happy hunting

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Photo: Marleena Forward

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If you’re from far-off lands, you may be surprised to discover that clothing stores in Australia tend to be quite pricey. It’s much more difficult to find affordable, good-quality clothes in Australia than it is in many European countries, for example.

Thankfully, Melbourne is littered with op shops, which will save you from public nakedness as long as you have some spare change in your pocket.

The main charity shops are the Salvation Army stores (‘the Salvos‘), the Brotherhood of St Laurence stores and St Vincent de Paul (‘Vinnies‘) stores. These places also usually sell furniture, books and knick-knacks.

The mammoth Savers second-hand stores are often mistaken for charity shops but they in fact operate for profit. There are also a growing number of small independent thrift stores scattered throughout inner-city Melbourne that sell hand-picked (mostly vintage) wares. Essentially, these stores do the op-shop rummaging for you, but you pay for the service with higher prices.

Not only are op shops kinder to your pocket-book than the usual clothes stores, they are also a better choice for your environmental and social conscience.

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