The Alkira Op Shop has emerged as an invaluable resource for our participants, who make the most of the experience. Open from 10 am to 2 pm on weekdays, it serves as a valuable resource for our participants who eagerly embrace the experience.
We opened the relocated store in late July 2022. Reopening posed significant challenges due to a series of unfortunate events such as flooding, building damages, and COVID lockdowns and restrictions. Despite these challenges, the new store now stands as a splendid addition to our community, with the news quickly spreading among the locals about our charming op shop. Alkira takes pride in offering high quality second-hand items at affordable prices, a characteristic not found in all op shops nowadays. Our op shop customers have testified to the quality and affordability of our products.
The Op Shop is entirely operated by teams of Alkira participants, across our School Leavers Employment Support (SLES), Connections Thurston, Momentum, and Networks programs who are supported by Alkira staff. This arrangement enables these participants to develop a diverse range of real-world retail skills, including money handling, customer service, visual merchandising, and pricing strategies. Week after week, we observe the remarkable growth and increasing confidence of our participants.
Our SLES participants are essential members of our Op Shop team. In addition to their one day a week working in the store, they initially played a significant role in transforming the store before its reopening. They worked determinedly to ensure all displays were presentable and that items were priced before our reopening.
The participants find joy working at the Op Shop, particularly when utilising the visual point of sale machine and the cash register to process sales. Our point of sale system is designed with visual prompts, ensuring simplicity and an enhanced user experience. In addition to handling sales, the participants maintain the store meticulously. Organising clothes with precision, stacks books and DVDs neatly, and researching fair pricing strategies using Google Lens.
Luca, a Networks student and Participant Committee member, works at the store one day a week. He has demonstrated exceptional customer service skills and has significantly boosted his confidence in handling phone inquiries. Luca exhibited great initiative in customer service, using his problem-solving skills to bridge a communication gap with Mandarin-speaking customers. Utilising his mobile for translation, he effectively communicated the store’s opening times to them.
We look forward to the Op Shop bringing more learning experiences as participants continue to enhance their skills and confidence in the future.
