Thrifty Shoppers Flock To Poole's New Charity Shop

Shoppers in Poole had their first chance to do some bargain hunting in the new Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL) charity shop as it opened its doors at 78 High Street on Tuesday 29 July.   

After a special opening ceremony with The Salvation Army’s local Corps band in full swing, the shop’s team of staff and volunteers welcomed a crowd of customers.   

SATCoL Area Manager, Sally Walters, said: “The response from local residents has been fabulous – we’re really delighted with how the shop has been received. We even had people knocking on the door whilst the shop was being fitted, eager to come in. The shop offers a large selection of stock and we really value the custom of the local community. We also greatly appreciate any spare time that people may have to volunteer with us.”   

The shop sells everything from clothes and accessories to books and household items and opening sales from the shop’s first day of trading raised over £1,000. Profit from the shop contributes to The Salvation Army to help fund its valuable work throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland – including homelessness and addiction services, care for older people, help at emergency incidents and support for adult victims of human trafficking in England.  

Customers at the new shop’s opening were also offered one of SATCoL’s innovative loyalty cards. The free ‘re:ward’ card rewards customers each time they spend £5 in the shop or donate their unwanted items using one of the shop’s reuseable ‘re:bags’. Each time a customer spends £5, one side of their re:ward card will be stamped, with 10 stamps entitling them to a £5 credit to spend in the shop. On the other side of the card is the reward scheme for donations, which works in conjunction with a re:bag – a reusable black, white and red bag that can be bought at the shop for 99p. Each time a re:bag is brought into the store full of donations, a stamp to the value of £2 will be given.    

If you are interested in volunteering at the Poole shop please visit the shop at 78 High Street, open Monday to Saturday 9am – 5pm, or call 01202 675981 for further information.   

For more information on SATCoL charity shops visit here