Bolton Hospice Furniture Shop - Bolton

Will B.

I've always like this shop, but after going there today... Never again!

There was plenty of selection, but I soon realised why. Ridiculously overpriced, imagine my shock when I saw a pretty standard corner sofa for £400. Did I mention it has holes in it... I dread to think what they'd charge for a sofa that is either, not stained or without holes/rips! But every item was wildly overpriced and the audacity to do that with a donated item is one thing, but to then essentially extort someone who's looking to buy from you to aid the charity and charge them more than the couch is to buy new is even more audacious.

You should be ashamed of yourselves, I don't even believe that you can wear the logo and name of a hospice and tarnish their hard work and good name.

Jack

Update 2025:

I’ve been a regular visitor to Bolton Hospice Furniture Shop for a long time, but over the past six months, things have really gone downhill, especially when it comes to pricing. It honestly feels like the shop is trying to operate as a full blown business rather than a charity.

When I bought my first home two years ago, I furnished most of it from this shop as I was on a tight budget. A lot of the items were from IKEA, and I spent under £200 for everything. Since then, I’ve seen the exact same items back in the shop at triple the price. How and why? What’s changed? It doesn’t cost you ANYTHING to acquire these goods?

Last week, there was a second hand IKEA desk priced at £35, even though it’s £40 brand new from IKEA, and this one had visible marks and wear. They also regularly have furniture and electrics from B&M, Lidl, Aldi & Home Bargains which are priced higher than they are in the actual retail store. They’re literally brand new from these shops for less than a fiver more but in questionable condition in Bolton Hospice at an inflated price.

More recently, I saw a second hand couch priced at £450, but the same couch can be bought brand new for just £100 more. That is not a reasonable gap for used furniture, especially when people come to charity shops expecting affordable prices and a chance to support a good cause.

I went in today and there were 3 fans for £25 each. They’re £14 in Asda

Charity shops should be about offering value to the community while raising funds, not trying to squeeze every penny out of donated goods. You need to remember how charity actually works. Right now, it is no surprise that stock sits for weeks because people are being priced out.

You are going to lose a lot of loyal customers and very quickly too which is going to make your ‘profits’ drop because people will remember it as “oh gosh Bolton hospice, god no, it’s so expensive in there”. We are going to stop coming even though we typically visit weekly. Salvation Army and Emmaus actually price their items reasonably in comparison to this new pricing at Bolton Hospice structure. It is actually really disappointing because it is a great charity shop. Shame you got a bit greedy.

I will be donating my items elsewhere in the future. I want my donated goods to go to someone who is short on cash or genuinely looking for a bargain. This is supposed to be a charity, not a profit-driven retail outlet. If the focus is shifting toward operating like a commercial business, then it’s time to reassess whether the pricing still reflects the values of a charitable organisation.

2 stars because the ladies and gents that work in the shop are so lovely and so kind. The higher ups are becoming a bit too driven by cash and bonus’s so the actual objective of charity seems to have vanished, therefore so do 3 of the stars.

I’m really disappointed to have had to have written this to be honest.

2024 review:
The staff are absolutely fabulous and will go the extra mile for you should you need anything, wonderful service and excellent variety in the store itself 🙂

Will C.

Jason and Alex came round to pick up a sofa, cabinets, lawnmower, small radiator etc from my auntie’s house in Harwood … they were very efficient, polite and friendly - thanks for a great service x

Troyfm R.

Very optimistic pricing for gifted and donated items. Ikea kallax units are £70 new, in this store they are in a rough second hand condition for £100 the mind boggles. Dining room SETS priced per item .. why? Very chaotic store left confused by the pricing structure and a strong smell of piss in my nostrils.

Dean C.

Volunteer in this store is loud and rude, instead of coming up to you to speak they shout across the shop, several times yesterday they could be heard bellowing, I also wanted to purchase a piece of electrical equipment that I had seen previously when I purchased an amplifier, it hadn't been PAT checked, but they were quite aggressive and rude about it when I asked if I could have a look at it, admittedly it was out back but then so was the last item I purchased. Poor customer service. They were not prepared to listen to me, the other volunteers in the shop all looked embarrassed by this individual who really should not be in a customer facing role.

Phillip H.

Big shout out to Adam and Alex just delivered sofa bed and washing machine, first class service with a smile!

Kathryn K.

I've organised furniture and item pick ups multiple times. Each time the team are really helpful when calling back and collecting. Today, Jason and Alex were absolute superstars! They took a lot of fragile and heavy items swiftly and carefully. I cannot recommend them enough ❤️

Claire L.

Great service from Bolton Hospice!
Made arrangements over the phone for furniture to be collected. Collection was well organised and timely.
Alex and Jason were very friendly and professional, they loaded everything on to the van quickly and efficiently. Wouldn't hesitate to use this service again.