The West Brom branch of Sue Ryder is a shop which doesn't seem quite at home in its surroundings. The open-fronted shop which sits by the old Tesco store was obviously once something else and its current inhabitants are doing their best at making it suit their needs.
The shop has the bizarre practice of having a chap sat at the front of the shop selling (I think) blankets, sat alone at a table by himself. Once you get past that, the place is pretty average by charity shop standards, although it does sell its own range of musical instruments. The books are vaguely arranged on a wall at the back of the shop and there's a handful of Richard Clayderman-esque LPs to have a flick through.
What made this shop stand out for me was how nice the staff were. I was picking up a copy of Danny Wallace's 'Yes Man' and was informed by a passing volunteer of a) how good it was and b) which of his other books were worth reading. The very smiley manager also brightened up my charity shop consumer experience (she was just really nice but that doesn't sound very professional does it?)
If you need a cheap harmonica, this could be your lucky charity shop. read more