Northland opportunity shops: Is it still possible to bag a bargain?

Hands up if you've managed to bag a bargain at an op shop recently. Many shoppers say it's no longer possible. Photo / NZME

There’s still plenty of “opportunity” in op shops for customers to bag a bargain, charity store managers say as they reject criticism that the stores have become too expensive.

However, people need to understand op shops exist to support charities, not bargain hunters, they point out.

Discussion on a Whangārei community Facebook page heated up recently as contributors debated whether op shop prices were too high, treasures too rare and whether operators had got too greedy.

One commentator called for the shops to be regulated, saying prices were “absolutely disgusting” considering operators got all their stock “for free”.

Others speculated that prices had gone up because the stores were now too similar to mainstream businesses; operators were trying to cash in on a new wave of public consciousness around sustainability and recycling and a trend for vintage goods, while also trying to guard against a growing number of customers buying only to on-sell.

Some people claimed several shops were no longer accepting donations – clothes in particular – because existing stock was priced too high to shift.

Critics also said people in need of cheap things might as well buy new goods from big box retailers. Anyone in search of a treasure shouldn’t bother looking in op shops as staff and volunteers took any good items before they made it to the shelves, they claimed.

The Advocate spoke to some of Whangārei’s op shop managers, who rejected the claims, saying it was still possible to get a bargain at charity stores.

Backstage, the sorting area of North Haven Hospice's Whangārei central store is a busy hub full of volunteers, and large - if not larger - than the shop space itself. Pictured (from left) are: Murray Annear, retail services manager for North Haven's four shops from Mangawhai to Whangārei; Pat Cochran, a store volunteer for the past 14 years; and fundraising and marketing director Lyn Cheyne. Photo / Sarah Curtis

They said most were still taking clothing donations and didn’t like to frustrate donors by turning them away. However, sometimes stores just needed to take a break to catch up. It was a health and safety issue that correlated not with any lack of sales but with overwhelming volumes of donations and a lack of space to process and store them, SPCA retail regional manager Te Moana Pepere said.

Lyn Cheyne, director of marketing and fundraising at North Haven Hospice’s four retail outlets in lower Northland (Mangawhai, Waipū, Ruakākā, and Whangārei), said op shoppers needed to understand the stores weren’t there to provide charity to customers but to benefit a particular charity and support that charity’s work in the community.

“Your purchase is actually a donation or a contribution to a charity.”

Disgruntled op shoppers say their beloved treasure troves are now too expensive, causing stock to remain on shelves and operators to refuse donations. Store managers refute that, saying they’re obliged to recognise the value of generously donated goods and run sales when the items don’t sell. Photo / Sarah Curtis

While North Haven still had many items at traditionally low prices, including Fill a Bag for $1, it was also obliged to try to get the best result for the people it looked after – the terminally ill and dying.

“When someone donates goods to us, they’re expecting us to use those goods to achieve the best prices to turn into first-class community care.”

That meant getting those things on the shop’s shelves where they could fetch the best prices or, in some instances, putting extremely valuable or rare items in an online auction.

She conceded prices at op shops had increased but said it was only “gradually, over time”.

There were also a lot more staff now with specialist knowledge who could recognise valuable items and ensure they were priced appropriately.

Increases in pricing might also be due to rising rental or lease costs or an increase in the cost of staff, Cheyne said.

The SPCA opened its third shop in Whangārei last month. Photo / Sarah Curtis

Pepere said: “We have to ensure we don’t insult donors by putting a price tag on an item that is inconsistent with the value of it.”

Each SPCA store had products in a range of price points that were consistent with the organisation’s national price guide.

He was proud of the boutique-like premises of Whangārei’s recently opened third SPCA shop, Pepere said. Its location near two other op shops made good business sense as keen shoppers could make an occasion out of easily going between each.

Mariana Leather, manager of Pregnancy Choice diagonally opposite the new SPCA store, said: “Our overheads are definitely quite up there but our prices are still good. We’ve made the place nice looking – boutique style but without boutique prices – because we want people to come in and feel special, that they’re being treated with respect and dignity. Especially because our charity focuses on women, a lot of whom might need some of that special treatment.”

The managers agreed their stores now attracted a wider customer base.

A rack of free clothes outside Pregnancy Choice in Whangārei. Photo / Sarah Curtis

Cheyne said: “With the increased emphasis on sustainability and looking after our environment, op shops are becoming very much part of the usual shopping trend in terms of people will go to look to recycle, to reuse, to upcycle, to see what they can do.”

Each of the managers said their stores had specific policies to guard against staff and volunteers being able to buy items before the public.

Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, much of which she spent court reporting. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.