Alright, so evening guys.
I'm still here on the books.
I'm cleaning them off as well.
So I'm going to try shifting some now.
I haven't got many to go but I'm out of stickers but I probably am right there now.
I'm waiting on the stickers to come back.
I tried using the pound shot ones but it wouldn't print on the thermal printer.
But then I found a couple of rolls that we had off test scores before.
The yellow stickers and they went through the printer so that was good.
I managed to get probably another 200 books done.
Lovely books, brilliant books.
Gone through them all.
They are the ones that's worth a bit more.
Sold some today.
So just to remind people now that the food bank this is our top up food bank.
If we need to do a food bank for someone who's made a request we'll go out and buy the food.
So that could be anything from £40 to £60 with food prices, depending on how many children are in the family.
So this food in the shops is our top up food bank.
So mums can come in pick up a pack of nappies we take open packs that's what only open packs are there we just bundle them up for people.
Mums can come in they can pick a pack of nappies pet food baby milk whatever we've got on the shelves sanitary items shower gel I bought some more sanitary towels for downstairs because I was over the pound shop and they were there so I thought alright they're only £2 odd for a big pack I think so I thought I'd get some more then.
So you can come in now it used to be when we started you could have 3 items from the top up food bank.
Well we didn't even do this when we started did we?
When we started it was just the food from the supermarkets and whatever tins we had.
So but now because of everybody's custom and people donating and all the rest of it we're now up from 3 items from the top up formula to 5 items.
Now we're pushing and pushing and pushing because we'd like to get this up to 10 items a week.
So mums if you come in and you're a customer and a donator and a supporter of us then you can choose from those items ok?
And you can have anything you want really I mean we probably wouldn't let you have like 5 boxes of tea bags because we'd be a bit like well no other people need tea bags but you can come in and have tea bags cornflakes, rice snacks, pasta and whatever is there.
Yeah maybe a bar of soap or something like that.
We did have a lot of toiletries over here and I don't know where they've gone unless they've all been given out I don't know maybe they were given out maybe that's blackwood I don't know so much.
Um so that's the way that we work.
So I just wanted to remind our mothers that, that it's here to help you through the week because you don't always need a full food bank do you?
And this takes the pressure off the bigger food banks and that's why the larger food banks help us because they know that we are giving this out for free and it comes from the profit we're classed as a non-profit business until we get a charity number or CIC number or whatever and by us selling all of these items that you were donating which we also use to make up parcels for people but a baby parcel there to go out but I've got a funny feeling our lady's gone into labour because I haven't seen it.
but if she wants it but by selling all of these items and we give them out as well you know that we've been giving out books today mums can pick up to 5 bucks ready for Christmas for children this is where the profit goes back into we pay the bills we pay all of the bills the running costs and then whatever's left goes into the food bank etc so we've had a fantastic Saturday we've had a good week again it was a slow start to the week but we've had a good week financially A lot of other charities and things don't share the information with you.
I like to.
I like to.
So we've had a good week.
We've had all these donations.
That's all the bags are for.
And all the empty boxes and all the rest of it.
And then that's what it goes back into.
I've had to use a food bank and it's not very nice going to use a food bank and asking if you have a food bank voucher and all the rest of it.
We do food bank referrals as well.
But the way that me and my son wanted to run this was that we were trying to take the stigma out of asking for help with food.
And that's what I think we've done.
I think we've achieved it.
Because you can just come in the shop, come in, buy some items like that, drop off some donations on your way past.
Buy some items, come down and say, am I alright to have a box of cornflakes and pasta?
And then we say, yeah, no problem.
Stick them in the bag for you.
That's the way it works.
So I just wanted to let everybody know.
You know, it's always good to remind people, new followers, old followers.
How far we've come when you think we were giving out food on our drive and sorting stuff out on our drive.
And that's when all the haters started.
Remember all these other charities when we started giving out the food for free, remember?
Yeah, they're still at it, some of them.
So yeah, like I said, you know, it can get you through the week.
You know, a bag of porridge, a bag of pasta, a bag of rice.
Pickled onions are still in, nobody's had them.
You know, a couple of tins, tea bags get you through the week, can't they?
You can see what else is in your cupboards.
So we're quite proud of the fact that we're not only just a food bank and do food bank referrals to the main food banks.
That we've actually got a free five item top up shop.
There is nobody else that's got a five item top up shop free in the UK.
I have never seen, have you ever seen anybody who does this like us?
I haven't, you know.
If it is, then obviously we're not the only people.
But I've never known anybody else to do a five item top up shop for free.
So just wanted to remind you what we've got there.
I don't know what's in Blackwood.
We've got to keep them behind the counter.
I didn't want to keep it behind the counter.
I wanted you to go up and pick what you want and say, I've got my five items in a bag.
But health and safety won't allow us because they don't want everybody handling the food and somebody could tamper with it.
So we've got to keep it behind the counter.
And so we've got to do that because of health and safety reasons.
Obviously, you know, somebody could mess with it or whatever.
They could nail, you know, may not have washed their hands or used the hand sanitizer.
We always keep hand sanitizer there.
We get just for you to be aware of that.
And we do, like I said, we do two, we do free tea and coffee as well.
I'd like to get a couple of tables and chairs in all the shops.
But way, I don't know.
I mean, God.
I could have the Sistine Chapel and I don't think we'd have room.
We still wouldn't have room to put something.
It'd be nice if we could have two or maybe three bistro tables up here.
But I can't see that happening this millennium.
Can you guys?
But, yeah, that's what I'd like to do.
I've got some curtains up as well.
I tell you what, we've had a good week on Abidashary over here.
It's flown out the Abidashary.
The stuff that Sammy hung there, the bed set, that's gone.
There's a white one that was gone.
A lady came in and had some sheets that had all been wrapped up.
They've gone.
A lot of mums coming in to see, well, what have we got to put on top of the beds now to keep them warm as well.
So shaft with that, shaft with the Abidashary sales.
So I'm going to try and get the books up here now.
My dad angle grind the legs off those because the legs buckled.
But that's all right.
It's still down there.
But we need to dot the books around the shop now because we've got so many.
We need for people to come along and go, oh, I want to have a look at these books as well.
As going straight to the book areas.
It was a bit ambitious putting all those books in there because you can see the legs are not very wide.
And they're old and they're second hand.
They're from Shores, remember?
We had all of these from Shores.
So we've sold some clothes today.
Again, people looking for warmer clothes more than outfit sort of thing, I find.
They're looking for jumpers and tracksuit bottoms and things like that.
That's lovely, isn't it?
Nice dress.
Is it marked?
Oh, a little bit, look.
Well, we'll put him in the pound shop.
Put him up there.
Somebody might have him.
He's nice.
Somebody might have him.
We've had a couple of filler bags for a fiver as well.
They've gone out.
So, yeah, we've had children in the playroom.
A couple of books gone.
Don't forget, guys, you can take up to five books.
The thing is, next time you have a clear out, you're only going to bring them back in.
Take five books.
There's some there that look absolutely brand new.
Some are a bit older, you know.
But you can take them to put with the children's pile for Christmas morning.
Just spread them out and make it look a bit bigger.
You know, it's going to be expensive this year for stuff.
Oh, what's that?
A funny looking thing.
I have to check them for batteries because the thing is, they leak if they're left in there, see.
So we could do a going around it all or somebody to come in this week and go around it all and take the batteries out.
We could do that.
My dad came over tonight.
He hadn't seen the castle.
He was like, what the?
I was like, that's my office.
So I'm really pleased.
We've sold a couple of...
Well, I know I've sold five tablecloths this week.
Myself.
All by myself.
How brilliant is that?
And we've put them up for £3.50 and obviously they've gone for £1.75, which is not a bad price for a tablecloth, is it?
A second hand tablecloth.
That's a good price.
That's half a bag of nappies every time we sell one.
So I'm really pleased with how the Aberdash is going.
So I'm chuffed with that.
People have been rummaging because they wanted to pick up the warm stuff.
So we knew that.
We knew it was only going to last a week before it's got to be ripped through again and go through it again.
Shoes.
Yeah, I've sold a few shoes.
Sold a few pairs.
They've definitely gone down, I think.
Definitely.
You can see gaps in them now.
I am being at Blackwood, but he said he had a massive donation in.
Last going off.
I'm not sure.
I think Tuesday.
I'll be up there.
Might have to check Wednesday because I've got an appointment.
But we'll sort it out.
We'll sort something out.
I've got to try and get my buckets now up by here.
Most of these are priced now.
There's only some children's ones there.
And then obviously this bucket is there.
And the ones that's out were there.
So I'll either write the prices or wait until I've got my labels.
I have ordered some.
I'd order the cheaper ones and then wind them on the wheel.
They're alright.
They play up a bit, but it's still cheaper.
It's still a quarter of the price, innit.
So yeah, we've had some lovely families in today again.
New families as well.
And like I said, it all goes back into what we do.
And all goes back into our food bank and our five item top-up shop.
That mothers are entitled to.
So if you come in and you need something, just let the staff know.
Alright?
Just say, am I alright to have that?
We record it or we record everything that comes in.
Everything that goes out.
Everything that's broken.
Everything that's damaged.
Everything that we use for the shop.
It's all recorded in our day books.
And we'll write down then five items from the top-up.
We don't tend to write what they are.
We don't need to.
But all of that's recorded as well.
All the weights is recorded on what we've bought in.
It's a big job, but we can prove what we're up to there.
These are syrups.
They're quite big luck.
A pumpkin spice I haven't tried, but I did try the caramel.
It's nice.
And some customers will add the caramel, but I haven't opened the pumpkin spice.
So there we are, guys.
Oh, yep.
We're going to move easily now.
And I'm either going to go home or stay a bit longer and do some more.
I don't know.
See how I feel.
I'm watching Lost or Next or Netflix.
So that's good.
I'm just watching that.
I watched it years ago.
I watch it again now.
But yeah, I'm going to try and pull these up and then see where I can go from there.
