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Op shops are becoming increasingly expensive. Lots of people have been noting this.
As one bright spark said when refusing to pay $7 for a Miller's top. "Haven't they heard of China?"
Clothing has come down in price over the last few years mainly because it is
made cheaply overseas.
they sell such interesting stuff
I also find that where I once bought household items in op shops such as glass storage jars and hand towels that these days you can go to any $2 style store, or even the Reject Shop and buy these things cheaper than in op shops. And these goods are new.
Funny thing is when such items then make their way into op shops the op shops unaware of the origin of such sell it for far more than it is worth.
But that is not to say that bargains do not still abound in op shops. A friend recently noted my all leather Oroton handbag and asked me where I had bought it. I had to say smugly that I had bought it at an op shop for $7.
And if you steer clear of obvious cheap brands of clothes in op shops you can certainly get more expensive items like Country Road or Sass and Bide for a fraction of the price it would be new.
And lets face it wardrobe staples such as a denim jacket or white t-shirts don't change much over the years. So why pay exorbitant prices at a place like Myer when you can pick these things up for a few dollars at an op shop.
And in op shops there is always the chance of finding a first edition book or a painting by a listed artist. Trouble is most op shops know the worth of such objects and price accordingly. Damn the internet!
So with all this jacking up of prices the following information might just help to make your trips to the op shops a little cheaper. It is a list of the days when the major chains of op shops offer discounts. This is especially helpful if you are a concession holder or a student but there are also discounts applicable to everyone.
SUNDAY
Savers isn't actually an op shop but most people think it is so I have left it on the list. (it does buy its goods from charity however so charities such as Diabetes Australia do benefit.
As you can see from the image below Savers stores give
students 20% discount on Sundays. So this is the day to go and try on armfuls of clothes and gain some significant savings.
They also have a fantastic fancy dress section for adults and kids. So if you have a forthcoming dress up party this is the place to go.
Click here.
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MONDAY
At Savers
seniors get 20% off on Mondays as shown above.
Salvos stores have a huge $2 rack on Mondays. Apparently they keep topping it up throughout the day. It is the idea of giving people a bargain.
TUESDAY
Salvos offer
pensioner and concession cards a 20% discount on Tuesdays. Make sure you have your card with you.
WEDNESDAY
For
students the Salvos have a 20% discount on Wednesdays. Simply show your student card at the counter when you make your purchase.
EVERY DAY CARERS DISCOUNTS AT THE SALVOS
The Salvos kindly offer
Carers a 20% discount every day. Just show your carer's card at the counter.
SALVOS COLOUR CODING
This was a clever initiative of the Salvos to both categorize and move their stock. Basically when their clothes come in they are colour coded with blue, yellow, orange or purple tags. All clothes that come in one week are coded yellow, the folioing week orange and so on.
Then every week an individual colour is 50% off the marked price. With some of Savers prices this is a significant saving. It means that their clothes have a life span of four weeks in the store. On the last week, all that is left of the yellow as an example, is always half price. What doesn't get sold then goes out on next Monday's $2 rack or gets shipped to other stores. This ensures that there is always a flow of new stuff to look at in the Salvos stores which keeps people coming back.
Sometimes if you like something but find it too expensive you can return the following week and find that it is half price or even on their $2 rack.
Tip: Look out for the signs that tell you which colour is 50% off for the week or ask a staff member.
They used to colour code everything including books but these days it is only clothes which reduces the amount of bargain hunting you can do.
EVERY DAY DISCOUNTS AT SAVERS
Under the Savers business model if you take along a couple of bags of your unwanted good when you go and shop there they will give you a card that offers you a percentage off you purchase next time you shop with them. The more you take back the higher the discounts become.
THEY SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY
Savers offer a free club card you can apply for online. It will result in you getting member only discount coupons but also offers you 20% off on your birthday.
Click here to apply.
GREAT SITE FOR FINDING OP SHOPS
If you are unsure of what opshops are in your area then this is a great site. Simply enter your postcode and a huge list will come up.
Click here.
While these are the big chains there are probably plenty of local op shops that also have discount days. Where are they as we would love to know so we can build up a bit of a resource for people in the comments section of this article and make it a useful resource.