Bloomfield shopping centre is one of those places that I don't choose to go to .I only come here if…read moreI have too. I just feel that it is either quite a dead place to visit or it is so busy that the experience of shopping here can be quite traumatic! In honesty the place has improved over the last year and there have been quite a few new business opened up and some of the original ones have restructured but there still is something about the place that unlike other shopping centres doesn't entice me to want to stay and browse . In its defence there are a lot of new business opening which might improve the complex but I don't think anything would make me want to give up my precious time and come here for a days shopping .

Lots of decent shops. And growing…read more Can be very busy with people. Good that there is a food court. It doesn't have loads of seating though.

It's hard not to love this massive semi-outdoor shopping center. Steel and glass and lifts and…read moreescalators with so much fresh air moving through. It's clean and well patrolled by security and there are retail outlets for everyone and restaurants, too. I think what most people are missing is the rooftop atrium, called The Dome. The lift goes to the top and from there, a tremendous view over the city of Belfast. It's free and should not be missed. [Review 1885 of 2024 - 867 in United Kingdom - 22907 overall]

It is a massive shopping center, beautiful and made of mirrors. Lots of shops and restaurants to…read morenosh and spend your cash. I stopped at a few stores here, and partook of great hospitality and service. The spaces were immaculate and there were lots of places to sit, eat and meet. Great name eh.... Victoria Square.

Yo bitches & niggas, its officer liz macaulay here saying suck my decourcy cock!…read moreIll be spending most of my time at the rugby club taking the lovely white stuff with my husband and his shaved fanny, I've had to resign and hand over business proceedings to the big cock swinger they call Chris sweeney! I also know who robbed the vending machines as I got myself in a bit of bother with the local paramilitarys and had to hand the alarm code over, i sure do hate those kids! If only their mother didn't come pick them up and they actually knew their fathers! Anyway, smell my cheesy fuck box. P.s I hate David Cooper!

The DeCourcy Centre is Carrick's answer to the shopping of the likes of Oxford Street in London…read more No, not really... It used to be busy enough before the big Tesco superstore opened, due to Tesco previously being located within the centre, however now, apart from visitors to New Look, it is generally just used as a 'through area' - people wanting a shortcut to the town centre. The DeCourcy centre never realised the potential that was intended for it. Even when it first opened, it was never filled to full capacity. Over the last couple of years, the centre has been looking increasingly tired and dilapidated, and it is now generally used as a meeting place for the elderly. Even a pound shop which only opened recently has just closed down, and as someone else mentioned, the gift shop Etc are also having their 'closing down sale' Sad times for the DeCourcy Centre.

I have never left Stewart Millers empty handed. I'm not kiddin', honestly. It's like some kind of…read moremagnetic force which leaves me completely helpless and powerless, removing all inhibitions and barriers which prevent me from purchasing extreme numbers of goods from this fave store of mine. Or maybe that's just me shopping normally... Anyhow, Stewart Miller is a bargainous store which is primarily a newsagent and confectioners, but is also a bookshop, cardshop and toyshop. I've found books for peanuts, excellent sweetie deals, and, when I was younger, it was my first stop for TY Beanie Babies (remember those?! I still have an absolute ton of them stashed away in my wardrobe...couldn't bear [excuse the pun] to part with them quite yet). The Holywood store is undoubtedly my favourite. The toy section is huge, and they are genuinely well-priced (not always super cheap), top-quality playthings. The card section is extremely well-stocked, with a huge variety to choose from, and at reasonable prices. The book section is my favourite - I've gotten presents for my mum and dad for next to nothing, and even picked up a football book for £1.99 from £12.99 today, and I've found travel books for a fiver. Oooh, its a good 'un.

I'm lovin it. This gem on the Holywood main street has some of my favourite everyday treats -…read moreglossy mags, cold drinks and chick lit style books at very good prices. It also keeps the kids very happy as it has the best selection of football trading cards I've ever come across. My favourite thing about Stewart Millar is the magazine and comic selection. One whole wall of the front section is given over to mags and comics which means that I can happily browse Marie Claire and 25 Beautiful Homes and the kids can look at the Beano (yes it still exists) and Shoot! before making our choices. And there are none of those shouty 'This is not a library' signs either. At the back of the shop are the toys - good selection of lego- and books. The books are worth a particular mention as the prices are great. Some of the not quite latest releases can be snaffled at Tesco-esque prices which certainly floats my boat. There's a good selection of kids books too, especially quite unusual activity and pop up books which are always good for Christmas presents. All I need to do now is stop accidentally calling it Stuart Little which makes the kids fall about laughing every time as Stuart Little is of course a talking mouse. It's happened, I've become an Embarrassing Mum.

Locally known as 'Pari's' (after the owner Pari Bavalia M.P.S.) this is my local chemist (situated…read morein Merville Garden Village) It's a one stop shop for all my medical /pharmaceutical needs (E.G. Clarityn, Veet, Antihistamines, antibiotics, plasters, creams, talc etc.) It's not the biggest shop in the world, but I think this adds to the cosy, family feel of the shop. Every time I go in Pari or one of his lovely staff are always chatting away to the locals, everyone seems to be known by name, and I know for a fact that Pari never forgets a name or face (and knows someone you know, or a member of your family) It's a lovely little shop that was recently renovated to provide customers with a wider, more open space to browse their products. Speaking of which, this is one of the very few stockists where you can find Fenjal body talc (one of my Mum's Must Haves) so it's handy for getting little presents like that. The also offer a pretty good price on most of their products and are eager to help you find whatever it is you're looking for. I enjoy coming here are customers are always greated with a smile and some chit chat then provided with the quality service they require.

Junction 1 is all about managing your expectations. The first time I visited, I had just been to…read morethe US and been on a serious spree in one of the outlet malls there. I went to Junction 1 expecting the same kind of unbelievable bargains there, especially as Belfast's first Ralph Lauren store had just opened there. Big mistake. You just don't get those kind of crazy prices anywhere but in the states. So, with my expectations of bargains managed right down, I made a second visit and was very impressed with both the range of shops and the prices. The best buys are to be found in M&S and the Next outlets, as well as Gap, Levis and Mexx. You'll get prices which are about half of what you would pay in the high street shops, but you may be buying goods that are a season or two old. As long as you're not looking for high fashion, there are savings to be made. M&S underwear, Next shoes, Gap clothes for children and jeans are all good choices and sadly the Ralph Lauren store has closed down. Maybe it was too expensive to do any business? The whole environment at Junction 1 is really pleasant, beautifully landscaped 'streets' and lots of open space, very much in the style of my beloved US outlet malls. There are plenty of places to bolster your energy reserves for round two of shopping - M&S café, Starbucks, Subway and Moe's Cafe which does very good scones. It's not really a place to take the kids, although if you have to, you could bribe them with a visit to Adventure Island, an indoor play area. Sadly you can't drop them off there and collect them 3 hours later, you have to actually stay with them. Now there's a niche in the market if ever I saw one.

Junction One is my kinda shopping experience...cheap, easy to get around, and tons of wonderful…read moreshops all in the same area. Heaven for most girls, and even for some guys (my dad's a huge fan, but he doesn't like to openly admit it). This place has really taken off since its opening in six years ago. Us poor Norn Ironers now wonder what the heck we were doing paying full price for all those clothes / shoes / accessories / cosmetics / other bits and bobs when you can get up to 60% off such things in Junction One. I've gotten so many things here over the years, many from shops which are long since gone (RIP Logo...darn that recession), and for really genuinely good prices. Ones to definitely check out are Next Clearance (no changing rooms is the only let down here), All Wellan Good (*really* cheap makeup and toiletries), Cosmetics Company (top brands such as Bobby Brown and Elizabeth Arden feature here, but you'll get them for a good bit cheaper than on the high street), Mexx and Tom Tailor. Unfortunately, as I previously mentioned, a few shops have closed over the years, including the awesome Ralph Lauren store and Pilot. One other slightly negative note is that the cafes are really quite expensive...no 60% bargains to be had in these! All in all, a tremendous shopping experience, and one which you won't regret.

One of a total of nine village pharmacies in Co. Antrim, the chemist in Whiteabbey could be worse,…read morebut it could be better. The staff at times seem some what snooty. I recently had to pay for a vaccination (for tick borne encephalitis, nasty I know!) and little did I know this would end up costing me £75! Had I known, I'm sure I would have gone with money in the bank, but jobless at the time and about to embark on a mission to Romania I was near enough broke. The woman looked at me like I had six heads. How dare I come to her shop with no money (Hello! It's a chemist!?!) I just wasn't too impressed. It used to be owned by the loveliest man called Mr Gracey. Ah back in those days I could have collected the script and paid in a few days, but oh no. Not on her watch! So they've definitely lost points there. Other than that, how different can any chemist be? It's certainly not got the lovely community feel of my local chemist (See Merville) so I don't think I'll be bothering with here any longer.

I was calling by with a friend for a quick collection for a prescription. My friend sat in his car…read morewaiting for me. It took a while before I was asked what I wanted and they were sterile in personality and not such a friendly face. They did all commuicate with each other for a while and after lots of questions they eventually said it wasn't in yet. After 2 phone calls and convincing them that it should be here, I eventually spent 30 minutes in total in that shop when my friend came in to see if I was still alive! The wee stocky woman (shop assitant) with the spikey hair was nasty looking, not helpful, very abrupt, tried to come across more important than she was. Thankfully the younger guy who was friendly and helpful did get the order, while the wee stocky woman walked off making excuses to the chemist and didn't even come back to speak or apologise to me. The young guy gave real good advice about how to double check about orders etc next time and really redeemed this store from getting no stars! Thanks matey!

Holywood Exchange is a vast retail park kind of arrangement with huge superstores that take half an…read morehour just to tour the perimeter. It has a few shops which are the only outlet for that brand in Belfast, Northern Ireland, or in the case of IKEA, the whole of Ireland. IKEA is self explanatory in terms of what they sell and how they sell it. Its neighbours are Harvey Norman, a vast Next Home, Sainsburys and B&Q, so it's very much a functional shopping zone rather than an indulgent shopping place. I go there for storage baskets (IKEA), stuff for the kids rooms (Next) and groceries (B&Q, only joking, Sainsburys). Harvey Norman has some really good offers on electricals, especially TV and DVD players. Too good actually - I saw the Samsung DVD player that I paid over £100 for at under £50. Raging as they say in Belfast. The next exciting instalment is a sports goods shop called Decathalon Sports which claims to sell quality running trainers for £9.99. It will be the first branch in Belfast so watch this space for an update.

I don't really understand why Holywood Exchange is getting such bad reviews. In terms of…read moreconvenience it's absolutely perfect. Located off the A2 and in close proximity it offers a great out of town shopping destination. It is split in to two sections and there's plenty of free parking. One section houses Sainsbury's and B&Q and the other is home to Decathlon, BHS, Costa Coffee, Subway, Harvey Norman and Next Home. There's also an Ikea that has its own multistory car park. This Ikea attracts plenty of plane spotters due to its proximity to the City Airport. As other have mentioned there are a few small negatives of Holywood Exchange - it's so vast that you may need to drive between shops. There's also a severe lack of ATM's on site apart from at Sainsbury's, which as mentioned is a trek from all the other shops. For this it has got to be 3 stars!

Spires Retail Park is an open air stretch of shops located on the Moy Road just outside central…read moreArmagh. It's easily accessible for both car drivers and pedestrians. A clean, tidy, well maintained retail park which is small with a good range of shops including Lidl, Marks & Spencer Simply Food, Heatons, Iceland, Argos, Sports Direct, Poundland and Peacocks. A Costa Coffee has recently opened too. There's free car parking but Spires is extremely popular so it can sometimes be difficult to get a parking space. I would advise visiting outside of peak times so you're best to go either early morning or late evening. I really like Spires and always find everything I need in it. Not a shopping centre I would travel a large distance from elsewhere to visit but for locals and tourists already in Armagh it's excellent.

This is a fairly small retail park, with quite a bit of variety. The M&S store is very small but…read moreit has all of the basic goods. There's also a costa coffee, if you need to take a break during your shopping. The only significant problem with this location is parking. The car park is too small and the haphazard parking of some drivers only compounds this problem.

Sadly more and more units have closed down here. But it still has the adidas shop. This means I…read morecan get my trainer fix and coffee fix at either Starbucks or Costa. So a win win for me.

I would give the location, car parking and idea a big 5 star, but because approximately half the…read moreunits are empty (I counted 25!!!!) I'm only giving it a 3 star. It's been over a year since I was here. There are only a handful of quality stores and they are worth visiting, as are a few eateries. Come on Junction One....Get better!!