Best Sellers is a discount store whereby you can buy pretty much anything at a lesser price than…read moreanywhere else, primarily because of its shorter date. For me, I usually feel uncomfortable buying food that has a shorter date. I don't know why. Perhaps it is because there is a chance I could get ill. Or perhaps it is because I am a snob. Either way, I like to buy food that has a longer date because when it is on offer I buy it to keep it in the house. Best Sellers means that whenever you buy the food, you kind of have to have it straight away which doesn't suit me. Not a favourite of mine but some people love a bargain

A friend of mine who was known for his...how shall we say...frugality, used to frequent this store…read more He would bring back loads of biscuits, sweets, crisps and other goodies. I always wondered how he got so much food there. So one day I ventured to Best Sellers. I was amazed. Bottled water for 20p? Crisps for 10p? Soup for 50p? Then I took a look at the expiration dates on the food. Oh. That's what's going on here. But if that doesn't bother you, then Best Sellers is your place. And, really, how can water go out of date? Not all the stuff is out of date. They also have a dairy and frozen food selection that is thankfully in date. I don't think any place would last too long selling out of date milk. Even in Belfast. Some of the food is just...unusual and this is where it winds up. I expect to see a whole lot of those Walker's World Cup flavour crisps here pretty soon...

There are so many economy shops nowadays that every street seems to have a couple. Some are better…read morethan others, unfortunately I don't think Home Bargains is one of the better low price stores. It's a bit depressing to walk around (dimly lit and drab), doesn't have the widest range of stock and what is on the shelves appears to be of poor quality. Everything that's wrong with this shop is summed up in one item I saw on sale which made me roar with laughter - a waterproof plastic onsie for £9.99! Cheap looking, plastic, tacky, pointless and actually a bit of a rip off because it looked like it should be £1.99 not £9.99! So here's my advice, there are better low cost stores about but if you must visit Home Bargains please don't buy any toiletries as they're not Leaping Bunny Certified and be careful of food because it's probably cheaper on special offer from your local supermarket. However if you need a clothes horse, clothes hangers or waste paper bin etc, all such household items are cheap and cheerful. I'll leave the opinion on the waterproof plastic onsie to your own personal discretion ;-))

One good thing about recession - it makes second hand cool again. In a time when everyone is…read morewatching the pennies, charity and vintage shops are making a killing. This store opened up in 2009 and seems to be doing very well. I love going in for a wee hoke about and while, like at most second hands, the results are varied, I've managed to find a few little pieces amongst the rails. It is predominately clothing, but there is the odd bit of furniture which tends to be beautifully crafted dressers or wardrobes - just what you need to hold all your beautiful vintage items, right? The staff are always very welcoming, the prices are right and there's always something new to find, rather than the same old stuff you see on the high street normally. Plus, it's run by the East Belfast Mission who do a lot of good work in the poorer parts of East Belfast, engaging with young people and homeless outreach, so everyone's a winner!

'Vintage, re:use, re:style, re:store'…read more I love the idea of this shop. I hate waste and I'm always one for restyling my own clothes. This isn't just another vintage shop, it's slightly better quality than the others. They do a great job with mannequins, I'm always impressed with their window dressing skills. The clothes in the shop front was the first thing I ever noticed about the place. It's always a really good job. So kudos to whoever sets this up. Inside the store it's always laid out brilliantly, some vintage shops are a bit like TK Maxx at the best of times, you need a good few hours to sort through the jumble until you find the gem you're after, but in Vintage they've got everything in order around the shop and you can immediately find some real gems. They sell (amongst a myriad of others) trousers, skirts, dresses, shoes, jackets, formal and casual wear. Anything and everything. Paradise! Even their furniture is for sale (so pretty too!) Like most vintage shops they don't offer refunds but do offer a credit note exchange. I find this particularly handy if you don't have the time to try items on. You're always going to find something you're after anyway.

Another one for all you shoppers out there. Once you've had your fill of shopping in the city…read morecentre (see my reviews on CastleCourt and Victoria Square), there's still a few places left to burn out the credit card. Just a five minute drive from the city centre, Boucher Road has quite a few shops in it, most of which are located in Boucher Crescent Retail Park or Shane Retail Park (see my review on Shane retail park). There are men and women's clothing shops (River Island, Next, Burton, the Jeanery...), a sports shop, HMV, Starbuck's, Boots... the list goes on. There's a hell of a lot of space dedicated to parking here, but it can still be very difficult to get a space on a Saturday or Sunday. It's not a mall type place where you can get lost in, it's one of those places where the shops are all lined up in a row and you come out of one shop and into the next one - good for methodical shoppers, or those who don't have a lot of time. The downside is that the traffic on the Boucher Road can be crazy between 4 and 6p.m. But, if you're a visitor and you're out for a day's shopping, get yourself a 'day ticket' (see my Translink review) and you can take a trip up here before/after shopping in the city centre.

Boucher Road Crescent Retail Park is a handy spot for shopping if you don't fancy going into the…read moreCity Centre. It has a huge variety of shops including River Island, Outfit, Lipsy, Newlook, Next, Boots and much much more. Oh and there's a few car manufacturers nearby if you fancy treating yourself to a new Audi TT

Way back in 2010 I was perhaps a little harsh on this branch of TK Maxx. I think that sifting…read morethrough clothes is the reason that people shop at TK Maxx, they enjoy the excitement and the possibility of getting a real bargain. Sifting isn't actually too bad at this TK Maxx as the staff keep the rails in pretty good order. Belfast now has plenty of fashion outlets but it doesn't have much similar to TK Maxx. This store is huge and set over 3 floors. It has a woman's section, kids section, men's section and even a dedicated jewelry counter. My advice would be that if you are looking for something specific then come to TK Maxx and see if they have it in store, you could save yourself a few quid.

Tkmax is a huge department store with men/women clothes, footwear, homeware, food, kids toys,…read moreluggage and general random things like frames and art. It's all supposed to be 60% less than regular high street prices. There are always was/now prices to give idea of prices. The home department is my favourite part.

Dunelm Mill is the hot pot for everything frilly and fancy for furniture and clothing. It combines…read moreall types of materials for those creative types to make into curtains, bedspreads, table cloths or clothes! I recently purchased material to create my own unique range of scarves which I attached to bags, items of clothing and bedroom furniture. The material was quite inexpensive and easily saved me money if I had of went and bought the items from a shop. The store on Boucher Road is pretty large so if you have an idea of what you're looking for hold onto it, as you could easily get distracted you look for it among satin and cotton . Staff at the store are very helpful and can give you advice on what material to choose for different purposes, what measurements you will need as well as what colour schemes work the best.

This retail park doesn't have as many clothing shops as others on the Boucher Road (see my review…read moreon Boucher crescent retail park), and has more sort of practical/big item shops. Here you'll find a few expensive furniture shops, such as Harvey's. It also has a Smyth's toy store, Homebase, Carpetright, Dunelm Mill,... you get the idea. Shane retail park is just a few minutes' drive from Boucher Crescent retail park and has a lot of parking.

The 10 luxcery Christmas cracker s you sold are a joke out of the ten we got two hats nothing…read moreluxcery about them disappointed

Horrible ,Common, Uneducated, Nasty, Ignorant staff. They had Audacity to actually remark about…read moremyself wearing a mask LOUD ENOUGH referring to me as looking like a criminal etc and lady member of staff calling me a scumbag!!!!! I do think you have the right to wear a mask still especially if you have health issues and family old vulnerable and health issues too.The staff are the low ones not me , because I wore my mask. Feel extremely angry, disgusted, and surprised how openly ignorant and no shame staff can be.Rude

Yeah I know its a Tesco's and hardly a local independent business but shush! It's my Tesco's. This…read morestore seems to have quite a student feel to it. Unlike a lot of the other Tesco's, it always feels like they started to make it look nice then decided to cover the bits they didn't do with food. It does provide a very cheap weeks shopping, I get all I need for my belly for around £20 a week which is cracking value. Whilst you need to be careful with some of their own brand stuff, a lot of it is as good as the big names, just in plain packaging.

I live next to Tesco so for me that in itself is reason to go. It is cheaper than any of the other…read moreindependent stores (but not necessarily better quality food) but it is one of the smaller ones in Northern Ireland. Thus the store does not often have everything you need, and if you happen to find yourself stuck in it anytime between 5 and half 6, you are likely to be stuck in a massive queue. I work in a shop so I have a certain affinity with what these people have to go through, but some of the staff look desperately unhappy in their job and as we are beaten with the customer service stick so much, I think this particular Tesco store should have a retraining too because the staff do not seem to care at all with what they are doing. On the plus side, it is probably the cheapest place for groceries on the Lisburn Road and the alcohol offers are incredible compared to pub prices.

Lidl is a German-owned discount store which seems to have done quite well here in the last eight or…read morenine years. No-frills discount stores are pretty well received in Belfast, and that's led to Lidl opening several stores over here. This is a pretty spacious shop, and is usually well-stocked. They're also trying to make a name for themselves for being inexpensive for fruit and vegetables. I'm convinced I kept one of their lines of stock in production - Moordale's 100% beef burgers. They have a great bite to them, and when they're on special offer they're only £2.39... a great addition to any barbeque. Lidl has a lot of special offers, many of which are detailed in their promotional leaflets, with offers on a weekly and fortnightly basis. And it's not just food that they do, they sell items like DIY tools, outdoor furniture, plants and flowers... I think it just depends on what they've managed to get a good bulk discount on. They also have a selection of beers and wines, and usually have special offers on selected lines. Worth checking out.

Starplan is based in the Shane Retail Park on the Boucher Road, which has a few other businesses of…read morethis nature competing for customers. What makes Starplan jump out from the rest is not only their advertising but there presentation. Starplan's Boucher Road store has a very high standard of presentation, customers are able to walk in store and see the exact furniture they need and want. The 'mock up' bedroom scenes create the perfect example of what your bedroom could look like. These show rooms help the customers decipher between colours, wood finishes and accessories such as handles and lighting. The staff which (remember) are sales people do their very best to accommodate to your every need but a little advice, if you are interested in buying, barter! Usually the price they have given you can and will go down if you negotiate and reason with the sales people.

I am just moving into a new build house and wanted built in slide robe furniture for my master…read morebedroom. Unfortunately I have a dorma window and hence required fitted bespoke furniture. I went to slide robes in Boucher as I knew I required certain specifications due to my bedroom measurements. They were so obliging and accommodating but a bit above my budget. I then decided to try star plan new store on Boucher road. Unfortunately my experience there was not very pleasant and basically the so called "sales person" was both rude and insolent not to mention patronising when he said "we can't do that" in a rude tone. He also said that slide robes would not be able to do it either which they absolutely could! Please spend some more time and money on your sales staff training and etiquette as I walked away totally disgusted by his manner. I'm sure this post will not be posted for the public but at least take on board for your own benefit how disgusted I felt leaving your store. Thank you Hazel