I found some boxer briefs on their website that are hard to find in the US. The price was OK and…read moreshipping not ridiculous. So I bought them. Yesterday I got an email from some intermediate outfit wanted me to pay tariff and VAT tax and "facilitation fee" almost as much as the items I purchased. No mention of this on their website at all. I have to decide whether to throw good money after bad. To me, withholding that kind of info is the same as fraud.

I like Sports Direct's Manchester Arndale location, it might not be the prettiest or most modern of…read moreshops inside the shopping centre, but it has a nice selection overall and is much less cluttered than other Sports Direct locations, such as the nearby location on Market Street, elsewhere in the city centre. It is in a good location within the shopping centre, it is basically opposite the escalators and car-park lifts on the lower mall. Most of the staff seem friendly, especially Ste, who is one of the security guards and a fantastic guy. I do prefer the selection of trainers at JD nearby, but the sportswear selection is at least on-par. 4*

Do you like leather? Do you like motorbikes? Do you like both of these things? Do you like both of…read morethese things in a way that has no connotations whatsoever with the Hell's Angels? If the answer to all of the above questions is yes, then you really are going to like Dainese a lot. Dainese sell jackets and trousers that are leather but are all modern and actually quite good looking at the same time. There is some serious biking gear in here and plenty of staff to help you with any questions you might have. They also stock a range of baffling (to me at least) protective devices for your back, knees and things like that. They're meant to stop you getting too hurt when you fly off your bike going at a ridiculous speed around a corner in the Lake District.

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about this awesome place. This used to be my favorite shop. I am not…read morejoking. I've always like bikes and cars, just like a Tom boy. So, I used to ask all the time if any of my friends want a new helmet, or a new little thing for their bikes. Actually, because I was going in here so many times, at some point the owner came to me and asked me few questions. That was the point when I've asked if they need extra staff. Well, in exchange he said that I need to know quite a lot about bikes, stuff, and I left him quite surprised. Anyway, it didn't happen in the end. I got a different job meanwhile. But still, for the sake of it, sometimes I still go in there, happy like a little bunny. One day, I'm going to buy lots and lots of stuff from that shop. It's to dear to me, and too cool to be ignored.

I'm shocked that there are shops in Manchester that know about Nudie jeans, let alone a single shop…read morethat carries them. Are there Mancunians with that large a wad of cash burning a whole through their purses? Impressive! A chill, hipster-y gent sold the boy a super cute pair of Vans (casual shoes that aren't a shade of brown: success!) and explained the origins of the noteworthy bicycle saddles hanging up behind the till. Luxury skinny jeans and posh gear for your fixie... I mean, what else could a Williamsburg-wannabe desire, right?

Good style never comes cheap. This is especially true if you're a man. Most clothing boutiques and…read morehigh street stores cater for women and it's rare you find a store like this that offers so many unique quality items for the discerning young gentleman. This is the only store my boyfriend comes to for his trousers (in particular he Edwin brand of jeans) simply because you can't find them anywhere else. From Barbour to Oliver Spencer, Levis to YMC, they have such a well selected collection of labels that convey the best in British understated style.

Adidas on Market Street is a large store, the store looks fairly good and modern and has a decent…read moreselection of Adidas products, as you enter the store you can see a lot of Manchester United branding (As a City fan I'm going to ignore that), as well as a smaller selection from other Adidas elite teams including Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Arsenal. They have tried to make the store look as good as possible, in terms of facilities they have a printing area to customise football shirts and products in-store, the more popular players have been pre-printed. The worst part about this store for me is the service, I came in to do a return, dI originally asked for an exchange, however, the product was out of stock but the store made it as hard as possible to get my money back. Despite telling the employee that I did not want to swap for a different item, he kept proceeding to tell me about other similar items they had, even though I made it clear that this product was for a friend, and I would not be able to guess what they wanted. After asking for a refund, I was offered a gift card... twice. Why is Adidas so desperate to keep ahold of my money? Eventually, I was told I could not have a refund unless I presented the original payment card, they are unable to do a remote refund and the physical card MUST be present. I did not have this on me, and the colleague or the manager (unapologetic and rude), also refused to refund me in other methods such as onto a different card, or in cash. I had the item, I had the receipt. Why does it matter which card the refund goes onto? Surely in this day and age, it must be possible to refund a transaction without the payment card being there? 2* - The service SUCKS at this Adidas concept store, I wouldn't feel confident getting a refund if something goes wrong and prices are often higher than buying it from other retailers compared to Adidas direct.

Everyone knows that the place to get the best sneakers is New York…read more If you can't afford a ticket to the big apple however, this Adidas store has a fantastic range of sneakers, training shoes, baseball boots and hi-tops. My personal favourites are the Tokio Hi and Superskate boots - which both happen to be 50% off in the current sale. If you already have enough pairs to open your own sneaker store, this outlet also stocks a wide range of stylish tees, sweaters, hoodies and cardigans - all of which seem designed for casual, everyday wear more than exercise. Since I think the most interesting forms of exercise are breakdancing, rollerskating, trampolining and free-running - I'm down with that!

So friendly and the best skate range at the best prices in Manchester for sure. Very Helpful and…read morebeen back a bunch of times now my new favourite Manchester Skateboard shop.

From the owner: Manchester Finest Skateboard Shop with a host of your favourite skate related brands such as…read moreStussy, Vans Shoes, Nike Sb, Adidas, Thrasher, Dickies, Palace and much more.

Manchester is surrounded by so much amazing countryside, with the great expanse of the Peak…read moreDistrict just a few miles away. It figures that there should be some serious outdoor shops in Manchester's city centre. At first, you would think Cotswold was just a place to buy well made and nice-looking hiking jackets, jumpers and fleeces. If you go beyond the small ground floor you'll soon find that there's an expanse of gear to be found in the basement and on the first floor. Downstairs in the basement, they stock professional climbing gear with helmets, karabiners and ropes all on display. They've got a great selection of maps and videos as well. Upstairs is the place to buy a force-10 gale storm proof tent, if that's what you need. On the stairs down to the basement I found a couple of notice boards, where staff had posted pictures and info about themselves and the outdoor activities they specialised in. It was a nice touch and goes a long way to prove that Cotswold is all about getting out and having real fun in the outdoors with great hiking and climbing gear to do it with.

Home from home, split over 3 floors Cotswold is one of my favourite places. With a good mix of…read moreevery bit of outdoor kit you could need and friendly staff who will endure to go into minor detail of the pros and cons of a variety of equipment. The basement has all your clothes, boots, climbing harnesses, DVDs (I'm just listing equipment). Additionally Cotswold invests time in its clients; because of this you have 20% discounts for university climbing members and the lark. All very nice of them. If you listen to recent weather reports anyway it would seem that alpine clothing is going to see a sharp rise in purchases. Long live Cotswold that's what I say.

I am changing the review to one star. It already happened at least two times, when something is…read morewrong with the product, but according to store manager it's ok (in one of the cases I was able to get money back from the manufacturer). So, according to Blacks manager of the store it's perfectly fine when water bottles are falling out of rucksack on somebody's head. While this store is closing, I have no doubt Blacks will re-employ this wonderful understanding woman.

There are just so many outdoor-type shops on Deansgate, it's an absolute miracle that they all…read moremanage to stay in business? How do they do it? There must be at least six or seven. Ridiculous. Anyway, Blacks is absolutely similar to the rest of them. On the ground floor is where you'll find all the expensive but amazingly waterproof hiking jackets. Not even an ocean of water could get through these heavily gortexed items. Unfortunately, for protection like this you're going to have to pay for it to, and a jacket from Blacks could set you back as much as £200. This is serious clobber for serious hiking action. They do have some cheaper options, you'll just have to search a bit for them. Just like all the other outdoor stores on Deansgate, Blacks has a humungous basement which is where they stock all of their speciality outdoor pursuit gear. Like climbing equipment, hiking boots and camping stuff. This is an excellent shop, but just as excellent as all the other outdoor shops around this area.

I quite like this shop, as it offers a selection of hiking goods for all price ranges. To get a…read morediscount, you need to own a membership card, which you can buy for 5 pounds. The staff is generally helpful, however, I think I was unlucky, as one of them told me that one very expensive jacket is good for winter, however, after I bought it, I realised out that it was not nearly enough for a cold time of the year and is more suitable for summer or mid season most, and for that I'm taking off two stars. The shop has also online site, where you can check the stock, availability and prices. However, don't overtly rely on that either - as after I checked the jacket I liked was present at the shop just before I left, it appeared to be missing at the shop. The shop assistant said they must have sold out! As I don't live far it's not really a problem, but it might be worth reserving the goods online first if you are coming a long way.

there is a great selection of goods to choose from and prices are okread more

Great website with great products!…read more I discovered Move Dancewear about 2 years ago when I was buying for my daughter's new dance class and have since used them for all manner of dance products. Their prices, as far as I can make out anyway, are unbeatable...the only very slight downside is the lack of free delivery, but I'm splitting hairs there really!

This is a great little dance shop with a big range of ballet dance stuff. Really friendly staff too.read more