New goods, old records and second‐hand suits: charity shopping in South‐West England

Charity shops are now a familiar feature of high streets and shopping precincts throughout the UK. As the sector has grown charities have taken an increasingly commercial approach to selling; many charities have introduced new goods in their shops. It is suspected that these changes have significantly broadened their customer base. As yet, however, little research has beendoneoncharityshopcustomers. This paper is based on a survey of 592 customers in 25 charity shops in the Bristol area. It explores who is using the shops, the types of goods they are purchasing and the amounts they are spending. Findings include a number of revealing differences between the purchasing habits of men and women, some of which appear to be peculiar to the charity shops sector.