Caller on the Charlie Bears's TSV show

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ERICS MUM

ERICS MUM

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"Vicky" called in for a cosy little chat and is obviously a regular customer in their shop. She told us she has 400 bears . Say the average price of a CB is £50, that's £20,000. Plus a fiver p&p (at least) is another £2,000. No wonder they say she's such a lovely person.

I find it fascinating how people collect such items - Kipling bags is another favourite. Are they just rich, are these things their "comfort" in life, are they lonely, are they spoilt by the other halves etc.

Linda xx
 
each to their own if they can afford it I suppose, but for me struggling to pay the bills it is just more money than sense.
 
£20,000 on anything which will not increase in value is IMO madness & I don't think we are likely to see Charlie Bears on Antiques Roadshow in our lifetimes.Even if you can afford it is still madness.Like the couple who won the Lottery and have donated so much to good causes, they have got so much pleasure from doing that.400 Charlie Bears would give me nightmares.
 
I hate to say this but the thought of having a massive collection of anything makes me shudder, as it is an obsessive form of hoarding, and in my opinion constitutes something not quite right. If I have too many of anything I have to get rid of it if it isn't going to get used. I can't even keep books that have been read, unless it's a non fiction that gets looked at from time to time. I guess I am pathalogically the other way.

Don't tar all kipling owners with the same brush. I have no more than 10 bags in total, and only 3 are kipling, one small, one medium and one large. For the person obsessed with things being functional and useful and organised like me, kiplings are great but I cannot understand who have a massive collection, there is no point. The same goes for jewellery. I have only a small amount and all of it gets worn on a regular basis.

As for having £20,000 "worth" of bears, that incidentally probably only cost a fraction of that to make and are therefore not worth what they cost that poor lady..... I feel quite sorry for her.

I still have my old rag doll that my mum made me, and my children have teddy bears, but I expect that most of them will go to the teddy bears picnic in the sky in the next few years as my children grow up.

So there you have it, obsessive compulsives who for some unfortunate reason have not grown up.

Sorry if I have offended anyone, but that's my opinion.
 
I have been reading this forum for a while now and find it quite amusing but sometimes it seems there is an element of bullying creeping in. The lady who has 400 bears is not hurting anyone and obviously gets great pleasure from them, so what if she has spent £20,000, try working out how much some people spend on cigarettes over a year or going down the pub or takeaways. Everybody's different and how they choose to spend their own money is their own business.. GET A GRIP and stop picking on people.!!
 
As a reformed(ish) OCD hoarder I worry for people like this because that day of dreadful realisation will arrive and they'll feel sick at how much money they've wasted and how much "real life" has been excluded by their addiction. I've never understood buying "collectables" my hoarding is of things that "might come in" and if a friend or relative says "I could do with something like..." it gave me a buzz to be able to say "Hang on! I have the very thing" But these rare occasions are at the expense of the family tension caused by the hoarding on a day to day basis. This stems from my parents' war-time and great Depression approach to possessions with a hint of "make-do and mend" thrown in

Mr Akimbo is a strict "one in one out" purchaser but his rigid self-imposed rules are less rational than my polar-opposite approach to "stuff"; he'll dispose of books or clothing etc even though deep-down he'd like to keep them. The inflexibility doesn't make him happy.

So somewhere there's a middle ground where people buy stuff they need and a sprinkling of things they want and dispose of things they'll never have use for again. If the lady with hundreds of bears can afford it and they make her happy I'd be the last person to judge her.

Jude xx
 
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Akimbo said:
As a reformed(ish) OCD hoarder I worry for people like this because that day of dreadful realisation will arrive and they'll feel sick at how much money they've wasted and how much "real life" has been excluded by their addiction. I've never understood buying "collectables" my hoarding is of things that "might come in" and if a friend or relative says "I could do with something like..." it gave me a buzz to be able to say "Hang on! I have the very thing" But these rare occasions are at the expense of the family tension caused by the hoarding on a day to day basis. This stems from my parents' war-time and great Depression approach to possessions with a hint of "make-do and mend" thrown in

Mr Akimbo is a strict "one in one out" purchaser but his rigid self-imposed rules are less rational than my polar-opposite approach to "stuff"; he'll dispose of books or clothing etc even though deep-down he'd like to keep them. The inflexibility doesn't make him happy.

So somewhere there's a middle ground where people buy stuff they need and a sprinkling of things they want and dispose of things they'll never have use for again. If the lady with hundreds of bears can afford it and they make her happy I'd be the last person to judge her.

Jude xx
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I have fallen into the "Lidl trap" even more than I was in the "QVC trap" previously, since a store opened near my house a couple of years ago.

They have special offers of all sorts of stuff twice a week, ranging from power washers to a cup-cake mould. They come in, and "when they have gone they're gone". Sometimes they come back, sometimes you never see them again. They are usually remarkable value.

Most of them are in the category "they will come in useful one day" and as you never know if you will see them again, there is a great temptation to buy them.

My house is becoming stacked out with such items, most of which have not been used (or even opened) but will come in useful one day!
 
I wonder if the moderators can alter the heading a bit, as it has progressed into a topic about hoarding and/or compulsive buying, and a heading to reflect that may get more viewers, not just bear collectors ? ? ? ? ?
 
Yes we can think its weird or WTF spending that on a toy! BUT, its her money. As long as she had not got herself into debit over her collecting thing, none of our business.
A member here adores her Mulberry handbags and has beautiful collection. She has worked hard for her money and chooses to spend it at sale time on beautiful handbags. Many of us on st.com have a large jewellery collection, due to Gems, The Jewellery Channel etc.

I won't tell you how many bottles of perfume I own, or their estimated worth. You might have the men in white coats knocking on my door asap. Oh and some of my perfumes are discontinued and worth far more than I bought them for, even used.

It is the thing of the modern world, things we don't really need but we want them.
 
Welcome to the forum Katiemorag. Sometimes some strong opinions are expressed here but they are mainly about presenters or guests who put themselves in the public eye. I don't detect any bullying in this thread. I didn't hear the phone call as Charlie Bears leave me cold but presumably the lady in question was proud of her collection and not coerced into making the call. To me, 400 cuddly toys would be a dust collecting nightmare but I feel the same way about most clutter (of which I have my fair share - I dream of elegant empty surfaces with one strategically placed work of art!). Lots and lots of people collect all manner of things. I imagine most people have seen the lady who collects royal memorabilia on tv. Her house is just incredible - stuffed with stuff from floor to ceiling. I couldn't live like that but she's thrilled. It takes all sorts and I like to think of people like that as colourful eccentrics. What makes anyone tick? Who knows but good luck to them and their collections. At least it's a harmless pursuit.
 
What I have noticed at work with some (2 or 3 out of many) elderly ladies is they are always dressed in what I can only honestly descride as cheap, very old and worn clothes that need a good wash but will be regularly sporting a new kipling bag, a pair of birkies, a Butler and Wilson sparkly necklace , Kirks Folly watch and artscape top or something. I know these are not wealthy people unless its all stashed under the mattress and they are not going to garden parties and cruises. It makes me feel a bit sad as I wonder what that money could be spent on that may be of more benefit to them. Mkes me think of the film "Coming To America" with Eddie Murphy where the homeless people dress up in the two lads jewels and robes on top of their trackie botoms etc.
 
Personally, and I don't intend to bully this unfortunate lady with the bear collection, but with £20,000 worth of nothing she is a right Charlie
 
Always remember QVC and all its lovely presenters, guests etc are all sales people; nothing more, nothing less. They waffle on about how they love being there, love to hear from you, have a house full of acrylic bears/ flaars/ kitchen gizmos etc etc, but they are there to sell their wares.
If you are lonely, join a club, get a pet from a rescue centre- overflowing at the moment.
Watch QVC for a bit of "infomercial" fun, but buy only what you really want and can afford.
 
Bullying?............sorry but if what I have said has offended anyone,then maybe a little bit of backbone is needed!

Yes I think the lady in question is a bit weird,you know what?.........I am weird also and would have no problem with anyone saying so.Embrace weirdness and differences,each to their own and yes,she is harming no one.

At least with jewellery,perfume,nail polish,handbags etc etc they have a practical purpose,fluffy bears that people speak to......it's well................WEIRD!!!!:wink:

I am the least bullying person I know and have smirkingly(I think I made that word up lol) called someone who I will never meet and will never meet me a bit odd,not bullying though possibly judgemental,but we are all guilty of that to some degree and I am sure that many have judged me in the past but I am not going to lose sleep over it.......believe me life is too short!:nod:
 
Bauble said:
What I have noticed at work with some (2 or 3 out of many) elderly ladies is they are always dressed in what I can only honestly descride as cheap, very old and worn clothes that need a good wash but will be regularly sporting a new kipling bag, a pair of birkies, a Butler and Wilson sparkly necklace , Kirks Folly watch and artscape top or something. I know these are not wealthy people unless its all stashed under the mattress and they are not going to garden parties and cruises. It makes me feel a bit sad as I wonder what that money could be spent on that may be of more benefit to them. Mkes me think of the film "Coming To America" with Eddie Murphy where the homeless people dress up in the two lads jewels and robes on top of their trackie botoms etc.
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Unless you know the wealth of these ladies then it is easy to assume they are in need of things other than the Kiplings, B&W etc. Maybe they prefer to spend their money on fripperies or perhaps they buy them in charity shops.

I do think it is a bit mad to own over 400 bears or 200 Kiplings but each to their own.
 
I am struggling to work out why the caller is sad or weird. Her money, her choices, her hobby, her passion. Thank goodness we don't all like the same things. Using the £2,000 as a marker is misleading. I am sure if I totted up various items they would amount to large sums of money. However it's not all spent in one lump sum. Anything totted up like that will look like a large sum of money. Good luck to her!
 
loveheart said:
Unless you know the wealth of these ladies then it is easy to assume they are in need of things other than the Kiplings, B&W etc. Maybe they prefer to spend their money on fripperies or perhaps they buy them in charity shops.

I do think it is a bit mad to own over 400 bears or 200 Kiplings but each to their own.
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Well they certainly need to be spending some money on washing powder , soap and deodorant IMO.
 
Firstly, I do not agree with the person who said this is 'bullying'..... this is a forum where all things are discussed.
Personally, I too find the need to own 400 bears strange, just as I do with the Kipling collector who showed her collection of over 300 handbags, BUT as Julia Roberts frequently says ' HEY HO!! I say, each to their own. I own 2 Charlie Bears and that is enough for me just as I have a couple of Kipling bags and a couple of Tignanello bags etc, I personally, do not like large collections of anything and if for instance, I want another handbag, then I will try to sell one that I already have.
 
Katiemorag said:
I have been reading this forum for a while now and find it quite amusing but sometimes it seems there is an element of bullying creeping in. The lady who has 400 bears is not hurting anyone and obviously gets great pleasure from them, so what if she has spent £20,000, try working out how much some people spend on cigarettes over a year or going down the pub or takeaways. Everybody's different and how they choose to spend their own money is their own business.. GET A GRIP and stop picking on people.!!
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I started this thread just to voice my amazement about someone with 400 teddies. I was not bullying, it was not a criticism - I'm a gentle sort of person which you can see from my other posts. I estimate that I'd be happy to make 90% of my comments direct to whoever the person concerned is, in an informal and relaxed setting, as I would for Vicky who owns 400 teddies. Most of the opinions and criticisms voiced on this forum are the sorts of things you'd chat about in a coffee shop or pub with a few friends, no more than that.

I rarely (if ever) pick up on things people say about me, but I do really object to being told to GET A GRIP in shouty capital letters, in fact your's is the most bullying post on this thread.

TO ALL READERS:: If you all feel the same as Katiemorag about my thread then I apologise and will bow out gracefully.

Linda
 

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