The concept of a charity shop varies from country to country. Australians have always been kind hearted and a latest report indicates that there is about 14 million of the total Australian adult population who are actively contributing towards Australia charities.

1. Charity Shopping - Lending Hand to a Needy
The concept of a charity shop varies from country to country. For instance, it is
called thrift store, resale shop, hospice shop in the United States and Canada,
Opportunity (op) shop in Australia and New Zealand and 2nd hand shop in Malaysia.
Therefore, charity shopping is a retail authority established by a charitable
organization with an intention of fundraising.
Charity shops often sell rare collection of famous people. However with the passage
of time many new concepts in charity shopping have aroused. Many charity shops
today work in the form of online shopping malls where people can buy products of
their choice whilst donating.
There are some new concepts arising in charity shopping that are gaining popularity
day by day. One of them is shopping for a cause. Such concepts provide normal
shopping means to its customers while a portion of the amount spent by the
customer is donated to his own selected charity from the list. Such shopping
charities have their online existence e.g. AusCause (Australian Shopping Charity) and
iGive (US Charity Shopping Charity). The same procedure is being followed by a
number of charitable organizations for raising charity donations.
Charity Shopping In Australia
In the hard times, the charity organizations need to help the deserving as well as
keep their own sustainability. Charity shopping is usually meant to support the
people living on a limited or fixed income, thrifty people, collectors, patients,
institutions, and people affected from natural disasters etc. Shopping from US thrift
stores has earned a wide popularity of a slang term, thrifting. Similarly the popularity
of Australia charity shopping is earning wide reputation across the world.
Some of the chief charity (opportunity) shopping groups in Australia are the
Salvation Army – trading as Salvos, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul – trading as
Vinnies, the Brotherhood of St. Laurence, and the Red Cross.
These groups play a pivotal role in order to strengthen the cause of Australia
charity. Apart from this, some of the local religious and secular charitable

2. organizations also contribute towards Australia charity by running opportunity
shops. The most common among them are ‘missions’ and ‘animal shelters.’
A lot of work has been done on Australia charity since the previous years and still
is in progress. Charity shopping provides a platform and a helping hand to the poor,
needy and affected people of the society. In order to save humanity and the planet
earth from further destructions, we must join hands to work together for this noble
cause.
Charity Shopping and the Thrift Lifestyle by Lettice Wilkinson presents a universal
summary of charity, opportunity and thrift shopping keeping in vision the best
charity shops around the world. She also points out the challenges, tactics and
motivational forces behind this unique retail sector.
The author has presented her analysis of charity shopping after spending summers
of 2008 while visiting hundreds of charity shops in Edinburgh, Bradford, Kent,
Bristol, London, New York and Sydney. Therefore, it is a nice guide that highlights
illustrated private stories of the opportunity shop experience today.