The True Blue Beauty of The Aussie Op Shop (Naked City)
Image: Photo: Salvation Army.
The True Blue Beauty of The Aussie Op Shop is the latest column (April 22, 2025) from Coffin Ed‘s The Naked City column – exclusive to City Hub.
Some years ago I was browsing in a tiny Op shop, barely able to accommodate five or six people, in downtown Katoomba. A rather large man and his wife entered the tightly confined space and he immediately commented on the size of the venue operated by the Cat Defence Network. His words did not go down well with other customers as he loudly proclaimed “hardly enough room to swing a cat in here”.
Oh the joys of working your way through a variety of preloved goods at your local Op or charity shop. There are three or four crates of old vinyl but alas it’s the usual graveyard of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, Barry Manilow, Liberace, Barbra Streisand and our own Jamie Redfern. No rarities here. The book section is heavy with ‘romance fiction’, not my bag, but there are some cool retro knick-knacks scattered throughout.
These days, given the current economic climate, Op shops are doing a roaring trade and proliferate right throughout Sydney. Some commercially operated second shops are often banded ‘Op’ but it’s the charity based outlets that are synonymous with the term – run by groups such as Vinnies, The Salvos, the RSPCA, the Australian Red Cross and not to forget The Cat Defence Network.
It’s the Salvation Army we have to thank for their introduction in Australia and that goes right back to the late 19th century. Originally started as recycling centres to provide goods and work for those in need, they evolved into what we now know as the modern Op shop, selling everything from clothes and furniture, to kitchenalia and kids’ toys.
If you are wondering where the name comes from it was Lady Millie Tallis, a former showgirl-turned-philanthropist, who first coined the term ‘opportunity’ or ‘op’ shop back in the 1920s in Melbourne. She was keen to dismiss the stigma of the ‘handout’ when she opened ‘Cyclorama’ near St Vincent’s Hospital to raise funds for an x-ray department.
Regular browsers at Op shops throughout Sydney will have quickly noticed a range of pricing policies. Some shops like The Salvos, who deal with a huge amount of donated goods, are looking for a quick turnover and also show a genuine consideration for the pockets of their customer base. They are often twenty to fifty percent cheaper than rival op shops and stock a much wider choice of goods. They obviously see no great economic sense in sitting on a particular product for any great length of time – much the way supermarkets operate across the country.
On the other hand, some Sydney Op shops are quick to place a premium price on anything they consider valuable and collectable and stick with that price until somebody coughs up. In August of last year Dr Andrew Hughes, a lecturer in marketing at the Australian National University was quoted as saying:
“Op-shops and charity stores, largely run by faith-based organisations, have an obligation to keep prices low for consumers, but have chosen not to.”
He noted that the shops were exempt from paying tax and despite most now operating as fully-fledged businesses with paid staff, they were failing their customers with their exorbitant prices.
They are also failing the regular bargain hunters and collectors who regularly frequent the shops in search of something unusual, collectable or quirky. There seems to be a paranoia that if they price an item too low, it will be snapped up by a buyer from a commercial second hand shop or end up on eBay with a much inflated price. Whatever the reality the thrill of the Op shop hunt is now largely diminished.
Australians are extremely generous when it comes to donating to Op Shops. Just ask the Salvos who are often overwhelmed with gifts of clothing and household items. Many low income earners depend on them for basic clothing and cheap electrical goods. They also provide a valuable service in recycling perfectly good clothes and numerous other items which could easily end up on the Council tip.
If you are looking for a humorous (slightly X-rated) philosophical endorsement of Op shops in general, have a listen to ‘Thrift Shop’, written and performed by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring vocals from Wanz. It encourages going to your local thrift stores and scoring a bargain rather than flaunting expensive and ostentatious items like many other rappers.
