Geoff's is no longer the in-the-know Auckland hipster's secret. Go here on Halloween and you will…read moresee what I mean. Luckily, Halloween only happens once a year but year round Geoff's is the place that truly does have everything. I am most often here for random products like baby oil ($6 for a small bottle of branded petroleum by-product at a supermarket? $2 here), fabric dye, art supplies, sewing stuff and what must be Auckland's cheapest fabric. No offence to Spotlight, but go here first if you need anthing crafty. There's ribbon, cotton, buttons, sparkly bits, belt buckles, bra pads, googly eyes, appliques, patches.... on and on and on. The fabric selection is no small part of the shop and the pricing fairly freakin ridiculous. You'll also find toys, costume jewellery, probably Auckland's biggest range of wigs and "ready-costumes" for adults and kids, as well as such essential props as tiaras, plastic swords, feather boas, cowboys hats, gloves, face paint and garters. There are paints, brushes, canvases, dyes, sketch books...... You can even buy paperbacks, hardware, kitchen equipment, candles and it just goes on. What I love most about Geoff's is that it has been around as long as I can remember and as far as I know, Geoff himself is still around too. My kids love coming here with a handful of coins and leaving with treasures and so do I. The staff are awesome and Geoff's is such a wonderful reminder to me that some things don't ever change, they just get better with age.

This place is AWESOME. Recommended to me by a fellow sewing friend, I decided to check it out…read moretoday. Walked in the door and thought wow, this place is a bit...crappy. But then I walked in further, through the narrow door and into a huge space, filled with all manner of crafty supplies! I was there to buy interfacing, and buy it I did - 5m for $5! Incredible prices. I also got a zip for $1.05 and a belt buckle kit for $1. The prices are insane, even cheaper than what I paid living in the US. I saw some gorgeous fabrics in there, too, but I'm trying to watch my fabric budget right now so I sadly left it behind...for now. The woman who served me was really friendly, carefully rolled up my interfacing and asked about my projects. I can't wait to go back and browse their fabrics some more, and they will definitely be my go-to place for notions, too! I didn't explore the rest of the shop too closely, as I had a sick husband in tow, but they have a huge range of paint/art supplies, party supplies, incense and other trinkets, and heaps of other stuff too.

It seems Japanese shops such as this one are growing like mushrooms!…read moreI would rank this one as my second favourite, the kitchen section in particular has lots of pretty soup bowls and pans and steamers. As mentioned in my fellow Yelpers's reviews there are also the stationery and bathroom sections and lots of random cute thingies no one needs... But oh they' so cheap so why not?!

This place is pretty awesome, hidden in an obscure location, you almost miss it. Thankfully for the…read morevibrant orange and black sign to mark the narrow entrance you begin your decent into the lower depths of Queen Street to find yourself in a rather large store that I could not accurately categorise. This is because there is a lot of stuff here, stationary, the gift bags and paper section is great, Hello Kitty and Snoopy are well represented here. There are aisles of all kinds of things for your home, a massive chopstick section, Hello Kitty cling wrap, food bags and plasters. Interestingly a big range of nappies and other baby things. It is fun just to look around, there are some odd things here too, especially in the bathroom and cleaning sections. Good fun I say, you'll walk away with things you didn't need but make are entertaining none the less. (Hello Kitty keeps my food fresh now).

Big, and definitely looks sharp. A decent addition to the area, doesn't look out of place in…read moreNewmarket.

Good store with nice products. Unfortunately Refund/Exchange experience was really bad. If this…read moreshop wants to keep regular customers they should provide better customer experience in different situations.

I live in the U.S. but have dear family that just moved to New Zealand earlier this year. The…read morecouple just had another baby boy and my hubby and I wanted to do something special for them instead of just sending cash via post mail. We found The Warehouse and it looked to be like a Walmart or Target. They have gift card options in values of $25, $50, and $100. So, we bought a couple of Warehouse gift cards and requested them to be delivered to our family in Mt. Albert. They received the gift cards the next day and were very delighted! Although I've never been to The Warehouse yet.. their customer service is definitely top notch if they're able to deliver their products sooner than scheduled. They also enclosed it in a gift envelope which had our personalized message on it.

We went here today in search of a desk, and sadly, didn't find one. Well, we did, but it kind of…read morehad a SOLD sticker hanging off it, and when we enquired as to whether it was actually sold (since the sticker looked old and was hanging on by a corner), no one seemed to know, or wanted to find out. We had a look around anyway, and this place is a hipster's paradise. Most of it is genuinely old, and slightly overpriced. I got two sewing patterns for $2 apiece (and they weren't even that great), and other op shops are selling them for around 50 cents each. We also grabbed a couple of spanners for $2 each, and I got some zips and piping for another $2. There is a large section of stuff that isn't secondhand and is brand new, and is extremely expensive. I saw a set of double bed sheets with foxes on them for $214. I know foxes are "in" right now, but seriously. Obviously very much taking advantage of the whole "vintage vibe" that people are loving right now, and good on them I guess, but I was looking for genuinely old, unfashionable secondhand stuff, and of that there just wasn't that much, sadly.

The coolest second hand and collectibles store in Auckland for sure. The mass size of this…read morewarehouse is amazing and full of everything from a Tonka truck for the kid to vintage surfboards that make the man cave look awesome. My first visit to J & D I spent over an hour and a half just wandering back and forth peering at peoples past belongings. I have purchased a beautiful vintage glass cake platter the kind that nana used to have, and a glass perfume spray bottle that opens up and allows you to fill it up with any scent you wish. Prices are not too pricey, so won't break the bank. If you love exploring antique stores give this a try you might find a painting that inspires you, or a vintage lounge suite to redecorate with? Staff are helpful however, usually only one person working the store. Be prepared for cool and cool is what you will get.

This is a large mall where the Kmart was located…read more It reminds me of a typical mall, but with larger department stores that cater more to you every day needs. They have a Kmart for clothing and department items, and a Woolworth for grocery shopping, inside the mall! They also had some of the typical mall shops of namebrand clothing, a food court, and downstairs a little convenient store, kiosk, and even a massage parlor! I could've easily stayed here all day and explored for hours on end!

An American mall that we wouldn't have stopped and except we were so hungry I couldn't find…read moreanything opened near the museum. We took the escalator up to the eatery food hall. We had chicken & salad, it was just okay. There were many American chain stores @ some New Zealand as well. It wasn't too busy the week before Christmas.

Look Sharp is the kind of shop that makes me want to cry. It's stuffed with impulse-buys and…read moreplastic, plastic, plastic junk as far as the eye can see. I can understand why people get excited about it though- there's so much cheap stuff and it does all have a purpose...it's just that the purpose is usually one day of being a St Paddy's day costume or a party decoration, and then being chucked. I get even more moralistic when I think of the wages the people are paid who make this stuff that. But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I never buy anything plastic or made in a developing country. I just don't want to see a whole shop full of the stuff. It brings me down.

One of the most useful and chaotic stores I've ever been in, Look Sharp Store does what other…read moredollar stores try (and fail) to do. It's clean, well laid out and easy to find whatever you're in the market for - from costumes to dress socks, candles to key rings, Look Sharp has it all... and it's cheap! Many times I've rushed to this store for that last minute item that will make a costume or decorated room really pop - I can't even count the number of times I've flipped on the hazard lights, parked in a place that really annoys the taxi drivers and run in to grab streamers, beer-drinking hats, striped armbands or paint. Seriously, anything silly and frivolous you could ever want is under this roof.

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!

Imagine the department store that Hello Kitty would shop in, and you'll get an idea of what Daiso…read moreis like. It's tiny, it's jam-packed from floor to ceiling, the aisles are only big enough for one-way traffic, and everything is so cute it makes me want to squeak. Unlike other discount shops, Daiso $3 Japan contains higher-quality, made-in-Japan products. I've been shopping here for years for everything from kitchen equipment, to gift wrap, to cosmetics, to crockery. Plus they have all the wacky Japanese products you've never heard of - refrigerator curtain, anyone? I guess Even food needs privacy sometimes. But don't be fooled, everything in store in actually $3 plus GST, making everything $3.50. Or you can get three items for $10. Check it out and spoil yourself with a fluffy toilet-seat warmer.

Cute little shop in between the city, if you're looking for something from Japan! The with lots of…read moreitems in stock from basic home goods to crafting the variety of choices are available! The shop aisles are narrow, and because of the tiny space it does get over crowded. If you're trying to shop with a baby stroller/pram, it'll be very hard to navigate in the store. I recommend leaving the pram outside with a family member/friend while you shop inside. If your pram is narrow it'll fit just fine. The staff are quick to serve you if needed. The prices are 3.50$ each for any item in the store. If you purchase 3 items they are 10$. It is always being stocked with new items! I would recommend this place if you're looking for some cute but cheap items for stationery use and or household decorations!

The CBD location of the Royal Save Mart family is a great Korean supermarket for inner city…read moredwellers without a car. Unlike the small colony of Korean supermarkets on the North Shore, this Royal Save Mart packs a punch for the size of store and location. They have a very respectable selection of Korean (and some Japanese) imported dry goods, snacks, drinks and frozen foods. They offer a range of frozen Korean style meat cuts from a butcher on the Shore and also carry a range of Kimchi both imported from Korea as well as some locally made stuff. Now you may be thinking that the local stuff is fresher and should taste better. However, as Kimchi is fermented cabbage this is a bit irrelevant and the more important factor is the use of Korean chiles and fish sauce (which most NZ made Kimchi does not contain). Royal Save Mart's Kimchi selection is very reasonably priced especially when you buy the larger pack sizes. Above all the Royal Save Mart has a little food corner that is open until about 5 or 6pm. I haven't been able to sample the food myself as I never visit this store when it is open (I don't work in the city). However, the women that run the food corner also have a whole fridge of fresh made Korean side dishes (panchan) that are so reasonably priced and so damn delicious that I would imagine the mains are just as delectable. These women are from the deep south of Korea which is known to have the tastiest recipes in all of the land. Compared to the 3 other Auckland Korean supermarkets I've been to, this one has the best and varied selection of side dishes. If you want to impress your friends by cooking Korean food, you can buy the side dishes from these ladies and make 'cheats bibimibop' (pic uploaded). Only downside is a real lack of parking, but its in the CBD so get over it and enjoy!