An examination of charity shopping in the UK, which also looks at the politics behind these high street stalwarts and examines their growing popularity.

Lettice's description:

‘For me the charity shop is a vital resource for fashion, music and literature and  lets me be thrifty whilst also leading a creative lifestyle.

In many ways I fit the profile of a typical charity shopper, looking for inspiration and a bargain whilst promoting the re-use of manufactured goods and serving (local) charities rather than corporations. In recent years, the charity shop has faced growing challenges from budget retail, eBay and the booming vintage market. Charity shops have had to employ more and more sophisticated retailing methods – such as branding, product specialisation and mainstream pricing – to compete on the high-street, bringing them closer in line with mainstream retailers.

It is the most forward-thinking and innovative of these outlets that this book aims to highlight, hopefully for the benefit of the charities as well as the avid charity shopper.  Charity Shopping guides the shopper around the best of the UK shops, by category, and includes images and personal accounts of the charity shop experience today.’