04/03/20: More American Pie (British Red Cross)

British Heart Foundation, West Kensington. Copies of American Pie are not selling. They are accumulating.

13/02/20: Vision Foundation

Geranium Shops for the Blind, High Street Kensington, is now Vision Foundation: London's sight loss charity.

09/01/20: American Pie (British Red Cross)

British Red Cross, West Kensington. Anyone need a copy of American Pie?

09/01/20: Erratic pricing (British Heart Foundation)

An unsuccessful trudge around five West Kensington charity shops. The only item of interest was a copy of Broken English by Marianne Faithfull, but it wasn’t in very good condition.

One of the shops, British Heart Foundation, has split the CDs into two categories: some are 50p and some are £2. It didn’t make any sense to me, because one of the £2 discs was by Robbie Williams, available in every charity shop in the land – and usually for 50p.

17/12/19: CDs return! #2 (Geranium Shops for the Blind)

Went in Geranium Shops for the Blind, High Street Kensington. As with Dogs Trust, they have inexplicably started selling CDs again. Snapped up Easter by Patti Smith for just 50p.

14/12/19: CDs return! (Dogs Trust)

Went in Dogs Trust in Whetstone. They are selling CDs again, but only a few. Maybe other people complained as well.

16/11/19: No more CDs #3 (Dogs Trust)

It happened again. Went to Dogs Trust in Whetstone and they had stopped selling CDs. They’ve stopped selling DVDs as well. I asked the woman at the till and she said “There isn’t enough profit in it.” I explained that this was the only reason I ever came in the shop and she just said “Ah.”

What’s going on? That’s two in a week. Why have they done this at the same time? You can still buy new CDs in supermarkets, so they format isn’t completely dead.

Fortunately, I then crossed the road to North London Hospice and found, for 50p, Brian Wilson Presents Smile – complete with booklet and slipcase.

14/11/19: No More CDs #2 (Geranium Shops for the Blind)

Went to one of my favourite charity shops today, Geranium Shops for the Blind in High Street Kensington. The CDs were all gone. I asked the lady in charge and she said that they no longer stock them because “They don’t sell.” That’s not strictly true. They do sell because I must have bought 50–100 from that shop myself. Then again, that was over a period of a year and a half. Not exactly a big income for the shop at 50p a go.

It’s all about space. However cheaply they sell CDs, they can make more money using that part of the shop for selling clothes. If that’s better for the charity I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much.

Books and DVDs are clinging on.

06/11/19: Noah’s Ark (Cancer Research)

For £1 I found an unopened (shrink-wrapped) copy of Noah’s Ark by CocoRosie in Cancer Research, West Kensington. The Pitchfork review calls it “one of the most annoying records you’re liable to remember”, which just makes me more intrigued to hear it.

05/09/19: DVDs (British Red Cross)

Couldn't resist playing "pairs" in British Red Cross, West Kensington. Romeo + Juliet meets Gnomeo & Juliet. Bridget Jones meets herself several times.

13/08/19: No more CDs (Cancer Research)

Cancer Research on High Street Kensington have stopped selling books and CDs to make space for Christmas cards. A real shame.

02/08/19: CD bargains (Cancer Research/British Red Cross)

After a few barren weeks I found the following 13 CDs today for £1 each in Cancer Research, West Kensington:

• David Bowie – Tonight (1984)
• David Bowie – Black Tie White Noise (1993)
• David Bowie – Outside (1995)
• Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989)
(None of these are exactly Bowie’s best work, but I “needed” them anyway.)
• Patti Smith – Gone Again (1996)
• Patti Smith – Gung Ho (2000)
• Small Faces – Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake (1968)
• Philip Glass – “Low” Symphony (1993)
• Captain Beefheart – Bluejeans & Moonbeams (1974)
• Van Morrison – Too Long in Exile (1993) – with "promo" sticker
• Grace Jones – Nightclubbing (1981)
• Steve Miller Band – Recall the Beginning: A Journey from Eden (1972)
• The Doors – L.A. Woman (1971)

I also found Cream’s Wheels of Fire (1968), but upon examination it sadly turned out not to have disc two (Live at the Fillmore). In its place, bizarrely, was the first album by Gorillaz. When I pointed this out, the girl let me have the surreal pairing for free. Not sure I particularly wanted it, but there you go...

In the British Red Cross charity shop, further down the road, I found:

• Rush – Moving Pictures (1981)

CDs were again £1 but the girl at the till said there was a “four for a pound” offer, so I chose another three:

• White Stripes – Elephant (2003)
• White Stripes – Icky Thump (2007)
• Blur – "M.O.R." CD single

White Stripes CDs are ubiquitous in charity shops, but for nothing (or 25p each, depending on how you look at it) it seemed daft not to have them.

06/07/19: Brand Five magnetic recording tape (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. Never seen this in a charity shop before.

03/06/19: Cuts Both Ways (British Heart Foundation)

British Heart Foundation, West Kensington. Cuts Both Ways by Gloria Estefan is one of those CDs you see a lot of in charity shops. The same goes for Starsailor and All Saints.

03/04/19: Scary story (Sue Ryder)

Sue Ryder, West Kensington.
A female member of staff points at a 1970s/1980s hardback anthology of ghost stories and asks me:
“Sir, you don’t like horror, do you?”
“No, thanks, not for me,” I reply.
The woman turns to another customer and says: “That’s terrible. Everyone is scared for horror.”

19/03/19: CD bargains galore (British Heart Foundation)

British Heart Foundation, West Kensington. The quality of CDs in charity shops has gone up a lot lately – perhaps because of the silly "declutter" fad. These shelves included great albums by Elvis Costello, The Smiths, The Byrds, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie.

21/01/19: The Smiths (British Heart Foundation)

British Heart Foundation, West Kensington. "These are the riches of the poor."

06/01/19: Double bass (Barnardo's)

Barnardo's, Whetstone . It's not often that you see one of these.

15/12/18: Music books (North London Hospice)

North London Hospice, Whetstone. Left to right: Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Roxy Music, Johnny Marr, Keith Moon, Fleetwood Mac, John Lydon. I bought the Roxy and Zeppelin books. I already have the Moon, Mac and Lydon.

22/11/18: Daily Mail Thatcher mug (Geranium Shops for the Blind)

Geranium Shops for the Blind, West Kensington.