Charity shops have become a staple of British high streets in the past decade, and more and more of us are doing our shopping there — particularly as times are tight. But what’s the story behind them? Martin Fone unearths the history of the charity shop.
At some point 88% of us have bought something from a charity shop, according to the Charity Retail Association (CRA). In 2020 we spent £746 million in them, with the average spend per transaction reaching £6.53…