Charity shops preparing for ‘new normal’
Quarantined stock, drive-thru donations, and deep cleans will be the new normal as outlets prepare to reopen tomorrow, writes Helen Johnson
THIS week, non-essential shops in England will be allowed to reopen, providing they can meet strict safety guidelines.
For Greater Manchester’s many charity shops it’s an exciting, but daunting, time.
With a workforce made up largely of volunteers – many of whom are still shielding – and with stock levels reliant on donations from the public, the sector has been faced with a number of unique challenges, which it has had to find ways to overcome.
Staff and volunteers at charities across our region have been busy adapting, not just to comply with the guidelines and keep everyone safe – but also crucially, so supporters feel confident to come back.
Lockdown has had a huge impact on the sector – the Charity Retail Association (CRA) says charity shops have lost about £3.4m every day.
With so many people using lockdown as a chance to reorganise their homes, they are expecting an influx of donations.
And while that support is always welcomed, it’s not without its challenges.
Charities are now having to work out how and where to ‘quarantine’ donations for several days, to help minimise any risk of the virus being transferred.
And to help fill a shortage of volunteers, the CRA has launched an initiative to help match potential volunteers with shops.
It is also calling on the public to check with shops about how they are accepting donations before dropping them off, or to save them at home until charities are in a position to accept them.
When customers return to Emmaus Mossley’s Secondhand
Superstore this week, it’ll look very different to how they remember it. The huge charity shop, which is set across two floors at Longlands Mill, sells donated and upcycled furniture, household goods, clothes and vintage wares.
It is also a community – the home and workplace of 26 people who were previously homeless, known as companions.
Now obstacles that prevented customers from being able to see across the shop floor have been removed, to make social distancing easier. The charity has also created a new system for managing incoming donations. Supporters will now be asked to place items in large crates – which have been built from scratch by companions – in the yard before they are wheeled inside and quarantined for 72 hours before being sorted. The shop will initially be open to the public on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, so the charity can focus on cleaning and sorting donations on other days. Companions have also split into two teams, those who have health conditions which put them in higher risk groups, such as diabetes and asthma, will work behind the scenes, while those without underlying conditions will work with the public.
Retail manager Hazel Hodkinson said: “For a lot of our companions it’s the social aspect of our regular customers coming in, they consider them friends and they have really missed them, just like everyone has missed family and friends.
“It’s not just the retail, it’s about enhancing people’s skills and raising their confidence levels”
St Ann’s Hospice is among the Greater Manchester charities preparing to reopen some of its shops tomorrow.
Of its 12 shops, five of its most popular sites – in Edgeley, Stockport, Altrincham, Romiley and Heald Green – will be the first to open their doors.
Amanda Brooks, the head of St Ann’s trading company, and her team have spent considerable time preparing the shops to comply with government safety guidelines.
Donations will be accepted on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only, so items can be quarantined for 72 hours.
They will then be steam cleaned ahead of going on sale.
Risk assessments have been carried out, staff and volunteers will be wearing PPE and screens have been installed at the tills.
There are also two-metre markers down on the floors and hand sanitiser stations have been set up at the front door, which customers will be asked to use before they enter the store.
Amanda said: “The main thing is that our staff, volunteers and customers feel safe and have the confidence to shop with us.
“People have got used to shopping at supermarkets and now this is another step forward.”
Shop opening hours are being reduced, to give staff time to steam clean donations in the morning, and carry out deep cleans of each shop every night.
The charity is also organising a ‘drive-thru’ event where donations can be dropped off at its distribution centre on Coronation Street in Reddish, from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, June 20.
Francis House Children’s
Hospice has one shop in Burnage, which when open is an important part of the charity’s involvement in the community.It is managed by Jason Connor and for its 12 volunteers, the shop plays a significant part in their lives.
With some of those volunteers being in high risk groups, and with the floor space only being small, the shop is staying closed for the time being. Instead, the charity has been selling existing stock through its eBay shop.
Beechwood Cancer Care is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
The charity, which offers a range of support to people living with cancer and their loved ones, plans on being around in another 30 years time. So after having to temporarily close the doors at its three shops, which usually generate a significant amount of revenue, finance manager Marianna Torevell and chief executive Linda Steggles decided to get creative.
In order to make sure the charity was in a good position when shops were eventually allowed to reopen, they planned a series of ‘drive-thru’ donation events. Chief exec Linda Steggles said: “It was incredible. The generosity of people. I knew people would have been having clear outs but they were so generous and it was really touching.”
Now the charity is preparing to reopen its Chelford Grove shop, initially from 9am to 12pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
It’s not just the retail, it’s about enhancing people’s skills and raising confidence
Hazel Hodkinson