Illawarra has plenty of op shops to find treasures and one Wollongong woman has made it her mission to visit each store to give them a review.
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Sam McLaughlin is a confessed "seasoned op shopper" who has been going to them before it was trendy.
She got back into thrifting when she had a newborn and didn't want to pay full price for items that wouldn't be used for very long.
"I will wear something until it's in tatters ... environmentally it's a better impact [and] you get a better bang for your buck
The 33-year-old started the Instagram page @opshopsofwollongong at first as a "venting page" to show off her hauls and call out overpricing.
She strolls in to stores with her 11-month-old and rates each store out of five stars based on their organisation ("there's no need for chaos"), friendliness of staff, quality of products, and pricing.
"Sometimes I've picked up a couple of toys, and they just needed a bit of a clean up and a bit of WD-40 and then it's brand new again," she said.
Sam's top three op shops
Ms McLaughlin said her top three favourite stores are Dapto Salvos (4.6/5), Dapto Lifeline (4.5/5), and the independent Second Hand Clothing Shop in Warilla (4.5/5).
"[The Second Hand Clothing Shop has] got some really funky items, some of her clothing is just like crazy. She is a little bit more on the pricey side but that does come with like independence," she said.
The owner of the store Alana Dale said she's noticed a lot of younger and environmentally-conscious people have started to visit her store.
"I sell pre-loved clothing that is washed and steamed by me and has a lot of love put into it. I simply do this for the community," Mrs Dale said.
Ms McLaughlin also gave a special mention to Warrigal Op Shop, which she rates 4.8 out of five because they're cheap and the staff are lovely.
Calling out overpriced stock
The number one thing that frustrates Ms McLaughlin is when op shops sell overpriced items.
In one Unanderra store, she spotted a pre-loved Kmart picture frame marked $5, more than double the price of a brand-new frame at the department store.
Ms McLaughlin was also shocked to see an op shop selling a change mat for $5 that is from the free baby bundle bags given to new parents by the NSW government.
"How dare you do that because that is a free gift ... that should be given for free back into the community."
Op shops for trendy thrifters and people struggling?
While Ms McLaughlin is happy to see more people buying items second-hand, she's frustrated with the trend of people buying items to re-sell them for a profit.
"I find it really quite offensive because charity stores, op shops, second-hand stores, they all started for people who are lower socioeconomic, people who were struggling, people that needed a little bit of help," she said.
"These stores are not meant to be for-profit [but] it's turning into that [and] most of them get tax breaks."
How to Op shop like a pro
The Wollongong mum believes luck and patience are the key to finding a good op shop treasure.
"Not every day is going to be awesome... have a good look, sometimes you do need to rummage through the stuff," Ms McLaughlin said.
While she visits the super big op shops to review them, she prefers the smaller independent stores to get unique items.
Tell us below, what is your favourite op shop in Illawarra, and why?
Marlene Even
Journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio.
Journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio.
