CDs you are always guaranteed to see in charity shops!

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,075
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    Again today I was looking in some charity shops when I was out, and there were a lot of freebie CD's and ones that originally were offered along with a Music magazine or came in the post as a promo. The most frustrating thing is that they are the same price as an actual proper CD. E.g In an RSPCA charity shop today there were 'Pepsi Mag' freebie CDs, alongside Euphoria: Ibiza Anthems and Big Tunes compilations all priced at a quid!

    The standard compilation albums or Madonna's Music, Kylie's Body Language and Blue's One Love aren't bad for a pound each, but to price freebie discs as the same price is absurd!
  • WelshNigeWelshNige Posts: 4,807
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    Again today I was looking in some charity shops when I was out, and there were a lot of freebie CD's and ones that originally were offered along with a Music magazine or came in the post as a promo. The most frustrating thing is that they are the same price as an actual proper CD. E.g In an RSPCA charity shop today there were 'Pepsi Mag' freebie CDs, alongside Euphoria: Ibiza Anthems and Big Tunes compilations all priced at a quid!

    The standard compilation albums or Madonna's Music, Kylie's Body Language and Blue's One Love aren't bad for a pound each, but to price freebie discs as the same price is absurd!

    1. They are called charity shops for a reason, their aim is to raise money for charity, charging pence for CD's, irrespective of where they came from, is hardly going to help them in their aim.

    2. Nobody is forcing you to buy these "freebie"CD's.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,429
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    @PhilH36. Thanks for your reply. Your shop sounds excellent! I recall you posting before in either this thread or its opposite number (or both) and enjoying what you wrote. You are right about lazy, annoying customers putting things back where they like, so I was probably being a bit harsh on staff. Also, as most are unpaid I maybe shouldn't expect such high standards. Oh, and I should have said partworks without their magazines, rather than with.

    It sounds like your shop is huge, or if not then unusually well laid out, if you have so much stuff that you can catergorise it. Here, we have what I've found to be a pretty general standard all over the country - really quite small premises with clothes taking up most of the space and the stuff I'm mostly interested in (CDs, DVDs, video games, books) on shelves at the back and near the till, with yet more floor space taken up with those twirly stands crammed full of paperbacks. I really don't like those twirly stands. It would definitely be nice to see bigger stores, or ones with less of a focus on clothes (especially women's) but I do understand that they get donated a lot and sell well.

    It would, of course, be great to see more quality on the music front, but there aren't many people that are going to sell their Beatles' collections and such. Still, part of the enjoyment of a charity shop is the never knowing what you might find. I've certainly had my fare share of pleasant surprises over the years.
  • KodazKodaz Posts: 1,018
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    WelshNige wrote: »
    1. They are called charity shops for a reason, their aim is to raise money for charity, charging pence for CD's, irrespective of where they came from, is hardly going to help them in their aim.

    Wouldn't even be worth their time if they did. Reminds me of the person who complained (*) that charity shops were no longer accepting VHS tapes, saying:-

    "Many people don't have much spare money and even used DVD's are over £1 each yet tapes are 5 (or 10) for £1 in our local shops so I can watch top films like Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars for a week and still not spend a pound."

    Well, yeah. That'd be exactly why they're not bothering, then. :rolleyes: The work of sorting, storing and displaying them *plus* the shelf space needed for those bulky cases is barely worth it at 20p, and sure as heck not if they have to sell them for 10p. Especially if- like many CDs- they don't sell anyway, and have to be disposed of. (**)

    It's good that charity shops have the secondary social benefit of letting skint people get stuff cheap, but not at any cost. Some people seem to have a sense of entitlement about it...
    WelshNige wrote: »
    2. Nobody is forcing you to buy these "freebie"CD's.

    Amen. A quid is hardly breaking the bank anyway, is it?

    (*) Post #31 in linked thread onwards
    (**) Er, and frankly, if someone wasn't willing to pay 20p for it, it's unlikely they'd want it if it was 10p or even free, so it probably *would* remain unsold!
  • LaVieEnRoseLaVieEnRose Posts: 12,836
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    Re the freebie CDs, I ran a charity book stall at a local fete and a box of these was donated. We gave them away as a deal "Free CD when you buy 3 books" or something like that. Certainly attracted more people to the stall.
    It would, of course, be great to see more quality on the music front, but there aren't many people that are going to sell their Beatles' collections and such.

    No, but then again there must be lots of people who have cleared out their CDs and now store their music electronically. I guess a lot of them go on Ebay. :(
  • PhilH36PhilH36 Posts: 26,194
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    To be fair, the branch I volunteer in is one of the larger ones in terms of sales floor area, hence why we have a big gondola display of cds and dvds. I've been in some of our other branches which are smaller and which just have a couple of shelves of dvds or cds on the wall.

    As regards compilation cds that were originally magazine cover mounts, again I admit that, as with magazine partwork dvds that I mentioned earlier, I will sometimes price them at 99p the same as a regular album, but equally I will price some of them at 75p or even 50p-I will look at what music is on them before deciding which price to go with.

    VHS-my shop does still accept and sell these but the display has been reduced to two small shelves. I will price them generally at either 50p, 75p or a quid depending on the title. Again it's working out what is likely to sell-we get multiple copies of films that we struggle to sell on dvd, and you know that they (the VHS version) still won't sell even if we put it out for 25p as certain titles just have way too many copies in circulation on the second hand market. I will admit here that at least 80% of tapes that we get in go straight into the recycling boxes.

    As I posted earlier in one of these threads, videos that do still tend to sell tend to be older classic movies or tv shows, which older people will buy, and childrens videos, which carers for mentally handicapped adults will buy in order to keep their charges amused. Our area manager has suggested to my shop manager that she (the a.m.) would rarther we got rid of VHS, but my manager says we'll keep selling them as long as they sell steadily and make some money-but it is getting closer to the point where we will finally decide it's no longer worth it and stop accepting and selling them.
    Also, as most are unpaid I maybe shouldn't expect such high standards.

    Finally for now, I think it's more a case of whether the volunteer working on a specific section knows his or her stuff. Without blowing my own trumpet, whilst I like to think that my knowledge of the entertainment industry helps me provide the service I do, our books man is a real expert-he's had an interest in and love of books for virtually his entire life and literally what he doesn't know about books isn't worth knowing. He's widowed now and volunteers at the shop full time and we frequently get comments from customers praising him as to his knowledge of books and standards of customer service, and how our books department is better than the library or a proper bookshop.
  • KodazKodaz Posts: 1,018
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    PhilH36 wrote: »
    I will price [VHS tapes] generally at either 50p, 75p or a quid depending on the title.

    That's a lot more respectable than the 20p or 10p(!) mentioned if you can get it. Though like you said, a lot will never sell; is it a problem having to dispose of these?
    PhilH36 wrote: »
    We get multiple copies of films that we struggle to sell on dvd, and you know that they (the VHS version) still won't sell even if we put it out for 25p

    Would I be correct in guessing those are mainly the more "grown-up" oriented blockbuster films from the late-90s/early-2000s that every man and his dog bought at the time, has now thrown out, and anyone who wanted it could now (if they still care about it) pick up the DVD of for four quid new?
  • PhilH36PhilH36 Posts: 26,194
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    Kodaz wrote: »
    Would I be correct in guessing those are mainly the more "grown-up" oriented blockbuster films from the late-90s/early-2000s that every man and his dog bought at the time, has now thrown out, and anyone who wanted it could now (if they still care about it) pick up the DVD of for four quid new?

    Yep, that's an accurate assessment.

    It's not really a problem to dispose of tapes that don't or won't sell as we have a recycling service that picks things up regularly so most of them end up there.
  • Simon_ThreadingSimon_Threading Posts: 22
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    I went to Whitstable, Kent today and was browsing through the CD selection in the various charity shops in the town there.

    The usual contenders were there today:

    S Club 7 - 7 [New Version]
    Backstreet Boys - Backstreet's Back
    Backstreet Boys - Black and Blue
    Justin Timberlake - 20/20 Experience
    The Wanted - Battleground
    Rihanna - Talk that Talk
    Hits 2001
    Now Dance 2002 (Part Two)
    Now 57
    Now 83
    5 Seconds of Summer
    One Direction - Up all Night
    S Club 7 - 7 [Standard Version]
    Bryan Adams - The Best of Me
    Bon Jovi - These Days & Slippery When Wet
    Daniel Bedingfield - If You're Not the One
    Steps - Step One
    Spice Girls - Spice

    They were hardly any Now That's What I Call Music! albums though, although I found Now 83 (2013) for a £1 in Demelza.
  • dumpty_xdumpty_x Posts: 50
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    Stereofam wrote: »
    Yes. People watch these shows, get brainwashed into thinking someone is a great singer, then buy their album on the strength of the first single release only to find the rest if it is dreary. The CD then collects dust and takee up room, so it eventually ends up in a charity shop because it didn't sell a car boot sale, as everyone else there was also trying to sell the same CD.

    Before you ask, no, I'm not speaking from experience, I have never bought a CD from any of these so called artists, but have seen plenty of their CD's for sale in plenty second-hand shops.

    I put Will Young in a different league to the rest of these. Friday's Child is an excellent album.
  • SonOfPurpleSonOfPurple Posts: 2,637
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    There was a phase not long ago around these parts that I noted just about every charity shop, pound shop and secondhand store that sold CDs would have several copies of Kubb's 'Mother' kicking about. Why so much Kubb on the secondary market? I have no clue...
  • scrillascrilla Posts: 2,198
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    Charity shops: where dodgy albums by fly-by-night pop acts go to die. I'm just impressed that so many people remember the music they see in them. I find the selections so disinteresting I probably couldn't tell you what I'd seen five seconds later.

    Regarding the partworks CDs and newspaper freebies etc,, we are talking about very cheap stuff. If you want something 50p or a pound is cheap to pay, regardless of whether it was free originally or not (usually a 'free' bonus with a purchase anyway). The alternative e.g. eBay would probably be dearer with postage factored in.
  • Kirsty_Jones90Kirsty_Jones90 Posts: 1,591
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    I went to Whitstable, Kent today and was browsing through the CD selection in the various charity shops in the town there.

    The usual contenders were there today:

    S Club 7 - 7 [New Version]
    Backstreet Boys - Backstreet's Back
    Backstreet Boys - Black and Blue
    Justin Timberlake - 20/20 Experience
    The Wanted - Battleground
    Rihanna - Talk that Talk
    Hits 2001
    Now Dance 2002 (Part Two)
    Now 57
    Now 83
    5 Seconds of Summer
    One Direction - Up all Night
    S Club 7 - 7 [Standard Version]
    Bryan Adams - The Best of Me
    Bon Jovi - These Days & Slippery When Wet
    Daniel Bedingfield - If You're Not the One
    Steps - Step One
    Spice Girls - Spice

    They were hardly any Now That's What I Call Music! albums though, although I found Now 83 (2013) for a £1 in Demelza.


    Rihanna Talk that talk is a good bargain then, i would pick that up.
    It has been ages since i went to one of the charity shops in Ipswich, but from what I remember going back on topic, always there:

    Simply Red-Life
    Spice Girls-first 2 albums
    Five-first 2 albums
    Westlife-all albums
    Robbie Williams-Rock Dj single
  • Billy HicksBilly Hicks Posts: 475
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    There was a phase not long ago around these parts that I noted just about every charity shop, pound shop and secondhand store that sold CDs would have several copies of Kubb's 'Mother' kicking about. Why so much Kubb on the secondary market? I have no clue...

    That's interesting...around Christmas 2009/10, our local HMV suddenly had hundreds of them available for about one pound each, by far cheaper than any other album in the store. It was worth it just for Grow, which is a hugely underrated noughties gem and sounded pretty epic in that snowy winter.

    How are vinyl priced nowadays in charity shops given the much-quoted "revival" hype? Back in 2008 I bought a few dozen records from a charity shop in Woking for 20p each and the owner said he was glad to finally get rid of them - even bringing out another box from the back for me to look through!
  • Simon_ThreadingSimon_Threading Posts: 22
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    I went to Rainham, Kent today and there were no outstanding gems in the charity shops... Although I bought Now 41 & 47 for a £1 each at a Music/Record store (Bargains).

    The charity shops there only had to offer:

    Blue - One Love (2002)
    S Club Juniors - Together (2002)
    S Club Juniors - Automatic High (CD Single - 2002)
    Top of the Pops: Volume (2000)
    The Wanted (Debut Album - 2010)
    The Black Eyed Peas - The Beginning (2010)
    Another Level - Another Level (1998)
    Backstreet Boys - Black and Blue (2000)
    S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin' (CD Single - 2001)
    Smash Hits - Summer 97 (1997)

    The CD selection were pretty boring, but it is a very small town so that is probably why. I tend to visit big cities and towns for proper gems.
  • Simon_ThreadingSimon_Threading Posts: 22
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    Just been to Rochester, Kent and picked up a few nice things in the charity shops there:

    S Club 7 - 7 (2000) 50p
    S Club 7 - Sunshine (2001) 50p
    S Club - Seeing Double (2002) £1.50

    There were no Now albums though sadly, except for Now 57 for a £1 in British Red Cross. :(
  • Castle SaburacCastle Saburac Posts: 184
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    Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
    Blur - Parklife
    Anything released by pop bands in the 1990s/early 2000s (Five, East 17, Peter Andre, Blue, Westlife, Take That, Boyzone, Spice Girls, All Saints, Eternal, Steps, etc.)
    Aything released by an X-factor/Pop Idol winner and contestant
    Madonna - Ray of Light, Music, Confessions on a Dance Floor, American Life, GHV2
    Catatonia - International Velvet
    Texas - White on Blonde
    David Gray - White Ladder
    Scouting for Girls - Scouting for Girls
    Beautiful South - Carry on up the Charts
    Simply Red - Stars
    Coldplay - Parachutes
    Charlotte Church - Voice of an Angel
    Susan Boyle - I Dreamed a Dream
    Enya - A Day Without Rain
    Duffy - Rockferry (or any of those flavour of the month singers like Kate Nash, Sandi Thom, etc.)
    Jessie J - Who You Are
    Calvin Harris - I Created Disco
    Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
    The Corrs - Talk on Corners
    Lighthouse Family - Ocean Drive
    Britney Spears - BOMT, Circus, Greatest Hits
    James Blunt - Back to Bedlam
    Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
    Travis - The Man Who
    Robbie Williams - Sing When You're Winning
    Norah Jones - Come Away with Me
    Lady Gaga - The Fame


    A greatest hits album by the following:

    Queen
    Neil Diamond
    Elton John
    Bucks Fizz
    Engelbert Humperdinck
    ABBA
    Tom Jones
    The Carpenters
    Cilla Black
    Boney M
    The Beatles
    Wham
    Cliff Richard
    UB40
    Tina Turner
    Rod Stewart
    Status Quo
  • Jeannie_WilsonJeannie_Wilson Posts: 1,568
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    Kylie - Light Years, Body Language, X, Greatest Hits (2002)
    The Corrs - Talk On Corners, Best Of The Corrs
    Take That - Greatest Hit's
    Mark Owen - In Your Own Time
    Robbie Williams - I've Been Expecting You, Sing When You're Winning
    Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hit's, Tango In The Night
    Lighthouse Family - Ocean Drive
    Terence Trent Darby - Vibrator, Introducing The Hardline According To...
    Steps - Step One
    Beyonce - Dangerously In Love, Sasha Fierce
    Destiny's Child - Writing On The Wall
    Susan Boyle - I Dreamed a Dream
    Ellie Goulding - Lights
    Texas - White on Blonde, The Hush
    Spice Girls - Forever
    Mel C - Northern Star
    Louise - Naked, Woman In Me, Changing Faces
    Britney Spears - Circus, Baby One More Time
    A1 - Here We Come
    Backstreet Boys - Millenium
    The Jacksons - The Best of Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5
    Phil Collins - Hits
    Bananarama - Greatest Hits Collection
    Paul Young - From Time To Time
    Tina Turner - Simply The Best
    Simply Minds - Glittering Prize - GH's
    Alison Moyet - Singles
    Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope
    Joni Mitchell - Blue
    Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
    Portishead - Dummy
    Eternal - Greatest Hits, Power Of A Woman
    Norah Jones - Come Away with Me
    Abba - Gold
    Madonna - Ray Of Light, GHV2
  • JohnStannardJohnStannard Posts: 7,649
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    I would add since Ive worked in charity shops myself theres a lot of now's from 30's-50's
  • Jeannie_WilsonJeannie_Wilson Posts: 1,568
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    Forgot to mention that I always used to see Prince's "Hits 1" and "Diamonds and Pearls" albums. I doubt anyone will see them now though.
  • VoodooChicVoodooChic Posts: 9,863
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    I went to Rainham, Kent today and there were no outstanding gems in the charity shops... Although I bought Now 41 & 47 for a £1 each at a Music/Record store (Bargains).

    The charity shops there only had to offer:

    Blue - One Love (2002)
    S Club Juniors - Together (2002)
    S Club Juniors - Automatic High (CD Single - 2002)
    Top of the Pops: Volume (2000)
    The Wanted (Debut Album - 2010)
    The Black Eyed Peas - The Beginning (2010)
    Another Level - Another Level (1998)
    Backstreet Boys - Black and Blue (2000)
    S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin' (CD Single - 2001)
    Smash Hits - Summer 97 (1997)

    The CD selection were pretty boring, but it is a very small town so that is probably why. I tend to visit big cities and towns for proper gems.

    Blue - One Love is THE charity shop disposal album
  • Elvisfan4evaElvisfan4eva Posts: 15,117
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    A few Susan Boyle CD's in my local charity shops, along with Daniel O'Donnell, Blue, Kylie and S Club mainly.

    Just wondering, are most charity shop CD's or DVD's scratched to bits and unplayable like some I've borrowed from the library have been or are they at least playable?
  • LaVieEnRoseLaVieEnRose Posts: 12,836
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    Just wondering, are most charity shop CD's or DVD's scratched to bits and unplayable like some I've borrowed from the library have been or are they at least playable?

    I've had a couple that skipped, but the vast majority have been fine.
    It's worth looking at the disc before buying though, as I once ended up with something that was not what it said on the case!
  • SonOfPurpleSonOfPurple Posts: 2,637
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    A few Susan Boyle CD's in my local charity shops, along with Daniel O'Donnell, Blue, Kylie and S Club mainly.

    Just wondering, are most charity shop CD's or DVD's scratched to bits and unplayable like some I've borrowed from the library have been or are they at least playable?

    Majority of the stuff I've bought at secondhand/charity has largely worked OK, bar the odd exception, such as the VHS (believe it was Men Behaving Badly or HIGNFY) ages ago that looked OK from the top but turned out to be cracked right up the back and thus unplayable...
  • mattlambmattlamb Posts: 4,471
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    Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
    Blur - Parklife
    Anything released by pop bands in the 1990s/early 2000s (Five, East 17, Peter Andre, Blue, Westlife, Take That, Boyzone, Spice Girls, All Saints, Eternal, Steps, etc.)
    Aything released by an X-factor/Pop Idol winner and contestant
    Madonna - Ray of Light, Music, Confessions on a Dance Floor, American Life, GHV2
    Catatonia - International Velvet
    Texas - White on Blonde
    David Gray - White Ladder
    Scouting for Girls - Scouting for Girls
    Beautiful South - Carry on up the Charts
    Simply Red - Stars
    Coldplay - Parachutes
    Charlotte Church - Voice of an Angel
    Susan Boyle - I Dreamed a Dream
    Enya - A Day Without Rain
    Duffy - Rockferry (or any of those flavour of the month singers like Kate Nash, Sandi Thom, etc.)
    Jessie J - Who You Are
    Calvin Harris - I Created Disco
    Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
    The Corrs - Talk on Corners
    Lighthouse Family - Ocean Drive
    Britney Spears - BOMT, Circus, Greatest Hits
    James Blunt - Back to Bedlam
    Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
    Travis - The Man Who
    Robbie Williams - Sing When You're Winning
    Norah Jones - Come Away with Me
    Lady Gaga - The Fame


    A greatest hits album by the following:

    Queen
    Neil Diamond
    Elton John
    Bucks Fizz
    Engelbert Humperdinck
    ABBA
    Tom Jones
    The Carpenters
    Cilla Black
    Boney M
    The Beatles
    Wham
    Cliff Richard
    UB40
    Tina Turner
    Rod Stewart
    Status Quo

    Really?
    Very difficult to get greatest hits for Queen or the Beatles at a cheap price.
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