‘Largest’ Salvos store is kind of a big deal

Over 10,000 people descended on the grand opening of the state’s largest Salvos in Morayfield last Thursday in what was described as a tremendous and unexpected turnout.

Hannah and Emma.

With the store open from 9am to 9pm, thousands poured into the new facility, with hour-long queues wrapping around the store.

Customers loved the deals on offer, with many waiting patiently holding armfuls of clothes.

Store manager Emma said the tremendous turnout was unexpected, but great to see.

“It was amazing to see how long people waited to get their purchases put through, but everyone was very good spirits, good energy and understanding how run off our feet we were,” she said.

Having been flat-out every day since opening, the store still hasn’t been able to recover from the madness, with staff struggling to sort through donations and restock shelves faster than customers are buying.

“We are quite low on staff here and we didn’t expect to achieve what we have, so we are recovering and replenishing but have new job ads put out for more paid staff and volunteers,” Emma said.

One feature that makes this Salvos store unique, aside from its size, is its craft section. Noticing the lack of second-hand craft stores in the area, Emma has worked to make this Salvos store not just a hub for fashion, but also for recyclable supplies and materials.

“Scrap fabric, buttons, lace, broken jewellery… we are making craft packs and craft jars with everything we can to make sure we sell it at an amazing low price but keep it out of landfill,” Emma said.

The opening also provided food and entertainment in the car park, having several delicious food trucks feeding the hungry customers.

These, however, also weren’t prepared for the overwhelming turnout, having run out of food within a couple of hours. The new Salvos store replaced the previous Morayfield one, which closed at the end of January and was half the size.

Regulars from the old store have been eager to buy in their area again and were amongst the first lined at the door during the ribbon cutting.

All in all, the grand opening was a massive success, having smashed the company record out of the park and the store hopes to continue being of service to the community by providing cheap, affordable clothing while raising funds for the Salvation Army programs.