- Social stores, such as Spichlerz, were supposed to support people in need by offering products at lower prices.
- Unfortunately, these facilities are struggling with financial and legal problems, which leads to their closure, e.g. the Katowice Granary will cease operations in 2026.
- The president of the Wolne Miasto Foundation points to legal loopholes and lack of funding as the main reasons for the decline of social stores.
- What solutions does the Foundation offer and how do the increasingly popular charity shops differ from them?
were supposed to be real support for poor people. Everyday products were sold there at lower prices. Food with short expiration dates often arrived there. Unfortunately, the vast majority of such facilities are having increasing problems and many of them have been closed. The Spichlerz stores were run by the Wolne Głos Foundation and were intended, among others, for residents of the Municipal Social Welfare Centers. The first facility was established in Katowice, and the next ones in Warsaw and Tychy. These last two locations are no longer operational, and in Katowice it will only be open until the end of January 2026.
Why are social shops closing?
These decisions are certainly not easy, but they are largely due to funding shortages. In the case of the Spichlerz store in Katowice, the Wolne Głos Foundation lost funding from the city budget. – The proverbial Smith can currently get a can or pasta for free after the expiration date and this is legal, but if he had to pay a zloty, it turns out that it is illegal – explained president Mikołaj Rykowski. He also added that people working in stores cannot be required to be volunteers. The Foundation also calls for a change in the law. Only such action will allow many similar stores to continue operating.
Social shops are closing but charity shops are opening
Social shops are facing increasing difficulties. The situation is slightly different for charity shops. They operate on different principles. Handicrafts and other products are sold there. Profit from sales supports charity campaigns. – We cooperate with occupational therapy workshops in Silesia and here we have their small masterpieces. There is ceramics prepared by these disabled people and we also have things that were donated by these people – says Joanna Loska-Rychlik, “Nie na marne” store, for TVP Katowice.
