When Hospice Waikato’s Retail Services director Teresa Bidlake, first spied the property on the corner of Cambridge and Te Rahu Rds in Te Awamutu, she felt like she’d found a hidden treasure.
Tom Roa, left, with Hospice Waikato acting chief executive Susan Hassall, and regional retail manager Terese Bidlake at the opening of the new store.
And she wasn’t wrong!
She and the Te Awamutu shop manager, Hassan Shariff, had been looking for a south Waikato ‘hub’, a large space that would attract thrift shoppers from throughout the wider Waikato region and beyond, a modern, edgy space that would change the way in which people view thrift shopping, and a space with capacity for increased donations.
The location has proven perfect! Teresa has heard from shoppers who have travelled especially to Te Awamutu from Waiheke Island, she’s heard from people who are astounded at how clean and modern the shop is, and how it doesn’t ‘smell’ like an Op Shop, and the incredible influx of donations has proven that the site has, in fact, become a hub for shoppers and donors alike.
Hassan is incredibly proud of the staff and volunteers who have embraced this new space and who have absolutely run with it!
“They are the ones who are opening and sorting piles of donations, cleaning and displaying the items so they look attractive, and helping shoppers find that special treasure” said Hassan.
Hassan Shariff, with a few of the Te Awamutu shop’s volunteers.
All the Hospice Waikato thrift shops have a policy not to close their door to donations and whilst this can challenge the storage space at each site, it pays dividends!
The retail teams admit that they are choosy about what they accept, often coining the phrase ‘please donate items that you would be happy to gift to a friend’ when talking to people who come with their car boots full of donations.
“It’s difficult when potential donors have to leave with items we don’t accept, but it absolutely makes a difference to the quality of the stock in each of the shops.
Plus if we accept items we can’t sell, then we have increased landfill costs ourselves. It all impacts on the funds available to support patient care” says Hassan.
The hospice shops play a key role in funding some of the shortfall in Government funding, allowing Hospice Waikato care to remain free for the patients who need hospice support at the end of their lives.
And the Te Awamutu shop has exceeded even the lofty budget goals that Teresa and Hassan dreamed could be possible. “This shop is everyone’s success” said Hassan.
“Whilst Teresa and I can take a wee bit of credit, the credit largely sits with the staff and volunteers, and with every single person who has walked into our shop. They are the people who have donated to us, keeping quality household items and clothes away from the landfill, and who have bought from us, ensuring we can help fund Hospice Waikato’s operation. We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved in the first five months of trading.”
Hospice Waikato Te Awamutu
