Charity Shop Assistant (SW18 4SR or SW18 4JB)

Charity Shop Assistant (SW18 4SR or SW18 4JB)

Our branch charity shops are in the heart of Wandsworth and Earlsfield and we’re looking for friendly volunteers to join our team and keep our shops successful and a place to visit for the community. 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 raise vital funds for our local animal welfare work. 

About the RSPCA

Founded in 1824, the RSPCA 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. Through our numerous campaigns, we seek to raise standards of care, and awareness of issues affecting animals today. We rely heavily on our volunteers who play a significant role in enabling us to carry out this important animal welfare work every day.

Our Branch

We are just one of over 150 branches of RSPCA, we are also a separately registered charity to the National RSPCA and raise our own money locally to fund our animal welfare work to prevent cruelty, promote kindness and rescue, rehabilitate & rehome animals in need in our branch area. Much of the animal welfare work of RSPCA is carried out through local branches like us, which is run by a committee of volunteers. Our shops 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 all sorts of donated items including clothes, books, bric-a-brac and collectables. We have positions available on the shop floor and in our stock room or you could volunteer to do a mixture of both. 

Role Responsibilities:

You will support our shop managers and provide assistance to our valued customers;

• 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 and items
• Merchandising stock on the shop floor
• Creating attractive shop window displays

What we are looking for:

As a shop assistant you will enjoy interacting with people and making money for a good cause, you will be;

• Friendly and confident at talking to people
• Experienced in retail and/or customer service although this is not necessary as full training will be given
• Flexible and can offer an ongoing commitment predominately on regular days and times (this helps our shop managers plan their work)
• Good communication and numeracy skills
• You will need to be aged 16 or over, parental consent will be required if under 18.

What we can offer you:

Training and support will be provided throughout your time with us, you’ll also benefit from;

•  Meeting new people and making new friends in your local area
• Learn new skills to add to your CV, such as customer service, multi-tasking, merchandising, and many more
• Induction and training relevant to your role
• The opportunity to make a huge difference to the welfare of animals

We hope you are interested in volunteering for our branch! 

Please note this is a volunteering role available with RSPCA Wimbledon, Wandsworth and Sutton District branch registered charity number 210637 not National RSPCA registered charity number 219099 which is a separate charity.

Our voluntary roles are subject to an informal interview and trial period. We may 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.

We are happy to reimburse our volunteers for any reasonable travel expenses they may incur whilst volunteering with us. To keep our costs down, this does mean we can only accept volunteers who live within easy reach of our shops (SW18).