not from the point of view of the charity. a cancer research charity shop (for example) is there to raise money for its own work, not give customers (who may or may not be poor) cheap stuff.

it sounds harsh but their mission isn’t to provide clothing for needy people (or people who aren’t needy but don’t want to pay £6 for the handbag they want), it’s to raise money for cancer research. i’m sure there are organisations that do focus on providing clothes to those in need but most charity shops aren’t there to do that.

from the few months i spent volunteering in a charity shop i can only think of one time someone who clearly didn’t have a lot came in to buy something he looked like he really needed - a possibly homeless man came in to buy a belt as his only belt had broken. we did give him a low price for it, not at his request, and after he paid he emptied his pockets and put about £2-3 in 1ps and 2ps in the donation box :heart:

4 Likes

You should have demanded the 56p for that reason. You can’t gazump someone at the same price!

1 Like

Aggers made £80. He spent it on Bonus Shit™.

1 Like

with cars I have always managed to find somewhere online that will give you the correct “book price” for that car, at that age, with that many miles on it. Armed with this you can feel reasonably confident you are not being ripped off.

I only haggle on secondhand stuff really - but in GAK (guitar shop in Brighton) you have always been able to ask for the “best price” on a new guitar or amp and they will immediately whip out a calculator and calculate a discount

when I worked in a bookshop people were always trying to get me to give them a big pile of books for a tenner or something. I had no such authority,and nor did my manager

I’ve ordered from GAK online before, prices seemed reasonable enough to begin with, gbol

1 Like

Should really cut down on the GAK guys hurr hurr

1 Like

TBH the “discount” they give you in the shop usually just brings you down to the online price

They are always at pains to say they are run as separate business if you mention the online price though - as I guess in the shop you have had the benefit of trying the guitar, and a shop assistant giving you his time. So I just stick to the ole “can you give me a bit of a discount” gambit.

and they don’t discount things like pedals. Prices seem the same online or in the shop

I used to like gak but now I don’t, there was more to this post but I got bored typing it out

1 Like

I’m an Andertons man these days.

1 Like

I go there pretty much every weekend, mess around with the Yamaha refaces

1 Like

Only been a couple of times, but I do lots of gear shopping online on their website too.

1 Like

Their YouTube channel has grown on me, gone from hate watching to an integral part of my routine

Love me a bit of Danish Pete. The gear demos and jams he does with Mick Taylor are sweet.

1 Like

I like the synth guy, weirdly humorous

I never haggle. Hate when people do it to me. Gumtree is the worst for people trying to get money off. I always say no.

1 Like

I would always haggle in person for musical equipment, actually.

tbf, I had that happen to me when I sold a guitar years ago on ebay. Guy came round to pick it up and pay, and offered 20 quid less than the price he’d agreed on the auction. Said, no sorry m8, and grassed him up to ebay. Sold it for 40 quid more than he’d won it by the following week anyway.

That’s different, that’s going back on an already agreed upon price and definite cuntish behaviour. If he hadn’t offered money yet and was just trying it out, suggesting he’d buy it there and then for a price he knew was lower than you had intended would be more acceptable but you’d still need to do it with a bit of finesse since he was in your bloody house.

2 Likes

Adding these anecdotes to all of the ones I’ve heard from mates flogging music gear on eBay, it’s very difficult to not reach the conclusion that most musicians are absolute knobbers.