February 2024 by Rachel Somerset
It is with the heaviest of hearts that I MUST write this review. This is my local shop and Great Dunmow is my community, which I am an active member of and I am extremely proud to be a part of it and to be raising my family in.I visited St Claire's this morning at around 10:45am and my baby girl walked in ahead of me while holding her little lion toy. She placed her lion toy on the shelf and sat down to look at all the toys they had there. I walked in right behind her and picked her toy off the shelf and put it in my pocket. The lady behind the till saw it and immediately whispered something to the manager ( who has know me and my daughter for some time and know that we are regulars in the shop).I then went to look at the household items and the lady behind the counter came very close to me, reaching to my pocket and this is how the conversation went:" Would you like me to keep that for you until you pay for it?", she said while pointing to my pocket."No, this is my child's toy, thank you", I said feeling absolutely mortified."Are you sure?", she insisted."I am absolutely sure, I just got it from the other shop", I explained, while feeling devastated that that was happening to me."I saw you. You just picked it up from the shelf and put it in your pocket", she carried on."No, you are wrong. My child walked in ahead of me and placed her toy on your shelf, hence my coming in and picking it up", I explained one more time.I felt so lost and embarrassed that I felt I had to speak to the manager, who after all has known me for a while, and she would just say it was a misunderstanding, I hoped.When I explained to her what had just happened she didn't utter a single word to me, she only looked at me. I was left there, standing, absolutely gobsmacked and sad that I was being accused of theft. My local shop, my community, accusing me of theft.I started shaking and I didn't want cry and cause a scene there. I quickly understood I was making a fool of myself trying to explain the situation, without receiving any support from the shop, who mistakenly accused me of stealing a toy.I went to my baby, very calmly and I explained to her that I had just been accused of theft and that we had to leave. She is only 4 years old, so she got upset, not really understanding the seriousness of the accusation and not wanting to leave. I knelt down and explained to her again and told her how it made me feel to be accused of stealing. She said sorry and we walked out.And because of this horrendous experience, unfortunately I don't think I will ever donate to this shop or buy anything from it ever again.It is devastating to have to do this. The high street is suffering tremendously, there is almost nothing to do in town. And having had this experience this morning has absolutely shaken me to the core and I am so utterly devastated, that words cannot express my sadness properly.Management should check their CCTV and discipline their worker/volunteer who made such serious accusations against me, because she was totally wrong and accusing someone of stealing is one of the worst things you can accuse a good citizen of. It is something I have never ever experienced before, in my 36 years of life. I felt absolutely degraded this morning, even though I did absolutely nothing wrong, but try and support my town and my local charity shops.BEFORE accusing anyone of theft, the individual making the accusation SHOULD check their CCTV and be 100% certain of the next steps, before making such a degrading accusation.
February 2024 by birthday girl d
Rebecca runs this shop like a retail ninja. It smells lovely. Is super well organised and has top quality stock. She?s very protective of the stock so shoplifters avoid! This shop supports the dying so come in for a looksie and you?ll get some great gear from their loyal supporters at a bargain price while supporting the dying. It?s guilt free high quality rewarding satisfying shopping.
February 2024 by Russ/Andrea Alexander
I visited this shop last week to make a donation. All the Staff were extremely friendly and very helpful. The shop was very clean & tidy, smelt lovely and selling some great bargains, all for a good cause.
November 2023 by Clare Gypps
Fantastic service ,friendly staff and nothing to much trouble.Well organised shop .
September 2023 by Debra Blizzard
Well worth a visit.Meticulously clean, fresh, bright and amazingly well stocked.ALL staff (volunteers and management) are always welcoming, giving it a real community feel.Shop displays are inspirational and the stock is always being refreshed with good quality items.My adorable dog is made a fuss of when I tie her up outside the shop, which I very much appreciate.I don?t always buy? but am always made welcome. It?s by far the best charity shop in the town.
September 2023 by Jordan Beer
Lovely shop and great staff. I visit this shop quite frequently and I?m always impressed with the levels of stock and very welcoming staff. The main difference between St Claire?s and other charity shops is it always smells wonderful, which is a nice touch. I Highly recommend a visit!
September 2023 by Dummow Tennis Club
While the staff are generally very helpful recently they have taken to burning candles in the shop. This triggers my (mild) asthma and my son's (more serious). Despite mentioning this on 3 separate occasions to different staff members and volunteers the practice continues. It is unfortunate they are willing to risk the health of potential customers.