I had high expectations of this particular op shop. I had heard that given it's position in a fairly affluent area (or effluent, if you prefer Kath Day-Knight's vocabulary), it was an op shop that had a fab selection of higher end labels.
So I took myself off down to Palmyra last Thursday. I was already mentally working through the excuses I could use with Nath as to why I had spent big at a thrift store. I was positive I was going to be coming home with a car-full of goodies that would need swift explanation.
Um, not the case.
When I pulled up and saw the MASSIVE storage shed, wide open, I was like "hello, I've hit the big one". When you enter, you can see it on your right and it's where you can leave your donations if you deliver them personally. Unfortunately, what you see in there isn't yet for sale.
When I then saw a water bowl and a sign welcoming canines into the shop, I was pretty excited. Not that I had my little man with me and he would destroy the place if I did, but you know, it's a sweet initiative. I could see some collectable bric-a-brac immediately as I walked in and the place was buzzing with visitors. The shop spreads out in all directions and it seemed to have a reasonable quantity of clothing to inspect on either side. I could see books ahead, along with more bric-a-brac. Woohoo, good signs all round.
I stepped further inside and adjusted my eyes. And it was here that I also needed to adjust my expectations... in a big way. That collectable bric-a-brac? Overpriced miniature milk jugs from someone's visit to Penang. The visitors? Not an age below 75. The clothes? Good lord, no comment. Sigh.
I regrouped and promised myself I would give it a go. Perhaps my first impressions were a bit harsh. So I decided to inspect the clothes first. Everything is really neat and tidy and quite accessible to move around and browse - apart from those annoying husbands who are forced to come shopping with their wives and loiter. In all the most inconvenient of places. Grrrrr!
So the clothes are colour coordinated and at the moment, it seems it's still winter stock on the shelves... which reminds me:
Op Shop Rule No 13: Sort Your Loot
Now I don't know if this is a general rule across all op shops, or just the one I volunteer at, but the way we go about it is to seasonaly separate donated clothing/shoes/accessories. At the moment we're bringing out boxes of summer gear we had packed previously, to now replace the winter stuff. So, when it came my turn recently to donate some goodies, I went through them all first and sorted them into Winter & Summer - and labelled the bags too.
I understand you may not have the time to do this or perhaps you know that your particular op shop doesn't require this degree of diligence, but hey, if you do, it might just make some vollies day a hell of a lot easier!!
If I came across one Millers blouse, I came across ten. There were a few younger, hipper labels to be found, but they were rare unfortunately. The coolest thing I was able to lay my hands on that day was a Portmans woollen knit for my homegirl Siobhain, for $5.00 (pretty reasonable actually). And as soon as I saw it, I wasn't letting it go, although in hindsight I don't think I had too much competition for that number hehe.
Overall I was a bit disheartened with the clothes on offer - but I will state that this could purely be an age thing. Clearly the other customers were enjoying the rifle so perhaps it was/is just a matter of personal taste.
As a side a side note, one thing I have noticed is that *sometimes* the age bracket of the vollies of a particular store will designate the type/style of clothes on the racks... so keep that in mind. But don't live by it either, hence why it's not going to be an op shop rule!
I did check out the men's section, just in case something unique popped out for hubby, and I will say some of the men's business shirts were fairly current. Probably the best offering for men here is the suits. There were quite a few actually, so guys if you are looking for a cheap suit (or one for the next fancy dress party), this is a good place to start.
Kidlets don't fare wonderfully here unfortunately and what was there I didn't feel was too fabulous. I personally don't wish to buy second hand bubby clothes with stains on them. But again, horses for courses.
The bargain I did pick up in this section however, was a brand new (in the wrapping) Peter Rabbit cap for my newest crush, Luka. So I wasn't completely empty-handed. I also put a quick text into Luka's mummy as I saw, from a distance, a good quality nappy bag on offer for $2.50. Turns out Sia already had a bag and I was judging the bag by pure excitement only, as I found it full of holes, which was a bummer.
I left the clothes and hunted around the bric-a-brac, passing the section of Penang jugs and investigating the more common stuff. There was a nice little selection, particularly of glasses. And if you're anything like me (or my mother), wine glasses don't last long in my house. So this is the place to build up your supply. You'll also find another supply of bric-a-brac (think vases, candle holders, photo albums etc) to the right of the counter.
I did end up grabbing a cute little glass bowl, to pop some tealights in... .and because I needed to spend another $3 in order to pay by Eftpos ($10 minimum peeps)! Haha, twist that rubber arm of mine!
There is quite a collection of books, mainly more current type paperbacks (ie HEAPS of whatever vampire saga is popular these days) but I did pick up Portia de Rossi's autobiography for $2.95. Something for a rainy day at least.
There's a bit of haberdashery & linen but by the time I got to that section I was feeling a little underwhelmed. Of course, you can also buy bits and pieces for your woobie here such as roo sticks, water dishes etc etc.
I did however have my spirits lifted when a customer brought in her baby staffy, so I had a little play with him whilst I briefly considered doing a second round of the store "just in case". But I decided to leave it for another day.
Look, all in all this little op shop isn't awful, it just didn't cater for me. The prices were reasonable (bar the collectables), the service was friendly and pleasant and from what I could see, it's popular with the locals. I love what the RSPCA Society stores raise their funds for, it's just I probably won't be donating my funds to this particular store in a hurry... I think I can wait another couple of years before Millers starts becoming a staple in my wardrobe!
K xx
Good for: Prices & Books
Not so good for: Tween/Teen/Youngen's
RSPCA Society Store
59 Carrington Street, Palmyra
Hours: Mon-Fri 9-4.30pm / Sat 9am til noon
www.rspcawa.asn.au
Cupcake Day for RSPCA
Monday 20th August is the RSPCA's Cupcake Day - an initiative that helps much needed funds that help make a difference in the lives of our furry friends. To get involved, bake or buy something gooey on Cupcake Day - share it around and then offer the donation back to the RSPCA. Register today - there are also heaps of tips, recipes and posters to make the day even better! Oh, and you can pop into their Malaga site to buy some yummy treats too.
http://www.rspcacupcakeday.com.au/