The Hollywood Dairy is a dairy, but also a post shop. Or it has a post shop counter in it, or…read moresomething. It's a bit confusing. However it works, you can buy an ice-cream and some courier bags at the same shop, and that's nothing to complain about. The people who work here are lovely. Here's an example to prove it: One time I went to the Hollywood Dairy to buy some staples. I assumed the between the dairy bit and the post shop bit, they'd be sure to have some. I searched at length, but couldn't see them anywhere. The guy behind the post counter asked what I was looking for, and when I told him he said they'd totally sold out of staples and wouldn't have any until tomorrow. "But here," he said, "these should keep you going in the meantime." And he took a handful of staples out of his own stapler and gave them to me. This is why Hollywood Dairy is lovely, and why I like to buy things there whenever possible (although I'm still going with the staples he gave me, so I haven't had to buy any of them yet. But I will, when the time comes).

The Hollywood Dairy has been part of Balmoral's culture for as long as I can remember. A family-run…read morebusiness, this is a really well-stocked and organised convenience store that is guaranteed to have the latest new ice block/chocolate bar the kids want to try. You can also get your usual stuff - bread, milk, even butter and sour cream, and the freezer is well stocked with a range of gourmet frozen foods. Down the back of the shop is a fully functional post shop that also sells a good range of stationery and office supplies. The best thing about the Hollywood dairy is its community feel - you are guaranteed a friendly face and warm greeting every time you visit.

Located on Three Lamps, Ponsonby is the only Kiwibank & Post office on Ponsonby Road. They have 2…read morequeues: one for NZ Post and the other for bank transactions. They have a selection of greeting cards, prepaid gift cards and a couple of computers available for customers in the branch. The staff are efficient, however there are normally long wait times! This is my local so I usually tolerate the delays ha! It makes a difference though when they apologise and smile.

This particular branch of the PostShop / Kiwibank deserves a special mention for it's extra…read morefriendly staff. They always take extra time to ensure that you're completely satisfied with the service, rather than rushing your transaction through when there's a queue behind you or it's just before closing time. There are two separate queues, for the Post Office and for Kiwibank, which is great if you just want to deposit some money or make a withdrawal and you can bypass the people posting big parcels. It's conveniently located at the Three Lamps end of Ponsonby Road, with an ATM machine outside. There'll often be a busker located conveniently beside said ATM... so withdrawal with caution or you may be guilt-tripped into parting with your cash sooner than expected!

Post offices seem to be the bane of most people's lives. It's never a pleasure, the layout, the air…read moreof impatience, the waiting in line - because there's always a line, isn't there? Mount Eden Post Shop is slightly different. Yes, there's sometimes a line, but more often than not there isn't. I think it's because the place is tiny - nobody knows it exists. Come think of it, the establishment is smaller than my bedroom. Cramped yes, but I like to think of it as cosy. What they lack in size they make up for in politeness and sometimes even friendliness - especially towards the regulars (ie. Me).

There is good parking close by, there are handy tables to sort out your items and the staff at the…read morepost Office are so lovely and helpful. The biggest problem I found was when I wanted to mail my Christmas cards, I went back three times and every time they did not have stamps. Supplying them with enough stamps around this time of the year looks like a good idea, after all, they do sell cards and postcards. Now it's a bit like the pub with no beer.

Greenwood's Paper Power is an agglomeration of stationary store, post office, book store and toy…read morestore. Basically it's a local, more expensive version of your Whitcoulls or Paper Plus, except they sell Lotto. The same jigsaw puzzles have faded in the windows for years; the same sale books wheeled out each morning. It is placed in a very handy location for local residents put the service is quite unhelpful. The staff very begrudgingly gave piecemeal information about sending money overseas to an older gentleman while I struggled through a form on their counter the last time I was there. Good for a last minute card or to pick up that envelope you needed because you didn't take one from work because nobody stocks envelopes at home anymore.

This is a great Stationers, with many facilities like NZ Post, Lotto, Stationery, Toys and Gifts,…read moreWestern Union, Passport Photos etc. Staff are always super friendly and helpful and the prices are very reasonable. Very often their prices are cheaper than Paper Plus and Whitcoulls. It's in a great location with loads of parking. I've been a customer for years and that won't change any time soon.

As far as combining unrelated services goes, a pharmacy-slash-post-shop is a pretty good mix. The…read moredownside here is only that, this being a less than massive shop, you don't get a huge range of either service, or at least not as much as you would in a larger place - or one that didn't have its attention divided. But this is probably not really an issue. Certainly the few times I've been here they were able to sort me out with whatever I needed, so they have at least the more obvious range of both a pharmacy and a post shop (I've never gone in asking for anything obscure or weird, so I can't say how they'd deal with less common requests). The service here has always been polite and professional, and although I have had to wait in line, it's never been for very long.

I would much rather preffer going to this pharmacy than the larger ones. Much more private and…read morebeats waiting in the other local post shops where the lines are always almost out the door .

A combined post office and bank, great idea New Zealand! I appreciate this particular bank/post…read moreoffice not just because of its usefulness but also because of the great staff - these guys are very friendly, professional and patient. I have seen them handle the difficult customers trying to pick a fight really well. Several members of the team had to get involved once and they were all kind, but firm. They also really know their stuff! - I have gone in with various questions related to financial legalities, packaging quotes and various other things and each team member has been able to help me out. They is also a regular busker with his dog out the front, I like buskers...

I bet every other bank chain is gutted they can't have a post shop as well as a bank in the same…read moreplace. This is Kiwibank's biggest drawcard, in my honest opinion. Now, I'm not a Kiwibank customer, but I come to the post office a lot as I do a lot of mailing, and to register the car etc. The New Lynn branch of the Post Office is great. The staff are pleasant and always helpful when figuring out what packaging to get with what item and how to make it as cheap as possible. The only thing is it can get pretty busy because of its location, so I've found my self waiting in line for quite a while on more than one occasion, but I guess some people have lots of stuff they have sort out.

Starway Stationers is a good old fashioned stationery shop: it sells anything and everything you…read morecould possibly want in the stationery line, from single envelopes through to embossed papers. It's definitely not a fancy place, but its somehow quite comforting to know that buried under the children's scrapbooks you can find paper suitable for the fanciest occasions, along with the pens appropriate for each. They also sell mags here, including some that you probably wouldn't find in other newsagents, like all those ones pertaining to specific hobbies that you can collect up and put in custom designed folders. I might get into needlework just so I can buy these. Finally, they also have a post office service here, although be warned it's not a full one, so you can't pay bills or get car regos here, but can send parcels and the like.