I am always amazed as to how discount stores can fit so much variety of stock into one dingy little…read moreshed like location and yet still charge half the price of normal retail. Even if not all the stock are on the shelves, there is a ridiculously good variety for such a tiny store. Even the big $2 shops don't carry as much variety in home and garden with garden twisty ties, bike lights, party wares, an isle of Australiana themed adornments and a cheap art materials. Service is friendly without being persistent, and they'll often bargain or throw extra things into the bag with you if you're willing to get your bartering shoes on. With easy parking and an incredible range here, you can get it "cheap enough" to warrant a visit on any day of the week. BIGGEST DOWNFALL? These guys can't do refunds "unless the manager of the shop is around." When will the manager be back? "Oh well you know, he comes in and out, we never really know when he'll be in, he's only around once a week or so." ie. They don't do refunds or exchange so make sure you definitely need what you are buying.

This isn't my favourite cheap store in the area - that would be Super Dollar Variety - but it's…read morepretty good. It has a medium-sized range of home wares, decorations, kitchen ware, garden tools, toys, toiletries, hardware and clothes. The prices are cheap - obviously. While there isn't a huge range here, they do carry a few things I haven't seen at Super Dollar Variety. Last winter they had a great range of coloured socks, beanies and fingerless gloves for very cheap. Their garden stuff isn't bad either - a few months ago I bought some seeds from here that have just yielded a little crop of fresh peas. My favourite thing to pick up here though is fluroescent paint. That might be a bit obscure, but they have the most amazing coloured flurorescent paint at Get It Cheap!

I bought several items from this store. The jeans are amazing, great fit, wash and wear well. A…read morestunning denim dress that is my go to dress. A beautiful colourful dress that I wore throughout summer and every single time I was complimented. The service is wonderful and the staff are friendly and helpful and never pushy.

I'm not entirely sure why there's two identical stores named Lula Tu and Lula Blu on this street. I…read morewent into one store, passed an art gallery, and then walked into another store with the same teal blue Lula sign eerily similar to the one I was just in: it was like Groundhog day. Anyhoo Lula Tu is a bit of a mixed bag, with dresses that seemed designed for the more mature woman and some really nice stuff for the twenties. It's quite reasonably priced and I found some cool work skirts and a dreamy black dress I had to try on even though it was a bit over my budget. I was oohing and ahhing over this dress in the change rooms, when I looked up and noticed the store camera was directly over the change rooms, so I got dressed quick smart. I'm sure I was being paranoid and the camera wasn't actually recording me change... but still, why right over the change area? It creeped me out! Come on now Lula, you big perve!

I love a good bargain, who doesn't! Popping up quite suddenly at the end of last year, this is now…read moremy store of choice when I need to look for anything cheap and nasty, but ultimately very useful, yet clearly heavily overpriced in a high street store. Selling anything from socks, pet supplies, party hats, to home decorations and bathroom and cooking utensils; If you think of 'Made in China', this is ultimately where you should be looking first. On my last visit, I was just looking for some cheap coat hangers, but I also came out with a full length mirror, mini screwdriver set, some feathers (dont ask!), and suction hook-thinga-mabobs for the bathroom. Move over Reject Shop, cos this very well placed competitor has taken your crown!

Possibly my new favourite bargain store. They have an amazing range of items including pet…read moresupplies, craft items, outdoor items, toys and costumes, and home knick knacks. Every aisle I turned down brought another excited 'I can't believe they have this too!'

Good spot for some outlet stores, plenty of parking and a reasonably eclectic mixture of things on…read moreoffer; you can get clothing, shoes, tiles, marine equipment and motorbikes... that has to suit some folk, Some of the stores are empty at the moment but the ones operating as listed so far actually do pack some price savings, mainly because they are not in the city; slightly cheaper rent. If you are interested in opening a store here - leasing one of the empty spaces (I think there are two available) you need to contact the managers Intrepid Property. They are a the Real Estate Agency leasing, and managing what they call this Bulky Goods centre. I think it's a hilarious name; but the idea is the businesses purchase in bulk to keep the costs down and the venues are large with a lot of stock storage space; hence "Bulky" ... sounds like it's fat. The one thing that's missing is a little refreshment stand or cafe. I think the best thing to do is check it out if you don't want to go into the actual city. It's a good alternative. If nothing else you will save on parking.

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.

Beautiful new store with the most helpful and friendly staff! Girls dress section was literally…read moremagical. Great selection of Claudia Dean dance wear I couldn't find anywhere else too. Was also told they just launched an online store!

Lesley and Michael Visintin run The Stage Shop in Leigh Street. Although it's called The Stage Shop…read moreit really caters mostly for dancers; and young dancers doing jazz or ballet class, so even though they do have a great range of things, they are not so much about acting as they are about dancing. This is important because there are other places in town actors should go if they are looking for materials such as makeup, fake blood etc. Not having said tat, I do not mean to undermine the value of The Stage Shop because they have all the ballet shoes, jazz shoes, unitard, headbands, dare I say legwarmers and other things like hair nest, the substance of a hair bun... I'm not sure what you call those things that help make a perfect hair bun but it's like a donut made of a spongy type of material and it works every time. They certainly are helpful, and they can tell you some great stories and name just about every great ballet class or school around the city and metropolitan region, so if you have a youngster looking to extend their strength and abilities by taking a dance class, or indeed if you have a dancer in the family, this is a shop where you will find pretty much everything they would want or need when it comes to dance.

This little gem in Bridgewater epitomises the meaning of local produce. They sell and serve organic…read moreproducts sourced locally. We came here for a spot of brunch with some hill friends who are regular patrons. It is very unassuming and quaint. Service exudes country warmth and friendliness. Lunch today included the soup of the day which was the potato and leek, a curry soup which I didn't get a snap of, a sandwich and coffees. Everything was made on premise which I love. When they sell out, that's it. Home made pies and pasties are also available for dining in or taking away. There are books if you would like to escape into another world. Very kids friendly as they have free fruit for the munchkins as well as toys to keep them amused. If I lived closer, I could see this lovely place being my regular haunt.

More than a greengrocer. These guys have expanded out to the gourmet and organic scene in a big way…read moresince they were a humble grocer back in the day. I put this down to be located next to a massive Coles supermarket and the impossibility of competing with a juggernaut. This a place to pick up locally grown and made jams, dips, soaps, crackers, honey and yoghurt. They also stock a heap of economically and ecologically friendly swag, like organic cleaning products, fair trade coffee and string bags. I particularly like that they stock traditionally Aboriginal bush tucker like lemon myrtle and muntries. I'd never seen bush tucker in a store before i visited this place. On top of all that, these guys run a wonderfully affordable cafe. The menu is mostly baguettes and focaccias but nothing's over $10, it's plentiful and it's fresh. If only their location wasn't next to a massive carpark, they might be able to expand and set up a proper dining room for their cafe. Regardless, this shop is well worth a look!

I just happened to be at this shopping centre one day waiting for something from another shop and…read morethought I would just browse in this store while I waited. They actually have quite a lot of stuff and if it's not good enough they can't sell it so it always checked items for sale. Mostly clothes and some minor bric a brac, not much furniture really but a little. However I did manage to get some great second hand clothes for my kids. An amazing shirt for my youngest which he wore ALL the time. Absolutely LOVED it! And some really cool Holden pyjamas that were still in great condition. I picked up some really good bargains and walked out with a few items for each child and only spent about $30.00. Kids grow out of clothes so quickly that you can pick up really good second hand stuff that is barely worn. After getting some great bargains here myself I always donate what my kids grow out of back to them to sell to another person looking to get some good pre-loved clothes and save a few dollars.

The Salvo's shop is one of the better opportunity shops out there. I often donate to the cause by…read moreproviding some old clothing and items to them. In terms of variety of what is on sale, it can often vary. The pricing on most items is very reasonable (they could probably even charge more), however it can be a bit of a lucky dip when it comes to what is on offer. Unfortunately (well at least for myself) in recent years, the book collection has significantly been reduced in size. Clothing and furniture remain dominant though, which is a good thing if you are looking for some penny-pinching home-ware items. They also have a good range of kids toys, most of which appeared basic staples when I was there but nonetheless can be quite useful. At the end of the day, the money does go to a good cause and I am sure that there is something to suit everyone in the shop (at some point or another).