It depends on the tip shop. There used to be a small tip shop where we lived before, and if I recall correctly, it was all outdoors. The two I've been to here have quite large buildings (large sheds) and a fairly large outdoor area.
Here's what they say on the first site:
http://www.resourcetipshop.com/index...urce&Itemid=61
This is our primary retail outlet for selling reusable and recycled goods. It also serves as a base from where we salvage directly from the tip face (4-5 times each day), sort what is recovered, and accept donations.
We encourage customers and tip users to drop off their reusables before going to the tip face. Please see a Resource worker before leaving your reusables so they can assess what is suitable for resale.
So people have a choice of dropping stuff off at a thrift shop elsewhere in the city unrelated to the tip shop, or taking it up to the tip ... and swinging by the tip shop to see if anything can be salvaged.
And what happens to the money depends ... back to the city for the running of the tip, to charities ... different places do different things.
But of course the whole idea is to reduce the amount of waste going into the tip, and to recycle as much as possible.
You can get some good deals ... they don't charge much for anything, and if there is a sticker price, it's negotiable.