Salvation Army Store, Princes St, Dunedin

Just been to the Sally Army store on Princes St, Dunedin for a flying visit and there have been some very positive changes!

The temperature today is in the mid twenties so when offered the chance to go for a drive at lunch time by my Dear H, I leapt at the chance. The idea of walking around in this heat is not appealing but driving, with the window down was a different matter.

The first thing I noticed about the store is that the window display was in a black and white and Christmas theme and carefully arranged. When I walked through the door I noticed that it seemed fresher and lighter, and as I made my way around in an anticlockwise fashion, I discovered that there were more clothes, and new clothes racks. The signage was a bit dodgey - hand written on scraps of cardboard, but no matter.

Now there are four or five long racks at the back of the shop with children's, mens, women's sweaters and jackets, black and women's white clothes. Items along the side were carefully grouped together by colour, and a display of summer tops was at the front in the middle, so you had to walk past it. It is as if someone with a retail background has been working in the store. Most of the items I looked at were $4 or $2 which was reasonable. The tags are all put on with those plastic things which you have to cut or they rip the fabric, and they were easy to read. Some of the racks were over full - the "black" rack for example was almost impossible to see individual items so I relied on my "instinct" for good quality fabric instead.

My only purchase was an orange coloured Grace Hill short sleeved blouse - $4. Grace Hill is part of the EZIBUY range and I have had items with this label before. A lot of Ezibuy ends up in the op shops because its mail order and people can't be bothered sending stuff back. My shirt however, was worn, but clean. I have in mind that I will use some material at home to make a skirt to go with it, and / or refashion an existing.

Overall I'd rate the store 8/10.