Friday 2 April 2010

Disappointment on Glenhuntly

A friend and I were looking foreword to a day of fresh opping along Glenhuntly rd. We started at St Johns, just next to Glenhuntly station, which had a few surprises in store, particularly a cute pair of t-strap sandals. Also, they had a regular flow of customers and donaters while we were there. After making a few finds, we moved along to the 'posh' op shop, on the corner of glenhuntly and grange. Despite the suggestive tittle, the shop was far from it, aside from the glamorous prices.It was very messy, not in that intriguing 'sort to find the treasure' way, but dingy, dingy and dirty ( However, the book and crockery section was in much better condition then the clothes). I found a fantastic blue and white, gold embellished and detailed,buttoned cardigan, but for $35!!!! noo way. I appreciate that some things may be worth the weight in gold, but i just didn't feel the price of this cardy, or many other items, were justified, with no name brands, often marks or rips. Maybe it is just my bitter resentment that I wasn't able to afford my eyed-off item, but I wont be returning to scourage through the posh mess. I look foreword to other endeavours along Glenhuntly, particularly some more towards elsternwick area, to improve my mental reputation of the Glenhuntly rd op shops.

50 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi there,
I've given up on the "posh opp shop" too, as you said too messy, too expensive and too many grumpy women saying "we're only volunteers you know" I would hear it every time I went in there. as one customer said "well I would hate to think you were being paid to be this rude!"
love this blog!!!

Anonymous said...

I've given up on it too, occasionally I picked up a nice piece of kids clothes but after being told that the hooded baby towel was not $1 but $11 (pack of 3 $12 at target) I swore never to go back. It is no wonder they don't sell much and the shop just get fuller and fuller.

Anonymous said...

The place is an abolute mess and there's nothing posh about it. Nothing.

Love this blog btw!

secondhandrose said...

I went to the Posh op shop once and the prices and staff put me off. I didn't find anything worthwhile and everything is way over priced!

Anonymous said...

i went there once to find a wheres wally costume and there was more chance of finding wally himself in the shop than anything of use.

cant wait for the next installment OF THIS BLOG!

woot

Anonymous said...

definately one of the worst and most overpriced op shops i've come by in a long time.

Don't the over priced ones usually prefer to call themselves "Recycled boutiques"?

Ye olde Posh opp shop is a waste of ye olde time

Morgan Wills said...

I have been a couple of times - but never again. Over priced and disgustingly dirty and unorganised. The worst op shop in Melbourne. Don't bother!

Anonymous said...

I to would have to agree overpriced and dirty and overcrowded.About a month ago they had a summer sale to clear out clothing ( fill a bag ) either $5 or $10 I knew I could nt fill a large one so opted for a small for $5.00, but when I got to the register was told by one staff member I had to much in the bag and had to put some back. I quickly pointed out that the sign says FILL A BAG and not 5 items only, anyways after having words I walked out with nothing as I simply was to anoyed to stay and argue.
YES I had filled the bag by rolling and folding items as small as possible and placing into bag BUT one could hold it by the handles and nothing fell out as many were, but thats what happens when you say fill something.
Anyways I no longer make a trip that way just to check the shop but if I happen to be close I pop in quickly just to see if by some chance the million dollar bargin is marked at a resonable price.

Anonymous said...

Hi I'm so glad I read this post, as I'd been meaning to visit the so called 'Posh Op Shop' but won't bother. If you ever find yourself in these parts again the Sacred Heart op shop on Glenhuntly Road(cnr Shoobra Road) is great.

Anonymous said...

I would have to disagree. I always find a range of great bargains. I have bought two beautiful chairs recently and bought many childrens clothes over the last few years. It can be messy at times but with people rummaging through I imagine it would be difficult to keep tidy.

Gabrielle Bazeley said...

Interesting blog! I too was disappointed with this one. It sounded amazing but wasn't . Way too messy and old stock couldn't find anything I wanted. Did see a staff give something away to a mum that she said was too old too sell so they're not all dragons. Salvos high st Malvern is an excellent op shop and far more deserving of being a posh op shop with excellent staff and great price tags.

Anonymous said...

The 'posh op' is a joke!. Staff are very, very rude. The lighting in the shop is so bad & clothes are way over priced & with the dim lighting you don't notice damage &
stains with the clothes till you get home. The manager Rosalie is sickly sweet & fake & takes home a
very nice pay packet at the end of the year as she gets paid a percentage of the yearly takings.
Will never shop there again!!!!!.

adorachka said...

would love to uncover the truth about this Posh opp shop. someone is doing very nice business without paying any tax.
i am sure they have all of us on nicely! who believes them - volunteers. ?! these ladies love to dominate over the customers, being rude and putting you down. the economics of this op shops are unclear, not transparent at all!

Anonymous said...

The manager Rosalie was awarded an Order of Australia for community service. She has dedicated her life to volunteering and doesn't make any money from it.

Leonie said...

BEST SHOP IN MELBOURNE - It is lovely, the best quality stuff from toys to clothes to household. A lot of brand new stuff, kid's swings, car seats, up-market clothing, furniture, kitchenware etc. My house is full of their stuff at such a small cost, from glassware (we break a lot and it needs to be replaced) to a baby swing, clothing, a new glass jug, collectors' items and even a fur coat!

frangelico said...

I'm glad am not the only one who thought that The 'Posh Op Shop' is anything but. The few times I've been there (on my way to a few shops next door), I've always found it to be way overpriced and the staff to be quite rude. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Anonymous said...

I guess everyone is talking about the posh op shop near glen huntly station, to which I have never been to. Recently, they opened (or relocated) at Elsternwick, also in Glen huntly road. I must say the place is quite spacious and things seems to be much more organized. The things seems to be comparatively expensive than other op shops. However, I found some great cupboards of very good quality in this shop and other furniture seem to be of good quality too. I didn't go thorough the cloths though. Saw some shoes, which were originally 490 but were priced at 75 at the op shop. however, I am not someone who opt for very expensive shoes :)

Anonymous said...

I guess it depends what you think a good price is. $20 for a shirt is high for an op shop. But if it is a hand-made Brioni shirt that retails for around $500 and is in excellent condition, wouldn't you consider that a bargain? I've found plenty such bargains at the Posh Op Shoppe, in amongst what is indeed a lot of overpriced stuff. You need to be choosy, but they have more high-end clothing mire often than any op shop I know of. That's a plus for them.

Occasionally it's worth remembering that these shops exist for a purpose, and that purpose is to make money for charities not to sell high-quality stuff to us at the lowest possible price.

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Anonymous said...

St John's Opp Shop has become surprisingly expensive. There has been changes in staff management, I am told and this is reflected in the prices. I saw some tops with $25, some coats with $100 and some jewellery pieces are exorbitant. Prices are not always negotiable. If the volunteer boss is there forget it, she is very blunt to the point of coming across as extremely rude at times.

Unknown said...


Very interesting story. I didn't find it boring to read. In fact, I really had a lot of fun reading your post. Thanks.

Shella
www.gofastek.com

Anonymous said...

Sad to say I agree with the others about the Posh OP shop, I give up no more will I visit the shop. Over priced goods and unclear prices in one example the sign says $6 but the attached price says $12. Kids Kmart goods at higher prices than new! Very grumpy and unnecessarily rude volunteers not only to me but also to others in the shop. I have ended up not buying twice now because of these reasons.

betty draper said...

The place is huge, so even by law of averages it stands to reason that you can pick up some good stuff on occasion.

But......

1/ the lady who manages the place is incredibly rude. She roams around the place tsk tsking and tut tutting at people for various perceived offences and I get the feeling that she sees customers as an inconvenience that she would ban if she could. I saw, for example, her rip into one poor old pensioner bloke for daring to bring his little shopping cart in. And

2/ half the clientele in the joint at a given time consists of retailers who get offered the better items by the manager before they get displayed on the floor. Anything that might have a sniff of quality about it gets offered to one of her network of furniture/art/clothing/jewellery/homewares retailers before the public, which means that the stuff that we are searching through looking for a bargain has already been picked over and rejected by others before we get a look at it.

Not the worst op shop on Glenhuntly, but definitely in the bottom 2.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree that the posh opp-shop is a rip off. Like many others I have been in to see if the prices have improved but that never changed, I did however notice that when they moved from Grange st the items were cheaper and of better quality but as soon as they were up and settled in the new premises the prices shot back up and the quality of goods went down. As some one else pointed out they do give their second-hand dealers the first option before anything is priced for the store.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree that the posh opp-shop is a rip off. Like many others I have been in to see if the prices have improved but that never changed, I did however notice that when they moved from Grange st the items were cheaper and of better quality but as soon as they were up and settled in the new premises the prices shot back up and the quality of goods went down. As some one else pointed out they do give their second-hand dealers the first option before anything is priced for the store.

Anonymous said...

I was seeking a bread maker and was told by the shop assistant,'We do most of our buisiness online'. I was left standing there for ages, while she went to search the cost of new ones online! She then told me, poor people cant afford to bake bread!

Opp shops certainly are not what they used to be. 'We're just running a buisiness as I've heard it prowdly said on a few occasions? What ever happened to the gift of charity?

I was lucky to enough to walk out with a bread maker under my arm.

Anonymous said...

Great community service people ther really handy bloke there called tom there

Anonymous said...

I've found some beautiful men's clothes here. The quality finds are mixed in with plenty of ordinary items which is the norm for second hand stores. This is the only second hard clothing store where I have found Prada and Zegna suits, coats and jackets (never any that fitted me though!), top quality shoes, and good quality felt fedoras. The higher quality and designer items are priced a bit more highly than the standard prices in the local church style charity shops, but then I've never seen Prada and Zegna in those places either. The good quality full leather shoes here usually sell for $30 or $40 dollars which isn't much more than the (lower quality) shoes at Salvos. (I paid $40 for a beautiful pair of brown wholecut shoes here). The women working here are great.

Anonymous said...

I work there and I agree with you all. The staff members are super rude and Rosalie is fake. She's really rude to a lot of her customers and has arguments with them all the time. Rosalie takes about $500-1000 as her payment at the end of the day. so much for being a charity. Everything is way overpriced for an Op shop

Unknown said...

The new store down the other end of Glen Huntly (near Elsternwick station) is a lot bigger than the old one, and is my favourite place to get vintage jumpers ($8 in the men's section!!), other than that, it's not really a great place for much else. Love the blog <3

Anonymous said...

Interesting reading this blog and the question it raises about whether this charity has been hijacked by management on the payroll as a nice little earner for them. I have been an avid opshopper for over thirty years and I have been to op shops all over Melbourne. This place wins the prize hands down for the rudest staff and most expensive op shop. I have always thought of op shops as not just a charity for those they represent but also a charity for low income customers. This charity shop would do well to remember that.

Anonymous said...

There is often a piano player out the front of their new store... The guy looks a little rough around the edges but he is absolutely brilliant... I probably visit these 2 stores around 4 times a year and have always found the staff to be pleasant and helpful.Each time I have been to the stores I have bought home a bargain.

Anonymous said...

I found posh opp shoppe on ebay, "prior ispection invited" but had to send a message to arrange to see the item. Apparently it had to be brought in. Wondered if it was not "shop stock" being sold, but private items. Made an appointment to inspect, it was brought in (from ? ) but not condition perfect, and I did not proceed.
The glass on shelves was filthy. No duster has ever been flicked around the shelves.
Then I saw the cabinets containing crystal items priced at hundreds of dollars.
Are people selling privately or perhaps consigning for sale, I had a thought.
I don't care because nothing would entice me in that dirty place again and I had a grungey feeling about it. Yes, the "volunteers' who act hard done by, another reason. Nobody's forcing anybody to volunteer.

Anonymous said...

Rang the taxation department to ask out of general interest asking whether op shops are audited or are exempt from business type taxes, and if they need to register to "support charities", as there is grey area around this definition of support and "charity".
I asked if people could be selling private stock through the business, and the woman at the tax dept couldn't have cared less. She said an op shop might have an exemption - didn't go into what she meant - so one good turn of enquiring deserves lack of interest - I thought the tax department which is tight on every other type of business could perhaps review Op Shops.
so I'll go away now.

Anonymous said...

It runs like a regular retail business, not a charity shopl except with dirty items which they pay nothing for (donated by dirty people without cleaning first? ugh !)
with rude and superior sales-people, and sneaky with items sold on ebay which have to be brought in by appointment for you to view prior to bidding on ebay.
This is clearly not shop stock but smacks of private selling . Legal trading practices by this shop are more than blurred.
As for the Charity it is supposed to support? They say - and this is vague as the charity was not named - the shop pays for carers for children who need special needs at school.
Is this a typical second-hand business? It relies on free goods donated, for their shop stock. Buyers seem to be happy finding bargains there, which, by doing so, keep affirming that this non-posh shop may or not be following trading practices to the letter - but in this world of instant gratification you say, so what? On the reverse side, why throw your money at Posh? There are other second hand and op-shops, what's the attraction to dirty goods and mean staff - do you feel you deserve it and reward them by giving money? Oh, as long as you get a bargain who cares, and you can be happyhappy on facebook, wow.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely agree^^^ dirty, in all meanings .
I have NEVER seen staff giving anything for free as been highlighted in previous posts.
One of these "volunteer" ladies was selling items on the side without giving receipts .
They have branded clothes & receive corporate donations but oh,my--what a miserable state this place is in!
I have never seen anyone trying to tidy it up.
I was,however,treated rudely and looked suspiciously upon,despite the fact that I have NEVER walked out of this shop making less than $50 purchase.
I've always wandered: what charity do they support?
Is it private enterprise?
How much tax do they pay?
Why do they overprice their items RIDICULOUSLY ,sell LESS as a result and shop is always chockers- full?
Why they don't have young volunteers looking for work experience like Salvos or Family Life do?
Why are they not transparent about the status of the charity support they do?
I Ve worked for Salvos.
My questions are valid,it's just I was never able to obtain any answers from Posh Opp Shoppe staff!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for clarifying that... Always thought something is up with this woman!
Just walks around hatrrasing customers &treating them as nuisance,bloody witch

Anonymous said...

If all of you who've commented about cash no receipts or suspicious selling under the guise of legitimate "op shop" contact the Tax Office and enquire, it might get their interest. That's the best place to start. They will know if a charity is being supported and if all sales are being put through the books as they should be under fair trading and tax law.
Calling people names achieves nothing - take it to where it should be taken.
And don't buy there. Somebody above complains and then says always buys $50 worth...why give them financial support - doesn't make sense ?!

Anonymous said...

Sad to hear of such a place.
We had wonderful fun and great success on the Mornington Peninsula last week in the vast array of shops there, the best was Vinnies at Rosebud, so big, clean and meticulously kept, a credit to the volunteers. It matters not whether people are poor or otherwise, everyone should be into recycling as the planet has more than enough to deal with, behaviourally and materially.

Ant said...

I want there for first time today had a look at all electrical items then cross referenced with google , what a rip off they are. Anyhow found some golf clubs ( I don't play golf by the way) could not find a price asked a lovely lady how much ? She replied $50 I asked if she could do them for $30 she said OK, went counter found sticker with $30 , cool. But then another guy said oh NO bag is $30 (crap bag anyway) clubs are $10 each. I just laughed and told him no way, they were not even good,.......to sum this shop up they are bunch of rip offs and they are supposed to be for charity, but a charitable organisation would not act like this. I would think you would want to actually sell stuff for charity to get the money and turnover as much stock as you can , not lose customers with your dodgy tactics , this shop just does not make sense for a charity shop. That is if they really are I might do some research now as dodgy people are always doing dodgy stuff.

Anonymous said...

Ant - read my comments above as I enquired what charity do they support? and got a very vague answer. I think the taxation office should do an audit of opportunity shops and educate them with what actually constitutes a tax exemption if they are receiving one. Seems they also might be selling privately as you are invited to prior inspection what they have on ebay, by appointment, because she has to bring them in. In other words, not shop shelf stock. Hmmm?

Anonymous said...

I defended a poor customer at this store in Elsternwick who asked for a discount been lectured to by the owner. She badgered and bullied this person for over 10 minutes because she asked for a discount. I went to front counter and they said that the owner gives up her whole life for charity and how dare I question them. Horrible horrible people. Never bully someone, no matter how good your cause. Your cause is not an excuse to badger and bully someone.

Anonymous said...

Everybody stop: enough is enough. Everybody contact the Australian Tax Office and dob this shop in. Send them reference to the blog.
I've tried to raise it with people who write in to this blog and fall on deaf ears.
Why don't you actually get involved in trying to get it audited or investigated?
You moan and whine but do nothing constructive about it.
You expect someone else to do this?

Anonymous said...

Posh Op is a messy, overpriced shop & staff are very rude. Don't bother, Sacred Heart Mission next door is a gorgeous shop with lovely staff & the money raised directly helps homeless people, provides meals & free medical care, a great charity & all there shops are great.

Anonymous said...

And what's good about Sacred Heart Mission is that they advertise to support Sacred Heart Mission whereas Posh "Op" shop (secondhand retail shop) admits to no particular charity support when asked. That makes it questionable as an op shop but they would receive a tax benefit by being called an op shop. Their credentials need to be published for it to be believable, dirty rude and overpriced, and .... what charity? hy should be be exempt from stating who they officially support, and show paperwork to prove it. If they are exempt, which is .... who knows? They won't say.

nduga said...


Staff seemed very proud of the new efpos machine !
Also she seemed to delight in telling me about the ten dollar minimum when using
a card to pay.
The item was only two dollars.
Its an opp shop (for gods sake), some items will be under ten dollars.
Some people will only have ten dollars, cash or card.
Disappointed in the lack of consideration for those who might be less fortunate
than themselves !







Anonymous said...

So I have been going to this op shop since it opened. Without fail, every. single. time. there is some kind of issue from out and out unlawfulness, right through to blatant rudeness.
Allow me to vent...

I am a kindergarten teacher and took 6 strawberry boxes with matchbox cars to the front. Was confronted by the saleswomen saying "oh youve taken them all! I was going to get some for my grandson" She then proceeded to sift through them and "just put some aside"

Another time- a woman and baby, who had English as 2nd language and some kind of referral from a charity orgasnisation, had brought up a pile of baby clothes to the counter. The manager proceeded to loudly whine about the amount of clothes, . so all of us waiting to be served could hear her. In front of everyone, she made eye contact with me and said to the mother "Oh I think youre being very greedy" Fuck.

This has happened countless times and once again, literally half an hour ago. ..
You find an item on a rack which is clearly marked with a sign and corresponding prices. You get to the front and hey presto! Price elevated because of brand/ condition/ length (?!?!) Today took a cardi up. Sign said $5. Lady said '$10. I said, 'NO, I think youll find it's $5. She replied, "oh it's actually $8. I said 'but the sign says $5" She condesendingly replied "Oh that would be ridiculous for this, look how long (???) it is!!"

General arguments with customers.

I too have asked about who the charity is and get EXTREMELY shady and vague replies. Something about disabled children. What? No actual organisation???? Only recently have they borught in a proper receipt system so the whole place is a complete disgrace.

Will NEVER go back.

Anonymous said...

2021 ; Prize gamumping is illegal in real estate but apparently slive and well at this place. I asked to see a cabinet item, lady unlocked, brought it out and she the saleslady said "$50. Oh that's ridiculous you can have it for $25." I was looking it over then a manager sleazed up behind her saying "It's got a mark on it". ???
He said It's Saint Louis Crystal. The saleslady said Oh then you can hve it for $30. I said but you just said I can 'have it' for $25. That's why it's 50 he said.
Salesowman said Oh I didn't know what it was.
I said No, you just said it was $25, don't raise your price, no sale.
She threw her hands in the air and said I'm outa here! People asking questions all morning ! She tormed off.
The manager, I wetn to and said I didn't mean that lady to get upset, here's how the conversation began. He said She's been a professional volunteer for years. And I said errrr. Sorry but the prices are going down then back up .. He started to walk away muttering She's my mother and I'm her son so I'm not interested...She's not in it for the money. I said Neitehr am I. He said Yes you are. I said You dont' know me. Who I might be buyign for or anything about me. He walked off.
So, this shop continues to specialise in not knowing their stuff plus their rudeness, arrogance, and prize gazumping. No social distancing, shoulder to shoulder crowding, no masks being worn by staff nor customers, disdgraceful, and my dollars will go next door to Sacred Heart or other Oppies. If someone else wnat to reward them to feel special, that's their priority. They charge more than retail for some items which are after all 'used' 'secondhand' not new, not even vintage. I'd struck that saleslady before trying to 'uptalk' something which I knew more about than she did, then there was naother lady trying to tell me and another cutomer a gemstone necklace was one thing very like another stone but never knew the diffrence. They are completely uninformed about some of their items and delight in being rude and superior in their manner. Which only make them inferior. Goodbye Posh, you won't have my dollars. Relieved? Me too !

Anonymous said...

Posh op shop is an overpriced joke

Anonymous said...

Then they send it to landfill