The thing that really grabbed me about this place is that they actually have a section where there…read moreare market stalls. Look, honestly, shopping centres really don't come anywhere close to the charm of the main street, but they do have a purpose. Like many of the Westfields, you pretty much know what you are going to get here, though the issue that I had was that sometimes getting out in certain directions (such as a direction that doesn't involve the bus stop) requires you to maneuver your way through a car park, so yes, this place really isn't all that pedestrian friendly.

Garden City's not my local, but every now and then we drive there for a change of scenery. It's big…read moreand busy and has a different feel to some of the other Westfield's in Brisbane. Take the piazza area, for example; Dicey Riley's in the afternoons and evenings is always buzzing with loud and happy people taking in the afternoon sun in the beer garden; Toscani's al fresco dining is doing a roaring trade and the cinema is attracting a crowd. Inside, there are some places we don't see in the other centres, small one-off clothing boutiques and jewellery stores, and big box retailers like Toys R Us, so yep, Garden City's worth a visit every now and then just to keep up and make sure we're not missing out on anything.

If you're tired of screaming children, stalking drivers for a car park or fighting the crowds at…read moreWoolworths, then consider bypassing Westfield Garden City and heading across the road to The Village the next time you need to do the household shopping. The Village is a small shopping complex with a three level car park, medical centre, pharmacy, Coles, Bossy Hair and all your basic amenities. It's fast, fuss-free shopping. This is the place I go if I've forgotten an ingredient in the middle of cooking. It's so easy to get a park directly outside Coles and get out again within ten minutes. Plus this place has a hold on my heart that cannot be supplanted for another 7km radius. It is home to Baskin and Robbins with its classic pralines'n cream. The next closest B and R is at Greenslopes on Logan Road. For coffee drinkers, there's a decent Coffee Club here. This Coffee Club is a great meeting place for mums with young kids as there's plenty of space for prams and a relaxed atmosphere. For all you gym junkies, there's also the 24 hour gym Jetts in the complex. With something for everyone at this shopping mall, who needs Westfield Garden City anymore?

From the owner: The Village Upper Mount Gravatt gives you hassle free shopping with plenty of parking.read more

When this shopping plaza got renovated a few years ago, I was fearful it would become as popular as…read moreWestfield Garden City. This would be bad for two reasons. Firstly, at the time I was working in a pharmacy here so the last thing I wanted was more customers without an increase to my wage. Secondly, I loved being able to do my grocery shopping or even browse for gifts peacefully and without the queues. Thankfully, the renovations did not lead to a huge influx of customers, merely making the entire shopping experience more pleasant with its new, clean fit out and better car park facilities. For all your practical shopping requirements, there's a Woolworths, Target Terry White Chemist, post office and a medical centre. There's also a JP available here on Wednesday afternoons between 4pm -6pm. The shopping centre does lack specialty shops so it's not a great place to buy gifts. However this is a great place to take your kids because they have a lot of those toddler rides that take $1 or $2 coins. I learnt the hard way that toddlers just like to play in these things. They don't necessarily care for the ride. Having inserted $2 into a small car, I was a bit disappointed that my nephew was just as happy to chug along pretending to drive and didn't even notice when the time expired and the car had stopped vibrating. Keep this shopping plaza in mind the next time you need to run errands or around the Christmas season when you just want to avoid the crowds.

I am always on the lookout for a good deal and I'm sure a lot of people share this hunt with me…read more Although cheap dollar shops and rejects shops never have the best quality and most things are likely to break after a week, they still give me some excitement because I'm often amazed more than anything at what you can pick up for these low prices. For these reasons I often find that even if I'm not looking to buy anything I can't stay away from these shops. I was near Garden City in Mt Gravatt when I wondered across the road to the Overflow which had a whole bunch of storage containers outside for fewer than 20 dollars. I had to go and check it out so I walked in and was amazed at the sheer size of the place. It looked more like a ware house than a shop. This sadly was great news for me and I must have spent the next 30 min looking at everything from picture frames to tools to kitchen ware. This however hardly made a dent. I am definitely heading back there because its perfect for party supplies, storage solutions and more importantly silly gifts. I would recommend that people who love a deal go and check it out.

This place is a little pricey in comparison to the $2 shop - everything here is $2.80. Everything…read more Well, unless it's specified as being a little more expensive (such as a large Maneki Neko). It's not really the go-to shop for general household needs, as most of the stuff here is bordering on the bizarre. Such as tiny scrubbing brushes with smiley faces on the handle. Or equally as tiny toilet brushes (seriously, who has a loo that small?). But if you're a bit of a stationary and organisational fiend then this place will have you [cheaply] covered. It has everything from filing storage to an assortment of decorative pens, paper and tonnes of cute stickers. You just have to hunt it down through the plethora of strange items (pink plastic clips adorned in smiley faces which are used to carry hot plates, anyone?).

I don't really know what about this place led to the name 'Little Tokyo', apart from the fact that…read morea lot of their products are so bizarre that I had no idea what they were or could be used for, rather similar to my feelings of the many electronics shops in Ginza. The comparison ends there however, as this is a cheap little shop, similar to those that sell everything for $1, except here they've settled on the random price of $2.80. I'm not sure if I'm just incredibly ignorant, but I really did not know what half the stuff in this place was. Most of it appeared to be made of plastic, and most of it was in very strange shapes so that it was clear they served some specific purpose that would probably make my life a lot easier if I could comprehend them. However, they didn't seem to come with instructions so I'm not sure I'll ever be privy to their secrets. It was quite full of people, many of them making purchases, but to me it was a very odd shop.

There are a few places like this I've come across in Sunnybank. Little boutiques I discovered…read moreaccidentally, hidden among a crowd of less inviting shops, full of less interesting merchandise. Julia has done a great job with her collection; the store is a decent size and it's packed with loads of adorable dresses. Looking at the labels most of them are imported. The prices are average and while the quality of some of the garments strikes me as a little questionable (it's the vibe of the thing), it's a great store and one that I will certainly be returning to.

I'm writing this with trepidation because the last thing I want is for people to start shopping at…read morethe Eight Mile Plains Woolworths, emptying the shelves faster than they can be re-stocked, overcrowding it until it becomes just like all other Woolworths. So this isn't a check-this-out-its-awesome review, it's more of a gloat about finding a peaceful, fully stocked Woolworths with check-out chicks at the cash registers. Before I found this Woolworths in Warrigal Square, I was resigned to grocery shopping at 8:30 on a Tuesday or Wednesday night at Woolworths Garden City. This was the only time the aisles were relatively empty - no screaming children, no unusually wide people that took up the whole aisle, no twenty minutes wait at the check outs. Unfortunately, at this time a lot of the shelves were empty. Also management caught on to the fact that shoppers were waiting only five minutes at the check outs instead of the customary twenty and removed all check-out assistants around this time forcing people to use self check out. Shopping at the Warrigal Square Woolworths is like getting into a really exclusive night club. The facilities are new and clean, they never run out of food and best of all, there must be a limit on numbers. Even if I shop on a Saturday afternoon, there's hardly any queuing at the checkouts and I've never been rammed in the back by a trolley-rage mum trying to bust through. This Woolworths is about two degrees colder than any other Woolworths though so if you're going to shop here, bring a cardie.

The level of telephone service at this store is below pathetic. Phones are never answered. There IS…read moreNO customer support.

I'm a staunch believer in compartmentalisation. I even compartmentalise my vegetables and refuse to…read moreeat tossed salads. Therefore, you would think that Howards Storage World is my kind of place but sadly, this overpriced, disingenuous brand does nothing for me. Even if it's a case of function over design, they're still charging an arm and a foot for functionality. Take their overpriced coathangers as an example. I can just buy a standard pack from Kmart. Wine racks ? Bunnings or Ikea. Shower caddies ? Bunnings again. Jars and bottles for the kitchen? Ikea wins hands down. On my last visit, I did see an innovative stacking, transparent shoebox system which would have been perfect for a shoe fiend like me. But it was pricy - I'd much rather buy an extra pair of shoes for the same amount.

The ingenuity of the products Howard's carries is not in question; it's their prices that leave you…read morewondering and for this reason it gets marked down. I found myself browsing for quite a while but only walked out with a couple of $7 towel rails. You can pick up some cheap and nifty nick knacks that would make great Xmas stocking fillers but I tend to agree with other reviewers that outlets like Ikea and Bunnings probably offer better value for money, although Bunnings does not carry the same extensive space saving range of products.

Finally after years of indifference and wasting away, the owner of Sunny Park has injected money…read moreand fresh shops into this ghost shopping centre. Local residents have said for years that it was a shame for Sunny Park to be wedged between Market Square and Sunnybank Plaza yet have practically no tenants. I think the only thing keeping it afloat during those dark years was the Woolworths in the centre. Perhaps it was everyone using Sunny Park as a free car park for a night out at Market Square that finally roused the owner to action. Well, whatever the reasons Sunny Park is back with a vengeance. New shops, new fittings and a spanking new karaoke bar have transformed this derelict dump into an exciting shopping and dining experience. Nowadays, the neon lights from Newway Karaoke and Cucina of Italy beckon the young and hungry as they drive down McCullough Road. Parkland is the new Chinese restaurant by the same owners of Landmark, and offer late night yum cha. Top Hot Pot and Soman are also worth trying out. During the day, a brand new food court has cropped up with Korean, Turkish and Chinese fare. Plus for all your Chinese grocery needs, Fantastic Food is around the corner from Woolworths. Nowadays I do most of my grocery shopping here because of the easy undercover car park, plus it's fantastic having a Chinese grocery shop so close to Woolworths so I can top up both my Asian and Western pantry in one go. If you want easy, convenient shopping with lots of yummy food options, Sunny Park Shopping Centre is the place to go. NB: The official opening hours of the shopping centre doesn't reflect the opening hours of the restaurants or the Woolworths, Aldi and some of the individual shops.