“We don’t Google it anymore - we Minimist it!”

- Maria Mewburn, Deputy Manager, Sunflower Charity Shop

It’s time to throw away that dusty pricing guide that’s falling apart at the seams and take your offline pricing strategy into the future all from the palm of your hand.

Pricing in charity retail shouldn’t be a guessing game or exclusive for the back of house team. Recently we partnered with The Sunflower Charity Shop in Rye, East Sussex to help them maximise their donations, empower their volunteers and make sure no item falls through the cracks.

With a diverse volunteer team aged 16–72, the use of Minimist has transformed how donations are priced instore, maximizing income while ensuring consistency and accuracy and creating an exciting dynamic within the team.

Pricing Made Simple, Inclusive, and Consistent

Clothes, bric-a-brac, electrical items and of course those items that leave everyone saying... “Well what is that?”, is the magic and uniqueness of a charity shop alongside the work force of incredible volunteers.

The team often rely on time-consuming Google searches which adds roughly an extra 5 mins plus to pricing, even then you often find prices ranging from £0 - £900 and usually you’ll end up reverting back to personal preference or guesswork.

Some volunteers even feel uncertain about pricing items altogether but now something exciting is happening across generations; younger, tech-savvy volunteers are eager to explore new tools, while older volunteers are discovering digital skills they never expected to learn.

This shared experience is creating stronger connections, as the process of finding accurate prices and detailed item descriptions sparks conversations, shared knowledge, and a sense of nostalgia between them.

The app is designed with inclusion and accessibility, ensuring that all volunteers including those who are neurodivergent or have learning differences can use it with ease. By promoting confidence, independence, and collaboration, Minimist helps every volunteer contribute their strengths while keeping the shop running smoothly and efficiently.

Minimising the need to stop the donations.

“No Donations Today” the dreaded sign in the doorway, Usually down to the man power needed to process those Donations and weighing up the health and safety risks over the reputational risks. The Sunflower shop like many only have a small sorting back of house so saying "No!" to donations was a real problem.

You will always need the man power to process the stock but now the whole volunteer team can pick up any donation, clothes, shoes, Bric a Brac and beyond and have the confidence to quickly price and then onto the shop floor. Even the till volunteer can now be pricing in between sales.

Why is it important to get the right price for your donations?

• Respectful to the Donor, they donate to help your charity receive maximum funds, pricing to low undervalues their donation.
• Brand reputation, no one wants to be the most over priced charity shop in town!
• Sustainability of the shop, Getting the best price helps to keep the shop running efficiently.
• Efficient stock turn over, Keeping the customers coming week after week.
• Sales targets

What Are the Managers and Volunteers Saying?

“Volunteers who previously struggled with pricing are now empowered and engaged. We are much more efficient at getting higher-ticket items onto the shop floor with the correct price and selling them at much higher prices than we would have ever predicted. The consistency in pricing protects our shop’s reputation, our community and customers see fair prices, and we hit our sales targets.

Volunteer-led days are no longer a concern. Teams confidently run the shop to the standards we set, even in the absence of a manager. And yes, I even get to enjoy uninterrupted lunch breaks!” - Maria.

Volunteers are loving being able to use the app, Many are saying “I'm going to Minimist that!”, “Wow this is great!”, “I can now price everything!” and “I would never have known that was worth that much!” Sara, Stacey, Erinn and Linda.

Ready to Minimist Your Shop?

Say goodbye to guesswork and hello to confident pricing, empowered volunteers, and smoother operations. Minimist makes pricing simple, consistent, and inclusive online or offline. Start Minimisting it!