Forest Hill Chase is never really springs to mind when I think of shopping centers. Located in the…read moretiny suburb of Forest Hill, I came here once and was pleasantly surprised at the center. It was clean and new-ish, it didn't feel like one of those old and forgotten places that nobody ever goes to. That said, it was relatively quite in the center- but it certainly didn't feel forgotten. Forest Hill doesn't have a huge variety of fashion stores, there are still a few goodies here though (such as Myer). Forest hill also have a Hoyts cinema and AMF bowling/M9 laser strike. My favorite thing about this place is the fact that there is a TGIF here! I think I would come back if I ever wanted to just wonder aimlessly through a center, without feeling rushed or buzzed like I do at Chadstone. Would also come here just for TGI and Hoyts.

Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre is somewhere I drop into if I am passing by, but it is not…read moresomewhere I tend to go to on purpose. While it is fairly big and there have been a lot of upgrades recently, the atmosphere here is pretty non-existant and I don't enjoy myself. One good thing about the centre is that there are over 3500 free car spaces without restrictions. These are spread all around and under the centre itself. The centre has 3 levels with the topmost (and smallest) being the best. This is the newest part of the centre and has been designed to be a bit of an entertainment hub. It features Hoyts Cinemas, TGI Fridays, Nandos, Timezone, Rebel Sport, The Chase Hotel and JB Hi Fi to name a few. Despite being the biggest hit of the centre, it still doesn't get very busy up there. The centre is never really busy so if you don't like crowds then this place is perfect for you in every way! The average shopper tends to be a bit older although most of the shops seem suited to younger shoppers. There are a heap of taxis that wait just outside the food court. Bizarrely they are often there during the middle of the day. Bigger, rival centres don't have this service so this is a definite plus.

Agreed, this place is a great place to go if you know what you are looking for. I often come to…read moreBrand Smart for one of two things: Bed Linen, Laura Ashley, Adairs or Sheridan (sale prices) Gift Purchases, Oroton, Witner, CK. The Oroton warehouse is a great place to shop for gift ideas. They have some of the latest stock that only just goes on sale and some times they have massive savings like 50% already reduced prices. You have the potential to pick up some great leather goods for less than half the price. I would recommend this store to anyone who is looking for a bargain but doesn't want to deal with the massive crowds and cant be bothered circling a car-park for a spot. This place seems almost undiscovered.

This is a little factory outlet warehouse that isn't really comparable to places as large as DFO;…read morebut it doesn't make it any worse. Brand smart is a relatively quite place, to me it feel like a forgotten place. This said- I still come here because I know I can find what I'm looking for. BrandSmart offers a good range of brands including esprit, footlocker, oroton, bendon, laura Ashley, poltix, sheridon and royal doulton-just to name a few. This is a good place to come if you just want some personal alone time, to wonder around and shop aimlessly. There's no sense of rush or excitement here, just a relaxing place where you might find a few good bargains along the way. There are over 400 free car spaces here, which make it all the more stress free.

Look, I'm not a huge fan of shopping centres, namely because they lack the authenticity of your…read moretypical main street, and the shops inside tend to be part of larger chains, so there also seems to be somewhat of a lack of personality to many of the shops as well. They do have their uses in part, and some of them are trying to create a bit of a main street feel, but unfortunately it tends to fail more often than not. As for this one, well, I have to admit that it is pretty fancy, though like a lot of them it is easy to get pretty lost inside as well. I liked it, and they do have a number of good coffee shops as well, so I'll certainly give it marks for that.

The Ugly Duckling that once was Westfield Doncaster has recently received the ultimate makeover and…read moreflourished as a stylish swan. Luxurious lounge area's to rest after intensive shopping are glittered throughout the centre and the brightly lit malls lead to over 400 shopping outlets. This shopping mall is a mix of chain stores from high street to designer fashion stores, home wares and electronics. Home to department stores Myer and David Jones, Village Cinema, Big W , Target, Safeway and Coles and countless food outlets. If your after high end designers then Chadstone is your best bet but for designers such as Alannah Hill and Max Mara then Doncaster is a more manageable option.This centre looks bigger then it feels so if your up for a shopping marathon you may feel let down by the size. But for my shopping and entertainment needs Doncaster is fantastic! The new personal shopper suite is perfect for individuals and groups who need a little fashion help, which may be useful in the upcoming party season! While not my speed I can totally appreciate its merits. The main obstacle to shopping bliss is car parking during peak periods, especially December and weekends its every car for itself. To ad insult to injury parking will cost you if you spend more then three hours in the centre. To remedy this you can pay $10 for valet parking and have your car sheltered for you. Doncaster Westfield is my pick for shopping in the Northeastern suburbs.

Given the demographics of Doncaster and surrounding burbs it doesn't come as a huge surprise that…read morethis store is constantly filled with high-end secondhand stock. Located a couple of K's behind the big mall this store offers a surprisingly awesome level of selection. With seven donation bins waiting patiently out the front and a whole basement full of stock this gives you some idea of their level of turnover. There are several racks devoted wholly to designer clothing and retro/costume racks with actual vintage pieces. Don't get too excited though, the staff know their stuff and price the stock accordingly. It's still cheaper than looking for vintage pieces around Collingwood/Fitzroy but don't expect back of the church shop prices. There is a huge selection of kids clothing, bric a brac, sports equipment and electrical goods. There is also A LOT of vinyl, I found Carly Simon and ELO without even trying. So if you're up for the drive (public transport is almost impossible) Doncaster Salvos is worth a visit.

I can't get enough of this place. I know it's a massive chain and they're all pretty much the same…read morebut I love that it's open 24 hours. The parking is 3 hour limit and plentiful and there's pretty much anything and everything you'd need! The store is huge and has great prices. Oh yah, and did I mention 24 hours?!!

Kmart is either hit or miss at times. If they have something on sale for really cheap, it is…read moreusually because of its dirty or weird-looking, something that no one would buy. But other times I find hidden gems there. For example, I bought a heat pack there, which was $10, and I expected it to heat badly and for the quality to be bad but it was surprisingly good. I have also purchased many makeup items from their brand OXX, which are honestly not great. The packaging is always dirty and the product itself has either no pigment or coverage. But it is cheap and can do a quick job. The garden area itself is quite nice, however in summer, the hot days, I realize that there are not many staff, if not any, and I usually have to go water the dying plants myself because they are not getting any care. They do have a wide range of beautiful plants though and I think it is one of the last Kmart stores in Victoria to have a garden. Something that is always a bit alarming is that there are a lot of broken items and items that have had their packaging wrecked, but Kmart is still a great place to go to for home decor. They have a large range of linen, candles, chairs, and home accessories which are always really nice looking, and decent quality too. Their home range basically has anything you need, from fake plants, cushions, cupboards. What is helpful is that they always have staff who know what they are doing and where something is, and if you do not know the price of something, they are quick to check how much the price is, and they are friendly and understanding of your needs. Although typically I have noticed that the lines are always super long, and you are waiting there for about 5 minutes at a time. What makes this even worse is that ¾ of the registers are self serve and only one team member to help. Everyone's had their fair share of experiences with those annoying robots, and with the limited staff there it becomes even more frustrating. But apart from all of this, I would rate Kmart at 3 out of 5, its just average.

The Discount Clearance Centre on Mahoneys road just opposite Forest Hill Chase is huge. They have a…read morelarge range of privately sourced stock that is on sale for generously discounted prices. While I was there I saw almost twenty couches, beds, bicylces, a few coffee tables and a variety of home decor items. It seems to be a family run business and they are so new to the area that they are yet to set up a phone line. The people I spoke to there were absolutely lovely and were super helpful when it came to answering my questions. Whilst they are still setting up, I can hedge a bet that this store is going to be quite good. Stock changes regularly and they have a sale board out the front where they write up a bargain of the day. Keep your eyes peeled on this one.

I went in here a few weeks ago, and was surprised with the amount of Variety they had available. As…read moreyou would expect in a $2.00 store, everything is cheap, but like most $2 shops nowadays, that little 'plus' planted on the end means anything goes. I had been looking for clear suit bags for about a week, and just because I was passing by. I ended up walking out with half a dozen bits and pieces, things I had forgotten I even needed. The owner was a great laugh, joking with everyone in the shop.

FO Customer Service Officers ...... was rude and pushy ..... plus not all stock is priced. I won't…read morebe going back after the attitude I got!

An op shop so cool it takes two shops to sell its stuff…read more I spend most of my shopping time in the clothes and little things side. This is because I like clothes, and I have no need for the furniture. It also sells stuffed toys, a huge array of books, shoes, curtains, fabrics, knitting gear. Really, everything, and all at spare change prices. The stock changes all the time, too, so it's worth popping in whenever you're in the area. Be warned, though, they're running very low on space, so you might end up in a customer traffic jam (the aisles are only one person wide), or if you're clumsy like me you might find yourself on the floor having tripped over a long wedding dress. I've had it recommended to me a few times as the op shop to go to for shoes. I don't know why this is, I didn't find anything I could wear - but then I have large wide feet so perhaps it's my problem, not theirs.

To be honest, I'm not that into antiques, and much of the things that would be found in an antique…read morestore would be well beyond my price range. Having said that, when trying to figure out the perfect christmas for my mother, an antique singer sewing machine came to mind. So for a month or so, every antique shop I passed I vwntured into in my quest to find one. Michael Powell, which they didn't have what I was looking for, had some pretty nice stuff. If I had the money I could easily be persuaded to buy a few antiques here and there. Of particular interest to me in this store was the wooden coffee table that would have looked perfect in my loungeroom. At $370 though, it was a little out of my price range. If antiques are you thing, give this place a go.