Postie at Hunters Plaza Papatoetoe is an excellent store for winter clothes…read more good quality and affordable

Once you step inside this Postie, you won't want to stay. But trust me, turn to the right, walk ten…read morepaces, and hidden treasure will be revealed! Like a few of the shops in Panmure, this Postie store has a bit of a run down feeling to it. I'm being polite here. The vast majority of the floor space is taken up with really cheap (read: nasty) clothing. The good stuff is the makeup, toiletries and hair accessories that are on your right when you walk in. Most notably, there's Maybelline, Revlon, Miki, and, Rimmel at incredibly low prices. Most of the eyeshadows were $8 per palette, and you could pick up a nice mascara for $10-$15. There was even foundation reduced by more than half, as well as Manicare accessories from $2, plus a decent range of brand name hair dyes, soaps, deodorants, along with a lot of nailpolishes and makeup from less familiar brands. Definitely worth a look in to stock up!

Second Debut has long been a great preloved clothing shop, and happily it was recently taken over…read moreby the very lovely Mary and Harriet, who have given it a new boost of energy. You have to come here next time you're in this part of town. I'd say it's even worth a special trip if you're serious about your preloved clothes shopping, or if you want to have some clothes sold on commission for you. Second Debut focuses on the mid to upper end of preloved clothes - its not all very high end, but you won't find cheap clothes in here. It's more like quality over quantity here. The new owners alos seem to have brought more of a fashion focus to the shop, which is great. Aside from women's clothing, they have a well-edited range of handbags, jewellery, and shoes. I never walk out empty handed!

For 12 years I was happy to buy American food and things like toothpaste with peroxide and baking…read moresoda not otherwise available in NZ from Martha's. During those 12 years one of the owners frequently went to America to buy the stock. And for many years they got special orders for me. But ever since the pandemic they have lost the plot. They refused to accept special orders and their shelves rarely offer me what I want. I have repeatedly asked them to figure out a new method of getting their supplies which they refuse to do. How they stay in business is a mystery without desirable stuff to buy. They're old and no longer seem to give a damn. I find it remarkable that they stay in business. Not worth the trip.

Ever have the feeling of giddiness as an adult, that makes you say 'get ahold of yourself now?' But…read moreyou can't and your smile is ear to ear. Well that's what Martha's Backyard did to me. I was instantly hit with Americana as the doors spread open for me. No need to trouble yourself with pushing a door American, here let me automatically open for you. Star! Since the owner was clearly using her consumer... ahem marketing skills, the first sight upon entering was a stock pile of Stars & Stripes regalia. All that was needed was the Star Spangled Banner playing in the background. Independence Day is only a few days away, so stock up. Martha's Backyard which of course is a play on words, (think Martha's Vineyard) has many American culinary favorites from candies, seasonings, sauces, cereals, beverages and snacks. I walked out with Cholula, Louisiana Hot Sauce, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, a pack of Lawry's Taco seasoning, mini Butterfingers and 2 boxes of Cap'N Crunch cereal for under $40.00. Not a bad price for imported happiness.

As a blogger I come across different blogs from around the world. On twitter I have met fellow…read morebloggers and the majority of them are in Australia. I always saw cute pieces from Colette by Colette Hayman and after doing some googling I learnt that there wasn't a store in Auckland or New Zealand. No surprise there. So when I went to Sylvia Park with my friend to look for his mum's present and saw the Colette by Colette Hayman store I started screaming. I said oh heeelll naaw walked back and walked again to show that it was real. I walked in and it felt good. It got better that the prices were so affordable. Rings were around $8-14 and earrings starting from $4. I walked around, tried half the rings in the shop and left with two big rings and two pairs of earrings.

My girlfriend bought a travel bag from here, the zip broke about the third time she used it, before…read moreshe had had a chance to travel with it. I went with her to get a refund or replacement. What an ordeal! I must of heard the phrase "But our store policy is {insert policy that fails to meet the consumer guarantees act}" at least five times. After 20 minutes of haggling and the apparent violation of every clause in their "store Policy" they finally complied with the CGA and gave the refund. What a joke. It's a wonder sellers can still get away with having "store policies" that openly flout the CGA. I hate to imagine how many less assertive customers they've swindled out of meeting their CGA legal obligations with.

Desiree is a magical place - I love this store because of the big, heavy curtaining that drapes…read morefrom the ceiling in the main room, giving an added amount of theatre to the costume hiring process. I love how the people who work there are always dressed up too - I wonder if working at a costume hireage place is one of the more fun basic retail jobs you can do. I wouldn't mind being a witch one day and Pippi Longstockings the next. I've been to Desiree a few times now, but one particular experience sticks in my mind. I rented the truly ridiculous "woodland fairy" outfit for a weekend in Wellington with friends, and in my hungover haze, forgot to pack the wings on the way home. Desiree's staff members were very patient with me, allowing me to return the wings via courier without penalising me for my lateness. They had an opportunity to come down on me with a late penalty but clearly understood that mistakes do happen. Thanks, Desiree!

This place is excellent. Myself and two friends hired costumes for a Movie/TV themed 21st and they…read morewere great. A Commando type get-up, a Bugsy Malone, and an Oompa Loompa... Yep, I was the Oompa Loompa. Staff were cool to deal with, heaps to choose from, and prices were crazy affordable and looked awesome. Was recommended by mates that have been before and Desiree didn't disappoint. Highly recommend!!!

This may sound a bit weird but this store smells so good; just like new store smell. FCO in Mt…read morewellington is absolutely massive! There is nowhere else you need to go for fishing, camping and other outdoor equipment. If these guys haven't got it, then it doesn't exist. The fishing section is amazing, shitloads of rods, shitloads of reels and everything in between. Sean, the fishing specialist in there is such a nice guy and really really helpful. My friend was wanting to buy a new surfcasting rod, and Sean was happy to spend probably about 20 minutes going through all the different models, discussing the pros and cons, as well as answering all questions that we threw at him. He obviously knows what he's talking about and is quite an experienced fisherman. He offered to spool the newly purchased rod and we were off, with less cash in our pockets but priceless knowledge.