When I was feeling blue the other day, my boyfriend decided an adventure was in order. As Nerf Gun…read morefever has struck our apartment, we headed into Dartmouth Crossing to check out Toys R Us' selection. I've never been in the new TRU location, as it was built just after I left Dartmouth Crossing. The layout is really nice, bright and clear, with an connecting entrance to Baby's R Us, which is next door, and which I will never enter, unless someone drags me with quite a bit of force. Or bribery. The overall layout is super different than the old spot in MicMac, and it's also not nearly as big. It has a bit of a squished in feeling, to be honest. We were both looking for specific things, and we found them both. They have an excellent assortment of science toys, action figures, plushies, everything kids could want; Heck, they have everything I want and I'm twenty-eight! It was an ok visit. I'll be back again, I'm sure.

Went in looking for a barbie and horse for my daughter for Christmas. Walking down aisle and seen…read morethis awesome Barbie with a horse on a big display. 4 shelves filled with this product and the price below each shelf said 44.97! I get to cash the Barbie and Horse ring up as 69.99! I said no thank you I am not paying that. She pulled up the flyer and there was a Barbie and Horse on sale for 44.97 and it had a white horse instead of the traditional brown color. So I went on my why without it. I wanted to go look at this display and see how deceiving it was. After looking at it, I felt I should go to customer service and let them know of the error. To my surprise the awesome sales rep said I could have the Barbie and Horse for the price listed for sale, and it was their error and they will Price Guarantee the item! Thanks Toys R us!!!!

I popped in this shop with a friend a couple weeks ago, and we both expected sort of "precious"…read moreclothes with a precious price tag to match. Boy were we wrong! Totally cute kids clothes at super reasonable prices. I got each of my favourite girls a super cute t-shirt that says, "My aunt (hearts) me" for $6 each. I picked up a gift for my cousins's little boy from my mom - a plaid dress shirt onesie in turqouise, blue and green that comes with the cutest little pair of khakis for $20. Huge selection, really cute stuff and affordable.

I was here yesterday looking for some outfits for my baby to be. I had a question about the sizing…read moreso I approached a sales clerk to ask about it. When I said I was due September 3rd, her response was a look, and then saying, "You still have THAT far to go?" I was really put off, and just shook my head, said a very sarcastic "Thanks" and walked away from her. I left without buying anything, which is a shame because they do have really cute things here for great prices. Salespeople, ESPECIALLY in this line of work should really know better than to make rude comments to expecting parents. I can certainly infer the translation of what she was saying to be "wow, you're huge and look like you are about to have the baby now!" Not helpful. I know I'm short and have popped quite a bit, but my doctor tells me I'm exactly the size I should be, so there, rude lady!

Often when I visit this store, I wonder if this isn't a second or third tier Gymboree store for a…read moresmaller market. Yeah, it's that higher end chain but this store bears little resemblance in terms of organization and display to other Gymborees I've visited. Even my seven year old daughter commented on the disarray saying it was like a garbage dump but with clothes not garbage. And this was on a quiet Monday afternoon. I can't day that I find the staff that friendly, but there is the odd decent sale and that kind of makes up for the lack of service. And one other thing. There are no dressing rooms. Sure, babies don't need to try on clothes but sometimes, it's helpful to have a place where say, a six or seven year old could try something on so you don't have to buy it and return it.

This isn't a review of the clothing (good quality) or the staff (very helpful). Rather, this is a…read morereview of the store facilities. Someone from the Dartmouth location had the Halifax store hold an item for me. I brought my daughter to try it on, as she's very tall and thin and most companies don't make clothing that fits her. I asked where the fitting room was . . . and was told there wasn't one. My shy 10 year old had to try pants on behind a rack right in the store. Unbelievable and unacceptable. The staff were embarrassed that their location didn't have an appropriate changing area. I'm not sure if the company is to blame for this oversight, or the mall itself is responsible. All I know is I'll never, ever shop at the Halifax location again. If the Dartmouth store doesn't have the right size in the item I want, we'll simply look for something else.

Very poor customer service experience at the Dartmouth Marshalls tonight…read more I was doing Christmas shopping and brought my own reusable bags, which I placed on the counter at checkout. The cashier scanned all of my items and did not bag anything. After paying, I asked if my items would be bagged and was told no. I was informed that staff are not allowed to bag items if customers bring their own bags and that items are only bagged if you purchase a Marshall's bag. Reusable bags are supposed to exist for environmental reasons, yet this policy feels like nothing more than a money grab. Marshall's no longer provides bags, but then refuses to bag items when customers bring their own. That makes no sense and certainly does not feel customer‑friendly, nor does it feel like its being done for the environment. Marshall's has always been one of my favorite stores, but this experience made me seriously question that and now I am wondering where customer service has gone. I have never had an experience like this at any other Marshalls location. Extremely disappointing!

Disappointment. That's the word that springs to mind when I think about my first Canadian…read moreMarshall's experience. I wasn't sure what to expect when I headed to Marshalls, but I was told it was "like Winners but better!". So I thought: "Okay, sounds good to me. Winners is pretty good!"and I headed out. But friends, don't be deceived - Winners and Marshalls are pretty much the same thing. (Annnd apparently they're owned by the same company) The layouts are the same, the signage is the same, the selection is the same and the staff were basically non-existent, except for the burly security guard that side-eyed everyone who walked in. Even after walking in and thinking "This looks just like Winners.", I gave it a chance. I saw so many folks walking out of the store and around Dartmouth Crossing with Marshalls bags that I thought it must have some good deals. Well, maybe. I'm a larger lady so I headed right to the plus section...or should I say the plus rack. There was one double-sided rack. There were about 20 shirts in different sizes. They were mostly black, or gray, or another dark colour, and they were just kinda enh. The pants weren't any better. I looked around, thinking maybe I was missing something, but no dice. I really found nothing there that made me excited or made me think "Ohhh! I'll be back!" Not sure what all the fuss was about, but unless I hear something better from a trusted shopping companion, I'll stick to other stores.

These shops are everywhere in the Caribbean and in Mexico, so I usually associate this store chain…read morewith warm climate regions. Pretty surprised to see a store up this far north. For those who don't know, this store specializes in apparel and accessories that change with light. We probably would not have gone into this store, if were not for a coupon from the ship for a free gift from this store. Well just the word "free" was enough to bring my wife and kids to this place. The kids got a plastic color-changing ring. Oh well. One our our friends bougnt a color changing canvas bag, but unfortunatly, the handle started to wear down after the 3rd day.

Color changing in the sun products…read more Ready for some pranks? Okay. This is what you do. A friend of mine who worked on the cruise ships told me about this practical joke. You buy some of the invisible nail polish that changes to a bright pink in the sun. You wait for your father or male friend to fall asleep on the couch. You apply a generous amount of the invisible nail polish to his nails and wait for him to go out in the sun! I did this on my father. And yes, he did run back into the house screaming after five minutes wondering if we had to take him to the hospital. The only problem was we were laughing too hard to tell him it was only a prank. This is the kind of fun you can have with the products at Del Sol. Their staff are friendly enough and helpful. The store is located on the waterfront in downtown Halifax and is a franchise and with many locations in the Caribbean. I was happy to see them open a store here even though their items aren't that fashionable and really lose their appeal after a while. But their Frisbee's work fine and some of their sunglasses are pretty cool. So its a fun store to stop by and pick up material for a party or a prank. And if you are walking around with the kids and need them to be distracted for a few minutes, this is definitely a place you can take them.

The Gap, located on the third floor of Mic Mac Mall offers a little bit of everything with a…read morevariety of men's and women's clothing including outerwear, socks, underwear, boxers, pajamas, scarfs, jeans and hoodies. While their prices tend to be higher-end, they always have a fair number of sales and promotions on with much of their reduced merchandise in the back of the store. Also, by simply giving them your email address, you'll always received an advanced notification of when a great deal is coming up. Like most Gap stores, the store is well laid out and is always kept very clean and tidy, with great customer service.

Pretty standard fare for a large corporate chain and a staple of the Mic Mac Mall for many years,…read moreThe Gap is what it is. The clothing selection is pretty safe and consistent from year to year, there are always strange sales that make for decent bargain shopping, and the staff are as good as staff can be when so many are seasonal high school hires. That said, I tend to find the cashiers much friendlier and more helpful than regular floor staff, especially given how good they are with return and exchange policies. One thing that bugs me is the whacky layout sometimes. Obviously they change the set-up of the store all the time, but during my latest visit, it was completely unclear where to line-up to get rung through as it was a maze of promo tables and bins.

Wow, what a nice discovery this was! They're open exceptionally late by Halifax standards (8 pm?)…read more Anything Irish or Scottish... they have it. Kilts, scarves, ruanas, neckties, etc. in all kinds of tartans; cloak and kilt pins and other jewelry; funny bumper stickers, etc. And if you need anything warm, they've got you covered, with a great selection of sweaters, hats, mittens, etc. The woman on duty when we visited (maybe the owner?) couldn't have been more friendly and she gave us some good intel on the area, too.

I went in expecting Northern Watters to be kilts, United Kingdom soccer, and more kilts. There is…read morethat, but also some beautiful and varied souvenirs. There were wooden ornaments made by a couple on Halifax. There were woolen animals made by women in South America where the animals sale is their only source of income. Also, there are drinks from the UK. The shop is a lot of fun to browse, and the shopkeeper will provide additional information about your purchase if it's artisan. Definitely worth a stop as you walk down the pier!

I was having a nice day until I asked a sales associate to help me at Laura's…read more I actually saw that they were sold out of an item on line, and asked if they happened to have it on the sales floor, but the sales person argued that i was wrong in having ever seen it. When I am looking for something at Laura's, my next stop is not Value Village. It was poor taste for her to suggest that I should to go to Value Village to find it there instead. She was a rude person. She was abrupt individual. If you buy Any item and you are treated well in the sales process, that item holds more value and a good memory of the sales experience. I walked out of Laura's wondering how many other people felt the same way I was left to feel by an inconsiderate sales person,an without just cause.

Laura seems to be hitting the Maritimes these days. This is a large store, well layed out and easy…read moreto navigate through. Prices are average, and the sizes offer a great range for the women. This is not a clothing store in my opinion for a younger gal. There is a selection of dresses, business clothes, casual and all sizes will be covered here.