Volunteering in a Charity Shop- 10 months on

Since Christmas, I have got to know how the Irish Cancer Society shop works in much greater detail. For every donation we get, we have to figure out whether or not the item is ok to sell, and if so, we have to judge the quality (or brand) and put a price on it, something I am much more experienced at now. I’ve also come to realise how many businesses are involved with, and make donations to the Irish Cancer Society, like Tesco for example. When people rip one pair of socks/tights/underpants etc, out of a pack of three, Tesco can no longer sell them, and the item they have taken obviously isn't individually security tagged, so they just steal it. On the plus side, it's great for us, because all the clothes are brand new!

Inside the shop

I have met so many new volunteers over the last few months. We get a lot of student and international volunteers, some doing work experience, some trying to better their English. Some of our volunteers are doing internship placements with us, and for many it is their first time to work. Everyone has a different story, and it is really interesting that every few weeks, there is a new fellow volunteer to meet. 

Every so often I update the shop’s Facebook page with some interesting-looking item in store, and there has been more engagement with the page lately, but it is hard to keep it up to date as I am only in there once a week. The manager is very grateful for the page, though, and also asked me to design summer-themed posters and leaflets for an event in the shop. I sent my design into Reads in Stillorgan and they hand-delivered the finished product, much to the manager’s delight, and the event went really well.

In many ways, a charity shop is a difficult place to work. If we don’t get donations, there’s nothing to sell, so there are no customers. When a customer really wants something, they will often try to haggle over the price, even though all the funds are going to charity. Security is difficult because there is no way to identify an item donated to our shop once the tag has been removed, so for some, this becomes an opportune place to steal. But, although it is undoubtedly more challenging than my other two Gaisce activities, over the last few months, it has become increasingly significant to me on a personal level.

My grandfather passed away due to prostate cancer in May, and my grandmother and mother couldn't thank the cancer nurses and carers enough for all they did when treatment was no longer feasible. Although this was funded by the St David's cancer research group in Wales, I know the Irish Cancer Society provide the same resources due to the funding from their shops and regular fundraiser events. Given how much help my own family received from a similar organisation, I am really glad to have chosen the Irish Cancer Society as the charity to volunteer with. A lot of people just come in looking for a bargain, or the volunteers are just looking for work experience, but there are a good few there because they- both customers and volunteers- care about the cause. The work is not always easy, but I am glad to have given my time to this charity.