WITH Christmas just around the corner, many of us will be looking to cut back on costs wherever we can – and if shopping is your guilty pleasure, charity shops are a great place to start.
But with so many dotted around, how do you know which ones are hiding all the true hidden gems?
Well, Erica Roberts, who shot to fame on the E4 reality show in 2023 and was known for bringing the drama, has revealed her “favourite” second-hand shop – and it’s filled with clothes from Zara.
Deciding not to gatekeep, the influencer revealed it’s The British Red Cross branch in Morningside, Edinburgh, Scotland.
According to the website, along with men’s and women’s clothes, dresses, coats and jackets, the charity shop takes donations including shoes, boots and trainers, books, CDs and DVDs and homeware, household items, bric-a-brac and unique gifts.
In a clip shared to TikTok (@ericarobertss), the former MAFS bride, who who was married to Jordan Gayle on the show, says: “I’m going to pop into one of my favourite charity shops. This is the British Red Cross.
“They do loads of Zara and stuff in here, so let’s see what we can find.”
She can then be seen mooching around the rails, before holding some of her best finds up to the camera.
First up, she spots a long-sleeved silk top from Zara, shortly followed by a black velvet mini dress complete with button detailing.
The eagled-eyed fashionista also picks out a black satin, rhinestone encrusted bodysuit with spaghetti straps, a smart black blazer, maroon-coloured one-shouldered top and grey quarter zip jumper emblazoned with the words ‘Versailles. Welcome to society club’ – all from the popular high-street brand.
Amongst her other findings include a sequin dress which retailed at £49.99 but was being sold for £24, along with a smart black coat and cropped navy blue jacket with collar from Massimo Dutti.
But it was a long white winter coat from Stradivarius which was priced at just £22 that caught Erica’s eye, along with a figure-hugging ruched red dress.
“See, I told you we would find some good stuff. I’m actually well shocked with that,” she says.
“That jacket is stunning with the coat, and the dress is beautiful.”
She concludes: “I feel like people don’t want to go into charity shops because they don’t want to wear stuff that other people have worn.
“But even that charity shop, so much of that stuff is brand new and still has tags on it.”
Erica captioned the post: “This charity shop was full of Zara!!”
Top charity shop tips for bagging a bargain
Ross Dutton has been a manager for Crisis’s charity shops for four years and currently runs the charity’s Finsbury Park shop in London.
Choose your area – As a rule of thumb, the posher the area, the better quality the clothes that are donated.
Don’t hang around – If you see something you like, buy it, as it’ll likely be gone when you come back
Look out for cut-off labels – Some of your favourite high street stores will have deals with local charity shops to donate stock that isn’t sold during their own sales. Often part of the deal is that they need to cut the labels off the clothes.
Stay at home – While some charities have their own site, like Oxfam and Crisis. many also sell from dedicated eBay stores, such as British Heart Foundation and Scope. You won’t get the range of bargains that you would get in a physical store, but if you’re looking for something specific it may be worth checking online too.
The post has since been flooded with comments, with one person writing: “That’s it…I’m popping in next time I’m in ‘burgh!”
A second commented: “I’m so glad you got that coat! Looked stunning on you.”
A third joked: “Upper class charity shop – ours here and not like that!”
Elsewhere, another told how they’re also a fan of the same charity shop, adding: “That’s my favourite too Erica- they do such a good job all colour coordinated as well.”
