Waverley Antique Bazaar — Attraction in Melbourne

ZERO STARS - How not to conduct business for a long time, last time customer of this bizarre bazaar that thinks the first thing we do upon entry is check the terms and conditions.

Instead of announcing at 4PM that "we are closing in one hour and there can be no more purchases from locked stall cases after 4:30PM" what do we get?

One bullhorn announcement at 4:35PM that "store is closing in 25 minutes". Great.

Immediately, approach the cashier desk to finalise purchases and say that a number of items we wish to buy are inside locked cabinets and could they be opened to retrieve them.

Told by "staff" that no such purchases can be made after 4:30 PM as per the sign on the door.

When told that we have cumulatively more than $300 of goods that we are looking to buy we are told "too bad, that is our stated policy".

When questioned on the ridiculous inflexibility of such a 'policy' given the $ amount we are spending and that we would not be purchasing anything we are belligerently told "that's your choice".

It could have been resolved so simply had your staff any idea about how business works: the customer is always right.

Well, here is also my choice.

Since WAB opened we have spent many 1000's of dollars at this establishment. This 'rule' is beyond stupid for a business that purports to serve the public. The fact that WAB would be willing to forego more than $300 in guaranteed sales late on a Sunday afternoon suggests that it is not worthy of further investment or patronage.

In fact, the quality of goods on display and for sale often hovers above little more than over-priced op shop junk and has done for quite some time.

To the "manager" of this place: for your employees to have such an appalling understanding of commerce and business says much about the way you run it.

You don't deserve to succeed and I will ensure all among my vast circle of influence are properly informed of your...

There are a few good deals if you look hard, but a lot of the shops have ridiculous pricing which is why after repeated visits a lot of the same things are still sitting in the same place at the same greedy price (good luck ever selling that stone with "JBL" carved into it for $950). Look for the shops that have fair pricing, it seems like the ones that price some things fair are generally fair for all their items, and the opposite also applies to the exploitative shops. Some of the shops are beautifully and creatively laid out, others look like grandpa's shed after he was no longer able to care for it. Customer service from the people the store holders pay to run the place (everything is by way of a central check-out desk) varies from basic to downright nasty. After purchasing a couple of carved and painted wooden items in the middle of Melbourne's wettest July day in 25 years, I couldn't believe that the man behind the counter was so miserable and cheap as to get irritated because my wife had the "audacity" to ask for a couple of pieces of plain brown paper (the kind that sells for about a buck per 1000 sheets) to wrap the items to protect them in transit (we had other places to look at) and against the rain heading out to the car. Honestly stallholders pay between $230-670 a month per stall (and there are apparently more than 170 stalls so the owners would easily turnover upwards of $70K a month) in what is basically a tin shed (most the lights are not even turned on inside or have blown and not been replaced) so to be worried about a couple of sheets of butchers paper and the cost of having decent lighting in a cluttered space just lends the whole place a mean-spirited and cheap and nasty vibe. Could be so much better for both stallholders and customers with a little less...

I wrote a long review in this place on my blog but that’s changed now. So here I go again. This place totally rocks. Hidden within the industrial part of Glen Waverley a large shed contains an enormous range of goodies for everyone. I guarantee you’ll spend your entire time here thinking ‘Fran has one of those’ or ‘I used to have one of those’ or ‘wow I have one of those and that’s what they are selling for’. There are so many stalls run by people just like you and me who love the eclectic and different. Whether it’s linen, knitting patterns, retro furniture, glassware, ceramics, signage, books, records, tools, lighting - oh I could go on and on. Today I was looking for vintage thermoses. Plus my eye was looking at some chinaware. Reckon I could return tomorrow and see a whole different range of goodies. Be prepared to spend a minimum of an hour here. Refreshments are onsite but you may want to bring your own. Toilets on site and even they bring back memories with the washing facilities. Generally wheelchair friendly but some stalls are tight and even with s basket (which are supplied at front door) you need to be careful. Good parking out front. Kids welcome if they are very very careful. Staff are delightful and very helpful. Note: surveillance cameras are everywhere so if you think you can just steal something -...