CHARITY shops have opened their doors again as lockdown restrictions are lifted.
Shoppers can now head to branches and make donations to charity shops like Mind, Oxfam and Barnardo’s – here’s what you need to know if you’re heading out for a bit of bargain hunting.
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Are charity shops allowed to open?
Charity shops have now reopened following the lifting of restrictions from the latest lockdown.
Physical stores opened their doors on April 12.
Non-essential shops and businesses were forced to shut in the national lockdown across the whole of England and have been closed since the start of the year.
Charity shops were classified as non-essential, so they were among those that had to shut up shop to customers.
Barnardo’s, Oxfam, Mind, Marie Curie, British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross and Sue Ryder are among the charity shops which closed their doors.
As part of the government’s roadmap for lifting lockdown, many more businesses have been allowed to open since April 12 and that includes charity shops.
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Lots of charity shops have been embracing selling online and now offer click and collect.
For instance, customers can shop online from the Mind and British Red Cross eBay stores and Oxfam has an online shop on its website.
You can support Marie Curie by visiting the eBay store or the online shop
Meanwhile, Sue Ryder has an online shop where you can order new goods as well as an ebay store too, dedicated to preloved items.
The delivery fees on eBay vary between items, while Oxfam charges £3.95 for standard home delivery.
Which charity shops have reopened after lockdown?
The Sun has checked some of the most popular charity shops to see which are reopening their doors.
- Barnardo’s shops in England, Wales and Scotland are now open and all shops will be open as normal from April 30
- Mind Shops are now open
- Oxfam says stores are now open in England and Wales
- Marie Curie says that shops in England and Wales have now reopened. Shops in Northern Ireland and Scotland remain closed for now
- British Heart Foundation shops have reopened in Wales and England
- British Red Cross shops are now open in England, Wales and Scotland. Stores in Northern Ireland will reopen on April 30.
- Sue Ryder says it will “look forward to sharing news of reopening as soon as safely possible”, but has not yet updated its website to show whether shops are open
In all these stores there will be rules in place to keep everyone covid secure, including shoppers, staff and volunteers.
This includes wearing a face mask (unless exempt) and fo0llowing social distancing guidelines.
There are likely to be limits on the number of people can be in each shop at once, so if it’s busy you may have to wait outside before being allowed to enter.
Can I still make donations to charity shops?
Many charity shops are now open, but if you want to make a donation to your nearest location, it’s best to check ahead with the store to see if they are accepting donations.
Some charities or individual stores may not be accepting donations. That’s because many have been overloaded with items because of lockdown cleanouts.
Donating items will be different to how it was before the pandemic.
The Charity Retail Association (CRA) says donations should not be left outside of shop doors or in doorways.
Donors may be directed to “donation’” points, such as empty shops or warehouses instead.
It is likely that all donations can be quarantined for a minimum for 72 hours to stop the spread of Covid-19.
However, some will allow you to make donations through the post.
For example, the British Heart Foundation lets you send smaller items such as branded clothing, jewellery and children’s toys for free.
Simply download a label on its website and head to your nearest CollectPlus drop-off point with your package.
Some charity shops may accept donations for online sales, so make sure you check their websites.
If you’d like to donate money, most charities will let you do this on their websites too.
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