Some Australian shoppers are complaining about how charity stores are taking advantage of them during the current economic crisis.
According to her, these stores are taking advantage of the people who need them the most, and their prices are too high.
She noted that a second-hand rug costs around $280, and it has dog and cat hair all over it.
She also claimed that some of the items they sell are rip-offs, such as clothing that costs around $28.
She was outraged by the stained shoes she found at a charity store.
The mum is not the first one to complain about how these stores are taking advantage of their customers.
In Sydney, a local shop was criticized after it was found selling a T-shirt for around $350. A woman in Perth also found a dress that was almost identical to one that was on sale at a different store for $29.
One of the customers in Brisbane said that it was outrageous that a shop was selling used pants for $25.
Dr. Andrew Hughes from the university noted that these prices were unreasonable considering that many charity stores receive donations on a regular basis.
According to Hughes, who is an economics lecturer, some charity stores are taking advantage of their clients by selling their surplus stock at very little cost. He said that people donate their items directly to these establishments, and they then get a lot of their stock for free.
Since these establishments are starting to compete with their more established counterparts, they are also marketing themselves more aggressively. Some of these include Best and Less, Target, Kmart, and Big W.
He claims that these establishments have realized that an item’s value has increased, and they are charging customers open market prices for it. He also pointed out that a coffee cup from one of these establishments, which costs $1, can be purchased at Big W, Target, or Kmart for around $1.50.
He claims that these establishments’ goal is to raise as much money as possible to help with their service delivery, but they forget that their main objective is to provide clothing at a low price to help those in need. He also stated that the prices may be affected by the rising cost of living, but he doesn’t believe that this explains all of it.
Despite the rising cost of living, he claims that charity stores are still able to operate successfully because they have volunteers who work for them for free. He also stated that other businesses often do business with these organizations as a tax-deductible donation.