Charity Shop Assistants (South East London)

Our charity shops in south east London are looking for friendly volunteers to join the 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 manager and other volunteers to help make it a success and raise vital funds for animal welfare. We are looking for Charity Shop Assistants to volunteer at either of the two charity shops. Both shops on Sydenham Road and Norwood Road are supported by a Shop Manager, two members of staff, as well as volunteers, who are a great team.

Charity Shop Locations

• 380, Norwood Road, SE27 9AA.
• 46, Sydenham Road, SE26 5QF.

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 Shops in Southeast London

The Norwood Road shop and Sydenham Road shop are part of the RSPCA London South East Branch and play 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.
• Good communication and numeracy skills.
• You will need to be aged 16 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! For more information and to apply, please contact us at info@rspca-londonsoutheast.org.uk.

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, and regular cleaning.

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 be required to sign an agreement and undergo specific training before starting the role.

Please note that the volunteer in this role would not have contact with the animals in our care.