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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Savings 'Deals' sites Australia

There has been a proliferation of "Deals" sites in Australia over the past few years, offering around 50-60% discounts for meals, holidays, services, goods etc.

They started with daily deals, offering one deal each day, and have expanded to offering a range of deals for a couple of weeks or so. The deals usually involves a voucher that can be redeemed within a few months. Some of the holidays can be for thousands of dollars, and the sites usually offer a refund if you can't book preferred dates within a week or so.

Gradually many of the smaller sites have vanished, some swallowed up by larger sites (Our Deal seems to have the same layout and deals as Cudo and Ouffer...).

There have been many complaints about goods that never arrived, services or meals that turned out to be substandard or unavailable, or uncooperative and surly service from some of the 'suppliers', but there have also been thousands of satisfied customers.

It's essential to check the fine print before buying a deal, and to check the refund/backup policy. It's worth also reading reviews of the company involved (though I have had lots of good experiences despite some alarming reviews). It's also worth thinking about why the company is offering the deal; if it's a struggling restaurant or business, they may close in 6 months so don't wait too long to redeem a coupon. Holiday deals are often offered in off-peak times, so be aware that the beachside resort may not be all that you imagine.

Keep track of any deals you have purchased so you can use them within the stated time frame (note that some require you to make a booking several weeks before the coupon expiry date). Late cancellation of bookings usually invalidates a voucher, so check that also.

Some restaurants will allow more than one voucher per table or will offer deals for more than 2 people, so you can use the deal with a group; others are only suitable for a couple. Some holiday deals can be extended with multiple vouchers; others can't. Check the fine print and inquire if necessary before you buy.

Check that you are actually making a saving before buying a deal; a meal deal on the other side of town may not be worth the extra petrol and driving all that way. Some of the goods offered may be available at your local discount store for the same price with no postage costs, or on eBay at competitive prices.

Extra discounts: lately I've had several emails offering $15% off any one deal, so it's been worth checking what's available (we got a 2-night stay by the coast worth ostensibly $540 for around $160 - pleasant, good location and good value at that price though the cool autumn nights were no match for the heater and I wouldn't consider it worth over $500 despite the tennis court and indoor spa pool).