Oxfam has a large number of charity shops in the UK that are doing quite well at the moment. This text explains all about Oxfam and why their shops are so popular. A number of useful phrases with BUCK in them are highlighted and explained at the bottom. Buck is American slang for ‘dollar’, but many phrases containing the word ‘buck’ are also common in British English Anyone who has been shopping on an English high street may have seen a shop called Oxfam. It’s one of our oldest and most popular charity shops. Inside you can find second-hand clothes, books, CDs, games and toys. As well as tons of new Fair Trade products. Most goods have been donated by regular people and the money they make goes to worthy charities to help the poor and starving. This bucks the system of other retail shops. You may, however, be surprised to know that Oxfam has bucked the trend of struggling retail shops and reported a large increase in profits recently of 5%. In 2011 it reported retail sales of £90m. The managers of the company say their shops are doing well because of the recession. Charity is big bucks nowadays. People are looking for bargains and cheap goods. Because they mainly sell what other people donate, Oxfam is always looking for more good quality goods.
It’s not only Oxfam who are doing well, charity shops in general have seen an increase in sales of around 3% so far this year. In contrast, normal retail shops experienced a drop. With profits this high, other retailers may need to buck up their ideas if they want to survive. At the moment, they are passing the buck and blaming anybody and anything to explain their poor sales. Oxfam is also making more than a quick buck from donations and fundraising events. This increased to almost 7%. A large percentage is from direct debit donations where people agree to give a set amount every month or year. Large donations have also come from the UN and governments. In the first quarter of 2012, Oxfam raised over £390m and helped people in 55 countries. This is what some Oxfam shoppers have to say: “My income is quite low because I work for myself. I donate clothes when I can and also buy things I like. It saves me tons of money” “I’m a poor student so don’t have enough money to buy new designer clothes but you can find some great stuff in Oxfam, even designer labels but at affordable prices. It helps me save a buck or two”. “You can get clothes in Oxfam at a huge fraction of the price of the high street big names. You get plenty of bang for your buck.” Have a look at whose clothes Oxfam sell
Buck phrases
- bucks the system
- goes against the rules that others follow
- bucked the trend
- did something different to the others
- big bucks
- a large amount of money/dd>
- buck up their ideas
- put in more effort and do better
- passing the buck
- blame other people
- making more than a quick buck
- earning a large sum of money
- save a buck or two
- get something at a lower price
- bang for your buck
- get something of high quality for a low price
Questions for Comments Would you shop at Oxfam? Why/Why not? Would you donate money or clothes to Oxfam? Why/Why not?
