Surman's is a menswear store near the more well stocked mall in New Lynn. With a mall almost…read moreentirely composed of well stocked fashion stores it begs the question of why I should go out of my way to this shop? The majority of clothes on stock are made for the larger sized male. The price is not reflective of the quality of ugly baroque patterned shirts and white suit combinations. The staff sat clearly in sight, smacking their lips during a lunchtime meal and ungraciously ignoring me. So I couldn't think of a good reason why you would want to go out of your way to visit this rather poorly organized store. Stick to the more mundane mall stores where at least you are guaranteed service.

I'm not usually in the market for buying men's clothes, but I have been in here a few times and am…read morea fan. The first time I was looking for the post office, which is theoretically on Great North Road but in reality isn't, and the kind chap who is the proprietor here gave me very good directions. I've also been in here with someone who did want to buy men's clothes, and again, the owner was very gracious and helpful. This is the sort of clothes shop where everything is good quality; most of it isn't absolutely cutting-edge fashion, but if you dressed exclusively from here, you'd be bound to be classically well turned out all the time. They can also tailor clothes here as well, and I'd bet that they do a good job at that too. I wish there were woman's clothes shops that were more like this place.

When I think of the word exhibitionist, I think of naked people. So it's weird to me that this…read morestore stocks clothes among other things. I don't know, there's just something about this store that really doesn't appeal to me. It may just be all the incense and candles and crap, coupled with some pretty fugly outfits. There was just nothing that really caught my eye and that would set this store apart from millions of other crafty/homewares sorts of shops. Can't say anything about the service because the lady was so engrossed in whatever she was doing that my presence in the store wasn't even acknowledged. Some of the home-ware items are actually alright but not anything that you would go out of your way to come to this mall solely for. It's one of those places that stocks all its nicest stuff in the window to lure you in, and once you are in, you have to wonder, "Is this it?"

Exhibitionist is a great shop that I mainly frequent for gifts, however I have also bought some…read moreunique brightly coloured items for the house and I am tempted to purchase some of the lovely (also brightly coloured) clothing for women and men, such as the long sleeved cotton shirts, that little bit hippy but essentially practical. Actually the jewellery is stunning too, ample silver with encrusted gems, good competition for all the loyal Third Eye customers! The staff have consistently been friendly and helpful when I have been in and always ready to assist if need be, however there may be a slight line up, they do good trade. The prices are reasonable to high end, depending on what you are after. Plus this isn't a 'plastic' shop, (find that next door, literally), the items are quality. Relative to some of the more upper class suburbs in Auckland, the prices are fine. It is easy to find if you are coming in the New Lynn Mall entrance facing Great North Road, they have the prime street window display.

As far as Hospice Shops so I like to frequent them, I like to donate clothes to them and I like…read morewhere the profits go, to Hospice. More than one family member of my extended family has used the service of Hospice and we appreciate the amazing work this organization does. So as far as Blockhouse Bay Hospice Shop goes, this is a lovely one. Very room inside where the racks aren't too cluttered. I liked the bargain boxes outside and had a good rifle through them on this hot afternoon. Prices are right, cheap, and there is loads of stuff here, clothes, nick nacks, household effects, shoes, pet gear, you name it and the best thing is that there is always a different bargain to find because that's just the ever changing nature of op shops. Thanks to the hard working, really friendly volunteers who man these shops too!

What a beauty little hospice with two areas of home decor stuff, crafty things, a small kids…read moresection, men's women's and kids clothes, frames and pictures and more. Located on the main drag in Blockhouse Bay township it's easy to get to. Parking is out front if you're lucky or nearby. Did I mention the ladies in there are dolls who seem to enjoy volunteering there and are very happy to converse about the weather and life in general. What a wonderful addition to Blockhouse Bay and long it may live. Feel free to donate anytime. :)

I have been into the Salvation Army Red Shield Shop in Avondale several times, to donate and to…read moreshop. The staff have consistently been helpful and friendly. The prices are really good - I am almost tempted to keep such a gem a secret, but profits are going to charity, so I better not! There are sales occasionally but they don't really need too - the prices are so good already. They have a few racks of men's and children's clothing, but by far it is for women, and I have even spotted (and bought) traditional Indian attire. The turn over of clothing seems pretty consistent too. The place is a bit hot and stuffy, but several fans are generally placed around the place to make it bearable. They also sell a few household pieces of crockery and glassware, that stuff doesn't turn over so fast.

I understand this is a thrift shop but what we don't need is really krappy service from the staff…read more I was waiting to be served but had to wait for the staff member on the phone who was on the phone talking about a late payment on a bill she had. I mean really. Using the phone in the shop to catch up on your bills. Is there a reason why the changing room has so much boxes in it? Shop is finally tidy now, not like in the past. Prices are good.

This op shop would have to be in my list of top 3! I found out today that they were previously in…read morePonsonby, then K Road, now in Avondale, but looking for new premises again. I hope they don't move too far away where ever they go! The woman behind the counter has always been really friendly, chatty and helpful when I have been in. They have a long rack of children's clothes for those with youngsters, a decent range of men's wear (generally x-large though), lots of women's clothes, books in an organised fashion, some great crockery (I have bought some matching vases) and glassware. The best bit really is that it is the most affordable I have seen in Auckland. Not only do they have a $1 rack out the front with decent enough clothes, but they also have on offer 50C containers of clothes (children's and adults). It offers prices that most of us would expect to pay for second hand. This isn't me being stingy, this is me being practical - these charity second hand shops support the needy and they sell to those of us who struggle to fill a wardrobe with brand new clothes. Keep up the good work guys!

This is quite a good little op shop, with very reasonable prices. They have a fair selection of…read morewomen's clothing and a small selection of mens, for about $4 an item. They do tend to err towards the elderly fashions, though. A great selection of sewing patterns and a bin of sewing remnants, HEAPS of furniture, lots of kitchen appliances, crockery, glasses, etc. Definitely some good bargains to be had!

This is a neat store. Fairly large. Has a wide variety of items to offer. Pricing is very…read moreaffordable. They have furniture, clothing, books, games, CD's, DVD's, bric-a-brac, homewares, tools...and renovation items such as a kitchen bench. Park you car outside the store. Will be back

I find Farmers department store better for its clothes than it's household items - if you want…read moresomething for your house/flat at a reasonable price then Briscoes is your man. Stevens do good deals in their yellow sticker sales and Farmers in Henderson mall contain a Stevens shop so there is a big selection to choose from. As I was saying, I think they are better value for clothes as I bought a new suit and shirt and tie in their 40% off sale before xmas. The whole combo only worked out at about $240 and trousers and jacket were of good quality and will hopefully last for a while. Farmers also caters to some of the bigger men as you can get XL, XXL and XXL sizes which is not often the case in some of the trendier mens boutiques.

Farmers is an all out sort of store. You can get a little…read moreof everything here. Like household items and clothing and cosmetics and so forth. This specific farmers has really gotten a do up recently. It has a whole new layout and the bottom floor specifically has a great outlook now. It is totally open spaced and light and bright and airy. There is a really inviting atmosphere there which is nice and a perfect change from before when it was all dark and gloomy. The staff are nice and very helpful when you can find them. It is a big store and sometimes it can be a little bit hard to find the right person to help you, let alone a person.

I decided to check out Rosies because I just loved the intricately croched and crafted signage…read moreoutside the front door. Actually you need to take the steep stairs to reach this second hand shop. If vintage is what you are after, you will find it here in Heather's store, named after her daughter Rosie. The shelves are jam packed with an eclectic mix of vintage and retro gear for men and women. There is a good representation of the best of the 70s, 80s, and some label clothing including Trelise Cooper as well as leading labels. Prices for these well worn and pre-loved clothes are reasonable, lots in the $10 to $20 range. If you love to wear something unique, pre-washed and one of a kind then pop into Rosies.

I used to love Rosies so much. Was my favourite op shop in Glen Eden and I would make special trips…read moreto Glen Eden just to come to Rosies, every weekend in fact. Not only was the selection of clothes here far better than other shops, I loved the store and how it was set up and I loved the service you'd get when you came here. Walk up the steep stair case and you'll find the little marvellous shop. These days Rosies is still great, but the selection of clothes has gone far more hippy-ish, which is great, but not my style. And I've found it is a lot more expensive than it once was, but still affordable. Rosies used to buy your clothes as well, but I'm not sure if they still do that.