I almost didn't go. Almost. The lure of the sleep in, the hubby's promise of breakfast in bed and my general weekend laziness almost got the better of me. But they didn't... .well, I did get the brekkie!
Having never been to the annual Red Cross Bindaring Clothing Sale held at Claremont Showgrounds, I was pretty interested to find out what it was all about. I'd picked up a flyer for it sometime ago at the little Red Cross Op Shop in Bentley (conveniently across the road from my work (review to come haha!) and I'd been waiting for the day to arrive.
A bit of background first. The Bindaring Clothing Sale has been running since 1963 with all funds raised going towards the myriad of fantastic services run by the Red Cross. According to the website, the sale has raised over $1 million dollars - and from the size of the bags I saw some shoppers with, I'm not surprised!
The day consists of two sales - one being the jumble sale and the other for boutique clothing (including an auction on designer pieces). Having never been to the day itself, and after seeing the line to get into the boutique pavilion, I decided to just explore the jumble sale. Given my obvious penchant for second hand goodies, the jumble sale was the way to go.
I was greeted by a "fill a bag for $1" sale - which was madness! In a good way! Clothes were going everywhere and shoppers couldn't fill enough bags. I thought about joining in momentarily, but I thought better of it - I didn't think I was ready for a brawl over a cardigan just yet. So I grabbed myself a price list and headed inside.
The pavilion is easily set up into sections ie kids, teenagers, men's, long sleeve, sports gear, camisoles, jumpers, vintage, 16+ - which made it really easy to pick and choose where you wanted to rummage. And that's exactly what you did, you rolled up your sleeves and got stuck into it. Clothes are literally jumbled on the trestle tables and its up to you to do some rifling.
Now, I know there are probably a few of you out there that shudder at the thought of having to scramble around to find the best piece, while trying to prevent the woman next to you from stealing it from under your nose. Don't worry, I'm one of them. I have a hissy fit everytime someone takes too long at the ATM. So you can imagine my surprise when I came across some of the most polite shoppers in my entire life! People moved in orderly fashions, no one snatched anything out from under you and I actually heard people saying please & thank you to the cashiers! What the??!!
So I picked my way through the sections, coming up with a couple pairs of shoes for $3, a brand new pair of Sussan's silk pants for $6 and an assortment of Witchery, Zara and Jag labels. Nath scored a couple of work shirts for $5 each and even Mum scored some linen Sportscraft pants (you'll get 'em when you're home Ma!) for $6.
I probably spent around 2 hours there all up, where you then find a space on the periphery of the hall and go through your choices - or try them on in the change rooms. Or, in some cases I witnessed, just whip your clothes off there and then and don't worry about embarrassing little old Gramps standing next to you searching for a good pair of khaki slacks... .. Once you've decided, the cashiers are ready and waiting. I had a $50 limit - and my purchases came to exactly that. Having the pricelist was really handy to make sure I didn't overspend, or to at least put back the choices that on second look, probably weren't that worthwhile.
All in all, it's a pretty good set up and you can get yourself some decent bargains. It's well worth at least attending once, even if it's just to grab a few clothes for the kids to muck around in, or for a cool vintage piece. I've committed myself to going again next year - but this time hopefully they'll have me as a volunteer.
So, for your trip next year, I've put together a few survival guide suggestions:
1. Take Your Own Bags
I didn't, and lugging clothes over my arm for a few hours was a bit annoying (it seriously hampered my rummaging abilities). So don't be shy about how many or how big your bags are. I saw some women dragging those huge plastic-tartan-red dot type bags... filled to the brim! Its all about convenience.
2. Wear Appropriate Clothing
If you plan on trying things on, be sure you're not wearing fussy clothes and shoes. In the change rooms its a free for all, so you want to be quick. And also, I was rugged up for the morning chill, which soon dissipated once I got stuck into it... but meant carrying around excess baggage.
3. Get There Early
I was a little confused as to the actual open time, so got there for 9.30am (I think it opened at 9am) - and even then you could tell a lot of the good stuff was already in people's hot little hands (or bags). I think ideally, getting there for doors open is the way to go. By 11ish, clothes and people had kind of thinned out. Also, from what I could see, the line to the boutique hall was massive at 9.30am - and the doors opened at 10am. So yah, timing is crucial!
4. Take Cash
Eftpos is on offer, but signs everywhere stated that cash was preferred and easier to deal with.
5. Take Now, Decide Later
If you see something you think you might like, even if you're not 100% certain, grab it anyway. The idea here is, at the end of your fossicking, to grab a corner somewhere and go through your loot. Then you can put back anything you really don't want/need/like.
6. Remain Positive
You gotta dig for your jewels. As I said, I came across a brand new pair of Sussan's silk pants which still had the $89 tag on them and they were buried under a pile of pants that I thought I had already gone through. And then I could go through a few piles at a time and find nothing but hideously outdated Miller's blouses (you know the ones with the shoulder pads??). So take the good with the bad. You'll find something if you're patient.
7. Play Nice
Snatching, pushing and all other seagull-type behaviour isn't necessary. If those shoes are meant to be yours, they will be. Also, remember the staff there are volunteers! You know that sometimes thankless job we forget about but make such a huge difference to society? Be nice to 'em, they deserve it.
8. Donate Blood
Yep, even the Red Cross blood van is there, for you to add a little more value to the day.
9. Bring Something Home For Your Hubby/Wife/Mum/Dad etc
Common sense really - if you come home with something, they'll soon forget about the rest of the money you spent!
10. Have Fun
Nuff said.
Kel xo
http://www.redcross.org.au/2012-bindaring-clothing-sale.aspx