There are plenty of skint people in dire need of an education in this country and being able to buy cheap second-hand books is an important part of self-education. Yes, you can borrow from the library, but having decent books in the home should be possible for anyone.
As the books are donated and the bookshops are manned by volunteers there's really no need to charge the same as one would pay for the same book from a dealer. Charities can still make money and leave a bit of wiggle room for dealers and the general public to find a real bargain. If a book is priced much the same in Badgers or Oxfam, I'd buy from Badgers who have to cover all sorts of costs Oxfam don't.
I help manage a Charity Shop and the managers are paid as there has to be someone to take responsibility even if it's just a little above minimum wage as in our case. We still have leases, services, waste removal and other costs which are not reduced just because we are a charity.
Our paperbacks are £1, childrens books generally 25-75p with hardbacks and reference books from £2. If we get vintage, first editions or signed copies we do check the prices with dealers and on line then put them out for a little less than the lowest price. If we don't make money we can't help disadvantaged people back into work.
I won't shop in Oxfam so I don't have an opinion on the price of their books. I do though buy all my books with a few exceptions from Charity and second hand shops. If I went into a bookshop I would go for the used books first. What about a book exchange ? If a customer buys a book from you they have the opportunity to bring it back when they have finished with it and you could give vouchers for say 1/3rd of the purchase price, depending on condition etc, for them to purchase again from you. You can of course refuse to buy it back if it's unsaleable.
Mo.XX
Cathryn
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Thanks for your all your comments, they are very helpful.
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gregotyn
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I used to go into a book shop in Honiton in Devon a few years back when I was with a 'girl' that way It was a typical book shop with thousands of books along little winding alleyways which I loved, I'm not sure if it is still going-with girl no more! I seem to remember they did a bit with antiques as well. I don't think it was a comfort loving shop, but the owner seemed to know what was in there and where it was.
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gil
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Goodness ! My favourite in Carlisle turns out to be a substantial internet bookseller (I think).
http://www.abebooks.com/bookcase-carlisle/461831/sf
Is also called Bookends.
It has a massive classical vinyl section in the basement, and sheet music.
I love browsing in there, but find it expensive.
However, when I do buy books, I confess to being a horrible person who buys from Amazon because it's cheap and I am skint.
And the local library is ummm...., and the charity shops are full of potboilers/airport novels/Barbara Cartland for the ladies and Dick Francis for the chaps.
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marigold
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gil, you can get any book in the county library on request which should give more choice. IIRC you are in Dumfries and Galloway http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1391 so the charge is 75p, but it's still cheaper than buying 
I do all my requests online and they are delivered to whichever branch I choose, with the default being my "home" branch. Books can even be sent out on the mobile libraries in some ares.
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Luath
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By the by, here in Dorset if you request a book online and ask for it to be delivered via the mobile library there is no charge at all.
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derbyshiredowser
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Scarthin books at Cromford exceptionally cramped but the sort of place you can spend all day in, very funny notes pinned to the book shelves
http://www.scarthinbooks.com/
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Cathryn
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I have just spent the afternoon with a group of volunteers rearranging the bookshop. Nothing major although I would love some new display stuff because Oxfam keeps it's admin costs down to 15% and we are a part of making sure that it stays that low.
I live and work locally for Oxfam. We take donations of books, music, lots of interesting things, a high proportion of which are donated by people to Oxfam because they believe in the work that Oxfam does across the world. I have a duty to them to sell their donated items for a reasonable sum. I have a duty to the people that Oxfam help to make as much as I can from these goods. Oxfam has a minimum pricing policy and then it is up to me as the manager to set what I consider a reasonable price. As I said, I live locally, I have a background in bookselling so I know what I'm doing (mostly) and I know my market. Over the last year both sales and donations have increased, if they had fallen I would think again.
I have a good financially useful relationship with the second hand bookshop in town and with several other dealers over quite a wide area.
I am the only paid member of staff. I work with volunteers of all kinds, some need to add layers to their cv. I make sure they can add useful skills. Everyone is encouraged to do as much as they can in the shop and there are virtually no exceptions to this.
The work we do in the shop supports me and a great many other individuals across the world. This is measurable in a rough kind of way. I did a sum as a way of thanking the volunteers for their work that covered just three months. It's a bit rough and ready but you can get the gist of it.
"Once upon a time…
…fifty families were just about hanging on, scratching a living from an arid bit of land…and then you all came along, Oxfam volunteers, sorting, pricing, selling all the books and music. Turning all the great donations into money! (Thank you all you wonderful donors!)
Thanks to you giving your time you provided :
Safe water for all five hundred people - £500
Each family planted an allotment - £1200
Their farming skills were improved and the village now has:
Twenty goats - £500
Ten sheep - £250
Lots of chickens - £200
Two people even trained to be beekeepers - £25
You provided the village with green energy three solar panels
- £100
All the children in the village had a health check - £2400
and mosquito nets were provided for them all - £2800
Then you trained four teachers - £108
Provided school kits for two hundred children - £1600
You sorted out a clean water supply and explained the importance of health and hygiene for their wonderful school - £1,670
And there was still £1000 spare! That built 25 emergency toilets for the Philippines or if you want to look at it another way you helped set up 25 cocoa farmers and 25 tea growers that now nearly manage to provide the shop with our tea and biscuits!
And that’s just in three months! You’re amazing, thank you!"
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Nick
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25 tea growers to support one shop?
You drink far too much tea.
Ps, yes, there is such a thing as too many cups of tea.
Pps. Well done.
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sean
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Good going. How do you feel about work experience school kids?
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Cathryn
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I love having school kids there. They're great fun. Most of them are incredibly bright and come up with some great ideas. They are also used to being told what to do. Not a luxury I can use with some other volunteers. 
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Mistress Rose
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Sounds like you are doing good work. Nice when you can see a result from your labours.
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madcat
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Well done all.
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gregotyn
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I am very impressed, I always thought of Oxfam as being a top heavy organisation. I appear to be wrong, and will give next time round in Sainsbury's foyer!
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Cathryn
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That is a really nice thing to say and has cheered me up no end, thank you.
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dpack
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a good selection of obscure /academic /rare books will make me spend and revisit
if these are well selected a few shelves of "goodies" will attract trade with cash
the huddersfield oxfam books might have some helpful advice
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Home Home Home Home Home
The shop is just organised along traditional lines, in sections such as natural history, British history, travel and so on. books are all clean and neat and tidy, shop is immaculate too. Not a large shop, but I love it 
The people who took the site over still stock maps and local history stuff and will order other things but you can't browse.