TikTok inspires new generation to discover charity shops’ hidden gems

A social media craze and the cost of living crisis are both helping to fuel a rise in popularity for our charity shops.

Transcript

00:00 There's a whole range of things. It's not just older ladies, it is younger people bringing their items in for us,

00:08 which is great because then it serves the wider public really.

00:11 Some of the younger people are after the more modern stuff,

00:15 but some are actually after the vintage stuff that comes in because they want a unique look.

00:20 Some people are certainly coming into charity shops because they don't want to be buying new all the time.

00:27 They want to use stuff that's already in use. It's a lot more eco-friendly.

00:32 I think it's socially a lot more acceptable and even influences and things.

00:38 It's desirable to do that because you are getting a unique look.

00:42 You're not looking the same as everybody else with the things that they can buy from the high street shops.

00:51 Younger people can't afford to be spending so much money, so they can get good priced things,

00:58 decent clothing, and brick-a-brat, puzzles books, anything.

01:03 Finances can't stretch as far as they used to, and to my opinion,

01:13 children are only interested in things that are no longer than five minutes.

01:17 What's the point in buying brand new when you can get everything else cheaper?

01:21 We're always looking out for volunteers to help cover the shop.

01:26 There's some stock, steaming, all sorts of things like that.

01:31 And also we're always obviously looking for good quality donations to put on our shelves.

01:36 We have a good bunch here. We all muck in, and I think this is part of the joy of working in charity shops.

01:42 It's such a diverse workforce, and everybody's there for the same reason.

01:48 It makes it a pleasurable place to work.