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CHARITABLE CUSTOMERS

This Christmas, discover the meaning of charity just by buying the perfect gift at bargain prices, and helping a good cause.

Every woman is a born shopper. With a nose like a bloodhound, she can sniff out the best bargains and discover the perfect gift. This super power has led her to focus on far-off 'sale' signs and target her sights on limited edition items, particularly useful during the Christmas season. Whether she has to find the ideal present for her difficult-to-please three-year old or her expectant husband, she will have a sixth sense about where to find the best bargain. One little secret she may not have discovered (much to her surprise) is how scarpe manolo blahnik can find bargains in Christmas time and still not lose the real meaning of the holiday season.

The secret, now revealed is looking for gifts in charity shops. Charity shops sell low-priced merchandise to help support their parent charities. That means every time you buy something from a charity shop, you not only manage to find a good bargain but also contribute to a good cause. Katie Dervish, an avid bargain hunter expresses her surprise, saying, "I can't believe I was not aware of this. It is much better than rushing around a crowded store to search for budget items. In fact, it helps contribute to two good causes- finding a gift for people you love and doing your bit to help charity."

The sentiments are certainly nice, but they are not novel. Charity shops- exclusively British-can be traced back to World War II, when the Salvation Army opened up a shop to help support troops. Following suit, many other charities decided to go retail. Oxfam was the initial foray into retail charity and took advantage of the consumer-driven market to alleviate poverty over the world. Oxfam, as an international organisation, has thousands of charity shops all over the world. Cardiff, itself has three- one in Whitchurch, a bookstore on St. Mary's Street and a shop on Albany Road.

Cardiff has over 15 charity shops, many concentrated on Albany road. The student centric community is responsible for the popularity of these shops. Students are their regular customers, most living on shoe-string budgets and always out for a good bargain. Greta Traegar, a student living on Albany Road says, "I love going into these shops because you never know what you may find at good prices." She gives an example of a recent incident. "I wanted to buy a dress for a Christmas party and definitely could not afford most of the dresses priced at £100-£150. Then while browsing through a charity shop, manolo blahnik scarpe came across the perfect dress, just for £20!"

Many other students and women, who want to contribute, not just by shopping, can also volunteer at charity shops. Charity shops depend entirely on volunteers and more are always welcome, especially during Christmas, when customers flock in to buy presents. Jagriti Ghose who volunteers regularly, agrees, "Volunteers work whenever they have time, so we always need more. I love volunteering because it makes me feel good knowing what I am doing is for a good cause. The added advantage is meeting interesting people and finding good bargains."

Come Christmas, the stores will be inundated with bargain hunters and people looking for interesting gifts. Charity shops sell everything donated by well-wishers, from books and toys to clothes, shoes and accessories. Well, almost everything, except for the kitchen sink! Mike Flynn was perusing through the Oxfam bookstore, when he came across the perfect Christmas gift for his wife. He explains, "My wife is a philanthropic poet and loves Robert Browning. I managed to find a first edition copy of Browning's poems, in very good condition. She will be even more pleased when she finds out the money goes to charity." Receiving the perfect gift, further heightened by charitable feelings clearly epitomises the spirit of Christmas.

This conflict is interpreted by twelve-year-old Jane Hudson, who chose to answer the question instead of her mother. In that innocent and truthful way that children have, she says, "I love getting presents but sometimes feel guilty about getting so much when other children over the world have nothing. Christmas reminds me of that and I always take my mother to buy from charity shops knowing the money will go to someone who truly needs it."

Church bells ringing, children laughing, glittering Christmas trees, carol singing and love all around- are these the sights and sounds that come to mind when you think about Christmas? In a perfect world maybe. In today's consumer driven holiday season all you see are harried sales people, pushy shoppers and endless forced choices. That is why charity shops assume even more significance during Christmas. It reminds us that even though we love receiving, giving is what should make us feel good. Mandy Gibson, who volunteers for various charity organisations expresses the right sentiments, "Christmas should be about giving, not receiving. In today's buyers' world, we have forgotten the true meaning of the holiday. manolo blahnik italia think shops set up by charities are using this consumer outlook to help people understand about charity and good causes." Amen.