The alternative shopping centre I use if I want to jump on a 100 bus (goes past here to my place)…read moreand you know, a change is as good as a holiday sometimes. I really like a couple of the food places here - they have a good green grocer, very nice cheap variety and crafts store where you can get glass beads and cheap party stuff like napkins and wrapping and toys and all sorts of odds and sods (that's on old saying). The supermarket is not bad, there's some seating inside if you are a bit puffed out and there are a few stores where you can get a feed if you need to. One of the things you may notice around here is there are more Africans, because there just happen to be quite a few living in the Anglicare accommodation around here. As yet that doesn't seem to have made any impact on what is for sale in the stores here, but eventually maybe it will. In the meantime, this is not a bad alternative to my usual shopping centre; I do like to mix it up a bit.

Westside Findon Shopping Centre is a gorgeous little set of shops with a very friendly atmosphere…read more There is a strong sense that everyone knows everyone else, and the shop assistants always smile and greet you and are happy to chat. It gives the place a great feeling. It follows the usual routine of local shopping centres - a supermarket, a green grocer, butcher, deli, newsagency, bakery, discount store, cafes, grog shop and some women's clothing stores. This sums up the shopping centres around this area. The only difference in this one is the atmosphere, the smaller size and the age of clientele, which appears to be quite a bit older than average. Lots of little oldies come in for a coffee and a piece of cake at the cafe, and to do a little shopping. The one clothing shop here is specifically for 'mature women', so that definitely says something. There is also a large Italian community in the area, and the deli caters very much for these, and you'll hear plenty of Italian flying about if you're nearby. Ahhh I love the sound of that language. The only downside of this centre is that because of the relaxed friendly vibe of the place, we often get some feral children screaming around. But you can get those anywhere I suppose.

'Yay! I'm a fan.'…read more With all this fresh fruit and fresh vegetables available I don't understand how some people would rather choose junk food. You're crazy! Adelaide Fresh Fruiterers are well known for having exceptionally great produce, and I would have to say that I agree with them. I love this store. It's a pretty large store, and everything is always displayed so well. Before you even walk into the store you get to see all the different fruits displayed outside. Everything is so colourful, it's almost hard to resist grabbing the reddest apple you can find and just sinking your teeth into it. Great customer service, affordable prices and fresh produce.

Forget crappy supermarket "fresh' fruit and veggies - isn't there a law against false advertising -…read moreAdelaide Fresh is the place to go for really fresh fruit and veggies. I just couldn't wait to sink my teeth into an apple, straight from the Adelaide Hills, which had me reaching for a Kleenex, juice was literally running down my chin it was that fresh! And the range of apples. What a delight to be re-acquainted with good old fashioned species, along with new ones I'd not heard of before. And before I get totally carried away on just Apples (I'm an Apple 'nerd') I should mention that Adelaide Fresh carry a huge range of seasonal fruits and veggies. The majority of their range is locally grown and produced. But if you reach, as I did without looking properly, for something which is imported, one of the friendly staff will tell you 'it's from China' - oh so good to be alerted to that fact and re-directed to organic Australian grown produce (just for the record garlic was the product in question). As if seriously fresh fruit and veggies wasn't enough, they also carry a good range of natural, organic raw honey. It's not the most extensive range I've seen but certainly large enough to keep the Pooh Bears of us happy, and also my dog who's on natural honey for her allergies. Yep, honey is fantastic for your pooches too. Added to the temptation in this one stop shop, well almost unless you're a carnivore, is a large variety of nuts and other tasty delights. Along with fresh herbs, complete in many cases with their roots still attached. Forget the poor forlorn, sad little bunches smothered in plastic sans their roots, these are the real Mccoy - you just have to smell them. My partner claims the Prospect Store is better but as I haven't as yet sampled their delights, I can only speak about the Fulham Gardens shop. Being in a small shopping center, there' plenty of parking available so it's easy to load the car up after a delightful time wandering around Adelaide Fresh. Last but definitely not least, the shop itself is a delight. No loud muzac or announcements assaulting your ear drums whilst you're browsing. And the staff are very friendly and helpful. They'll answer even the dumbest of questions with a smile and don't mind you snatching at an apple seconds after it's been scan! So do your taste buds and your health a favor and try Adelaide Fresh it really does live up to it's name.

I'm kinda afraid to write about Hosanna op shop, as it might lure more people here. I want them all…read morefor myself! Can't I? Must I share this with you? Oh well, here we go. An absolute gold mine. Everything here is cheap with a capital 'C' and the stock is amazingly good and varied. Last winter, they had a stunning collection of faux fur jackets, absolutely fashionable and just short of a magazine shoot. The leather shoes are plentiful here and at such incredible prices. The shop layout is huge and divided with clothing, bric a brac, bevy of hats and scarves, bling accessories and so much more! For someone who thrives on handbags, I found so many collections here. Some in leather, some canvas and delightful totes. Oh, I could just stare at them for hours! It's definitely worth a trip here, as you'll find many op shops in this area. Meet neighbour Salvos who's just next door, and you'll also find another Salvos branch and Goodwill just down the road in Findon. So know that I've told you about the best op shop in town, you have my permission to visit Hosanna, as long as I'm allowed to tag along! :p

I've been finding that some of the chain stores like Salvos & even Savers are wising up to brands &…read moretrends and pricing accordingly. I went to a Salvos the other day looking for a dress up outfit and a disgusting 70's dress was priced at $59.95!! Excuse me?! Did you know you're an OP SHOP??!! I have to say I'm with Kamini here... a little loathe to share it but since I'm so nice I can't help myself! Hosanna Op Shop is one of the best op shops I have ever been to. They are still run by little old ladies who price things as op shop items should be priced. There was a plethora of brown and black school shoes (should you ever need a thousand pairs of them), great vintage items, loads of hats, scarves and bags and some very good near new clothing and homewares stuff. As well as that there's a great selection of preowned books and I have managed to pick up a few gems there :) I'm finding lately that it's better to find those little church run op shops than go to the big chains, as they tend to have the bargains as well as volunteer staff who are always friendly! You won't regret visiting this humble little shop.

Ned's is full of all those useless yet pretty things you get and give as presents, and it's…read moreglorious in its mountains of lovely dust-collectors and silly outfits. The shop is predominantly filled with home decorations and things that sit on mantle pieces and dress up bookshelves, but they have a great range of cheap kids costumes and fancy dress accessories, like feather boas and hats and masks. Leading up to Christmas, they have an entire aisle just for Christmas decorations, outfits and enormous stockings. I was very tempted by the black Santa hat that says "Bah humbug", but got the elf ears instead. They also have an aisle of art supplies, including well prices canvases of varying sizes and plenty of paints. They have a cute range of stationary as well, and a very small, very sad pile of $4 books, none of which I have or would ever likely read. They're great for cards, wrapping paper and gorgeous boxes for presents. Their boxes come in all sizes, and look a little like babushka dolls the way they're piled on top of each other, and they're all only around $3. This is a great gift shop, and useful for all those extras that go along with parties and gift giving.

Popped into Ned's to buy a kitchen tidy bin--to throw my compostables in. Expected a range of bins…read moreand the like. Nah, just wall-to-wall homewares. Not even nice homewares. Perhaps my expectations were poorly set. Perhaps Ned's had something to do with setting them. Bunnings saved the day. Two out of five.

The new Australian Red Cross Superstore recently opened up next door to my favourite St Vinnies…read moreop-shop, opposite the Findon Library and Shopping Centre. Needless to say, I got pretty excited. Sadly, while it is undoubtedly enormous, the excess of products doesn't improve the overall quality. The store conforms to the slightly higher prices of Red Cross shops, and there wasn't anything good enough to warrant paying more than I would next door. They have lot of new clothing, some of which is quite awful - dresses that have the sides cut out of them to be only a bikini top, strip over the belly and a skirt (reminiscent of that horrible fashion of bathers). The second-hand clothing is much more normal, and there is a LOT of it, in women's, men's and children, and for once the latter two sections are fully stocked. What I really like about this shop is that it colour codes its sections, thus, being a person who only likes certain colours, I can go straight to the green section and avoid all others. The men's section made me chuckle, because I can see guys being quite happy to beeline to their favourite chunk of colour; for making shopping easier, we thank you Red Cross. I also enjoy how the whole store is set out neatly and tidily. It has a calming feel about it, appealing to the small voice of OCD inside many of us. The book corner, while neat and attractive, sadly doesn't have much substance. Half the entire stock is "Adult Fiction" while the rest is just not-so-great fiction. I didn't spot any authors I'm keen on, except a battered Stephen King and a Simone de Beauvoir in the original French. However, I won't judge too harshly too soon. Op-shops often need time to develop and get in some good stock, so I'll be back in a month or two to check out its development.

Op shops work hard to put all our off-casts to good use, and this store is no exception. With a…read morehuge range of well organised stock, I personally have found many treasures over the years of visiting and the strong customer base is testament to this store being worth a visit. The previous reviewer does not seem to understand that op shopping is a commitment to patience and gratitude for the gems that are frequently found, but not by those expecting to find them served up on a silver platter, with a minimum of effort. With four other big op shops a step away, this Red Cross is an op shopper's delight!

Marjays Fashions "Plus Size Clothing" specialises in clothing for the mature woman as well as for…read morefuller figures. This almost put me off going in (being neither mature, nor particularly large), until I saw the rack of short skirts and colourful summer dresses. Don't be fooled! Marjays caters for women of all ages and sizes, and is very well priced. I was impressed by how much variety they have, from fuller figure designs to petite articles. Many of their designs would flatter larger women, whether tall or short, as nothing is too clingy, and the materials used are bright and airy. The skirts however look great on a standard size 12, so I walked out with one, and for only $10! I couldn't leave it there. I tried a few dresses as well, however, what would be flattering on a larger women was a rather shapeless bundle of material on an average one. I did enjoy the fact that it had pockets though. If you can find him, the store owner is lovely. He seems to spend most of his time out in the centre, socialising with other shop workers. I thought this was quite endearing. I did however have to find him to buy the skirt. When my mother is next in town, I'll be bringing her here to update her summer dress range. (Oh dear, did I just imply that she's "fuller figured"? Whoops! Really, she's not, I just like the shop!)

Findon Shopping centre is very easy to find, as it sits on the corner of Grange Road and Findon…read moreRoad, with easy access to its large carpark. While there's nothing particularly exciting about this shopping centre, it is great to have locally because it has all the elements you're likely to need - a choice of two supermarkets, Coles and Foodland, a greengrocer, two bakeries, a chemist, a health-food store, a butcher, a library, and several places to have coffee and a nice lunch. There are also quite a few shops, including homewares, discount wares, women's clothing and shoes, a spectacles store, a newsagent. It's neither small nor large - just the right size to cover all your needs. It's reasonably easy to get in and out of, just remember that if you're coming up Grange Road from the city, you have to turn right and the lights and then enter the carpark from Findon Road. Otherwise you have a lot of traffic and a rather difficult "No U-Turn" sign to contend with.

Findon Shopping Centre is a good option if you want to avoid the hustle and bustle of some of the…read morebigger shopping centres. It's just the right size for doing your grocery shopping, where you might want to stop into the bakery, chemist, butcher, or any of the other specialty shops situated here. There are also a few cafes that do a decent coffee so you can refuel midway through your shopping. The carpark is pretty decent for the size of the centre, and is nice and easy to access.

Get Fresh is Westside Findon Shopping Centre's greengrocer, and is very similar to a lot of other…read moregreengrocers around, but doesn't do it quite so well. They've moved towards having nuts and other nibbles at the back of the store, and becoming more than just a fresh fruit and veg shop. However, they don't do particularly good fruit or veg. Maybe they should focus on that! The prices are reasonably high - on par with most greengrocers - but much of the produce is wilted or just not good quality to begin with, especially their fruit. I would make the trip further up Findon Road to the Findon Shopping Centre and go to their greengrocer, or stop off at the other fruit and veg warehouse on the way up Findon Road.

Welland Fresh Foods is my regular alternative to Coles. I try to shop here for at least half of my…read morefresh fruit and veg needs. I've never been able to work out which is cheaper, but I find the quality here slightly better than the supermarket, and they have some great specials on fruit. They sell seasonal fruit by the bucket for $1-$2 per kilo, and you can check for these on the tables at the shop front. There is another table to the side where they sell very old produce, but I've never bought anything here. I figure that I can get half rotten fruit from a dumpster for free (now am I kidding, or not?) The store has slowly been turning into more of a grocer, with a row of pasta and pasta sauces down the back, and a deli and cold foods fridge to the side. It's very Italian, so lots of cured meats and plenty of cheese. I hope the manager keeps his word and gets in the pre-mixed sauce for Chang's Noodle Salad. He told me his idea for it once and I was thrilled, but it hasn't appeared in subsequent months. I'll keep hoping, and keep buying my Chinese cabbage here.

Welland Fresh Foods has a tremendous range of fruit, vegetables, dairy and gourmet goods but the…read moreservice was a little on the rubbish side on my visit. ++++ VEGAN FRIENDLINESS -- Everything a vegan needs plus a few dips.