tools. paint. gardening. gear. you name it jaz has it. going there now for some picture frames…read more alan.

This shop is amazing. That's solely down to Jaz and his wife who own the place and are also the…read moreonly people who you'll find working there. When I lived in Victoria Park I would always pop in and see Jaz on my way home from uni. He always recognised me and had something to chat about. He sells everything you'd expect to find in a discount store - 4 cans of pop for £1, chocolate bars, laundry baskets, clothes airers, Christmas decorations, pens, notebooks, loo roll.... I've actually bought all of the aforementioned goodies here and they are of surprisingly good quality. I bought a dirty washing basket from here for £1 in 2005 and it's still going strong! On more than one occasion Jaz has offered to pick me and my friends whatever we wanted up from the cash and carry and he's even requested our advice on pricing. Once he asked me how much I'd be willing to pay for a horrid talking Christmas tree. Not wanting to offend him, I told him I'd pay £5, which I think was a bit ambitious. Top marks to Jaz for providing an excellent level of customer service for the local students and families in the otherwise deserted Vicky Park.

Wow Big Discount - a super cool, ultra mega pound shop down on the main Levy strip. You can see why…read morebiz's like Woolworths went out of business with the unstoppable roll out of the pound shops over the past couple of decades. This place has everything you could need from food and drink (tinned and canned mainly), toiletries, cleaning equipment and household items such as batteries and cables for every occasion and household need - all at low low prices! If you're in the area - Levy antiques village is worth a look at and Trove/POD are great for food and drinks!

i love this store it has everything for low prices and they are sooooooo kind and helpful!!!!! i…read moreneeded candles and sweets for a birthday party and it was past thier closing time yet they still let me in whilst everyother place was closed. i am superrr grateful and definitly recommend!!!!!!!!!!

Agreed, this place is ridiculous. Even if everything inside was one pound, as is advertised by the…read moregiant signs, it would still constitute an absolute rip off. This shop will suit you if: (i) You want a 'designer' watch that weighs less than a piece of paper and doesn't tell the time. (ii) You want to see all the worst films ever made in one big pile with no organizing nonsense such as alphabetizing or chronologizing principles. (iii) You are just too calm and want to get stressed out fast. If you don't fit this criteria (you'd be surprised how busy this establishment is) then stay away. Perhaps it would do for a joke present or two, but little else.

This shop annoys me because:…read more 1) It always has 'closing down' signs, but never actually closes 2) It advertises using huge '£1' signs in the window, but hardly anything in there is actually £1 3) It blares horrible loud music out onto Market Street The best deal I spotted in there was a Rubix Cube for £1, but apart from that you can buy awful fluorescent knitwear, dodgy watches, rubbish DVDs, ugly chinaware and snuggle blankets. The signs outside say proclaim that it is going out of business, so hopefully the shop will turn into something useful or cool, but I have a feeling it will remain a terrible cheap shop for years to come. If you want something decent for a quid, then you'd be better off heading to Pound Empire or Quality Save.

I ADORE this shop! I'm a sucker for designer bags (don't judge me..) but can't always afford to get…read morethem new, designer exchange sells pre loved bags and accessories at a fraction of the original price. Some of the bags are literally as good as new. The older the collection the cheaper the price usually (unless it's Chanel...of course). I'm not bothered about the 'latest season' look, I look for quality, design and craftsmanship so this place is heaven for me. They also buy directly from customers. All bags are checked for authenticity so you can rest assured you're buying a genuine item. The staff couldn't be nicer, and they're not pretentious or overbearing so I often just go in for a browse without any pressure to buy. Golden purchase - a hand embroided, leather Dior bag. As good as new. Originally sold for $1700, bought for £90. Can I get a hallelujaH?!

A Costco for locals if you will, without the need to scoff up membership fees. Stuff is cheap here,…read morewholesale price! And you don't even have to buy in huge bulks! In fact if you're hosting a party and you stumble in here, you're guaranteed to be in kid in a candyshop mode big time! 24 cans of Pepsi Max for a fiver? No problem! Fresh fruit? No problem! You could probably do a month's worth of shopping in daylight robbery like prices. What's more, if you're a raging foodie like me and LOVE eastern cuisine, the place is choc-a-bloc with herbs and spices you won't find anywhere else. Believe me, I've tried! Much like Tesco, they also have a huge frozen food/ refrigerated section where you can buy everything from all sorts of fish and meat to cakes and ice cream (LOTS of ice cream!) My fav section is the savoury and sweet section where they have a huge selection of different types of biscuits and snacks that'll make you the envy of all your friends at a dinner party! All in all if you love cooking (especially Asian cuisine) and hosting, this place is a God send! The variety of herbs and spices on sale will set your imagination and saliva glands racing!

From the owner: Specialist supplier of food and packaging to the takeaway cafe and restaurants…read more Bespoke packaging suppliers to the fast food takeaways.

Fantastic place. You never know what bargains you will find! Got a Harveys sofa for a fraction of…read morethe price. Very impressed! Also loads of branded tools and some gorgeous pet beds. Got some kitchen tiles for £1.50 a box aswell (pilkington) Recommended to all.

Furniture stores are few these days as big chains are in charge more or less. This shop though has…read moregrown from strength to strength. It offers all sorts of furniture to customers and is very popular to locals as it is cheap and unique furniture. If you don't want to follow the herd and go to IKEA then this is your perfect find. It really is great!

From the owner: We are an independent retailer specialising in home furnishings and bathroom products. Good quality…read moreluxury at affordable prices.

Yet another shop in Levenshulme that is painted bright yellow! I just don't get it. Well I do…read morereally. It is quite eye-catching. But it's also very yellow! Pound Choice Plus is yet another one of those mega cheap shops that sells random tat. Half of which is mega useful and cheap. The other half of which is totally pointless but also cheap. This shop has all of the important useful stuff, like piles of cheap loo roll, washing powder, cosmetics and tools. The shop is light and airy too, which is a welcome change to other dingy pound stores. What I always love about these places is that there are some hidden gems to be found that almost make you laugh out loud. My personal favourite in Pound Choice Plus is the "Elegant Drinking Glass Chess Set." Which now I think about it could actually become an amazing drinking game. Hold on, I think I'm going to back and buy the thing.

Walking into this Poundstretcher in Salford, which is part of the Regent Road Retail Park, could…read moreeasily be mistaken for a Costco at first glance, it just feels like a warehouse, and while not as big as a Costco, the selection is still OK for sure with a mixture of good reasonably priced items and useless tat, you'd expect to find in a pound-shop. The store was mostly clean, only one of the end aisles seemed dirty and cluttered, which is better than some. I wouldn't say there were any real pricing, with many of their items easily at a similar price within the retail park, it is worth a look around but it's nothing to get that excited about. The staff were despondent but polite. I do prefer Home Bargains next store in terms of overall selection, which also seems to have similar pricing, but this store isn't a bad alternative at all. 3*

Ah, and so the Yelposphere is a place of warm welcoming hugs when one returns from a two week…read morehiatus to visit parental units in foreign climes and attend winter weddings in Wales. It's nice to be home. And home I returned to, in between said trip to foreign climes and journey to Wales, for one night only, which inexplicably was when I decided to makeover my apartment. It wasn't even New Year yet. What the frick was wrong with me? For all the times I've told people that I'm OCD-organised, there are moments of pure spontaneity in my life. I think it must be the fact that there's a very creative side to me. Anyway, disillusioned by months of nagging the BF to 'buy a drill, put the curtain poles up, you're the man, these are your responsibilities', I abandoned by post-feminist reactionist ways and contemplated whether or not there was a way to mount this curtain pole WITHOUT the use of a drill. As it turned out, there was. (I must add I got these curtain poles for free when somebody in the block had discarded them by the bin. Thrifty? ME?) It was a success. But again, spontaneous. Prepared I was not. I actually needed some curtains. And where to trundle? To my beloved Regent Retail Park, that ultimate homeware panacea. I'd only ventured into Poundstretcher once since it became so-named for masses of Chrimble cards and decorations costing mere pennies. I swear, even if I ever have access to millions of squillions of pounds, I will never buy designer decorations. It's the principle of the thing, isn't it. Poundstretcher, formerly InStore, alongside Home Bargain is one of my ultimate favourite budget shops. It sells furniture, cupboard foods, sweets, treats, under-the-sink essentials, bathroom stuff, household goods, homeware of EVERY possible variety, pet goods and clothes for kids as well as toys, all at ridiculously low prices. I'm planning on buying a very comfortable office chair from there for £39 for example, and there are even computer desks and dining tables. I've had bathmats from here, lampshades, cushions, and of course curtains. They cost me £10 and have done the job splendidly. Believe it or not, they're nice too. There's a fridge full of cold fizzy drinks which is one thing Home Bargain severely lacks, and it contains my Holy Grail of beverages, sugar free fizzy Vimto. I could live off that stuff. I'm like Kel of Kenan and Kel fame when he goes completely plonky over orange soda. Back to the original point though, and it's amazing what a few new bits and bobs can do for your apartment. My abode now looks more homely and cosy than ever before, and I didn't break the bank. Thanks, Poundstretcher.