Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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“take me to the charity shop” bags

for people who do not have the time, strength, patience or whatever other reason to take their donations to the shop.
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perhaps a white bag with a red cross on it for donors to fill up with their various goodies and leave outside the front door / gate for a helpful samaritan to lug to the charity shop for you and in so doing, letting them feel that they too are doing the world a little good.

now, I know that some charities already leave *their* bags for you with a date on it for collection but these always seem to come at the wrong time or the destination of one’s valuable donations is highly questionable (“we buy rubbish and sell antiques” kind of operation).

and, you could say "pop it in the car and drive it to the charity shop at your convenience" but I find the whole business of parking the car on a yellow or red line and running in and out of a charity shop somewhat stressful to say the least. you try telling a traffic warden that you were just doing your bit for Sudan.

if someone wants to poke around in the charity bag then goodness knows they must be desperate and let them live with their conscience and if someone genuinely needs what they find in the bag then they are most welcome to it.

po, Aug 03 2004

archive.org copy of postwodehouse.com http://web.archive....ouse.com/index.html
For English Bob. "It turns out, after some digging, that Wodehouse didn't even do it. But it did work for someone - his friend, playwright Fred Thompson, from whom he pinched the story." [jutta, Apr 01 2007]

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       (stretches) Good morning, po, I'll leave it on the front porch for you to pick up. (yawns and staggers off toward the kitchen)   

       (coffee in hand) btw totally available in the US. not so much the bags, but house pick up. In fact the charities call me asking if I have anything for pick-up.
dentworth, Aug 03 2004
  

       Warning! Unattended baggage! Evacuate the area!   

       Good idea, but anything which relies on the kindness of strangers is clearly the product of a mind poorly adjusted to today's society!
dobtabulous, Aug 03 2004
  

       What!!!
dentworth, Aug 03 2004
  

       dob, you wouldn't be the first (or the last) to say I had a maladjusted mind. oh heck, what a cynical attitude - there are some thoroughly nice people in the world.
po, Aug 03 2004
  

       Hah!
dentworth, Aug 03 2004
  

       The story goes that PG Wodehouse would throw his letters out of the window if he was too busy to go to the postbox. Someone would always pick them up and post them.

Might be apocryphal, though. Can't find any hard evidence, just anecdotes.

For your trust in human nature, I award you this croissant which hasn't been tampered with in any way, and contains no unpleasant substances.
English Bob, Aug 04 2004
  

       //In fact the charities call me asking if I have anything for pick-up.//   

       Yeah, same here, the MIB are always asking if I have anything I want to donate to their cause. I figure anything I give them, will only be used against me.
sartep, Aug 04 2004
  

       Nice idea. Just a note - the red cross symbol is a bad idea. The real Red Cross takes their symbol very seriously.
Detly, Aug 04 2004
  

       sgood. +   

       I thought of the red cross for that very reason, Detley.   

       you think perhaps a red croissant?
po, Aug 05 2004
  

       I'd almost want to make charity shop donation harder. Not because it's a bad idea in itself, more that the vast majority of stuff that gets donated is unsaleable and is disposed of at a cost by the charity. I'm speaking from experience as a voluntary worker, here.   

       If people can't find the time to take stuff to the charity shop themselves, then they almost certainly aren't going to fully consider whether or not their donation is helpful. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but charity shops would be far more successful if people were to donate fewer and higher quality items.   

       Still, it would be beneficial if people were to use what little time they had in sorting their stuff, rather than lugging it down to the shop.
nimchimpsky, May 29 2005
  

       //you think perhaps a red croissant?//   

       Hah, thats brilliant. Only used in countries where the major religion is halfbaking, of course.
Loris, Mar 31 2007
  

       //if someone genuinely needs what they find in the bag then they are most welcome to it.//   

       Why, thankyou.
BunsenHoneydew, Mar 31 2007
  

       Sorry po this is baked in South Australia. Every few months houses in certain suburbs have dropped in their letter box a bright yellow plastic bag printed with a. what specific goods are required at the time and, b. when collection day is in their suburb.   

       You leave this just inside your front gate where it's visible from the street and it's collected that day.
sprogga, Apr 02 2007
  

       what charity is that for?
po, Apr 02 2007
  

       alphabets
xenzag, Apr 02 2007
  

       ARRGH! Now I have the "Charity Shop" song in my head:   

       [Me] I'll take you to the charity shop;   

       I'll let you give yo' stuff;   

       Go 'head guy, don't you stop;   

       Keep givin' 'til you give all you got;   

       [Homeless Dude] I'll go to the charity shop;   

       Boy, one taste of what you got;   

       I'll take everything in one shot;   

       Do it every day 'til I rot;   

       Wow, why did I write that? Way too much Listerine today.
Shadow Phoenix, Sep 30 2007
  

       //what charity is that for?//   

       Sorry po, don't recall. It was a local charity, certainly not one of the branded major players.
sprogga, Mar 29 2008
  
      
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