Unlike other cluttered and claustrophobic discount stores, The 1 2 3 Dollar Store look almost…read moresparsely stocked. It has supermarket styled aisles of cheap Asian goodies in a corner of Henderson's Westfield Mall. The concentration of $2 shops in this mall is amazing and bargain hunters like myself will want to visit most of them before deciding on an item. The strength of the 1 2 3 Dollar Store is not so much flashy dress-up items, but rather, common household items. There are plenty of cleaning products or handkerchiefs or candles at super cheap prices. An almost sterilized semblance, this store is a place to look for budget items to fill out holes in your ordinary, everyday stock or for a one-off dinner event.

My sister gave me a budget of 3$ here and honestly i was stuck! so much options!! thanks guys love…read moreyou

Oh the clearance shed! This place right here is bargain heaven, it is the place you find all the so…read morecalled rejects st a ridiculous price. You can buy makeup, cds, dvds, books, pillows, sheets, electronics and bean bags! It's s place you find everything that you didn't think you needed. If you are ever stuck for a present the clearance shed is the place to go. I blame this place for the countless pilates, yoga ane aerobics dvds that I have. At the same time I owe this place a massive thanks for helping me with my Bob Marley collection. These cds are usually $5-$10 at clearance shed. Plus if any unwanted or unexpected guests invite themselves over and you don't have any clean linen, you now know where to go.

Mr Thank You is your typical gift store every mall complex has at least one of. A little bit better…read morethan a $2 shop but stocking cheaper and more functional items than a souvenir store. Mr Thank You has mainly stocks a range of cheap novelty T-shirts and unisex bags with pop culture references. There is also plenty of cheap jewellery including the teen popular ear stretchers (gauges, tapers and spirals). Angsty youths also have access to knock-off Zippos and various pipes. With identification you can also pick up a hunting knife or two which is always fun to sell side-by-side with instruments used for getting high. The staff members quietly eye you from behind their counter which I think is typical small mall store behavior, especially in a store that attracts excitable teenagers. Though I'm not sure if I received a thank you from Mr Thank You. Come to think of it I don't think he was a man.

Located right next to the Te Atatu Peninsula Library is this fantastic little Op shop. In the…read moreneighbourhood visiting, I decided to take a look because as we all know; second hand stores can be like a treasure chest at the best of times. After a short walk through, I could see books, home ware items, clothing, shoes, strollers, toys. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at a Thomas the Tank engine. This toy was selling for 5 dollars, and my friend piped up; "Phoenix would be thrilled with that". I knew I had to get it! Well long story short is, he loves it, it works like magic and I found it in an Op shop! I love to explore stores and see what they have to offer; sometimes you walk out with nothing, we were lucky this time. You won't find a couch or TV, but you might find something useful for the time being.

I always like a browse in a op shop - you're giving them support and there are all sorts of little…read morenuggets of gold to be found there. This one is in Te Atatu Peninsula and I have browsed here on numerous occasions. There's plenty of clothes here but I am not so keen on wearing other peoples clothes - perhaps a jacket but not a t shirt or anything like that. The toys on offer seemed more appealing and the last time i was there I bought my nephew a couple of toy cars. One intriuging thing that caught my eye here was a selection of Jack Daniels merchandise - some Westie must have had a good clear out of his garage as there were shot glasses, trays, key rings and plates you could hang on the wall. Didn't really appeal to me but I reckon somebody will snap this stuff up. The staff here are exceptionally friendly and I must say it's one of the better Op Shops around.

This is a great Salvation Army shop, one which I frequent often…read more My friend and I recently went there for a bit of an op shop excursion and we left with our hands full. You can get so many great bargains here, from clothes to little antique bits and bobs, to old furniture. What's great about this place is that they check all the items before they are out on display so you know they are in a used, but perfectly okay condition. I will be going back here when I start looking for new flat furniture too, as they have great items for very little money.

Lots of bric brac, linen, clothing, shoes. Not so much on furniture…read more I don't go out of my way to go here. Needs a refresh. Need better sorters, as alot of the items needs to be binned or bagged up for scraps.

Henderson has a huge concentration of discount stores and cheap Asian merchandise. It's like a…read morebreeding grounds for $2 shops along Great North Rd and all the spawn hop away from this nest. One of the better discount stalls now sits in the empty carapace of Henderson's former Salvation Army. The Mini Mall maybe overreaches a little with their tagline being: An unforgettable shopping experience. But the staff politely greet every customer who walks through the doors. The have a large selection of cheap clothes (plain and novelty) to supplement the general plastic sunglasses and toys and home-ware discount stores stock. A store that seems appreciative of its customers and is refreshing to see (even in a budget bargain shop).

This op shop would have to be in my list of top 3! I found out today that they were previously in…read morePonsonby, then K Road, now in Avondale, but looking for new premises again. I hope they don't move too far away where ever they go! The woman behind the counter has always been really friendly, chatty and helpful when I have been in. They have a long rack of children's clothes for those with youngsters, a decent range of men's wear (generally x-large though), lots of women's clothes, books in an organised fashion, some great crockery (I have bought some matching vases) and glassware. The best bit really is that it is the most affordable I have seen in Auckland. Not only do they have a $1 rack out the front with decent enough clothes, but they also have on offer 50C containers of clothes (children's and adults). It offers prices that most of us would expect to pay for second hand. This isn't me being stingy, this is me being practical - these charity second hand shops support the needy and they sell to those of us who struggle to fill a wardrobe with brand new clothes. Keep up the good work guys!

This is a fantastic little junk shop filled with all the typical little Asian shop gifts. Make up,…read morenail polish, other beauty products, bags, toys, quirky ornaments that I would never buy. They've got a great range of earrings that are super cheap, just don't put them in your ears if you've got sensitive skin or itchy earlobes. The staff aren't overly friendly and aren't going to go looking for certain products you can't find, but they are right there when you are ready to make a purchase. Good thing about them though is they don't mind you taking your sweet time looking around, and they'l leave you alone.

Growing up I never really spent much time out west, but over the last few years I've slowly become…read moremore and more familiar with what is out there. But it was only really recently that I discovered the outlet mall at Westgate. Located right behind the Westgate shopping centre, this little strip of stores includes the likes of Bendon, a Nike factory store, an all-things-USA shop, and Jet Couture to name a few. The Nike and Bendon stores were two places I was ecstatic to find. Both had a wide selection of products available and everything was pretty reasonably priced. If it is outlet shopping you're after, I would still definitely recommend trying Dressmart in Onehunga first, but if you're already out west and just need new running shoes, lingerie or boardies then the Westgate Outlet will be able to take care of you without breaking your bank! Tip: There's plenty of free parking available both at Westgate shopping mall and in front of the outlet strip!

Not to be confused with the main shopping mall at Westgate, this is selection of outlet shops at…read morethe back on Fernhill Drive. There's not much to it really - just a random collection of outlet stores which attracts the bargain hunters on the weekend. I guess the best stores are the Nike and Bendon outlets as you can get some good deals here. There is nothing over $20 in the Bendon store and my wife comes here to stock up on underwear from time to time. There is a hairdresser called Vivo which my wife had a bad experience in - the sink was really high and she had a crick in her neck for days. Overall, it's not all that exciting or stimulating but that comes with the terroritory in West Auckland. Good for a few bargains but not what you would call great retail therapy.

This is good place to go if you are a woman after an inexpensive handbag. I have bought my wife a…read morecouple of handbags as gifts here and she has been happy with them. The only downside is that they are not great quality and don't tend to last. But they are good to look at and for about $40 I got her a bag that was very pleasing on the eye. Similar bags would cost well over a hundred bucks at Farmers though they would probably last longer. They also do good deals on wallets for both men and women. To go with her bag, I got a nice wallet with room for all your cards that only cost $20. I'd like to think there will come a day when I have written a bestseller and can buy my wife a Guess Bag costing hundreds of dollars. In the meantime, I'll make do with Strandbags.

I have a soft spot for Strandbags as I used to work for one of the stores in West Auckland a while…read moreback. Because of this I know personally that the store really puts an emphasis on customer service and product quality. When I was on staff I would always be going to product education seminars, where the staff would learn all about the product. But I particularly like this store, as it has such an expansive range of bags, wallets and travel accessories on offer. Their massive range is because their store is quite massive, which means they get a great turn around of new products on a regular basis. The layout of the store also makes it easy to look for the exact bag you are after, with the handbags and travel cases organised in order of used materials, design, and price range. I have purchased many bags from here over the years, because I know that they are durable and not too expensive, and of course because they have a stylish selection of products.