Why don't charities that offer collection have an email service to assess if items are worth collecting before they waste time and fuel coming to your house and rejecting something for having imperfections?
Posted by treny0000@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 7 comments
Curious why this isn't a thing. Not to say they'll catch everything unsuitable but surely worth saving money on fuel if even one dodgy item is filtered out, no?
languageservicesco@reddit
I sent photos, had a telephone conversation about it, drove an hour to meet them at the flat and they still rejected every item of furniture! So, I don't think it would help in reality. In answer to the person who said it might increase friction and reduce participation, my experience means I won't bother in the future.
Poo_Poo_La_Foo@reddit
In the past I've just called?
"Hey do you take x?" "Sure" [book]
Obviously... describe it and don't lie!
JeffSergeant@reddit
Adding too much friction to the process will just make people not bother using it. It's not worth filtering out just one dodgy item at the expense of 10 good items that are never donated because they make the process a ball-ache and/or less accessible.
LopsidedLegs@reddit
If it is anything like a charity near me which I help take several vans loads down to their main warehouse (I was helping a friend with clearing a house) all the assessment people are in that warehouse sorting through things at a rate that is shocking.
They check and sort everything with some stuff going to online auction, and stuff being selected, stacked, and marked for each of the shops around the area (they have 12 or 15).
They have a guy with a van who's job it is to move stock from the warehouse to the individual stops, and to move stock from shop to shop, and to return stale items (not sold in months/years) to the warehouse for reallocation. Part of his job is also to collect items that people have requested for collection.
So for them it makes little difference. But it would have an impact on those people actually trying to assess from a small shitty photo sent in.
allthingskerri@reddit
The admin and labour needed are just not there. I miss the job of charity retail managing but I also DO NOT miss it. I often felt like I was doing three people's jobs.
L-0-T-H-0-S@reddit
Drivers are trained to make immediate, on-the-spot decisions based on the current space availability in their van, the safety of the item - fire labels and so forth - and the immediate demand in their local shop. Photos can often hide defects, such as cigarette smells, hidden stains on mattresses, or minor structural damage that makes an item unsaleable.
AutoModerator@reddit
Please help keep AskUK welcoming!
When replying to submission/post please make genuine efforts to answer the question given. Please no jokes, judgements, etc. If a post is marked 'Serious Answers Only' you may receive a ban for violating this rule.
Don't be a dick to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
This is a strictly no-politics subreddit!
Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.