The £10 Charity Shop Challenge

**Brass Monkey** · 04-07-2008, 07:51 AM

Ok so i've had an idea. I think this idea is in keeping with the values of the old Vinyl Vulture site and the new vg+ site, and will more than likely prove to be a bloody good laugh.

We pick a day when everyone who wishes to participate is available, let's say Saturday 14th July. Participants make their way to one local charity shop with a £10 budget. You buy records, good and bad, known and not known and you keep a photographic diary of the whole experience.

When your diary is ready and you have listened to the records purchased then you start a completely new thread in the General Natter Section entitled "[Insert silly vg+ name] and the £10 Charity Shop Challenge", your thread is not only a photographic diary of your day but also reviews of the records you have bought, and descriptions of the general merriment of your time in the challenge. Then all vg+ers contribute to the same thread with the usual mix of feedback.

There should be several aims to this exercise;
LIST][*]to reunite vg+ ers with the ethos of buying many records for under a tenner[*]to remind us all that charity shops are really peculiar places[*]and to find out once and for all which UK town has the best charity shops[/LIST]

You will need;

£10 sterling (or equivalent european currency EG EROS (sic))
a digital camera

The rules;

You must not exceed your £10 budget
You must produce photographic evidence
Purchases must be made in you chosen shop (and not on ebay)
You must create a new thread with the title "[Insert silly vg+ name] and the £10 Charity Shop Challenge" to be considered a participant

**d7bohs** · 04-07-2008, 07:59 AM

Why just one shop? - how about £10/ €12.50 in a morning shopping only in charity shops?

**Brass Monkey** · 04-07-2008, 08:03 AM

simply because, personally, I have neither the time or the effort to spend a whole morning doing it and am happy to stick to one shop. As long as the budget is not exceeded and each shop is photographed and record reviewed I don't care how many you visit.

**jakartajive** · 04-07-2008, 08:09 AM

$25

**Joe M'geek** · 04-07-2008, 08:19 AM

it's a good idea in principle, but you'd probably just walk into the first chazza, there'd be nothing good, and you'd walk out again

**Brass Monkey** · 04-07-2008, 08:26 AM

Originally Posted by Joe M'geek

it's a good idea in principle, but you'd probably just walk into the first chazza, there'd be nothing good, and you'd walk out again

Joe - I really don't mean this to sound argumentative but I think you've missed the point. It's not really about finding good records, it's as much about reviewing those that look interesting, entice you to buy but turn out to be shit. every charity shop I have ever been in has that cool easy listening record with the aeroplane breaking the sound barrier on the front and every time i want to buy it cuz the cover looks so cool.

**jakartajive** · 04-07-2008, 08:31 AM

Originally Posted by Brass Monkey

Jevery charity shop I have ever been in has that cool easy listening record with the aeroplane breaking the sound barrier on the front and every time i want to buy it cuz the cover looks so cool.

It's shit

**Ian Townsend** · 04-07-2008, 08:51 AM

Great idea but the 'one shop only' rule is a downer for reasons already said.

When I head out on a Saturday morning with charities / records in mind I plan a route and try to get to at least three areas where there are at least four charity shops in each of them.

Could you bend the rules to £10 in charity shops in a morning?

I think there'll be more takers... (me included because I finally got a digital camera.... whoopee!)

G'wan Brass Monkey ..... bend with us.....

**highland cow** · 04-07-2008, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by Ian Townsend

Great idea but the 'one shop only' rule is a downer for reasons already said.

When I head out on a Saturday morning with charities / records in mind I plan a route and try to get to at least three areas where there are at least four charity shops in each of them.

Could you bend the rules to £10 in charity shops in a morning?

I think there'll be more takers... (me included because I finally got a digital camera.... whoopee!)

G'wan Brass Monkey ..... bend with us.....

I'm with Easy on this one (

) I'd probably have to buy EVERY 45 my local charity shop has and still have change out of £10.

Also I can't do the Saturday but I'll do Friday the 13th

instead and take a train to the burbs to make it more interesting.

N4/N5 has too many vultures.

This should be a laugh. We'll end up buying some right crud but it's for charidee eh kids?

**BestDressedChicken** · 04-07-2008, 09:09 AM

I'd be up for that, though I'd try and do several chazzas I'd think. I don't tend to buy records for charity shops so it'd be a new experience for me.

**Mr Muench** · 04-07-2008, 09:13 AM

There isn't a Saturday the 14th in Jul is there? At least not this year. Apart from that, this sounds like a fun idea, it will give me a good excuse to get into town and buy all the records I've thought looked OK but never had the will to buy.

**highland cow** · 04-07-2008, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by Mr Muench

There isn't a Saturday the 14th in Jul is there?

That Brass Monkey gone tricked us again.

He's a one.

And to think Dave didn't miss him.

**Expiry2011** · 04-07-2008, 09:21 AM

Sounds like fun - count me in
I agree with opening up the number of chazza's - just in case you can't spend £10 in one chazza
But perhaps we should say that you have to have spent £10 by the end of the day - no one can come back with money still in their pockets
And it would give me a perfectly good excuse to go record shopping - beyond the obvious desire to acquire records!
I guess you mean July 12th - I can't do that Saturday - is that a problem??
All I need to do now is spend £150 on a digital camera!!!!

**eclipsechaser** · 04-07-2008, 09:21 AM

I'm in. Sounds great fun but will have to do more than one chazzer.

Oh and the other point. If you do happen upon several records you want and it comes to over a tenner then no one in their right mind is gonna leave em. I suggest you limit it to the first tenner spent.

**Mr Muench** · 04-07-2008, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by Expury70

But perhaps we should say that you have to have spent £10 by the end of the day - no one can come back with money still in their pockets

What if you really cant find £10 worth of records? Would it be against the rules to go to the pub and spend the leftovers there (obviously carrying on the photo diary and reviews of the various ales?)

**Joe M'geek** · 04-07-2008, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by Brass Monkey

Joe - I really don't mean this to sound argumentative but I think you've missed the point.

nope- the point being, if the first chazza you walk into only has three records- 'no jacket required', 'sound of music' and 'world of mantovani' you're gonna want to spread it out a bit!

Apart from that it's a good idea...

**LDJB** · 04-07-2008, 09:33 AM

I'm in! Can't do that Saturday but will do a Saturday and a tenner in the local chazzers - sounds like ace fun!

**BestDressedChicken** · 04-07-2008, 09:34 AM

Actually, I've just remembered I'm going to be a wedding (in Leeds) that morning. Not a problem. I'll tell the bride & groom I have to leave halfway through the service to go record shopping in charity shops, because I'm in a competion with some blokes on the internet.

I'm sure they will understand.

**alanmck** · 04-07-2008, 09:44 AM

17 responses, the bulk of which seek clarity on the rules.

GEEEEEEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**ginghamkitchen** · 04-07-2008, 09:47 AM

Sounds like a great idea - although I agree with Joe (!) that it should be a tenner spent in charity shops, not just one - I don't mind buying miscellaneous crap (the habit of a lifetime), but I would like it to be vaguely interesting miscellaneous crap. The one issue I have is that my camera caught fire (! #2) last week. It had sand in it. I suppose I could take some photos on my mobile, though, is that acceptable?

**Brother Logic** · 04-07-2008, 09:51 AM

I'm down for this - though competition from Ian "Golden Touch" Cracknell and Ben may make this too tough

**Joe M'geek** · 04-07-2008, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by Brother Logic

I'm down for this - though competition from Ian "Golden Touch" Cracknell and Ben may make this too tough

My competition is the 'Second Hand' in a bin guy...wanna swap?

**Hooded Claw** · 04-07-2008, 09:58 AM

That's a great idea, well up for it. Would need to be in more than one chazza.

All the photo's/reviews should be in one thread though.

**Expiry2011** · 04-07-2008, 09:58 AM

Originally Posted by Joe M'geek

nope- the point being, if the first chazza you walk into only has three records- 'no jacket required', 'sound of music' and 'world of mantovani' you're gonna want to spread it out a bit!

Apart from that it's a good idea...

If they were the only three records then you'd still have £7 left over

**ginghamkitchen** · 04-07-2008, 10:00 AM

As a side bet, I would like to challenge participants to find the most disgusting / unusual object d'art while they're at it.

**babycart** · 04-07-2008, 10:01 AM

I'd be up for it.
Is €12.6523 spent in two branches of a German junk shop and maybe a carboot OK?

Also my camera got nicked recently so I'll have to sort that...

I also propose that Brass Monkey dresses up as David Dickinson, photographs himself and uses the photo as his avatar for the duration of the challenge.

**Beatfreak** · 04-07-2008, 10:03 AM

I'm definitely in for this! From experience, I may be forced to spend it on classical LPs and Thunder picture disks, but I'll give it a shot.

**Expiry2011** · 04-07-2008, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by Beatfreak

I'm definitely in for this! From experience, I may be forced to spend it on classical LPs and Thunder picture disks, but I'll give it a shot.

Perhaps once everyone has posted their 'finds' there should be a vote on the best and worst of them
And maybe Brass Monkey can give out some sort of prize for the winners?

**Ian Townsend** · 04-07-2008, 10:09 AM

I'm going to tent outside the best charity shop with a flask and a flag from midnight on the Friday.

(Waste of time of course as there'll be devious and underhand plussers skipping work and rinsing the shops on Friday morning

).

Maybe fairness and adherence to the rules will apply though... maybe the world is a good place?

Don't think so though... not where scooping vinyls is concerned.. every geek for himself is what it will be!

I'll skip work Thursday and do them just in case.

What if some underhand f***er decides to visit them on Wednesday though?

I'm going to set man-traps and pepper the doorways of all the charities with a special magic powder that sends dogs crazy on Tuesday night so anyone trying to get in to the charities early on Wednesday morning will be set on by wild dogs or lose part of their lower leg.

They'll just plan to go Monday though won't they...

I need to think about all this.

**highland cow** · 04-07-2008, 10:09 AM

Ok how about this....

Charity Chuff Challenge starts Monday 7th of July.

Finds / photos / diggers journals to be posted by no later than Monday 14th of July.

* Except for GinghamKitchen who is excempt as he doesn't like Mondays.

** Also ONE book must be bought and it must be boring.

Only rules all £10 must be spent in one day and nothing from proper record shops or Craig Moerer/recordsbymail.

"Winner"