'I work in second-hand store – 'truth' about charity shops they 'don't want you to know''

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A shop owner has claimed that there is a "truth" about charity shops "they don't want you to know". Carmen Croxall, who operates a second-hand craft shop, took to TikTok to highlight a large donation made to her business, but noted that it "represents a problem in the charity industry." Standing behind numerous bags filled with donated items, she explained: "This actually all came from a charity shop – it's overflow – they can't sell things under £2." Carmen went on to say: "That's quite similar to lots of national charities and all things like this [unwanted wrapping paper] ends up in landfill." She then unveiled the contents of some of the bags, all packed with items that were "rejected" by a local charity shop.

Carmen emptied out dozens of pieces of jewellery from one bag, before revealing more items from others including plastic flowers, biscuit tins, hats, belts and sealed packets of clothing. READ MORE: Man finds unassuming £20 jumper in charity shop – then realises he's hit jackpot "So they couldn't sell these for £2 or more – it's not economically viable for a charity to make a profit for their cause," she explained.

Toys, craft supplies, fabric and Christmas decorations followed, leading Carmen to comment: "There's nothing wrong with this stuff, we'll get sorting it into categories [ready to be sold]." The video sparked hundreds of responses from TikTok users, with one remarking: "I don't understand why the UK isn't capitalising on massive thrift shops.

Overflow from charity shops can go there and the UK is desperate for large thrift stores." One disgruntled individual criticised: "If charity shops didn't charge £6 for second hand Primark tops or £10 for puzzles they might actually flog stuff on a regular