How low can a low life get?

[Jacqui Harvey]

I recently cleared my wardrobe of clothes that I had worn before I lost weight and I gave them all to a Charity Shop (Cancer Research).  One leather coat had cost £450 and I had hardly worn it.  
I told the Charity shop how much the coat had cost.  They put these details on the coat.    I am now really sad and totally disappointed to learn that this coat has been stolen from the shop.  
It may surprise people to know that Charity shops are the target for thieves all the time. I did know this as I value for the shop and they must put any antiques or collectables I value(over £5.00) in a locked case or they will get stolen. Of course, staff are mainly elderly ladies so the shop is an easy target, as most High Street shops have lots of security measures in place.
I often ask myself.. What sort of low life steals from a Charity shop?

[cheers]

Someone lower than the low!!  Hope the hands get burnt!!

[valleyboy]

I worked for Ty Hafan Children's Hospice for a couple of years as part of the fund raising team, I controlled all the small collection boxes throughout Wales the ones you see on shop counters and bars.The worst part of the job by far was dealing with shop owners and other people who were kind enough to site these boxes when they rang up to tell me they'd had a box stolen.

When I started I found it difficult to believe the depths people could sink, the poor people who hosted the boxes were devastated, considering that even when full (which they often weren't when stolen) they generally held £12 - £25 all in small change.

We also had 20 shops and they regularly had shoplifters, needless to say the majority of these thieves were reliant on drugs or alcohol and put their need for their next "fix" before any thought that they were ultimately stealing funds going to aid dying children and their families.

[chewyturk]

A few strips of the birch wouldn't go amiss - but hey, that's not politically correct....

[valleyboy]

Another practice which was quite common at one of the shops, was that people left black bags of donations on the doorstep of the shop before the shop opened, on their way to work.A couple in a van were regularly seen "rifling" through the bags for the more quality items (leaving what they didn't want in a messy pile) and were then later seen selling them at a car boot sale. They were reported to the police, I am unsure of the outcome. Again it beggars belief to the unscrupulous depths to which people will sink to fuel greed.

[valleyboy]

As a positive, these kind of people are a minority, I witnessed acts of generosity which were truly humbling and continually restored my faith in Humanity !