Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland

Most of you know that I've consistently volunteered once a week for about the past seven years, give or take. Every time I go to a new place for a long period of time I'm okay at first but then I just have to find a volunteer organization to involve myself with, or else I go crazy.

I waited for about a month this time before it was time. Okay, actually three weeks. Last week I looked through the U.Edinburgh volunteering site, and mostly there were too many options. I looked at the broad topics and picked an area to work with: volunteering at charity shops.

There are so many charity shops on this side of Edinburgh. I can think of at least six along a ten block stretch of the same street. They are everywhere. I chose the one nearest to where I live, incidentally, but also the one I could identify the most with: Chest, Heart, and Stroke Scotland. CHSS.

I dropped by on my way home from class last week, emailed references and got responses by the weekend, then stopped in again early this week. I talked to Michelle, the lady who coordinates volunteers?, and set today as a good first day to work a few hours. As I never worked in a shop before I didn't know quite what to expect, but, rather like library work, I think it appeals to my organized nature. I pulled clothes from the racks that had been out longest, sorted through the stacks to find suitable replacements in the same sizes and learned how to tag them, and was taught how to steam clothes.

Also I was given free tea, coffee, and biscuits (yummy shortbread!).
Also apparently I get a 25% discount on the already-thrify prices. I didn't even know that until I was heading out the door this afternoon.

Next week I'm going in twice, which will hopefully be a permanent fixture of my schedule, unless I find I don't like it. But if I do decide I like it, then they do the background check, to make sure I'm not a charity shop serial killer maybe, I don't know.

What I want to do is learn to work the till eventually, after they trust me enough/I trust myself with British currency.