What is it about Op shops?
What is it about Op shops that makes people so bold?
I love browsing in Op shops and if I'm in a new place and find an Op shop, you can guarantee I'm going to have a look. I've even been known to plan my holidays around visits to Op shops further down the country. There's something special about the feel when you find something to buy- could be about embracing recycling, being eco-friendly, finding something to match an already owned set or a walk in the past.
Whatever it is, I see something I love/need/want and if the price is right, I'm happy to support that organisation and make a purchase.
The thing I don't like much is the growing boldness of a few other customers.
Recently, I found a pretty plate in a local charity shop. As I continued to wander around, a complete stranger (another cstomer) confronted me.
She: What have you found? Let me have a look.
Me: It's just a pretty plate I like.
She: It might be valuable- let me look at the mark on the back of it.
At this stage, I turned and walked away. It wasn't anything valuable, just a pretty plate made by an English manufacturer...but what business was it of hers? If it had been a Ming dynasty charger (I'm sure that I would not recognise one if I fell over it, but it sounds flash) would she have wrestled it off me and claimed it as her own purchase/ rushed to the counter and told them to call a museum/ or loudly demand that they put the price up???!!!
Just last week I wandered into an Op shop in Thames. I found a carving I really liked, slightly damaged according to the sticker on it and at a price I was happy with, given the minor imperfections. I didn't really take a lot of notice of the older woman who entered the shop a few minutes after me.
After I had wandered all around the shop and finally to the counter to pay, I found myself standing directly behind the said woman as she was being served. I heard her say out loud "Now, where is she?" She scanned around the shop before finally turning away from the counter and realising there was someone behind her. " Oh, there you are" she said. ( I then realised she must have been stalking me all around the shop and had somehow 'lost' me).
" What have you got there? Let me see" she demanded. I told her it was just a carving that I liked and was going to purchase, without letting her examine it. I then paid for it and left the shop.
What is it about Op shops that lets people think it's ok to accost others and demand to see what they have chosen? Would they do this is in a gift shop/ Harvey Norman's/ any other shop? It's bad manners in my mind and if they get a terse reply (or no reply) to their demand to see what I have found, maybe they should learn from it.
Have others experienced this and how do you respond to being accosted?
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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53.3% Human-centred experience and communication
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14.3% Critical thinking
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29.5% Resilience and adaptability
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2.9% Other - I will share below!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Whangarei Film Society - screenings for Thursday February 26th, 2026
Good People
Welcome to 2026!
The film night for our first WFS screening for the year will be on Thursday 26th February in the Capitaine Bougainville Theatre at Forum North, 7 Rust Ave Whangarei.
Please note: There will be one screening only for the evening. It will follow the WFS AGM at 6pm.
We will be screening the NZ doco, Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke at 7:15pm.
Thanks to all for your continued support of WFS and hope to see you there.
NOT ONLY FRED DAGG BUT ALSO JOHN CLARKE
New Zealand, 2025, Documentary, 103 mins
Cast: Sam Neill, Ben Elton, Bryan Dawe
Director: Lorin Clarke
When satirist John Clarke died in 2017, the world mourned an icon. He was a defining comedic voice who wrote and appeared in numerous films and TV productions, and who – in a beloved double act with Bryan Dawe – skewered political hypocrisy for almost 30 years on current affairs shows.
In a series of recorded conversations with his daughter, writer/director Lorin Clarke, John traces his steadfast resistance to authority back to his childhood and offers delightful insights into his four decades in the entertainment industry.
Weaving together personal anecdotes, a rich television archive, tales from international comedy greats and riches from Clarke’s work and letters, this is a deeply personal insight into a legend of the antipodean screen and a tribute to the disruptive power of creativity.
"In New Zealand, he was bigger than The Beatles." - Sam Neill
Showing at Forum North, 7 Rust Ave Whangarei on Thursday, 26th February at 7:15pm following the WFS AGM at 6pm.
View the trailer at: www.youtube.com...
Tickets: Door sales only. $10 WFS members. Non-members pay $5 extra as an Associate Membership fee per film (Total of $15).
WFS members from 2025 who register and attend the WFS AGM will be admitted to the film screening that night for free.
All welcome. Cash only please – NO EFTPOS AVAILABLE.
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