Layla Azad - Why working as a charity shop manager is so fulfilling

Former travel agent Layla Azad has been the Manager of Saint Francis Hospice’s Wanstead shop since 2022.  As part of this year’s Hospice Care Week (7-13th October), Layla tells us why teamwork is dreamwork!

If someone told me three years ago that I’d be working in a charity shop and loving it, I would never have believed it. 

Up until December 2021 when I was made redundant, I had worked as a travel agent for 25 years and I thought I’d be in the same job forever.

I had been working in the city and when the pandemic hit, I realised I did not want to travel into central London anymore.

I wanted to work locally so when the vacancy came up at the Wanstead shop, I applied and got the job. 

Even though I did not have experience in a charity shop, I had lots of customer service experience, and I know all about selling and targets.

I was really surprised how much I enjoyed it. It has been a real eye opener. I am always amazed by the fantastic donations we receive. We’ve had every brand you can think of come through the door. It’s so lovely and heartwarming.  

The shop is a favourite on the high street too. We get so many lovely customers come through the door because we price donations fairly. We run promotions and three items for £10 is very popular.

Some customers come in every day, and they don’t want to see the same clothes and accessories for two weeks, so we are always bringing in new stock.

It costs a lot of money to keep the hospice going. We have posters around the shop, so people know how their donations are making a difference.

Even though we are a charity shop, some people like to haggle so we explain how every penny goes towards our compassionate end-of-life care services.

The best part of working in the shop is having the most amazing team of volunteers. Up until recently, the age range was from 18 to 82 years old.

They are the most caring and nicest people I have ever met. They know I cannot open the shop without them so they always make sure they let me know if they can’t come in.

They all want the shop to be a success, and they love interacting with the customers and trying new things. 

I enjoyed my job as a travel agent but sometimes the time would go by slowly.

My role at the shop is much more fulfilling and the time absolutely flies by. I never get bored.