The St Vincent de Paul op shop at 77 Vanguard Street in Nelson South is one of three the Society runs in the region, with the others in Stoke and Richmond. The Society of St Vincent de Paul is an international non-profit that has worked in New Zealand since 1867, and it has groups across Te Tau Ihu, from Tākaka and Motueka to Richmond, Stoke and Nelson. The shop takes donated goods and sells them, and the Society says donations and bequests support its work. Its practical help depends on each person's situation and need, and on what the Society has available.
The website lists opening hours of 10am to 4pm from Monday to Friday and 10am to 1pm on Saturday. Volunteers give three to six hours a week to sort, price and display the stock and to serve customers, and the Society has hundreds of volunteers and members across the region. Because the stock comes from what people give, it changes with each batch of donations. The sorting and pricing done by volunteers is what keeps the shelves in order, and that is the work behind the bargains the website promises.