Agreed, this place is ridiculous. Even if everything inside was one pound, as is advertised by the…read moregiant signs, it would still constitute an absolute rip off. This shop will suit you if: (i) You want a 'designer' watch that weighs less than a piece of paper and doesn't tell the time. (ii) You want to see all the worst films ever made in one big pile with no organizing nonsense such as alphabetizing or chronologizing principles. (iii) You are just too calm and want to get stressed out fast. If you don't fit this criteria (you'd be surprised how busy this establishment is) then stay away. Perhaps it would do for a joke present or two, but little else.

This shop annoys me because:…read more 1) It always has 'closing down' signs, but never actually closes 2) It advertises using huge '£1' signs in the window, but hardly anything in there is actually £1 3) It blares horrible loud music out onto Market Street The best deal I spotted in there was a Rubix Cube for £1, but apart from that you can buy awful fluorescent knitwear, dodgy watches, rubbish DVDs, ugly chinaware and snuggle blankets. The signs outside say proclaim that it is going out of business, so hopefully the shop will turn into something useful or cool, but I have a feeling it will remain a terrible cheap shop for years to come. If you want something decent for a quid, then you'd be better off heading to Pound Empire or Quality Save.

I ADORE this shop! I'm a sucker for designer bags (don't judge me..) but can't always afford to get…read morethem new, designer exchange sells pre loved bags and accessories at a fraction of the original price. Some of the bags are literally as good as new. The older the collection the cheaper the price usually (unless it's Chanel...of course). I'm not bothered about the 'latest season' look, I look for quality, design and craftsmanship so this place is heaven for me. They also buy directly from customers. All bags are checked for authenticity so you can rest assured you're buying a genuine item. The staff couldn't be nicer, and they're not pretentious or overbearing so I often just go in for a browse without any pressure to buy. Golden purchase - a hand embroided, leather Dior bag. As good as new. Originally sold for $1700, bought for £90. Can I get a hallelujaH?!

Walking into this Poundstretcher in Salford, which is part of the Regent Road Retail Park, could…read moreeasily be mistaken for a Costco at first glance, it just feels like a warehouse, and while not as big as a Costco, the selection is still OK for sure with a mixture of good reasonably priced items and useless tat, you'd expect to find in a pound-shop. The store was mostly clean, only one of the end aisles seemed dirty and cluttered, which is better than some. I wouldn't say there were any real pricing, with many of their items easily at a similar price within the retail park, it is worth a look around but it's nothing to get that excited about. The staff were despondent but polite. I do prefer Home Bargains next store in terms of overall selection, which also seems to have similar pricing, but this store isn't a bad alternative at all. 3*

Ah, and so the Yelposphere is a place of warm welcoming hugs when one returns from a two week…read morehiatus to visit parental units in foreign climes and attend winter weddings in Wales. It's nice to be home. And home I returned to, in between said trip to foreign climes and journey to Wales, for one night only, which inexplicably was when I decided to makeover my apartment. It wasn't even New Year yet. What the frick was wrong with me? For all the times I've told people that I'm OCD-organised, there are moments of pure spontaneity in my life. I think it must be the fact that there's a very creative side to me. Anyway, disillusioned by months of nagging the BF to 'buy a drill, put the curtain poles up, you're the man, these are your responsibilities', I abandoned by post-feminist reactionist ways and contemplated whether or not there was a way to mount this curtain pole WITHOUT the use of a drill. As it turned out, there was. (I must add I got these curtain poles for free when somebody in the block had discarded them by the bin. Thrifty? ME?) It was a success. But again, spontaneous. Prepared I was not. I actually needed some curtains. And where to trundle? To my beloved Regent Retail Park, that ultimate homeware panacea. I'd only ventured into Poundstretcher once since it became so-named for masses of Chrimble cards and decorations costing mere pennies. I swear, even if I ever have access to millions of squillions of pounds, I will never buy designer decorations. It's the principle of the thing, isn't it. Poundstretcher, formerly InStore, alongside Home Bargain is one of my ultimate favourite budget shops. It sells furniture, cupboard foods, sweets, treats, under-the-sink essentials, bathroom stuff, household goods, homeware of EVERY possible variety, pet goods and clothes for kids as well as toys, all at ridiculously low prices. I'm planning on buying a very comfortable office chair from there for £39 for example, and there are even computer desks and dining tables. I've had bathmats from here, lampshades, cushions, and of course curtains. They cost me £10 and have done the job splendidly. Believe it or not, they're nice too. There's a fridge full of cold fizzy drinks which is one thing Home Bargain severely lacks, and it contains my Holy Grail of beverages, sugar free fizzy Vimto. I could live off that stuff. I'm like Kel of Kenan and Kel fame when he goes completely plonky over orange soda. Back to the original point though, and it's amazing what a few new bits and bobs can do for your apartment. My abode now looks more homely and cosy than ever before, and I didn't break the bank. Thanks, Poundstretcher.

I've been on a mission to discover more of north Manchester recently. Cheetham Hill is one of the…read morereas which holds a lot of interest for me as a foodie with Cheetham hill road being a great example of multi-cultural Manchester. As well as being another central hub of Manchester's south Asian community it's also adjacent to Manchester's Jewish community. This Superstore sits inbetween the two communities and is buzzing with activity all week long. It's probably one of the biggest stores of its kind in the city. The summertime is a perfect time to visit, for me at least because it's mango season! Honey mangos are shipped in all the way from Pakistan and are priced very reasonably considering they are HEAVENLY! There's also a butchers in house and the store houses a library of herbs and spices. In short there are stores like this littered aross the city in smaller denominations. And in all honesty they probably cater for all the things that are available here. But if you want that remote spice from a youtube recipe or want a faluda flavour ice cream like I do, this is the only place to go.

Wow, no review for the largest branch of Manchester Superstore - says a lot about the current…read moredemographic of Yelp reviewers in Manchester! There are actually two large premises of Manchester Superstore directly opposite each other on either side of Cheetham Hill Road, and if you are into these kind of stores then you will need to check them both out! It may be the case that the one on the left as you travel out of town is more for a quick shop, but it also has a bunch of stuff upstairs - cookware, and kebab shop consumables! Across the road - on the right hand side of the road as you travel out of town - is a building of impressive architecture, which seems to be the wholesale premises, although it is open to the general public, no problem, and this is where I will be shopping from now on. I go for fresh produce, and freshness was above average plus I think Cheetham Hill prices are a bit lower. Just the usual routine for me - stocked up with okra, drumstick, karela, fresh chickpeas, plus fresh herbs which are the bargain of the century at 2 huge bunches for £1. Always good for a bit of ethnic atmosphere. Not quite as much of a feeling of a well-oiled machine as say Worldwide in Rusholme and not as busy at the tills, but the manager is a bit more friendly here on my visit, and opened up another till to get me through quickly. Really love my Desi supermarkets!

Not much you can really say. Everything is a pound. They seem to sell everything. Staff are very…read morefriendly and helpful. If you've never been in a poundland maybe go in and just have a look plus they have a good gardening section as well.

I have recently discovered that Manchester Fort Shopping Park has a H&M. Still suprised! Since…read morewhen? The store is smaller to what one would find in Manchester City Centre,but it still has a good range of stock and very well organised, full of stylish shoppers. If you shop at H&M, then you know what to expect and you will not be disappointed. Definitely worth a visit when here.

H&M does sell some great clothes. They're all very reasonably priced and they're far less likely to…read morefall apart like your £2 purchases from Primark will. I'm a great believer in Shirts, and H&M offer in shirts in almost every colour ever dreamt of. This is great for me, and I'll rarely spend more than £15 or £20 on a hoody here. You've always got the chance of discovering a gem of a jacket or accessory too.

It comes as no surprise to me that that Gaga lady spent 3 hours in Afflecks last week. Weird yet…read moreindelibly wonderful is an apt description for it. Having said that, I must make a more pronounced effort to frequent this magnificent Manchester location more often. Yes, it can be a bit daunting at first, a maze of weird and wonderful stalls and shop fronts. But its worth getting lost here every once in a while, why? Because you'll find private vendors here who have a genuine passion for their respective products and services and the corporate whore in them has yet to emerge. It's refreshing. My first ever visit to Attic was unfortunately without a license to roam. I was missing a single item for my Halloween dressage and was told Attic had it in stock, thus this was a last minute dash and grab job. The meandering nature of the shop floor plans didn't help much but the fact that it wasn't rammed like most other shops before 5pm was a huge bonus. First thing of note, the customer service was incredible! Out of breath having run to the top floor headless chickenly looking for the joint armed with a sweaty quizzical facial expression I was kindly approached almost immediately and offered help. A mere five minutes later I was a sent packing a calm and happy customer back running down the stairs headless chickenly once more. What great service eh? Now five minutes equates to an hour in Inception time (See Nolan's brilliant 2010 scifi flick Inception) so thinking Inceptionly, I discovered that this place caters for pretty much ALL your fancy dress needs. Whether you have a Lord of the Rings fetish, or you're a self confessed Star Trek geek there's something here for everyone. They also have fabrics and other random tools and tricks of the trade perfect for creating your very own costumes (If buying the readymade ones isn't your cup of tea) Ultimately venturing into Attic is journeying into another world of sorts, which is both scary and exciting. The former because a longer than necessary amount of time spent here prompts the thought "hmmm I wish it was fancy dress all the time." It really is a literal form of escapism manifesting itself into a physicality. Which as it turned out this Halloween, is heaps of fun! I for one will definitely be returning and discovering more about this place as research for my next film project. The place is a production costume design gold mine. For the rest of us, it definitely is a one stop shop for all your fancy dress needs.

Huge huge selection of fancy dress here. I challenge you to find any costume/character that is not…read morein this attic shop- truly amazing! Going into this shop made me wish my friends were not becoming convinced they are older and mature now-opting for a dinner party of a fancy dress occasion. I will fight on and pursue a night as a Smurf soon..all with this shops help :)

I am extremely disappointed with this store and their chosen parking management service, UKPS Ltd…read more I received an unfair parking charge despite being a customer at Wing Yip supermarket and upstairs Chinese Restaurant, and the notice was even sent to the wrong address, causing delays and preventing me from responding within the appeal period. When I submitted an appeal, UKPS completely ignored it, only for me to later receive a notice from a debt collection agency, adding even more stress. For those who want to visit this restaurant, be careful and reconsider, cause you will RECEIVE A PARKING CHARGE that cause you 100 POUNDS for parking even you had a meal and shopping there!!!

TL;DR - A super supermarket for those ingredients you might find hard to get elsewhere…read more I've intended to vist Wing Yip a few times - the building is enormous and dominates the road, but on a previous visit I was unable to find the entrance. Turns out you have to go round the back (it's signposted for the restaurant, but the supermarket is here too). First up - social distancing, since it is 2020 after all. This is all handled really well - lots of signs about wearing face masks, antibacterial gel as you enter, marks on the floor for 2m distancing and screens around the checkouts; payments can be contactless; staff wear masks and gloves and even pass you your receipt in a plastic box. I'd say they're doing a better job than most shops full stop. OK, on to the produce - as you might expect you can get lots of ingredients for Chinese cooking here but there's so much more as well, with most east-Asian cuisines catered for from Vietnam to Japan. There's also a substantial amount of fresh meat and veg available, plus chiller and freezer cabinets as well as your store-cupboard staples. There are also appliances and things like crockery for sale. If you're running a business, there's a substantial cash and carry section at the far right of the store. Manchester has a few specialist supermarkets like this, but I think Wing Yip wins in terms of breadth of offering.

I love this place! Its a great place to get a bargain! Everything is cheap here! They sell clothing…read morefor everyone at fantastic prices! They have a fast fashion range which changes on a weekly basis aswell as formal and casual wear. They sell shoes, handbags, jewellery as well as having a home section. If you love a good catch this is the place to come, the clothes are a great quality for the prices and id recommend going here for work clothes especially!

Got all my Christmas decorations in here tonight and spent around a tenner, to kit out the tree and…read morea few other garlands etc. It's better than the other pound stores for food, I reckon. You can get 12 eggs, a pack of bacon, butter, two tins of Heinz soup - all for a pound. Anyone coming to Manchester on a budget should shop here and Aldi for all your food!

As far as pound shops go, Poundland is top of the tree. Stocking all of your pound shop favourites…read more- bog rolls, lighters, bags of sweets, plastic toys, jumbo bottles of bleach - all at that classic price. Poundland also have a pretty good range of high street cosmetics brands in stock - if you like mid-range shampoos and shower gels then this is the place to pick them up for half what you'd pay at Boots or Superdrug (they even have Original Source shower gels). Also, if you have a baby they have tonnes of nappies, talc and other products you might need in bulk. I like going here if I need to get stuff like bin liners or if I'm having a party and want to pick up loads of crappy food like sweets and crisps as you can get loads for really cheap. Its not a particularly nice place to shop - everything is crammed in and there are always loads of people at the tills or in your way down the aisles, but hey - beggars can't be choosers.