The shop Oxfam @ Warwick University will soon be a memory for everyone: the coming month, it will close definitely. I cannot express just how sad this terrible news makes me; it makes me angry too. Had the shop generated loss, or so little profit that it barely upsets management costs, I would have understood the decision (by Oxfam internal management) to close the shop down. As it stands, Oxfam at Warwick University was making around £19k profit per annum, that is after all charges specific to the shop (including depreciation) had been deduced; and not counting the donations/Unwrapped products. In addition, it was not in direct competition with the surrounding Oxfam shops (Coventry, Kenilworth) - on the contrary, they were, if you will, complementary. Thus, closing the shop down will mean, directly and indirectly, a loss of income for the charity, let alone the image deficit: the shop was a central node for on-campus campaigning - mostly Oxfam Outreach, but was also a good friend of People & Planet's.


RIP Oxfam

On a personal level, this particular shop meant a lot to me. It was, in a way, a second home. I just loved volunteering there, to a point that certain weeks I was there over 25 hours; or that I was prepared to miss lectures to ensure it was open (I took that decision once, to find out later the said lecture was cancelled). I met wonderful people there, got the chance to talk about Doctor Who for ages, and to spend lots of money on clothes and books and CDs. I discovered a lot about fairtrade, which now is one of my main battles. And I learned lots about various topics, from UK History to the lyrics of Roxette songs; acquired many skills, including accounting and moaning about paperwork. I knew all about SA1s, SA2s and SA3s; about Unwrapped, about the evil times button on the till.
We had good times. We had difficult times, but throughout its existence - at least to me - the shop was this one constant thing that I knew I could go back to. Whenever I went back to the UK, I opened it because I was missing it so much. I even fancied creating an Oxfam shop in France, before finding out a pilot scheme was already underway in the North of France. And now, this one thing that was central to my experience in the UK, is disappearing.
Rest in peace, F2317 - I am proud to have volunteered there, and to have been a VDSM. You will be missed.
Please share your comments, and best memories related to the shop.


Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying Oxfam is a bad charity altogether. On the contrary; I still believe that thyey're doing the most amazing job abroad, in terms of development and relief. I am just not convinced by the domestic side of the charity anymore - this groundbreaking, shattering, downhearting event comes after a series of smaller mishaps which go on to show, in my opinion that Oxfam GB is poorly managed.
You can (and should!) still support the charity at www.oxfam.org.uk ; and I still would recommend to volunteer for them because it was an amazing experience, on a personal level - but volunteering for Oxfam definitely doesn't seem like the best way to put your time to a charitable use, seeing how it seems to be appreciated by the big thinking heads of the charity; at least not today.