Buying bargains and last minute item - and replacing lost luggage clothes

  A re-fash shop selling cheap second hand clothes is in Changi Point, one MRT underground railway stop away from Changi Airport.

Re-fash has an outlet at Changi Point, one MRT railway stop from the airport.   

Singapore

Singapore has re-fash. You can buy from them and sell to them. They have numerous outlets all over Singapore.

No cubicles but I could try on clothes over my own clothes in front of a floor length mirror.

The cheapest sale items seem to be mixed up with others. 

Sizes

Same goes for sizes, at this store. 

At another branch the clothes seemed to be separated by size, but an item I liked, but rejected initially because of the size label turned out to be stretchy when I tried it on and I bought it. 

Other countries have similar systems. If you want to find the nearest, check on local terminology. Australia and New Zealand have different wording.

You might like these.

Singapore

refash.sg

https://www.shopback.sg/blog/5-salvation-army-family-stores-you-need-to-thrift-shop

UK

Charity shops sells donated items. 

Charity Shops In London 

St Luke's. 

Nationwide UK Charity Shops

Barnado's

Oxfam

Other charities raise money for cancer or pets with their shops.

USA

Thrift stores.

Goodwill

https://shopgoodwill.com/home

Australia

Salvation Army - Salvo

https://www.facebook.com/salvosstores/

Ski Wear in New Zealand

I was desperate for warm clothes at a reasonable price on a family skiing holiday in New Zealand. I had arrived short of essential items, a warm jacket, hat and gloves, long socks. The ski outlets on the slopes meant you had to get there in your non warm clothes and carry around the bulky items you had bought all day - with only one car key for the hire car between three of us.

Luckily, I had a half day to shop in town. I could not find what I wanted in regular shops. Not my price and my size. However, a charity shop offered loads of choice, at reasonable prices. Some of the clothes were not in good condition. However, when I found an item with a stain or tear or missing button, or the assistant noticed it when packing the time, I was able to negotiate a lower price. Unlike the UK, where you risk having items grabbed by the assistant who says, 'I can't sell you this'. 

Useful Websites

https://refash.sg/pages/offline-stores

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charity_shop

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Shopping mall seasonal decorations In Raffles City shopping mall

I am looking for the best exterior and interior seasonal decorations for Christmas. Here is one on my shortlist. Raffles City shopping mall beside City Hall MRT, Singapore. The reindeer in this photo is green, and above that another in red.

Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.

The shopping mall is extensive and winds around. You can find Robinsons department store, Marks and Spencer, Dorothy Perkins, Mango, Save My Bag and many more shops for stops. 

A cafe with a green wall on one side overlooks the central atrium on the other side. 

The ladies toilets are clean and modern with an orchid display.

Luxury Clothes

Robinsons has clothes divided by brand. I found prices very high. All the items I looked at were about 150-350 Singapore dollars. Well ovr one hundred pounds sterling. Lovely, if you want something special. 

I eventally saw a sale rail in Save My Bag (mostly bags, a few clothes), one off items, a few lines at S$35. That is still over twenty pounds sterling. 

Shopping For Bargains In London, England

(In London, England, you could look for second hand dresses in charity shops such as Oxfam, which has now got dearer, but others are cheaper. Or visit the huge Primark stores such as the one in Harrow, which often has a sale rail, and pay under twenty pounds for a dress.)

Looking at the address card which I asked for in Save My Bag, I saw their tag line:

100% made in Italy. They have another branch in the basement of Wheelock Place in Orchard Road.

This mall is one of the CapitaLand complexes. On their website you can see pictures of their artworks around the city.

Raffles City

252 North Bridge Road

Singapore 179103

Save My Bag

02-40 (Level 02, shop unit 40)

tel: 6252 8227

Useful Websites

Capitaland.com

savemybag.it

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

A Day Out with bargain shopping at UK's Poundstretcher, Poundland or second hand in Europe

Poundland in Harrow, N W London. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
Where can I buy on a budget when out for the day or away on holiday? Usually I look at goods at stores far away in the UK and think, I'm not driving that far. It's too much time and effort. The cost of the petrol outlays the savings in post and packing. I also have trouble persuading my family that shopping is a valid way to spend a weekend or holiday.

Answer
Later in the year on a bright day, when I want to get out, I am thinking, where shall I go? At this point I wish I had thought to keep a list of stores out of town which have bargains, or items I'd like to see before deciding whether to order on line.

I could make a note of the store, search for a good restaurant or place of interest in the area, then present to the family the place of interest, with my shopping diversion as an optional add on.

UK
What inspired this thought? Today's bargain in the UK.

JACK AND JILL WOODEN BENCH SET | Poundstretcher

Pound stretcher emailed me. Their website lets you type in your postcode and find the nearest store. They are a a discount store. They stretch your pounds, so items can be well over £1.

This is where you will get larger items such as this garden furniture.

If you want a store where everything is a pound, try Poundland.

Poundland in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

You'll also find factory shops all over the UK, such as the Denby factory in Derbyshire, and factory outlet shopping complexes. A budget clothing store is Primark.

Charity shops include Oxfam and St Luke's. Oxfam and other charities also have online websites and sell through ebay.

In the UK on line you will find (alphabetically) : ebay;  gumtree; preloved.co.uk ; vented.co.uk; and several more websites.

EUROPE (countries listed alphabetically)

BULGARIA

Mania has many second hand shops in Bulgaria's capital Sofia and other towns .

See 

website: maniastores.bg

Bg stands for Bulgaria, not bargain!

FRANCE
Look for troc.com

GERMANY
In Germany look for flea markets in summer called Flohmarkt. (I typed f l e a. I came back and found spell checker had sneakily changed it to fly when I wasn't looking!)
Markt is German for market.

GREECE
Bulgarian shop Mania has opened a couple of branches in the capital of Greece, Athens.

HUNGARY

Hada has about sixty shops.

ROMANIA
Bulgaria's Mania has moved north into the adjacent country of Romania and opened a couple of shops in Romania's capital city, Bucharest.

In Romania as we drove out through Brasov I noticed stores called Second Hand (yes, written in English), operated by a company called Humana.

Second Hand Humana shop, Brasov, Romania. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

http://www.humana-slovakia.org/en/second-hand-clothes/why-second-hand-clothes

In the UK we had some controversy.  Charities distributing collection bags for collections made for second hand goods. Many donors assumed the goods went directly to needy people, or the charity's shops. Some donors were disappointed, or angry on learning that that the goods were being sold by a third party which took a profit.

Whether you want to support registered charities, discount stores, or just want to buy second hand clothes and goods, up to you.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several other posts on shopping for bargains and discounts and charity shops in the UK, Europe, and Asia including Singapore. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Charity shops online and language

If you want to buy bargain or contribute to charity here are some sites and words to look for:

UK
Words to look for: charity shop; end of line; sales; sale or return; second hand.

Barnados
Cancer Research
Macmillan (nurses)
Oxfam
RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)
St Lukes (hospices)

USA
Words to look for: consignment store; on consignment; Goodwill; thrift.

Goodwill - a company which provides employment for those with handicaps and produces goods to sell in shops and on line.
goodwill.org

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, author, speaker.

New Charity Shop In Hatch End

My family asked the people renovating the charity shop in Hatch End when it would open. We were told Tuesday of next week. Really looking forward to it.

Why?

Hatch End has lots of restaurants, which is good, but not enough shops selling goods.

No other charity shop. So if you like to give your unwanted items to a good cause, here's a recipient. And if you like money you spend to go to a good cause, another reason.

If you like a bargain, charity shops offer bargains. If you like recycling, they offer an opportunity to prevent waste.

Even if you are simply window-shopping, the windows have an every changing display.

Oxfam closed down. I hate to see empty shops. They make the neighbourhood, the whole country, look run down. A new shop is a sign of success, novelty. Something to look forward to.

See my previous post on St Luke's Hospice Charity Shop.

Angela Lansbury, Travel Writer, Photographer, Author, Speaker.

Oxfam gone, new charity shop Hatch End

Hatch End - old and new shops - Oxfam has gone - where next for a bargain buy?

Alas Oxfam in Hatch End is no more. It closed Saturday Feb 21 2015. Why? I thought it might be a rental increase, but rumour says that although the prices had gone up, despite or because the profits had gone up, the profits had gone down. I don't like repeating rumours. I shall miss the shop.

A sign above says To Let. So what will open next?

Bargains and Charity Shops Elsewhere
If you are looking for a charity shop, to donate goods or to buy, try Pinner, which has two or three. Or Stanmore which has one. Harrow has at least one, so does Watford.

Too far to travel? Charities have their own websites. Some of them advertise clothes on Ebay.

If you are simply looking for cut price clothes, try Primark in Harrow. Harrow has a Poundland - even sandwiches for £1.

Back To Hatch End
If you are forced to go through your wardrobe, and try to get those too small, too large, or out of date clothes to fit, in the same parade in Hatch End is the alterations shop.

More Shops In Hatch End
What other shopping opportunities nearby? Tesco nearby has Easter eggs out and after Easter you'll probably see some bargains. Morrisons has a few items such as kitchenware in its Value range.

Impeccable has five waistcoats for £10. Wedding season will soon be here. If you are not going to a wedding, who needs a waistcoat? You could cover that shirt or blouse which won't meet in the middle, or conceal a stain. Or simply add a touch of sheen and gold to look smart.
339 Uxbridge Road, Hatch End, Middx HA5 4JN, tel:020 8421 1111. They have another branch in Weybridge, Surrey.
www.impeccablewear.co.uk

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer, author and speaker.

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