Charity Shop Assistant (Prettygate,Colchester)

RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals); Colchester; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dedicated team as a volunteer Charity Shop Assistant in Prettygate, Colchester! This role offers a fantastic opportunity to make new friends while supporting animal welfare. You will engage with customers, process sales, and manage donations, all while learning valuable skills like customer service and merchandising. The RSPCA, a historic charity, is committed to ensuring a compassionate world for animals. Your contributions will directly impact the lives of countless animals in need. If you’re looking for a fulfilling volunteer experience that makes a difference, this is the perfect opportunity for you!

Benefits

Meet new people

Learn new skills

Excellent induction and training

Travel expense reimbursement

Qualifications

• Friendly volunteers needed, confident in talking to people.
• Retail experience ideal but not necessary; full training provided.

Responsibilities

• Assist customers in finding items and accepting donations.
• Process sales and prepare donated items for sale.

Skills

Customer Service

Communication Skills

Numeracy Skills

Flexibility

Education

No formal education required

Job description

Charity Shop Assistant (Prettygate, Colchester)

CHARITY SHOP ASSISTANT

Our charity shop in the heart of Prettygate is looking for friendly volunteers to join our team and help make our shop a huge success. Make new friends, have fun, and help us help more animals!

Overview of opportunity

As a volunteer Charity Shop Assistant, you would join a small team working with the shop staff and 1-2 other volunteers to help make it a success and raise vital funds for animal welfare.

About the RSPCA

Founded in 1824, we have been saving animals for almost 200 years and are proud to be the oldest welfare charity around. It has always been our vision to live in a world where all animals are respected and treated with compassion, so our volunteers and employees work tirelessly to ensure that all animals can live free from pain and suffering.

About Our Charity Shop in Prettygate

The shop is part of the Essex Mid & North BRANCH and plays an essential role in raising the profile of the RSPCA in our local community and funds for our branch so that we can continue our vital animal welfare work. Our shops sell a mixture of donated items, including clothes, books, bric-a-brac, and collectables, and a selection of new items.

We have positions available on the shop floor and in our stock room, or you could volunteer to do a mixture of both.

Volunteer Charity Shop Assistant responsibilities

• Helping customers in the shop find what they need.
• Accepting donations of items and money from the public.
• Processing sales through the till and card machine, including Gift Aid.
• Sorting through donated items to determine what we can sell.
• Preparing donated items for sale by steaming and hanging items.
• Merchandising stock on the shop floor.
• Creating attractive shop window displays.

What we are looking for in a volunteer Charity Shop Assistant

• Friendly volunteers who are confident talking to people.
• Retail experience would be ideal but is not necessary as full training will be given.
• We are ideally aiming for someone who is flexible and can offer an ongoing commitment predominately for one or two days a week (we’re open Monday - Saturday).
• Good communication and numeracy skills.
• You will need to be aged 18 or over.

What we can offer you as a volunteer Charity Shop Assistant

• A way to meet new people and make new friends in your local area.
• A place where you will learn excellent new skills to add to your CV, such as customer service, multi-tasking, merchandising, and many more.
• An excellent induction and training programme relevant to your role.
• The opportunity to make a huge difference to the welfare of animals.
• Reimbursement for any reasonable travel expenses you may incur whilst volunteering with us.

We hope you are interested in volunteering for our branch!

Please visit our website to learn more about what we do.

For more information and to apply, please contact Tara on 0300 323 0403 Option 3, then option 2 or [e-mail].

Protecting our volunteers and customers is extremely important to us; therefore, due to Covid-19, we have implemented a range of new measures. These include using plastic screens, providing hand sanitiser, wiping down hard goods, steaming clothing items, doing regular cleaning, as well as social distancing.

Our voluntary roles are subject to an informal interview and trial period. We will ask you to provide contact details for two referees, and depending on the position, you may need to sign an agreement and undergo specific training before starting the role.