OpShop rummage unearths coffin and rat
The latest Op Shop Rummage segment on RNZ’s early morning programme, First Up, featured Jade Taylor, the area Family Store manager for Southland and Otago where she is responsible for eight stores.
Jade told presenter Nathan Rarere that one of the truck drivers recently brought back a donation from Mosgiel that was the most interesting item he’d ever seen – a coffin.
“The reason it got donated is it wasn’t the right size,” Jade says. “The staff were wondering what to do with it. So they decided to donate it to the local funeral director.”
Jade also said another unusual was gifted to the Family Store in Winton. It connected the deep south of New Zealand with South Korea.
“They had a lot of donations dropped off that we’re not sure who it came from. They were unloading some goods and it was a box, quite a nice looking box. They opened it up thinking they’d find maybe some crystal glasses. And when they opened it, they found six commemorative hobo glasses and they were from the president of South Korea, Park Chang-Hee.
“And they were gifted to someone in 1976. They had a wee gift card inside. They were beautiful, absolutely beautiful.”
The store sent them to auction as it was hard to put a price on such a unique item.
Jade told Nathan how she was working at the Gore Family Store and was going through a large amount of donations and she lifted the lid of a box and a live rat was inside.
“It jumped out and in amongst the screaming, I don’t know how I did it but I did manage to slam the box on top of it as I had visions of a rat running around the store.
“We don’t mind a dog coming in for a pat, but not a rat.”
Listen to the full interview here: OpShop rummage unearths coffin and rat | RNZ