Barnardo’s

Ok so I wrote myself a reminder for this review on the iphone app that read: Holy Prices! In all honesty I was kinda tempted to just leave it at that and publish cos, well not go on about ut, but jeez! HOLY PRICES.
Just to clarify, this is a HP them prices are high, not HP them’s cheap! Having just moved to the area I was keen on hitting up the local charity shops (coffee shops, pubs, charity shops… in that order) to sort oot the wheat from the chaff. With the über successful visit to the nearby Shelter under my belt, I popped in here for a shifty at the furiture /​schtuff (nae claithes in this joint) and was whacked in the face by a big HP (underline, bold, change font to 24).
Ok so I know charity shops are designed to raise awareness of the charity and making a few pennies at the same time. I get this… I do. I also don’t want to sound like a cheap ass, but hey, when I go to a charity joint, I don’t expect to be looking at furniture with three digit price tags… how much was it new?!
In fairness to the folks, the gear is generally in good nick (we picked up a couple of wee IKEA for the small child like one, for £3 a pop, that were barely used), with a wide selection to look at. But HP… HP.

Barnardos is pretty huge for a charity sop and well organised, I have found a few suit items in here, so there is stuff of quality. There is never a whole load of stuff that fits me, I find the sizes quite big or extra super small, and even if I do like something after 5 minutes of looking at my self, looking like I am 10 and trying my mums clothes on, I have to resign myself to putting it back. I have found the girl that volunteers here to be very helpful and pleasant to talk to.

It’s mighty hard to write reviews on charity shops because the stock is unpredictable and forever changing! But that’s a reason why we find ourselves wandering back to them, and a reason why we love them.
This one, I have noticed, has a consistently large crockery collection. I stop by whenever I can if I need my weekly teapot fix, and sometimes throw in the odd cup or six. They quite often acquire those long, lanky 70s teapots, usually a brown hue which stand tall like proud soldiers next to mugs of tea.
Like Chris said, they always seem to stock a mass of old vinyl records, in particular folk and 50s compilations. Additionally, they have of late gained a juicy loot of rings and bracelets. There’s something in that swag basket for everyone, from rose rings to faux diamond studded silver jewellery.
In the room adjoined to the vinyl paradise there is normally a vast arrangement of furniture at affordable prices. If it leans towards expensive, it’s usually because it’s in mint condition and you’re giving to charity after all, so suck it up!
I go back for the tea collection everytime (I’m going back tomorrow for a teapot) but this store is certainly big enough to hold something suited to everyone’s tastes!