The Bargain Hunters Thread (UK edition)

[AngelBlue]

Originally Posted by Podshell

It will need something to make it evaporate if it is going to be inhaled,there was about fourteen trials,they may have just heated it,but according to some it could create toxins if boiled.

Oh gosh... I would never boil it either !!!!
( Anyway can't afford the vodka LOL..)
Personally I would just eat the pure honey , and to inhale I would put menthol and eucalyptus in hot water to inhale .

[Podshell]

My brother picked me a cheap microwave up from Morrisons for£45 it is very easy to operate and a good 800watts(I have protected the wheel rut with parcel tape)

[desert rat]

I have found lots of stuff tossed in the trash. Lots of flat screen t v s . Some fixable some have a cracked screen. I have had people give me old computers. Some work, but are old. A really good buy I got at Goodwill was a oxy acl torch (no tanks) for about $10 . Goodwill is a thrift store hear in the US. live in the US tho.

[Podshell]

A lot of charity shops here cannot afford to employ Pat Testers so through good electrical stuff away(as people sometimes do not read the leaflet they send out with donation bags)so have had good electrical stuff for free,also when travelling and needing cash you can just pick electrical stuff up and take it to CashConvertors/Generators who will buy it after they have pap tested it for free.

[AngelBlue]

God Pod.....
Please be careful with the microwave !!!!!!!!
Yes, and you're correct about the electrical goods in charity shops.
I always promote charity shops for obvious reasons .
However, in this day and age and the especially with the financial climate that affects all of us , I would urge to shop around... For example, a shop near me sells ( new) clothes that are incredibly cheap ( and nice).... For a fraction , sadly, of what some of the charity shops charge ... As an alternative , you can still buy cheap clothing but also support your local charity shops by donating all of your old clothing or unwanted goods.
( The shop I'm talking about with good cheap clothing is called ""pep and co"".... And NO I don't receive cash for ads !!!! )...

[Podshell]

Some prices are more expensive than new shops,I did a few stints in retail and a couple of charity shops,I worked on a couple of market stalls around leaving school age,the guy was brilliant,knew how to treat people and made lots of cash,some of the managers in charity shops are pretty clueless and end up throwing loads of stuff away,surely the idea is to keep stuff flowing and generate cash,not happening in a lot of them.

[Podshell]

I now have a stack of four defunct microwaves that is a makeshift storage cabinet(so each as lasted about five years as I have been here I think fifteen yrs,I am not counting one of the cheap ones as it just gave up the ghost after a few month and couldn't be bothered exchanging it)The last one was an expensive one but the rust problem saw it off,I am hoping that I can prevent it on this one.

[AngelBlue]

Honestly , I have walked out of some charity shops in the past (one in particular) because I could not warrant paying £12 for a pair of bog standard jeans ( not designer) ....

Even now, more than ever , charity shops need to be able to offer clothing at mega affordable prices in order to serve two purposes. Help the needy , and more money through the till.
Footfall is key...

[Podshell]

Think the council should encourage more to fill the empty shops,recycling type shops too with cheap or free rents,thats why foodbank Frank struggle,he gets them cheap then they bung the rents up,I wrote to the paper and council re all the shops becoming empty saying cant you charge people a percentage of their revenue for rent? Then there will be no losers ewcept the big stores I suppose bvt they will still be quids in ,say if Morrisons were making a profit of a million pound a week they would still be quids in after paying a percentage to the council,they'd probably move though.but small businesses are crippled by outgoings higher than takings,a percentage would solve that.

[AngelBlue]

Small businesses are down the pan due to extortionate utility bills and supermarkets that sell everything under one roof.
And I should know .
I sold newspapers, greetings cards, confectionery , stamps ( single stamps too, not books) ( plus postbox right outside my shop ).... Retailers make no profit on stamps, it's just a public service .....

But no one can compete with the big supermarkets / superstores ..

I had a customer , nice as pie .... Laughed and Joked with us on a daily basis.
She is a neighbour too.
But she only EVER came in our shop to buy a "sun" newspaper...
40p.
She never ever bought a stamp, a greetings card, a bar of chocolate, a postcard ... End of.
Only her 40p paper....

And yet, when it was announced that we were closing down due to financial reasons she told a friend of mine out in the street that she was "disgusted " and why could we not stay open and sell just the newspapers ... Stupid c*w .
Let her do it and pay the £2,500 a WEEK to Menzies alone , never mind the rest of the outgoings , bills, stock and only £4,000 a week coming in.
Stock alone was in excess of £2,OOO a week .
The reason she was so nasty ?
She had to go and walk an extra 50 feet to buy her 40p newspaper...
Selfish to the core.

When I closed my business and walked away I still had in excess of £69 ,000 debts .....