Op Shops Melbourne NE/East - Eltham

There are actually two op shops in Eltham, both a little obscure: the Brotherhood shop is tucked away behind the Eltham Village shops, and the Uniting Church shop is on the Main Rd out of Eltham, and only open Wed-Fri.

Here is a map showing the locations:

Eltham Op Shops - adapted from Open Street Maps

The Brotherhood of St. Laurence shop is inside the Eltham Mall, at the back of the car park behind the Village (where Coles is located):

Eltham Brotherhood Op Shop - adapted from Open Street Maps

You can enter the car park from Arthur St or Dudley St. The car park gets very busy at peak times, but you can go up to the higher car park at the back for easier parking.
Here is the approach to the Mall coming in from the Dudley St entrance, showing the road up to the higher car park.

The main entrance to the Mall is at the left of the above photo, and the op shop is at the back of the mall, just to the left.

It's a small shop with clothing, manchester and some books and bric-a-brac. Prices are good and the service is very friendly. Specials racks are out the front.

The shop is open Mon-Fri 9.30-4.30 and Sat. 9-1.

The Uniting Church in Main Rd (corner of John St) has had a shop operating at the end of the week for years. It used to be in a small building but it's been expanded and now encompasses a few rooms with a wide range of small goods, books, clothes, toys etc. 

Park behind the church and enter from the back, The car park entry is in John St.

The shop is open on Wed, Thurs and Friday; I will post the hours when I get a chance to check.

I will add photos when I get there - I always seem to be rushing past without time to stop.

Op Shops Melbourne NE - Diamond Creek, Hurstbridge

DIAMOND CREEK

Heading out NE along the Kinglake Rd (or on the train line from Eltham), you'll find a few op shops worth exploring.

Diamond Creek had 3 op shops until recently; the Salvos shop has just closed due to rising lease costs. The Salvos still operate their "Garage Sale" on Saturdays (8-12am) at Briar Hill - see previous post.

The Austin Hospital Auxiliary Op Shop ("Austin Health") moved into a new building some time ago, right next to the old building in Main Rd/:

They have a range of goods for sale, clearly displayed; prices are not as cheap as they were in the old building, especially for clothing,but they do have specials.

There is no parking outside the shop; it's best to park either in the Plaza car park (turn in at the lights), or park in the parallel spaces West of the Plaza, and walk back to the shop. Or you can go round the back and there's a small car parking area behind the shop.

Here are the opening hours for the Austin Health shop:

The other Op Shop (Aunty B's) is also in the Main Road (Chute St), on the South side, further back towards Eltham. Here's a map of them both:

Map of Diamond Creek Op Shops - adapted from Open Street Maps

Aunty B's (Epic Op Shop - to support children with Down Syndrome) is at the bottom of the shops on the North side of Chute St, next to the Shell petrol station.
Here is the approach from the West (from uphill):

You can park outside the shops but there are not so many spaces and some are only 15 mins or so; it's often easier to park outside Shell. Here's the view from that side:

Aunty B's is a small shop but packed with clothes and bric-a-brac, books etc; prices are good and service is friendly. Opening Hours are usually Mon- Fri from 10am - 4pm, Sat. 10-12.30.

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HURSTBRIDGE

The next township past Diamond Creek (and the end of the train line) is Hurstbridge. There's a range of places to get coffee or food, a pleasant creek-side walk or picnic area at Ferguson's Paddock, and of course the Op Shop, run by the Green Wedge Christian Community.

Map of Hurstbridge Op Shop - adapted from Open Street Maps

The Op Shop looks small from the front but the main building is packed with goods, there's another building at the back with clothing, manchester etc, and there is always a range of odd items out the front. It's always worth asking the friendly staff if you're after something in particular.

Opening hours at Hurstbridge are Wed- Sat 9am - 4pm.
You can usually park right out the front (except around 2.45-3.45pm weekdays, which is pick-up time for the school opposite).

Op Shops Melbourne NE - Briar Hill / Momtmorency

Still in the Greensborough area, the Vinnies Op Shop at Briar Hill is well worth a visit.
It's tucked away off Sherbourne Road, and easy to miss if you're not looking out.

Coming from the city direction, you need to turn left into the driveway just past Williams Rd:

Vinnies is at the end, with a few parking spaces outside but it's not usually busy (you could always park in the next side road and walk back).

There's a good range of items for sale, including some furniture, at good prices.
Here are the opening Hours:

Also, if you're in the area on a Saturday morning, it's worth going up Mountainview Rd and checking out the Salvos weekly 'Garage Sale' at the back of the Greensborough Church and Community Centre in Glendale Rd. They are usually open from about 8am - noon on Saturdays, weather permitting.

Map of Briar Hill Op Shops - adapted from Open Street Maps

I don't have any photos as I haven't managed to get there for ages (the weather has been foul, too), but they used to have a heap of stuff, including furniture etc. It wasn't fancy, but there were some great bargains.

Op Shops Melbourne NE - Plenty

Heading further North from Greensborough, firstly East towards Diamond Creek then turning North onto Yan Yean Road, you'll find the Re-Use shop on the right hand side just past the big pylons and high-tension power lines crossing the road.

Map of Plenty Re-use Shop - adapted from Open Street Maps

It's at the site of the old council tip, and the property still had council facilities - recycling, dog pound etc.
Here is the view from the North -you enter through the gates where the big green -and-white signs are:

The 'shop' is the pink shed just inside the gates, on the right. You can park behind the shed.

There's a fenced yard behind the shed with all sorts of larger/outside stuff, and inside is crammed with assorted bargains.

This shop is run by the Green Wedge Christian Community (as is the Hurstbridge Op Shop).
Service is cheerful and prices are cheap - it's a real treasure trove of who-knows-what.

Note that it's only open Friday-Monday inclusive, 10am - 3pm.

Op Shops Melbourne NE - Greensborough- Apollo Parkways

Heading North away from Greensborough up the hill, you come to the large roundabout where the bypass ends; across the roundabout heading West is Civic Drive, with Sports and Fitness centre, Shire Library and Council Offices on the left as you enter the Drive. On the right, past the Primary School, is the Apollo Parkways shopping centre with IGA... and the St John of God Opportunity shop.

Map of Apollo Parkways Op Shop - adapted from Open Street Maps

It's a very quiet spot with plenty of parking (unless you hit School Pick-up time), so you can have a leisurely browse.

The shop is small but friendly and well-priced, with the usual selection of bits & pieces and clothes- but the clothes are actually arranged in sizes!

Opening times are Monday-Friday 9am-4pm:

There are  weekly 50% off  'Tag Sales', so look out for an extra bargain!

Op Shops Melbourne NE - Greensborough

There are currently 2 op shops in the Greensborough shopping area: Savers and Brotherhood of St Laurence.

Both are reached most easily by car or train, from the car park entrance off Para Road opposite the Greensborough Station:

Map of Greensborough Op Shops - adapted from Open Street Maps

Parking is usually easiest at the Brotherhood end, either outside the op shop or in the extra car park opposite; it can get busy further up. It's a very short walk between the two shops.

SAVERS: enter from car park off Para Rd - this is the back view;

entry is at side with foot access from back car park or Main St at front

Savers is huge. It has lots of clothing, arranged in categories such as women's long-sleeve tops, short-sleeve tops, skirts, etc., and then in sizes, which is most useful. There is a row of changing rooms (which can get busy on Sale days). Shoes are also arranged in sizes, with quite a good range up to large women's (not so many large men's). Prices are not cheap for the clothes, which tend to be cheaper brands to start with (Miller's, Target etc.), but there is such a wide selection that it's worth a look when you're nearby.

Savers also has a great book/CD/records etc. section (prices are dearer than normal op shops especially for kids' books), but once again there is a good selection, arranged quite well.

Crockery, kitchenware, bric-a-brac and collectibles fill several long shelves.There is a large manchester section and furniture is at the back, along with bags, sporting and electrical goods. Handbags, hats etc. are at the back near the shoes & boots, then kids' toys and games in the far corner. Cheaper jewellery is on racks at the front and dearer items are in cabinets.
Small toys and bits-and-pieces are bagged and hung on the ends of racks and on walls; they can work out not so good value, but still worth a look.

Discounts: Students get 20% off on Sundays, Seniors get 20% off on Mondays; there are occasional sale days on Mondays and you can earn discounts by donating items for sale (though be aware that Savers is a business and only a small part of the proceeds from your donations goes to charity).
You can join their "Super Savers" club also:

Opening hours are very good:

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BROTHERHOOD OF ST LAURENCE op shop:

This shop is tucked away over to one side of the car park off Para Rd (to the right as you enter the car park), so it's easy to miss - 

It's not a large store, and has mostly clothing, some better quality but not cheap. There is also some bric-a-brac, books, accessories and manchester. 

There are sale racks and bins out the front, so you could pick up a bargain:

Opening Hours:

Savings "Deals" Sites Australia - main sites

Here are the main sites I've used,and some comments (These are also on my Pinterest board - Thrifty Thinking: Cheap Outings- Melbourne etc. Australia):

GROUPON - this one's a biggie, with lots of deals all the time. It seems to have been around for ages.

There are several categories and locations:

TRAVEL options include local and overseas. There is a 7 Day Booking Guarantee  (If the merchant is unable to confirm the stay dates you want within the availability period, Groupon will offer a full refund within 7 days of purchasing the voucher):

LOCAL deals are mainly meal deals and services (classes, beauty, car etc.) The suburb is usually mentioned in the thumbnails, which is handy.

EVENTS are concentrated in larger cities/areas (some may be included in "Local" listngs):

GOODS include lots of varied products in a range of categories, e.g.

You can search the deals by map and category - select "All Deals":

If you're interested in Groupon, you can sign up for emails. Lately they have been offering occasional offers (lasting only a few days) of 15% off their deals by using a code sent by email.

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OUR DEAL - advertises a lot on TV (owned by Newscorp/Network 10), and it's been around for a while.

There is a range of cities/areas covered, including capital cities, Geelong, Wollongong, Newcastle, Gold and Sunshine Coast.

LOCAL DEALS: When I looked, there were over 50 "Local Deals" in Melbourne, mainly meals and services such as beauty/car services (most don't show the price unless you investigate further):

SHOPPING: over 200 assorted goods, courses, wine... many of the thumbnails mention price, but by no means all - an oversight in my book.

TRAVEL: around 60 national/international travel deals, but again with very few prices shown to tempt further investigation...however, that doesn't mean they're not good deals. They do have a "Travel Guarantee" so you could be refunded if you can't book your preferred travel dates within 2 weeks.

You can also search for 'Our Deal' deals "Ending Soon", "Near You" or "Selling Fast".

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LIVING SOCIAL seems to be a US site with many search options, and many locations overseas and in Australia. The search options look really good:

...but 'local' searches brought up mainly national goods and services, lots of online courses, 'escapes,' travel deals etc. Few meals/outings that I could see, and Melbourne (within 25 miles) brought up zero results! Travel deals are international and some national (varies by state) and they have a 5-day refund policy.

Pretty pictures with no prices...

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DEALS.COM.AU (and Cudo/Ouffer)

Deals.com seems to have exactly the same deals and layout as Cudo and Ouffer; they are all run by the Aussie Commerce Group (going since 2010).

Locations are similar to Our Deal: they include capital cities, Geelong, Wollongong, Newcastle, Gold and Sunshine Coast.

A search for Dining in Melbourne brought up 6, with large pictures, suburbs, prices and discounts clearly displayed, as well as how much longer the deal is available for (most seem to run for only a couple of days).

SHOPPING included over 40 deals of various kinds, with clear pricing.

GETAWAYS - 6 overseas and 6 domestic deals (no state mentioned, just location), with no clear arrangement or search options; mostly available for another 1-8 days. There is a Booking Guarantee (full refund if unable to book preferred dates within 14 days of voucher purchase).

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SCOOPON / Catch of the Day

CATCH OF THE DAY seems to be one of the first, if not the first, "Deals" sites in Australia. They started in 2006, and they used to offer one deeply discounted product for purchase each day from midday for 24 hours or until sold out. I've had lots of fun on their site (nd sagged some great bargains). They now offer an enormous range of goods, for longer periods. Shipping is extra (unless there is a Free Shipping special).

They also now have specialty sites such as groceryrun.com.au, mumgo.com.au (for mums, baby & kids), and eatnow.com.au (meals delivery service).

SCOOPON is a 'general deals' site attached to 'Catch' several years ago.

It has a good range of deals, and you can enter your postcode/location for "Local" deals (though when I entered Geelong, Vic. all I got was a lot of Melbourne deals).

LOCAL (meals, services, experiences, getaways etc.) -

TRAVEL deals- around 60 deals, with clear prices but poorly organised. Local and far-flung destinations are jumbled together, with no search options, and often no mention of what state - or even sometimes what country- the destinations are in, so you have to trawl through them all to find what you are looking for. Partnered with 'Getaway' TV program so maybe they are aiming for a wide audience who don't know what they want.
14-day Travel Booking Guarantee applies only if stated in the deal description.

SHOPPING - as you would expect, a huge range of products in several categories:

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