Hitting the charity shop jackpot

[QDRPHNC]

Not sure if this should be in Shelf Abuse or not, but anyway...

In Toronto we have these stores called Value Village. They're not really charity shops, as such. You just drop off your crap you don't want there, and they also have lots of good stuff really cheap. It's a good place to find weird old electronics. The rural locations are the best, downtown and in my east-end neighbourhood, the hipsters are on this place like rats, so it's hard to find the best vintage stuff unless you're there every day.

I have hit the jackpot a few times though. Brand new Levi's denim shirt, $5. A Boss suit that needed a little bit of tailoring to fit me perfectly, $45. A weird thing that looked like a dildo that I think was for cleaning out children's noses. I'm sorry I no longer have the picture of the box. A book of Indian short stories signed by Salman Rushdie for like a dollar.

But today I got very excited when I spied a clump of completely brand new, clearly untouched, self-published novels. Just one novel, I mean, but several copies.



The book is "The Takedown" by Sherry Bagnato and... well, let's let Sherry tell you what it's about.



Now, I promised myself that I was going to give it a fair shake before making fun of it on CaB, but I'm one page in and already beside myself with excitement at what comes next.



So CaB, any amazing charity / junk shop finds to share?

[touchingcloth]

I once paid a penny for a lid of crack round the back of Oxfam.

[Cuellar]

Wossa 'b-girl'?

[imitationleather]

My missus's shop was donated this canvas reproduction of a football programme that had been featured in an exhibition by one of the fellahs from Saint Etienne. (We knew about this source because it came with a note attached telling us to check their music out, which was sweet.)

She also had a box of multiples of the same self-published novel. In her case it was some libertarian erotic sci-fi thing. Apparently when she was off for a few days one of the volunteers actually put them on sale.

[Norton Canes]

Wossa 'b-girl'?

I direct m'lud to number two on the list...

[Cuntbeaks]

$167 stainless steel hinged ice bucket - £3

https://www.carlislefsp.com/bar-supplies/ice-buckets/609190

6 x Absolut martini glasses plus 6 x tumblers, brand new in box £6 the lot

Brand new, with tags, waterproof, double lined Trespass jacket, ideal for camping and other activities where you don't want to wear your good jacket - £7

Dozens and dozens of mint condition bone china tea sets and teapots. Various prices, always a bargain.


Fucking love a good charity shop me.

[Cuellar]

I've mentioned it before on here but I recently bought a Dictionary of British Surnames at an Oxfam and boy, I've never had so much fun.

Just flick through it in bed at night. Hours of fun. There's someone at work with a fascinating sounding surname and I'm going to look it up as soon as I get in. Can't wait.

[Endicott]

I might have to take issue with your use of several. That is a fuck-ton of copies.

[Pranet]

A few years ago at the End of the Road festival someone hired a stall and some embarrassed young people to give away copies of his self published novel. I'm slightly surprised the festival allowed it tbh. I didn't take one.

[imitationleather]

I've mentioned it before on here but I recently bought a Dictionary of British Surnames at an Oxfam and boy, I've never had so much fun.

Just flick through it in bed at night. Hours of fun. There's someone at work with a fascinating sounding surname and I'm going to look it up as soon as I get in. Can't wait.

Ooh, that is interesting. It inspired me to Google the origin of my own surname.

This very unusual and interesting name is an English topographical surname, of Anglo-Saxon origin. The name denotes someone who lived on a projecting piece of land, derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century word "snoc", in Middle English "snoke", a pointed piece of land.

Well how about that, ladies and gentlemen?

[Endicott]

Sixty-nine copies? This is fake news sheeple.

[Icehaven]

Now, I promised myself that I was going to give it a fair shake before making fun of it on CaB, but I'm one page in and already beside myself with excitement at what comes next.

C'mon don't leave us hanging, the cocktail napkin read "gay..." what? GAY WHAT??

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Denim shirt is a bit wrong. Are you in a Quo tribute band?

[Famous Mortimer]

C'mon don't leave us hanging, the cocktail napkin read "gay..." what? GAY WHAT??

gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay"

[gib]

Is it normal for an author to ask for money in return for signing one of their books, or is Rushdie just a bit tight?

[Icehaven]

There's an Acorns charity shop in Birmingham city centre that charges bloody ridiculous prices, I've even seen several Primark items in there priced at significantly more than they would have been new. I presume it's because they expect to be haggled down but being a non-haggler (and who the fuck haggles in a charity shop anyway?) I've just stopped going in there because I'm not paying £40 for a pre-worn decade old coat.

[Icehaven]

Is it normal for an author to ask for money in return for signing one of their books, or is Rushdie just a bit tight?

They're usually doing signings as they've got a new book out, so the expectation is you buy the book then queue up to get it signed.

[imitationleather]

who the fuck haggles in a charity shop anyway?

Absolutely loads of people. Rife with shoplifters as well.

Apparently you even get people bringing in their own stuff which they claim they bought from the charity shop and now want a refund for.

Scum. Subhuman scum.

[QDRPHNC]

Denim shirt is a bit wrong. Are you in a Quo tribute band?

Oh dear.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear.

[Icehaven]

Absolutely loads of people.

Well yeah I suppose there must be a lot or they wouldn't price everything as if they're expecting to be offered less than half. Not all charity shops do this though obviously so maybe it's just particular locations or depends on the charity's policy of whether or not they allow staff to lower prices. I couldn't do it anywhere, but particularly not in a charity shop, I even felt bad when one let me off 4p for something so I didn't have to go to the cashpoint.

[Gulftastic]

Sandman issue #8, first appearance of Death.

They had turned it round, choosing to display the massive Batman movie advert, possibly thinking it might sell better, and had it for 50p.

Currently goes for around £40 on ebay.

[Jim Bob]

I'm trying to work out how someone came to be in possession of that many copies of Sherry Bagnato's The Takedown in the first place.  A quick Google search revealed her Twitter account and apparently she's an American author.  I was unable to find a single review of her book online.  So the question is; how did somebody in England end up with that many copies of a self-published book from an American author?  It's amusing me to think of the possibilities.

My current favoured theory is that Sherry Bagnato has a friend in England, whom unwisely once told her a sympathetic white lie ("oh yes, Sherry, loads of my friends and family over here in England would love to read a copy of your book"), so Sherry, full of glee and joy, shipped a box, full of copies of The Takedown, over to England posthaste.  They sat in the loft of Sherry's English friend's house for a couple of years and then when doing some spring cleaning one day, they finally got offloaded to the shop of unwanted things in bulk.  Basically a bit like Gareth Keenan in The Office, with a box full of copies of David Brent's single.

[Endicott]

If I'm not wrong, QDRPHNC is in Canada. Still, 69 copies is pretty funny.

[Jim Bob]

If I'm not wrong, QDRPHNC is in Canada.

Ah, that would better explain it.  My theory could still stand, mind.  Just replace the English friend with a Canadian friend.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

There's a couple of charity shops round the corner from my work in Chiswick that have the poshest stuff I've ever seen in a thrift shop. I've seen Manolo Blahnik shoes in there for £150 and a Vivienne Westwood frock in there for £300. I'd have snapped them up but my flat size 10 feet and slightly chunky 6ft frame wouldn't fit either.

[QDRPHNC]

Ah, that would better explain it.  My theory could still stand, mind.  Just replace the English friend with a Canadian friend.

The book is set in Vancouver, I assumed she's from BC. Wouldn't surprise me if some small local bookshop dropped off the unsold copies.

[Ray Travez]

I've just stopped going in there because I'm not paying £40 for a pre-worn decade old coat.

This sort of thing bothers me as well. Some people don't understand the difference between "vintage" and "some old shit."

[pigamus]

I've mentioned it before on here but I recently bought a Dictionary of British Surnames at an Oxfam and boy, I've never had so much fun.

Just flick through it in bed at night. Hours of fun. There's someone at work with a fascinating sounding surname and I'm going to look it up as soon as I get in. Can't wait.

I just looked up the Irish version of my surname for a laugh, and it's about 15 letters long. I might start using it.

[bgmnts]

I've mentioned it before on here but I recently bought a Dictionary of British Surnames at an Oxfam and boy, I've never had so much fun.

Did you head straight for the Fucks and Cunts and Arseholes etc?

[Icehaven]

This sort of thing bothers me as well. Some people don't understand the difference between "vintage" and "some old shit."

To be honest I don't know enough about clothes to know the difference, but I do know I'm not paying £40 when the other charity shop round the corner would charge a tenner for the same thing. I've noticed some do have separate vintage sections usually full of vaguely 1950s looking dresses.