St Vincent De Paul Society

The neat shop window display is always changing with something new /​old being placed on the dummies, along with a few accessories like hats, bags and shoes. Quite cluttered on the inside though, with little nooks and crannies stuffed with something. There’s always a bargain to be had in these types of stores and alot of it is a case of being in the right place at the right time.
Clothing, shoes, accessories, pot, pans, mugs, glassware and general bric a brack is the order of these cheap stores and thank goodness they exist, otherwise it’s all be called ‘vintage’.
I totally agree with Jo B as it really does depend on what volunteer sales person you get served by and the price you end up getting or bartering for, some just don’t give in that easy. But I have to say I don’t tend to barter that much with Vinnies or any other cheap store, considering the item was possibility two or three times the price it is now. Plus some of these stores don’t know what the item/​s are actually worth, I’m sure other ‘vintage’ shop owners pop into these shops on a regular basis to poach and re-​sell. Another thing is, taking into account the money is going towards a good cause gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling.

This little Vinnies on Port Rd is hit and miss with quality. The smell of the store is decidedly musty, like you just landed in a long ignored basement. However, they do often have some good women’s clothing, if you can look past the messy presentation. Amid the daggy pieces are some nice quality tops, and they are also good for summer dresses and formal dresses, sometimes pricing things at much lower than standard op-​shop prices (though sometimes pricing them high — I think it depends on which volunteer did it!).
At the moment, just before Christmas, there are a lot of women’s dresses, and plenty of nice ones too. It seems that people have recently cleaned out their wardrobes and ditched the clothes they are sick of or no longer fit. So it’s a very good time for op-​shopping!
The book selection here is low quality, and much of it is very dated. They have quite a large range of kids toys and clothes, and some men’s clothing, and that’s about it.
It’s an amusing place when you happen upon an elderly Russian lady trying to bargain down a winter coat with a determined shop volunteer. The bartering became quite heated, and she wasn’t leaving the store without this coat, nor was she getting the enormous discount she wanted. Op-​shops can be amusing places, and are always worth a visit.