More and more charity shops are opening in Russian cities. Such outlets are managed by various organizations or initiative groups that raise funds to help seriously ill, orphans, the elderly, low-income groups of the population and other beneficiaries. The counter of a charity shop is a great opportunity to get rid of unnecessary things and still benefit someone.
The operating principle of retail thrift stores in Russia has been borrowed from the rich practice of American and European social entrepreneurship. In the UK alone, there are about 7,000 such outlets. In the United States, charity shops were cultivated, in particular, by early punk rockers - many were attracted by a huge assortment of a wide variety of goods available.
Since things are donated by people, the social store can afford to offer them at a minimal price. This attracts many consumers, so this business manages to support itself. After the expense item is closed, the remaining profit goes to charitable foundations.
Domestic social entrepreneurship is still very far from British and American, but charity shops are already operating in the cities of the country. Suffice it to recall the pavilions "Thank you" (St. Petersburg), the shop of the same name in Kiev, as well as "Shop of Joys" (Moscow), "BlagoDaryu" (Volgograd), "Blago" (Kazan) or "Darashop" (Yekaterinburg).
If there are no stationary charity shops in your area, follow the announcements of social services - they periodically open one-time actions to collect and sell unnecessary things to help those in need.
The average price for all items in domestic charity stores ranges from 10 to 500 rubles - regardless of the uniqueness of the item. In addition to cheap goods, some of the outlets offer tickets to various concerts and other events - all funds will go to a fund to help specific beneficiaries.
Today, you can donate to charity stores in Russia: children's and adult clothes and shoes, haberdashery, costume jewelry, household utensils, pillows, mechanisms, unnecessary gifts, and so on - sometimes even waste paper.
Everything for sale may not necessarily be factory-made - you will also accept your own crafts. The conditions for accepting used things are the same everywhere: they must be of acceptable quality and fit for use.
Find out about the store's opening hours and bring back collected items. Usually, new goods are sorted out, after which some of the items are immediately distributed by philanthropists to local social organizations of various profiles and to free distribution points for low-income and homeless citizens. The rest of the donation goes to the charity shop counters.
According to the common practice of some social stores, an indication of the value of the goods is provided to the supplier. You can rent a free rack, fill in price tags yourself, and track sales of items.
Look at the presented assortment - perhaps you yourself will make a successful purchase. Thrift stores often partner with stocks and offer customers new items from outdated brand collections at a big discount. A regular visit to a charity shop can be the start of your own socially significant business.
