week, I popped in to the Sue Ryder Foundation charity shop. I knew it was there, having interviewed the foundation's vice-president in April; Westfield have given the charity some prime space as an act of corporate social responsibility, for which I applaud the company. 

Inside, the shop is well-lit, clean and tidy, and well-staffed by friendly and helpful volunteers - and full of shoppers. I ask an assistant about shirts my size with long sleeves and pockets, and he disappears into the stock room and returns with several for me to look at. Meanwhile I'm looking through a rack of cardigans and find a lovely one -  by Pierre Cardin, in 100% Merino wool. Try them on - they fit - I pay 68zł (49zł for the cardigan, 19zł for the shirt). £12.50 in total. Very happy with both. I check the Cardin Cardigan online - cheapest price is 430zł, regular store price 500zł. So Win 3 for me. The Sue Ryder Foundation has my money to carry on its good work in Poland; no resources had to be used up to generate a new product for me, and the donor has more space in his wardrobe along with the warm feeling of having made a contribution to society.

I don't try to find excitement in the labels that I wear, but there is a sense of satisfaction at bagging such a bargain. [The shirt, incidentally, is from Seven Seas Copenhagen - not a brand I'd heard of, but paying 19zł instead of €20 is a snip.]

My late mother would have loved this cardigan (a word that she'd pronounce kadrygan), especially the deep, rich, thick texture of the wool which she'd have described as mięsisty ('meaty' or 'beefy'), though she'd have preferred a lighter colour. She was also a regular shopper at the charity shops of Ealing - which is where all her clothes ended up after her death.

I cannot recommend charity-shop purchases highly enough. In the UK, I'd buy most of my jackets, coats and trousers from the Children's Society shop on Pitshanger Lane; sadly I'll not be back there in a while (the celebrations of the UK rejoining the EU still being a long way off). So it's good that a decent charity shop exists in Warsaw.

This time last year:
Comfort, discomfort and winter cold

This time two years ago:
Frustration as completion of Chynów station draws near

This four three years ago:
London in verticals

This time five years ago:
Roadblock and railfreight

This time six years ago:
Sunny morning, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens

This time seven years ago:
Brentham Garden Suburb

This time eight years ago:
Ahead of the opening of the second line of the Warsaw Metro 

This time nine years ago:
Keep an eye on Ukraine...

This time ten years ago:
Płock by day, Płock by night 

This time 11 years ago:
Warning ahead of railway timetable change

This time 14 years ago:
Some thoughts on recycling