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Which bargain would you Jimmy Choos?

By Mark Cox
June 1, 2010 at 4:00 pm

Apparently, Stella McCartney was livid, Donatella went from orange to puce and Anna Wintour stamped on her own trademark sunglasses in frustrated rage.

Why, you ask? Well, the haute couture collective had all just heard they’d missed the best bargains at the fashion sale being held on the Big Red Cross Bus yesterday, as it kicked off a two week UK tour in Stirling.

The double decker – the world’s first mobile charity shop and volunteer information centre – is visiting 12 locations over the next fortnight and could be winging your way soon. (The idea, in a nutshell, is that you pop along to browse and bargain-hunt – but can also try your hand at being a shop volunteer and, if you like it, sign up to help out occasionally.)

Hordes of keen shoppers invaded the bus as soon as the doors opened in Stirling. They had been tipped off by a feature in the Daily Record that they could get loads of designer stuff – including kaftans, clutch bags and maxi-dresses – by names such as Jimmy Choo, Versace and Mary Quant  at knock-down prices. Incidentally, as a middle-aged jeans and trainer-wearing male, I should confess I have no idea what most of that last sentence actually meant.

So, besides at times looking like a clothes sale hosted by the Sex and the City cast, the first day was a humungous success. Here’s my top five nuggets:

1. Scores of people visited the shop
2. Ten kind souls brought along bumper bags of donations
3. Daily shop takings were quadrupled
4. Local MSP Bruce Crawford visited and bought and bought a Monsoon bikini. (Only kidding. About the bikini, that is. He did visit.)
5. Best of all, 31 people signed up to become shop volunteers!

Keep an eye for the bus – it might be on its way to your town soon.


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  • Katie Thomson

    We had a fabulous time in Stirling yesterday – the people who came to visit the bus were so positive about our work and having 31 people sign up to volunteer was so motivating!!!!! Also a massive thanks to those who brought us stock donations.
    A big thanks to all the staff and volunteers who supported the bus. Dont miss out – check the bus locations and Jump on Board!!