How to Opportunity Shop

There are many reasons to shop at thrift stores, charity stores, resale stores, hospice stores and op (opportunity) shops, whatever you want to call them.

It’s a well-known fact that fashion trends repeat themselves. What was popular once shall become popular once again, years later. Why buy new clothes, often costing much more than it took to manufacture, when there may already be clothes of this style out there? Vintage and Retro are great sponsors of op shopping.

Op shopping can cost a lot less than buying new clothes and is a lot less time consuming than searching through sale racks in various stores. Even op shops have sales! A good quality op shop is a massive store of sale racks!

Everyone knows recycling in general is great. We’re constantly told to recycle water, paper and many more things. It’s a great way for charitable organisations to obtain money and for you to grab (and save) a good bargain while not having to fork out too much. Also, those less fortunate benefit from shops such as these.

Hopefully, this tutorial shall give you all you need to know to have the most fulfilling op shopping experience.

Starting Out

Start out with the organisations you know. For me, these are organisations such as the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Savers and the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. The more you begin to explore these shops, the more you’ll find others. You’ll also meet others who like to go op shopping and they’ll give you tips and other locations.

Be sure to have time as well as an open mind. Op shops are the type of shop you can very easily get lost in and thrift-shopping isn’t something you can rush. Take cash with you as not all shops will accept credit card (this is uncommon).

Also, you’ll find when you first start thrift-shopping, is that there are going to be items that aren’t in great condition and, in some cases, aren’t wearable. However, this doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be on the shelves! There are many people out there who can turn a piece of clothing into something creative and refreshing because of its pattern or material. Also, some things can be easily fixed and even when taking this cost into account, it still often costs less than new clothes.

Where to Shop

If you’re in a good shop, you’ll find the clothes shall be sectioned by type (Men’s, women’s, short-sleeve tops, long-sleeve tops, jeans, coats, dresses, etc) and then further by size. Start by looking through the types of clothes you’re looking for, in your size but also in a couple sizes above and below as all clothes are different and you may find something. The variations in sizes shall be greater in these shops. If you’re looking for something particular, judge by pattern or style.

Make sure you try anything you want to get on because even though it might be your size, it doesn’t mean it sits rights or makes you feel good. If you can’t try it on for whatever reason, make sure it shall definitely fit you when you take it home. I say this because there shall be places that’ll have signs saying no refunds, exchanges, etc. If you’re not sure how to do this, place the garment on your front and make sure the sides go to the sides of your body without being tight. Make sure the arms aren’t too tight. If you have someone with you, perhaps get them to place it against your back and make sure the garment shall sit appropriately.

What to Remember

• If you don’t love it, don’t get it. It was made for someone else and you probably won’t wear it.
• Don’t be sucked in by the fact that you’re buying at an op shop. Now that big stores are fighting for your money and lowering their prices, there may be some things you can buy, brand new, for the same price. I once found these cute shoes in a Savers shop that I loved, but they were the same price you’d find in Kmart not on sale. Not worth it!
• Don’t be sucked in by brands! You may come across little cosy stores, run by lovely old women who have no idea about designer brands and how much these particular garments may cost in store. Great! Take advantage of this innocent ignorance but beware. Ever gotten home and regretted buying your clothes? Personally, I have been at a clearance store and picked up a cute little skirt by a popular, pricey brand and thought ‘God, that’s cheap. I’m so getting this!’ I kept looking around and was gathering a pile of clothes when I really judged my collection. I thought, ‘This skirt is cute, but I am never going to wear it. I never even wear skirts! It’d be a waste of money.’ If I hadn’t had that realisation, I would have definitely bought it and regretted it later. Don’t make that mistake with new or recycled clothes.
• (If you’re willing to travel) Out in rural areas (or less populated areas) is where you can find small, cosy op shops full of hidden treasures run by those who don’t charge too much. If you’re interested in bric-a-brac stuff, these types of shops can be great. Beware, often these shops are so small they don’t organise their clothes but (stereotypically) they’re usually very welcoming.
• (If you’re willing to travel) Shops such as Myers, David Jones and other way too expensive shops often have clearance/sale sections. Travel around and check them out if you have a soft spot for designer stuff. You can pick up a bargain.
• Don’t expect all people that go to op shops to be poor. Anyone can walk into a shop (unless it’s an adult shop, I guess) so there shall be various members of the public in there. Some celebrities shop at op shops!
• Don’t make the assumption everything is used, tattered and broken. Not all clothes are donated. Clearance stores have brand new stuff that hasn’t been donated from a variety of brands depending on where you go. Also, there are many different reasons people give up clothes. Personally, I’ve had a death in the family recently and we donated all her clothes to the Salvos. Someone may have grown out of the clothes, etc. Out of the many things I’ve bought, the only thing I’ve bought and then realised it was broken was a dress strap’s plastic part that adjusts the length of the strap. It was easily fixed and didn’t cost anything.
• Check out churches/parishes! A lot of churches have a joined opportunity or charity shop.
• Check out the clothes you want to get before you pay for them. They may not be in a good condition and if you’re not happy with it, don’t buy it.
• You may not find your size. You may find something great but it’s not in your size. This really sucks, believe me!
• If you’re going to buy things such as swimwear, undies, bras, socks, it is always better to get them new. You can do this in places such as clearance stores, still in their packaging with tags. However, if you do thrift this stuff, make sure they’re in a pretty good condition and pick up only the cleanest stuff. Wash before you wear also. You made need to check for deodorant or armpit stains (yuck).
• What are these shops doing with your money? Some big organisations may be a bit pricey for op shops. Why? They want to expand their organisation of course! But this isn’t always a good thing. They’re then spending the money on themselves and not helping those in need. All thought, ultimately, they’re getting more stores to help more people, if they’re raising their prices, people who are struggling financially mightn’t be able afford buying there anymore. This is also not fair if the organisation claims them rely on donations of money to keep their organisation going.

You’re Not Alone

There are celebrities out there who op shop. These celebrities include: Zac Efron, Julia Roberts, Kylie Minogue, Zooey Deschanel, Daryl Hannah, Reese Witherspoon (and she always looks great), Marisa Tomei and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Celebrities who wear/promote vintage clothing (which consists of mostly second-hand garments): Nicole Kidman, Rachel Zoe, Sharon Stone, Chloe Sevigny, Drew Barrymore, Many Moore, Tracey Ullman, Barbra Streisand, Megan Gale, Delta Goodrem, Ruby Rose, Chris Bath and Cate Blanchett.

Seen the movie Wild Child? The girls in Wild Child shop at a cancer research charity store.

I hope this has given you some good tips on how to op shop and shown you even the most immaculate and respected people can get stuff at charity stores and look great. So get op shopping!