A FASHION-loving bargain hunter from Barcelona is one of the most regular shoppers at a Highlands charity store.
Branch boss Kelly Slater said the woman jets 1,155 miles from Spain every few months with an empty suitcase to stuff with dresses.
Oxfam Inverness shop manager Kelly revealed the shopper snubs fashion hotspots in the Catalan city.
Instead, she capitalises on the charity’s deal to sell fashion label Zara’s unworn stock.
And she keeps coming back, with Oxfam’s prices reckoned to be four times lower than those in the chain’s Barcelona store.
Kelly explained: “Even after she pays for flights it’s still much cheaper to buy from us than anywhere closer to home.
“She has family here so she doesn’t have to pay for a hotel when she comes over.
“So she comes to us and other charity shops and goes home with loads of bargains.”
Kelly revealed savvy young bargain searchers are driving a boom in secondhand stores.
She told of one unlucky customer who was stunned to shell out for a £140 jacket and then see it on Oxfam’s racks for just £39.
Kelly said: “The younger generation are much better at recycling and buying from charity shops.
“They’re not musty old places any more.
“When I was a child we’d never have gone to one.
“But it’s a no-brainer now.”
