If you're looking for a bargain and a great day of shopping then Dressmart is the place for you!…read more Dressmart is a mall that houses over 100 stores and offers up to 70% off the normal retail price, all year round. No need to wait for end of season sales to be able to spend up large! My last trip to Dressmart I was looking for work clothes and ended up buying three dresses, a blouse, and a singlet top for $60 - a feat that just wouldn't happen anywhere else. However, my real find of the trip was the chunky wedge sandals I found in Glassons. Down from $59.99, I ended up purchasing them for $10, and when I took them to the counter found out accessories were buy one get one free, so ended up walking away with a great black flower hairclip for free as well! Talk about a happy shopper! Though predominantly a clothing outlet, Dressmart also houses eateries, sports shops, shoe shops, health and beauty stores and book stores. The only thing that is missing is a jewellery store, but when you're saving so much money on everything else I guess paying full price for jewellery isn't so bad! Located near Auckland transport stations and with lots of customer parking and a free shuttle service operating Monday-Friday between the mall and Auckland CBD, despite being in Onehunga Dressmart is easily accessible.

You can get some real bargains here I've found. I love my Nike running shoes and shorts which I…read moregot from the Nike shop. The shorts were about $30 and the shoes, I think were not much over $100 and are so comfortable. Since I've had them, I've kept up regular running which is an achievement! My flatmate also got a really good new outfit for a wedding at Working Style and saved a lot of money on good quality clothes. The service here was also excellent. Also Dress smart Onehunga is home to the only outlet shop for Peter Alexander in New Zealand! Dress Mart really is the place to visit if you want to save money on branded items. It gets really busy on weekends though, so either be prepared, or come early. Sometimes I find myself getting a bit disoriented inside trying to find a particular shop, but that might just be me!

Dom from Rebel Sport, Wairau Park is a fountain of knowledge where sports shoes are concerned. My…read moredaughter needed a new pair of trainers and Dom was able to help, providing us with much needed advice. My daughter walked away confident in the knowledge that she'd purchased an awesome pair of shoes that fitted perfectly. Thanks Dom for your expertise. We will be back in the future all thanks to you. Cheers, Sue and Sophie

Whenever I need sporting goods or clothing I seem to end up at this particular Rebel Sport in…read moreWairau Park. It's a decent enough size to have everything you need, without being too big to even attempt wading through. The layout of the store seems fairly straightforward and I usually find what I need with little effort. Rebel Sport is similar to Briscoes in many ways in that you'd be silly to pay full price for anything in-store - there is ALWAYS a sale of some sort on so wait until they have 25% off storewide or better! No point paying more for something when it'll likely be half price come the weekend. There is adequate parking and although it gets busy on the weekends it's still worth a visit.

This is by far my favorite outdoor gear shop in Auckland. It's independently owned and the people…read morewho work here really care about their business and know their stuff. I bought a tramping backpack here after much hemming and hawing and trying every pack at every shop in Auckland. What I loved about this place was how not pushy they were, how willing to suggest things in every price range (though honestly they don't stock merchandise they don't believe in), and when they could see I was undecided, they were happy to have me go away and come back when I was sure, AND they offered me a small discount, which was enough to woo me away from buying my bag overseas and having it shipped to me. They care about selling you good, sustainable options that will keep you in good gear for a long time. They'll order for you if they don't have something in stock that you want, and they rent gear if you're not quite ready to commit (or you're visiting). Bottom line - good quality stuff, amazing service, get in there and get outdoors!!

Stirling Sports Queen Street has potential. Really, it does…read more Convenient, central location, sale prices that one can (mostly) afford and a decent stock of sportswear without having to travel outside the CBD. BUT....the customer service (!!!). When I asked some questions about a product in store, one of the employees literally just looked at me and shrugged. She *did* attempt to ask her colleague but apparently he didn't know either - and that was that. No, "let me look that up for you" ; "I don't know but I will ask XXXX from our other branch", or even "Can you leave your number and I'll get back to you?" Nope. Ziltch. Nothing. Nada. Yeah, not impressed.

I used to think it was outrageous to spend $125 on yoga pans, but that was before I bought myself a…read morepair of Lululemon's Wunder Under Pants. I know what you're thinking - "I could get 4 (maybe 5) x pair of spankies from Cotton On for that price or even 2 pairs of Nikes" - and you'd be right but the quality of these bad boys is like no other. Firstly the material is incredibly breathable without being see-through. Secondly, they don't fall down when you run or god forbid, your trainer makes you do burpies. Lastly and perhaps, most importantly they're unbelievably comfortable! I am yet to purchase any other items from their range but I've got to say, I finally get what all the fuss is about. One final note - the service is outstanding. They have designated 'pant experts' who man the pant wall and run you through your options. They also put your name on the dressing room so the staff can ask by name if there's anything you need.

Is one of my favourite stores to shop for anything to do with the outdoor. I love that Kathmandu…read moreTakapuna has everything from clothing, to shoes, tents, and sleeping bags, baby carriers, baby clothes, and so many cool accessories and knick knacks for your outdoor adventures. A visit to Kathmandu for me cannot be complete without spending a good hour roaming the store, looking at the sales items, and fining out the latest gadgets for camping. The cheerful and helpful staff make your shopping experience a memorable one, even though the staff may not know completely everything about every single product in store, they make you feel like they do or want to learn more about it anyway. If you join up as a member for a small fee, you are kept in the loop of the latest sales, and also get sent a catalogue once every few months. I really think Kathmandu staff are a really active and positive bunch and always enjoy my time in store.

I would like to mention the great service which I recieved whilst shopping here. I was preparing…read morefor a backpacking holiday, the kind of thing which Kathmandu caters for beautifully. The lady who was working asked me a few questions about what I planning for, she then walked me around the store showing me what she thought might be helpful. I ended up buying quite a lot stuff, and she managed to negotiate a bit of a bargain. Somehow or another I got my compact windproof unbrella for free, and she signed me up for the Kathmandu club, which actually cost me money, but resulted in an overall saving.

There's this bright pink sign catching your attention on Cascades Road, which immediately signals…read morethis is no mechanic shop along a busy industrial district. What a Girl Wants is a second hand store, but packed with top quality bits and pieces. There are bags, clothes, shoes, books, furniture and ornaments, all geared towards the classy women of East Auckland. I thoroughly enjoyed having a browse, and picked up a nice singlet for a whopping $2! It's next to a coffee place and also an antique store, so your vintage tastes can be quenched, along with a nice spot of coffee afterwards. You can just park on the gravel outside, which is really handy. The shop assistant was friendly enough, and the way things are set out is really eye catching. It's awesome to see some creative thought going into the layout of a thrift store, considering most of the time, you have to rummage to find anything particularly useful. Here, it's all on display, in order of size and product. Good stuff.

What a Girl Wants would be a solid four star shop if it weren't for the staff…read more The two times I've been in I've wanted to stay longer, they have some amazing bargains and a very well organised shop, and overall the quality of their stock is excellent. The problem is, the two ladies who work there were very, very loudly talking politics both times I went in. As there's a dance school directly above them, it's fair enough that they need to raise their voices a little to be heard. But maybe don't stand on opposite sides of the shop? Or don't go on loudly about how much you dislike beneficiary bludgers who just sit around all day doing nothing. I mean, you're running a second hand shop, people...perhaps put two and two together and come up with four?