The Auction may be cancelled or delayed because of, amongst other things, technical difficulties experienced by the BBC or issues involving a Donor of the items (such as any decision by the Donor to remove its items from the Auction).
The group chief executive, Roger Lewis, said the Union had taken the decision to pay a number of exceptional items, such as accepting that some debts owed to them were unlikely to be paid off.
It follows a decision by Environment Minister Alex Attwood to limit the type of goods sold at the store to bulky items such as furniture or white goods.
Beauty care products will likely be more affected than fashion items, as consumers still feel the need to physically touch or try fashion products before reaching a final decision on purchasing.