I’ll happily do you a trade with the fat-bottomed fraud currently presiding over my own fair country.
I was going to venture into town today but the websites of the surrounding Oxfams are giving a mixed message. The ‘we’re closing because of CV19’ messages are still there, but so are the usual opening hours. In the event, I didn’t bother. Think I may be out of the buying habit thanks to CV19. Lockdown has made me appreciate what I already have (which, some would argue, is far, far too much).
My eyes lit up when you said "trade".....but then I read the rest of your sentence..!! Better watch before the politics-Gorts start whacking us around the skull. And I started it all....!!
I notice that the remaining Fopps re-opened today. My nearest one is Nottingham but I’ve not bought anything form it since December.
I've found the same. All my record shelves and cases are full, but it's nothing more cases won't solve! I will be going record shopping when the shops reopen, but I can see myself calming down the amount I buy after that.
I feel the same. I'm listening to more of what I already have (including a few things I've bought on eBay etc. during lockdown) and digging out some things I haven't heard in a while. I'm sure I'll get back into it eventually, but not yet.
Very much so! Or going back to stuff that I've had for a long time, but not played for years and finding myself liking it more than ever. The problem is, one of those things was James Brown and he's got a massive catalogue, so that led to more CD buying!
I actually misread it at first as The People's Republic of Nicosia... ..and thought, Hugh isn't from Cyprus?! EG.
I may have said it already, but I think the major charities will close a lot of their smaller shops and concentrate on fewer bigger shops, I think the return of Covid or another pandemic is going to be something a lot of people are planning for and more paid staff and wide aisles will likely be the future for Cancer Research, Oxfam, British Heart Foundation etc., although the small independent charity shops will likely soldier on as they are, not sure what will happen with small branches in towns and villages, this may be the end of an era.
My mum's Oxfam has volunteers in this week getting the shop sorted for social distancing and working through the donation glut - they're not actually opening until next week. Having vicarious experience of charity shop workers via my mum, I think there's probably a larger than usual Venn diagram overlap between that demographic and people who need to be shielding due to age, existing conditions, etc. This might make it tough for a lot of shops to re-open, as they struggled for staff at the best of times (and were frequently supplemented by students, now a rare species in this two University city!).
I haven't been near any Oxfams, but all the charity shops near me are untouched since lockdown, even the one that actually has enough space for social distancing, the others would have to be in doing major rearranging if they intend reopening under current restrictions, my guess is they likely don't have enough volunteers as the staff were mostly elderly or vulnerable, I haven't noticed students, but that's a very valid point, I've been wondering how many landlords are going to be bankrupted with no student rentals, same for nightclubs and music venues, Bristol has over 50,000 students, without them whole neighbourhoods will be ghost towns.
this has been my groove for the lockdown period. for last couple of years, i have been upgrading my cd rips from 256 to 320 and finished the process a couple of weeks ago. subsequently i had go go digging in the attic for stuff that have never been added to the digital archive. and added whole collections i had forgotten about i.e. all the cover mounts from Hip Hop Connection. but now, i have just about finished and got very little to rip anymore - hence i need to get back out there. that said, i have loved rediscovering whole subsections that have been ignored for years i.e. backpacker hip hop/Rawkus.
You would think people would I'm thinking this could be permanent with Universities continuing to do a proportion of lectures and tutorials online. Students may only need to visit the universities properly a few weeks per term in total. My guess charity shops run by older folks could be finished for good. Students don't really have the time to do unpaid work in shops. Some people will have to get of their asses and take their junk to the recycling centres.
While we're still waiting for stuff to re-open here I found an interesting bag of CDs in the street. 2 Tom Waits, Wilco - AM , Talking Heads - Speaking in tongues , Richard Thompson - Mirror Blue. couple of other things, some books , and a 50p piece! Actually found it along the road from Nicola's Constituency office. Coincedence?
I just drove up the little suburban high street near home which is one of my regular haunts and out of the eight charity shops there, only two (Age UK which is a big shop, with advisors etc. as well, and one of the local hospices) were open. Looked as though something was going on in Scope so maybe that will be the next to open. The others (a mixture of local and national charities, including Oxfam) didn't look like they would be opening any time soon. It don't think I'm missing much (yet).
Has anyone been to a car boot sale yet since they've been allowed to re-open? How was social distancing? Were there many sellers or were numbers down?
I went on Sunday, social distancing was more or less working, one way system and there were large spaces between cars, it was pretty constant drizzle, but a reasonable turnout considering the weather, hoping Sunday will be much busier if dry.
I have no desire to go to a charity shop and I'm Mr Charity Shop. So is my partner. We used to love browsing and finding the odd gem or two. On a different note a work mate was clearing out hus dead Father's record collection and dropped it off this afternoon. Some 1st press Bowie in there mixed with very worn shellac 78's!
The only car booty I can get too was horribly managed. Pure chaos with everyone herded together for literally hours before it opens to public. I won't be going at least until I know how it's running now.
I know one like that, pretty sure they aren't opening this year as they couldn't change the set up to work in the current situation, the one I went to on Sunday has always let buyers in as they arrive and I have to say everyone seemed to be applying common sense with no mobbing of cars as they pulled up, there were less buyers than usual though, which likely helped, sure it will get busier as word gets out it's on again. I've really been regretting not spending some time going through that CD collection though, even if just to get some for trade.
