'I work in charity shop and am sick of people making rude error when donating'

As autumn approaches and the weather begins to shift, you might be thinking about having a wardrobe clear-out. It's not only an excellent method to tidy your home, but it also allows you to assess what clothing you have for the upcoming season. Additionally, unwanted garments can be passed on to someone who genuinely needs them.

Although many of us turn to platforms like Depop, eBay and Vinted to offload unwanted clothing, others prefer donating to second-hand stores and charity shops for resale. Nevertheless, it's crucial to understand the proper way to donate. A charity shop employee called Meg, known online as "charity shop clown", insists she's had enough of witnessing people abandon bags of items outside the shop where she works.

The woman spoke about experiences she's had with both donors and customers – and spoke about one of her biggest pet peeves in an eye-opening TikTok video.

Meg, who has previously vented about people treating charity shops as a "dumping ground", declared: "Stop fly tipping. If you don't care about the charity shop workers who have to deal with your donations maybe don't donate to charity shops."

READ MORE: New York woman puts flat up for swap like The Holiday – but only for one UK city

She continued: "Stop leaving your donations outside charity shops. I don't care that the shop is closed when it said it's going to be open, charity shops are run by volunteers, they're short staffed.

"Everyone is f***ing quitting because it sucks to work in a charity shop. Sometimes they're closed... it's your stuff."

One person who knows the struggle all too well commented: "I work in a charity shop and we had seven sacks of filthy clothes left on our doorstep at 6pm, and I had to go back at 8 at night to take it all in because it was being ransacked and then we get fined by the council."

Another charity shop worker recounted: "People can be so rude when donating their stuff! I was leaving the shop on Saturday at 5:45pm. I had the alarm on and was putting the shutter up so I could leave and some woman jumped on me and started leaving donations.

"I explained we were closed and she needed to come back on Tuesday. She started swearing at me... I said if she left the stuff outside my shop it is fly tipping. She took her stuff and left it outside another shop. I was fuming."

Yet another chimed in: "Yes! Charity shop worker here, and omg the amount of impatient people who wait and just leave it there is something."

Please note the following video contains foul language.

Leaving unwanted items outside a charity shop is deemed fly tipping. It's an offence that can result in fines regardless of whether the items were meant for the charity or not.

Earlier this year, Tandridge Council in Surrey reminded residents that leaving items outside charity shops is not permissible. A Facebook post by the council stated: "Flytipping is illegal - including outside charity shops. Leaving bags of donations outside closed shops isn't a kind gesture. It is flytipping, and is against the law.

"You could be fined or prosecuted. Most town centres are covered by CCTV. Damaged items can't be sold and create more work for volunteers."

It's crucial to donate items during the opening hours of charity shops. Ensure you only give clean, high-quality items and take any broken or worn-out items to your local recycling centre.

The Charity Retail Association advises: "Take your saleable items into a charity shop and ask a staff-member where they would like you to leave them. Do not leave your donations outside the shop."