Carrot and stick
21 May 2012
Community isn't led by government, so why wait for it to tell you what to do, protests Robert Ashton....
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Out with the old?
I was shocked and delighted in equal measure last night as I watched Mary Queen of Shops – the BBC show where retail expert Mary Portas has revamped a Save The Children charity shop in Kent.
To begin with I wasn’t sure Mary’s no-nonsense business style - which has worked wonders for Harvey Nicks - was suited to the streets of Orpington.
And for the first half-hour of the show my sympathy was with the volunteer pensioners, who were understandably surprised, even tearful, at the disruption taking place in their shop which included a complete refit and price hikes.
One 70-year-old even resigned in protest.
But by the end of the programme (watched by three million people) my sympathy for maintaining the status quo was long forgotten – not least because the shop made £1,000 in two hours.
Sorry volunteers. Of course your time and effort is appreciated, but the shop’s aim has got to be to make money for the charity’s beneficiaries.
And Mary proved she knows how to do that.
You might not like change, but change has to happen in order to fill the till and help the charity achieve it's objectives.
So what implications does this have for the sector?
Is it time charity shops were run more like commercial retail businesses with competitive pricing, and sales drives, instead of community projects for older citizens?
Will such a hard-nosed approach drive existing volunteers away, leaving shops without staff?
Is it feasible that the thousands of new volunteers looking for opportunities in the sector can be brought into charity shops with fresh attitudes, and help bring about a change of mindset?
I look forward to seeing if Mary’s show has long-term impact - and to hearing your views.
Also, to take part in our annual charity shop survey please go to www.charityfinance.co.uk/questionnaire
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Juile Hall
10 Jun 2009
Yes - lets push out dedicated and loyal supporters to make way for this new breed of recession-hit volunteers who will leave once the job market recovers.
Craig
10 Jun 2009
Hi Lucy, I think you've been taken in by Mary's claim that what she's been doing has never been done before.
Most large charity shop retailers are already run like commercial business retailers. They use Epos systems to track sales, open niche shops, generate high quality donations by forging relationships with local businesses and schools, attract a wide range of volunteers, close under-performing shops etc, etc. Mary has highlighted some of the problems that shops face, but her solution won't be suitable for every charity shop in every location. Look forward to the last episode and seeing the numbers.
Mike Naidu
10 Jun 2009
I wonder how much of the billions of pounds left to charities each year in legacies is from little old ladies who volunteer, shop and chat in charity shops? I reckon it is a fair slice of the pie. Bigger charities can front the cash to challenge the high street, while others will muddle on. What is more interesting is to consider the next generation of supporters, generation Y do with the charity shop model of fundraising? I sense a reality show in the making.
Mike
LAB
10 Jun 2009
As someone whose parents tried to make donations to the Orpington shop a few years ago only to be sent away saying they didn't need the goods, this revamp and change of attitude is long overdue.
Rajd
10 Jun 2009
OK the launch did well taking £1k in 2 hours but that needs to be sustained and costs incurred to date on that project seem to be in excess of £30K. Lets see year end results then decide
Karen Drury
10 Jun 2009
It's all very well for staff to be dedicated and loyal - but charity shops are supposed to make money for their causes! And if they don't - what's their purpose FOR THE CHARITY? I can see the purpose for the volunteers - companionship, a sense of belonging, something to do to make them feel useful... But it's only a short step to feel you're doing useful just by turning up every Monday for 40 years to feeling that you're doing something useful by raising money, surely?
And as for the recession-hit volunteers who will leave when the job market improves - the bloke who was there was hardly a breath of fresh air, was he? They might not like Mary's style, but I think part of the problem WAS the volunteers - not to mention the complete numbskull who was the area manager!
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Lizzyk
17 Jun 2009
The Orpington shop now makes £2,000 a week instead of £900, however they also now employ a manager, which with pensions, national insurance etc probably takes up most of the extra income anyway, if not all of it.
Volunteers are the life blood of charity shops, without them they are dead. Also if they start to go into direct competition with High Street shops, who are facing major financial problems at the moment, it will cause a lot of bad feeling, particularly as the charity shops get special deals on rates.
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