Today our correspondents discuss charity shops that seem to be losing sight of their purpose, ask why the Prime Minister feels the need to apologise for the release of Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, wonder why shops in Gaza are abundantly stocked, bemoan the so-far disappointing summer of sport and wonder why the crime figures don’t seem to add up.
Some charity shops losing sight of purpose? Sir,-What went wrong? The idea of a group raising cash at very little, or no, expense to themselves seemed good to me that is until greed and profiteering took over.
The charity shop, as we all know, is/was dependent on donations by the public. The goods are then sold by volunteers in previously vacant shops requiring little renovation, and the group charged a peppercorn rent, if any at all.
However, I believe they saw a gap in the market because of the economic situation and decided to make some extra profit yes, profit at the expense of people who depend on other people’s generosity.
We now have charity shop competing with charity shop, inexperienced management, bad management, inadequate management, lack of retailing skills, irregular hours, shops that smell unpleasant, staff who sometimes … well, best not said. We even have people being forced to “volunteer,” or they lose part of their benefits. It must only be a matter of time before community service clients are also sent there.
The charities and charity shops lament things aren’t what they used to be, blaming the recession, the economic climate, people holding on to their goods for longer even the Lochee High Street refurbishment but never the fact they are sometimes more expensive than some stores selling new goods!
The economic climate affects all retailers, including the well-known cut-price stores where a new shirt can be bought for £3, a tie for £2 and even a watch for as little as £5.
These stores can buy in bulk and so gain discount, I hear some say. Ah! I say, they have to train and pay their staff and also have to pay for extortionate High Street leases and actually pay for the goods they sell.
Obviously, this criticism of charity shops does not apply to all charity shops, but I do think the writing is on the wall. The idea of money for used goods going towards good causes is still good and some people will always go back to charity shops for a rummage and the good feeling of helping others less fortunate, but when the recession bites…
Charity shops were never meant to be in the business of evaluating the retail value of donated goods. Just because something sells for £15 at a recognised High Street store that doesn’t mean a charity shop should sell it for £14.50. A £5 price would see it off the shelf within hours and that would be £5 the charity didn’t have before. I know I would rather buy a new shirt for £2-3 rather than £4 in a charity shop.
My concern is not the profits made, but the loss of the whole ethos of charity shops being pushed aside in the hunger for profit. I would say to them £1 is infinitely more precious to a needy cause than an over-expensive unsold shirt on a rail.
Ben Gallacher.Pitalpin Court,Dundee.
Why the apology?
Sir,-David Cameron is to apologise for the release of Megrahi though it was recommended by the Scottish Prisons health director, the parole board, and the prison governor.
It had also been demanded by Nelson Mandela, the Church of Scotland, the Catholic Church, the law faculties of the Scottish universities, the representatives of British relatives and the UN’s official observer at the notorious trial in The Hague.
Any US Senate inquiry should include the original investigation and the part played by the downing of the Iranian passenger plane over the Persian Gulf by the renegade American battlecruiser Vincennes.
The grubby fingerprints of Iran and Syria are all over this unsavoury episode and the guilty verdict on Megrahi is manifestly unsafe.
(Dr) John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.
Plenty goods, no shoppers
Sir,-Shopkeepers in Gaza are now complaining of an over-abundance of goods, according to the Gaza newspaper Al Ayyam.
Receiving billions in aid, Hamas has not paid salaries so shoppers, not goods, are in short supply.
Hamas claims that easing the blockade is a “plot by Israelis, Arabs and Europeans” to topple Hamas.
Soft drink, furniture and clothing manufacturers don’t want to compete with lower Israeli prices, and have called on the Hamas government to prevent the entry of Israeli products, claiming they can meet the needs of the market.
Will our “humanitarians” send flotillas to take back their surplus goods? Seems the Hamas terrorists now need their help more than ever due to the “glut” of goods in the region.
Andrew Lawson.9 MacLaren Gardens,Dundee.
Disappointing sporting season
Sir,-Sport having been part of my life for many years and an interest in almost all its forms having been present since childhood (long ago) I wonder if others share my view on this summer’s contribution.
It shaped up as an unforgettable and non-stop feast for sports lovers, but in fact I doubt if I am alone in having been disappointed in the football World Cup, Wimbledon and the Open golf championship a few miles along the road in St Andrews.
Individuals we hoped would light up the various tournaments Wayne Rooney, Andy Murray and Tiger Woods, for example simply didn’t. They either “froze” on the big occasion or simply fell well below their own standards.
Trouble was, for me, there were few if any “replacements,” though the winner of the Open golf, for instance, won’t agree. Allied to this, none of the tournaments again in my opinion had the competitive edge that makes them unmissable and unforgettable.
Is too much expected of today’s outstanding sportsmen? Is the “hype” which surrounds any major sporting event becoming impossible to live up to? Are we getting too much sport thrust on us via television, radio and all the other outlets?
I feel the truth lies in there somewhere, but meantime all I feel is disappointment.
Ian Wheeler.Springfield,Fife.
Crime figures don’t add up
Sir,-We are continually being informed by politicians and chief constables that the crime rate is at its lowest level for decades, so why are our prisons overflowing? I appreciate, of course, the vast contrast between “actual” crime and “reported” crime!
John McDonald,14 Rosebery Court,Kirkcaldy.
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