Today’s Op Shop: Wayside Bargain Centre, 30 Withers Street in Sunshine
I had a bit of a surprise walking in to the Wayside Bargain Centre, because it’s no longer your typical op shop. Things have been repainted and moved around so it’s no longer as cramped and musty as it has been in the past. I’m not sure when they completed the store update but it looks much better in there, however the upstairs area which formerly had books and games is now off limits. A worker there today told me it has changed from being an op shop in to more of a bargain centre. I must admit I felt a bit disappointed to hear this as I prefer op shops with their individual items as opposed to bargain centres with their lots-of-identical-items cheapies, but once I started browsing I saw the op shop element was still there. Womens dresses were the most expensive, priced at $6 each. Skirts were about $5 each (in the past I picked up vintage pleated skirts for $1.50) and tops were around the $4 to $5 mark:
The books area is much smaller than it used to be but still good for a browse:
Wayside still have a selection of furniture, in the past I bought two fantastic 1970s vinyl pouffes in mint condition for $5 each:
The china and glassware section is also smaller than it was, previously it was all lovely and cramped and very op shoppy but now it’s more spaced out:
Unfortunately my shopping here today was a bust in op shopping terms. But I bought some of the bargain centre items: three ball gowns for DeeW’s dolls at $2.50 each and two pairs of socks for $1.50 (DeeW is always losing one sock). These were new ‘bargain’ items, not secondhand donated goods.
Wayside have the problem of people dumping their stuff overnight. I’ve driven past many times during the evening and the outside is full of bags that spill out on to the road. If you want to go in, don’t be put off by stuff that has been dumped by the door. It’s difficult for the shop to manage it.
There’s a large parking area right across the road from Wayside, and the Salvos op shop is a couple doors down. The St. Vinnies is also pretty closeby, within walking distance. Wayside also have coloured ticket sale days, where ticketed items of a certain ticket colour are half price. This half price sale goes for a week.
veganopoulous.com <-- I've moved here! 
Isn’t that just the problem when places get spruced up? Higher prices! It’s nice to have a cleaner space to browse, but I’ll take the low prices instead. Except we always need socks around here too. Where DOES that second sock go? 😉
I once found a sock and it wasn’t one of ours!
I prefer op shop to bargain shop too – but sounds like the management have been reading their marketing manuals 😦 I like the sound of ball dresses for the dolls (my grandmother always had the best dresses for her barbies so dolls clothes make me think of her and she had an amazing barbie doll wardrobe too for all the dresses)
My grandmother had a job as a seamstress at a factory and used to make all my dolls clothes when I was little. When I was a teenager I gave everything away
I don’t know where my grandmother’s barbies are now – sylvia would love them though I am not so into barbies these days – that is great your grandmother made the dolls clothes – my other grandmother was a seamstress but I don’t remember her making much for us – though she did alter some clothes when we were teenagers and starting going out more.
I still remember all the clothes and even after all these years I kick myself for giving them away! I’d frame them in a shadow box or something 🙂