Aussie blasts op shop for selling a jacket for $180 - and claims staff tried to justify the expensive price: 'This was donated to you'

Published: 14:37, 14 June 2026 | Updated: 14:37, 14 June 2026 A support worker has blasted an op shop after finding a jacket being sold for $180, and hit out at a staff member's excuse for why it was so pricey.  Siena Darling came across the trench coat last month while thrift shopping at Red Cross with her teenage client, who quietly told her they thought it was expensive.  She claimed a worker then overheard and became angry with the comment. 'My client wasn't being rude or overly loud about it, they were just saying it to me privately,' Ms Darling said in a TikTok.  'Tell me why the Red Cross volunteer starts yelling at my client and scolding them.  'They were like, "Well, if you look at the prices online, then you'd see it's a lot more expensive".' Ms Darling described the behaviour as 'bizarre'. 'Why are you looking at the prices online? This was donated to you, sell it at a low price, it doesn't matter how much it costs online,' she said. A support worker has hit out at an op shop for selling a $180 jacket, claiming a staff member yelled at her client over a private remark Ms Darling felt sorry for her client, saying all they wanted to do was to have fun.    'It really ticked me off and made me really upset for my client because we're doing community access and this is their experience going out in the community,' she said.  '[They were] not able to afford anything, and got yelled at when questioning the prices privately to me, their support worker.' Daily Mail contacted Red Cross for comment.   Ms Darling complained about how everything at op shops was too expensive for her despite stores selling donated items.  'Please tell me why everything was marked $20 to $30 when things are donated to these op shops for free,' she said.  'To be clear, it's really, really frustrating because op shops are meant to be accessible and affordable for everyone. 'And me, an able-bodied working person, can no longer afford to go to the op shops.' Siena Darling came across the trench coat last month while thrifting at Red Cross with her teenage client who quietly told her they thought it was expensive (stock image) Ms Darling said she struggled to understand why that was the case since there is a cost-of-living crisis. 'People can't afford food, rent, fuel and now they can't even afford to shop at a charity shop,' she said.  'Everything they're selling, they got for free, so wouldn't it be a lot more incentivising to make everything $2 to $5?' However, she said she was still going to shop at op shops.  'I'm gonna continue to thrift because you can always find some cool things,' Ms Darling said. 'I can always find a deal and it's obviously better for the environment, but how are we meant to get other people to start thrifting when this is how much it's costing?' Many viewers agreed with Ms Darling, saying the price of the jacket was too expensive.  '$180 for a used jacket is expensive for me and I work full-time and have zero limitations,' one said. 'That’s a ridiculous price for USED clothing, I would consider $180 for a trench that was brand new and I knew I’d get plenty of use from it and that it would always be in style so I can keep it and use it literally forever.' '$180 for a jacket is expensive to the entire working class, let alone those who are disadvantaged,' a second said. 'I wish these stores could at least have a concession card price so those in most need can get a jacket for $20 instead of $200,' a third said.   The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.