The government has announced that shops around England can start opening their doors to members of the general public from June 15th, which is great news but certainly not something to be entered into lightly, without any preparation for social distancing protocols.

Both businesses and consumers alike have to be aware of the challenges that reopening society will bring in both the short and long term – and charity shops have voiced concerns that they may be overwhelmed with donations when they do reopen in a few weeks.

According to the BBC, many people in quarantine and lockdown have used it as an opportunity to give their homes a good declutter, so it’s a distinct possibility that charity shops will be hit with an onslaught of donations.

Barnardo’s is now advising people to get in touch with their local stores to make sure they can take items before taking them down, while Oxfam is asking customers to stagger their donations so as to prevent items being left outside on the doorstep.

While charity shops are expecting a deluge of donations, it seems that what they may well be lacking in is volunteers, with Robin Osterly of the Charity Retail Association saying that a temporary shortage of people is looking likely when shops reopen once again.

Making use of charity job boards could be a good move for any chains wondering how they’re going to staff their shops in the near future. These can prove very useful indeed in finding the right people to take on both permanent and temporary positions.