This along with the newly opened Stacks (Myer center) may be the only traditional dollar stores…read moreleft in the city. The Japanese $2.80 shops are squeezing them out. RS has a decent variety of goods and the quality is fine for this sorry of thing. You won't find a container whose lid doesn't fit or a hair barrette that works once. Here are some of the sections on offer: gift wrap n cards, art & stationery, bags/suitcases, containers, decor, candles/oils, frames and pictures, gardening, pets, laundry/linen, car, kitchen, clothes, beauty, phone/PC accessories, candy, tinned food...

I'm not really sure if I should be offended with the name "THE REJECT SHOP"…read more...does it make me a reject if I want to buy everything in its vicinity? ...But judging from the number of people wedged in on a weekday I am not the only reject who relies on this store. This place has saved my butt on numerous occasions, from awkward lunch date fiascos to that time the batteries in my boombox died. This store has everything you could ever possibly need in life. Novelty tins in shape of currency, oodles of stationary, leather belts, cheap candy, garden hoses, office chairs, perfume, speakers, DVD cabinets, small motorized helicopters, solar garden lights, clothing of all kinds, shortbreads, santa suits, blackboards, pottery wheels, diaries, beach tents, boogie boards, miniature drum kits AND a family pool. If you are ever in the city and feel a strong urge for a mini sewing machine or perhaps a rug in the shape of lassie I strongly recommend you give the Reject Shop a gander.

Ah Bargain City. It'd have to be one of my favourite shit shops. They got me in with $7 2kg packs…read moreof Radiant (I love that smell) and kept me with discount party goods, craft supplies and pet stuff. I HATE throwing a party and spending a fortune on dinky plastic plates and tiny cups. It's all half the price here (at least) and for $2.50 you get 20 giant cups which won't annoy any of your guests. I also don't see why I should have to spend big bucks on wood glue or other random crafty stuff (looking at you Spotlight, you make it cheaper to buy it already made) so I'm always pretty happy when I need to duck in here. Yes it's a shit shop, so yes there's plenty of shit to wade through (knee high concrete lawn ornaments anyone?) but if you're a student furnishing your house or just a cheap skate like me there's plenty of bargains to be found.

When I need some small implement for the kitchen like a spatula or vegetable peeler, I always look…read morein Homes Mart before going into Coles as it's bound to be far cheaper. Of course, if I'm looking for something that I want to be good quality, I avoid both and go to a proper kitchen shop. But Homes Mart does the trick when it's just something small you need. It's also a good place to look for fancy dress and craft items like crepe paper, pipe cleaners, glitter, sequins etc. It's a discount store, not a place to shop for good quality long-lasting things, but it's handy to have in this shopping centre with Coles. It's always kept pretty tidy and staff are eager to help you find what you're looking for.

I know this place may look a bit dubious to some, but coming…read morehere so often has given it an endearing quality in my eyes. This place is like the miscellaneous drawer in your kitchen, if you need it it will most likely be lurking in here. Growing up with a great love of discount stores and $2 shops means I also find it very hard to part with my cash if I know I can get a good bargain elsewhere. So! whenever party times are looming or I need a Halloween mask in February, I boycott the evil clutches of Coles and come to Homesmart. These guys seriously have it all novelty cigarette lighters, streamers, pipe cleaners, rain ponchos laundry baskets, gift boxes, spatulas, greeting cards and a buttload more. Next time you are in need of a vegetable peeler or an inflatable party hammer, I recommend giving these guys a go.

I remember this store from when it was located in the Wintergarden, and then it just disappeared!…read moreBut recently while I was roaming around the Emporium in the Valley it popped up out of thin air. I was so glad to see that this shop had just relocated and hadn't closed for good, because I've purchased many a gift from Essensuals and it's always been perfect for those people who are difficult to buy for. I must say though, I much prefer the old store to the new one. I'm not sure if it has changed hands or they just decided to change it up a little bit, but it was a little disappointing. The new store seems to have stock piled up everywhere, like a teetering tower of doom that could crush the shopper below at any second. It also seems like they don't have as much stock as before, which is unfortunate because you could find things for both men and women in the old store, whereas the new one appears to be very female oriented. Despite the disappointment that Essensuals has changed quite a bit, it's still full of pretty things like crystal wine glasses, decorative trunks and vintage perfume bottles. It's worth a look if you're not quite sure what you're looking for, but certainly isn't as impressive as it used to be.

Need to find a gift for that person who literally has everything? Or in desperate need of a mask…read morefor a masquerade party? Then Essensuals has got you covered. This place is piled high with unique gifts, home decorations and of course, ceramic masks (yes, never fear, those tacky plastic masks covered in sequins and feathers do not have a home here). There's a seemingly large emphasis on Parisian prints and artefacts as well as London-esque decorations and canvas prints depicting rainy days in New York City. So definitely a perfect gift idea for those jet-setters or dreamers who long after a city-change. So when you're next in Emporium, keep an eye out for a large, hollow dog - it stands guard outside the shop.

Interesting Things - What will you find today?…read more That is their logo and motto, and it really is a treasure hunt when you go into the store. There are lots of different things and knick-knacks and homewares and jewellery. They have a lot of silver jewellery which is pretty well priced. A great little gift shop.

I LOVE this shop, it has literally something for everyone. It's bigger than the Daiso in the city…read moreand tucked away at the back is one of the best value dinnerware sections I've seen in a long time. The store is always neat, clean and tidy and stocked very well. The craft sections has some delightful little packets of oragami paper, different craft items and cute pencil cases for something a little different. For those of us girls who like to keep their beauty on the "edge" there are some quirky Japanese beauty routines for, you guessed it, $2.80. The lolly/sweet and drink section has some great things to try. For me however the winning sections would have to be the storage aisle and dinnerware. The storage aisle has lots of small, medium and large containers perfect for travel, organising beauty or bathrooms or any tiny nickknacks. The dinnerware has lots of tiny plates, bowls and cups.of all descriptions and I have to admit that I've used a couple of these to decorate my dressing table. If you go in with a sense of fun and no expectations you will never know what you will find. Cute, kitsch, cheap and cheerful give it a try.

Lots of things! Cheap!…read more House and home, office, school, even fishing hooks. You can get most anything in Daiso, and everything is the same price. $2.80. Hooray! It can be pretty expensive to shop here because it all adds up pretty darn quick, and logic dictates that some of the items just aren't worth $2.80, while others are worth more. It averages out in the end, but you need to be careful not to buy what you don't need, and shop around too, because you aren't necessarily always getting a bargain, but buy the right things and you're on a winner. A downside is a lot of the packaging information is in Japanese, so you're never quite sure what the item is. An upside is the Engrish. Always a joy! Still, check it out, it's bright and cheerful and you just might find what you're looking for.

Overflow, could they be the Rolls Royce of two Bob shopping?…read more Overflow are a bit weird. Of course you will find all the regular suspects: a huge party section of gift wrap, ribbons, matching color paper plates, cups, streamers, balloons and so on. Also the costume section if you need wigs, knights armor, pirate hats. Cheap plastic and terracotta pots, spades and takes off questionable construction. Cosmetics and hair care of dubious origin. A whole aisle of candles and incense. Back to school gear as well. And then you find the stuff you don't normally see. There are concrete garden settings. Half size boat bow shelves. Full size garden arches. An entire row of State of Origin. A shelf dedicated to goth/metal decor (vampire damsels curled around purple dragons on a bed of skulls). Giant crochet ottomans. Life size lamb and piglet statues. These are seasonal things. At the moment, should you want to apply a nautical theme to your home, you will have no trouble here. Things are not terribly dear here either. I know I'm reviewing a bargain store, but I have seen a garden seat at one place being sold for $200. So there's "bargain" and "Bargain"... Overflow, for the times I've been, never have seen something to roll my eyes in terms of price.

Some people might say this strange little shop is full of tat. But I don't call a pack of 15 Santa…read moreClaus paper plates for $2.95 rubbish. I call it a great find. As I happened to be in Stacks right in the middle of silly season (shopping for cheap tinsel, baubles and other bits and bobs for our Christmas Day celebrations), I was delighted to find a pack of 8 handmade Xmas cards for $2 (for that price you'd expect them to look like they were made by a 2 year old at kindy, but they were surprisingly tasteful). I did stop and ponder whether I should purchase the plastic microphone (with echo function) on it, until I got distracted by an enormous, feathered mask - v. Vegas showgirl. And only five dollars! Plus there's toys, happy birthday banners, stationery, iphone covers, toothpaste, and homewares. Think Crazy Clark's but smaller. And I can see why they call it Stacks - there's so many bargains crammed in there, I almost got a headrush.