I live in the U.S. but have dear family that just moved to New Zealand earlier this year. The…read morecouple just had another baby boy and my hubby and I wanted to do something special for them instead of just sending cash via post mail. We found The Warehouse and it looked to be like a Walmart or Target. They have gift card options in values of $25, $50, and $100. So, we bought a couple of Warehouse gift cards and requested them to be delivered to our family in Mt. Albert. They received the gift cards the next day and were very delighted! Although I've never been to The Warehouse yet.. their customer service is definitely top notch if they're able to deliver their products sooner than scheduled. They also enclosed it in a gift envelope which had our personalized message on it.

No matter where you go in this world, there's one thing that doesn't change -The Mall. Money has…read morethe ability to make everyone the same, if you have it. The Starbucks here doesn't do the App rewards but there is free wi-fi, which is great if you're googling the Foreign exchange rate so you know what you're supposed to get at the banks or exchange stores. Compared to American Malls this place is pretty average.But I really love the fact that at the food courts here - you can leave your tray and rubbish on the tables and the attendant will take care of it for you. The Movie theatre here is a great place to waste time.

Westfield St Lukes is a cross between hell and that stair scene from the end of The Labyrinth…read more Actually, it's so bad that having a tights-wearing David Bowie chasing you around be something of a relief. It would at least add an element of intrigue to what is otherwise a long march along the bright fluorescent corridor to a brain aneurysm. Do not go here if you want to buy the following things: 1. Interesting things. 2. Good things. Also the parking is terrible.

I literally want to buy EVERYTHING in this store! BLOC is a collaboration of a number of cool…read moredesigners - kind of like a mini department store. There's beautiful, beautiful homewares, WORLD Beauty, fashion labels and even a cafe. I would even go as far as to say that BLOC has made me excited about christmas present shopping. Granted it's not the cheapest but some labels are more affordable than others (Citta, Father Rabbit) and thankfully, we have a small family!

BLOC is a super stylish department store w Citta design and Father Rabbit downstairs and Peppin…read more(children's clothing), 8 paws (dog clothing) and collected upstairs. There's also a delicious cafe in case you work up an appetite. I was lucky enough to go to one of the Bloc's special shopping nights with wine and cheese as well as discounts and goodie bags. As a marketing exercise, it worked. I explored the Blocs offerings fully and I now know where to go to get that gift for someone that is hard to buy for. The wide variety of things for the home, for the inner self and for the fur baby ensures that The Bloc will solve the gift problem.

Flying Saucers is such a cool little gift store. In the midst of all the crap you can buy in a mall…read moreit's a place with really high quality novelty gifts and some nice jewelry too. But it does come with a price. It's quite an expensive store and even things that are kind of disposable (like novelty bachelorette/bachelor night stuff etc) are sold at a premium price. But it's actually one of the very few places where you can find different, fun stuff. I really like their greeting cards too, there are quite a few funny novelty ones and they're always a bit of a laugh to look through. If you're trying to find a fun gift for someone who's hard to shop for or one of those people who kind of have everything they need, this is the shop to go to.

It's kind of ridiculous, but I love $2 shops. This is technically not a $2 shop because it sells…read morethings priced above and below $2, which is kind of stupid, but I love it anyway. The place is pretty massive, it has aisles that are alphabetized for ease of search, but there's so much stuff in there that you wouldn't even know where to start. For example, $2 disposable yellow raincoats. Amazing. $7 '*insert name here* PARKING ONLY' signs to stick outside your house for laughs. $2 caps. $2 angry birds keyrings. $3 packs of bubble wrap, self-sealing envelopes. Dare you to go in there and not find something to buy. Service was super friendly.

Definitely my favourite dollar store in Auckland, such a huge selection of really great stuff, good…read moreparking and really friendly staff. They have an amazing selection of fake flowers here which look really good and aren't a rip off like the ones in home décor stores. I always buy my fake eyelashes from here too, really good selection and again really great looking and fab quality. My boyfriend likes their selection of lighters here, especially their Zippo inspired ones! It's part of the shopping complex on the corner of Valley and Dominion Rd so it's got great free parking (always deserves a mention). Such an amazing kids toy section here too they even have beautiful hand painted maracas for $2 and they would make such great gifts. I also always buy my pet paraphernalia from here too they have doggie poop bags that are pink with paws on them...so cool as well as pet bowls, leads and toys! Love this shop to death.

This is another of my local "dollar" stores and it's a goodie. Sharing the space with the Lotto…read moreshop is mainly gift and household items with this being my choice for $3 and $4 sunglasses. They always have the latest shapes and colours and they are UV certified. I also buy a lot of picnicware here - you can set yourself up with plastic platters, plates and cups really cheaply and apart from the cutlery I re-use everything so it's not too hard on the planet. The greeting cards here are good too - just read your message carefully first, there might be a hilarious but inappropriate typo! Like most of the businesses I frequent around Balmoral, the family that run this place are lovely. I feel sorry for them being right next to Jack's Bar and the TAB (two reviews you will NOT read from me) but they seem to cope ok.

U-Mart could be just another Asian "stuff" store but it's not. It's actually full of some really…read moreuseful items, as well as the usual cheapies. I think its location next to Three Kings Countdown and Medical Centre really helps - its become the place I go when running errands and need a random household item, new nail polish colour (this happens more than you would think), Halloween costume item etc. It's a BIG space and quite well laid out as far as these kinds of shops go. There is a huge clothing area at the back, shoes all the way along one wall, bags on the back wall and curtains on the front wall. In between you'll find everything mentioned above plus party supplies, craft stuff, stationery, toys, hardware, make-up, toiletries, perfumes, wallets.... and on and on. While not fabulous quality, it's not bad and I've been surprised how long things I've bought from here have lasted. Bring the kids here with their pocket money and you'll find something for everyone.

A small shop just off Dominion Rd with a multitude of stockings and "exotic shoes". I popped in to…read morehave a look and was eagerly greeted by the lady in the shop who was sure to show me where I could find the shop floor model of the stockings I was looking at. It's a tiny place so you feel like you can't really browse with the - I'm sure well-intentioned - hawk-eyes of the shop assistant. She was friendly enough but I can't stand being watched while I shop. There seems to be a good selection of novelty stockings, by which I mean different patterns which you might not find at your standard department store. There's also a number of other items such as headbands, shoes and socks. Find all your cutesy Asian-esque foot fashion here.

Citta is every home lover's dream. In fact, I don't own a home and it's still one of my favourite…read morehome decor shops. French provincial furnishings, bedding and lovely knick-knacks, Citta inspires grand designs and grand ideas for redecorating! Whether you are looking for a nice throw for your couch or bed, plush towels, elegant chests and coffee tables or a fabulous centrepiece, Citta will have you well and truly covered. Everything in the store has a really fresh, innovative feel about it. You can just imagine how beautiful the items would be in your own home, however it's also a great place to buy gifts for others. Mothers and in-laws in particular would love anything Citta has to offer. The outlet store makes Citta products very affordable, while maintaining a really high standard of quality. Highly recommended!

First port of call for gift ideas is Citta Outlet store in Mt Eden. This warehouse space is filled…read morewith a selection of modern and very stylish household gear ranging from linens to platters, crystal to stuffed toys. If you want to kit out a new home or apartment this is where to come. You'll find towels, robes, bath mats and rubbish bins. For the dining room table you are also spoilt for choice with their range of dinner plates, crystal glasses, flutes, wine glasses and tumblers. They have table runners, table cloths and place mats. Pick up a bean bag here or an interesting funky shick picture frame. My purchase, a breezy scarf which on these warm nights doubles as a shawl.