Noel Leeming in Newmarket is a spacious store, that stocks a wide range of technology/gaming and…read moreelectrical appliances and/or equipment. I had a great experience recently, when I popped into the Noel Leeming store, trying to find a XBOX 360 game, having sold out in other outlets and they had one!!! All the staff were helpful, ascertained where the product was, communicated really well and then offered to get the item for me, while I wait! Fantastic customer service! They are a 'one stop shop' really selling smart phones, tablets, TVs, DVDs, fridges, kitchen appliances, everything I think. Great sales too!

Always come back to this place for appliances. They are so…read morenegotiable on there prices. Good service and friendly staff when you get chatting.

The Appliance Shed is a huge bright yellow building that boasts heavily discounted prices on…read morefactory seconds and showroom demo's, but half the stock was missing prices. The other half you could find new in another appliance store at the same price, if you shopped around. This may not always be true but none of the staff spoke to or acknowledged me to disprove this fact. Perhaps their garish yellow uniforms had caused some sort of irreparable blindness or corneal damage. Two staff members obliviously strolled past while another popped bubble wrap 5 meters from where I puzzled over my purchase. Because I was using the company card, I offered the bubble-popper a chance to up-sell me, taking the cheapest product and the one I was considering to the counter and asking what the difference was. And here again I would like to mention the uniforms. Perhaps it was supposed I had also suffered some sort of temporal blindness from the bright yellow shirts because the staff member obtusely replied "They're different brands". It carried on from there in this manner for some time before I gave up but lets just say that I'm glad I wasn't looking for any helpful service or an appliance bigger than a desk phone.

I'm not sure if i'm just getting old or my style has just changed but I used to walk into Superette…read moreand want to buy everything, these days i'm lucky if I see only a couple of items to add to the wish list (I say wish list bc as a new homeowner, clothes have gone waaaaaaay down the priority list). By no means has the quality decreased, it's still a beautifully curated collection of both international and local designers, I think it's just no longer my style. That being said Superette gets four stars because their store is always immaculate, the staff re friendly and they're a great one stop shop for jeans with a tonne of brands to choose from. I also have bought a couple of great gifts from their selection of homewares and one thing I have most definitely added to the wish list is their linen sheets (waaaaay higher up the priority list these days). It seems to be a bit of a trend at the moment for popular AK City businesses to open up shop on the Shore and being a proud North Shorian myself, let's hope it continues!

In my experience, well informed and friendly staff are easy to come by in music gear stores as its…read morea bit of a 'cool geek' subject. The guys at Mix Foundation are no exception and they were more than happy to spend time discussing the various merits of music formats and compatibility of software and hardware. They offer a complete range and have pretty much everything on display and encourage you to try things out before making a purchase. That doesn't sound like much to ask when some kit is VERY expensive but other stores keep the good stuff behind glass which makes it tricky to commit to a purchase. Check out their facebook page for up to date offers

I needed to buy some presents before my recent trip to visit a nephew and niece under the age of 14…read moreand Smiggle was the answer to my calls for help. This store has a crazy cool amount of options to choose from for the young and hip kid. I loved that there was a different style and colour for every pencil case, folder, writing book, journal, and money safe. It did make trying to decide on a design quite hard at first, but with help from the really friendly and chatty sales assistant, I was on my way with a bag of Smiggle gear for the kids in less than 15 minutes. Smiggle has everything the kid would need for school. For example bags, wallets, lunch boxes, drink bottles, funky slap bands to swap with friends, writing tools. It's completely endless, and mind boggling what they have come up with, it's like they have entered the child's mind and asked- what would you want? Always a fun time shopping here, I get to be a kid for a bit.

Having bigger and more varied menswear stores in Auckland city is a welcome addition between the…read moresunglasses and shoe stores on every other corner. The recently upgraded Fort St has allowed the classier feel of High St to influence the lower CBD and given guys more choices in how they dress. Regrettably, the Ben Sherman store just off Queen St was a disappointment. Usually stockists of a huge selection of fashionable shirts and jackets, the range was surprisingly lacking, especially for such a spacious store. I hope they didn't spend all the money on outfitting the shop with trendy accessories. Note: There is a women's range of clothing available here I haven't noticed in other Ben Sherman stores around Auckland.

Ben Sherman make nice clothing. Their new store in Fort St is really nice, and I went in to buy…read moresome shirts. Yeah they are pricey, but I'm happy with the quality and fit. And I don't buy them that often. Staff are friendly enough, in a sort of nice but dim sort of way, but helpful with my purchases. Their store is pretty big and every now and then they run some great deals so it's definitely worth waiting for a sale!

Before I developed my love for independant bookstores, Whitcoulls was my go-to for Christmas…read morepresents. A book (or board game, if I was feeling generous) for each family member and I was done. Despite being a chain, they've got a relatively good selection and the staff that i've interacted with seem to like and read a number of them, which is always a plus. Whitcoulls of course, also have stationery, magazines and a small selection of puzzles too. If you desperate for a gift, they're a one stop shop that's often open late but personally, now that we've got our own independent bookstore in Milford, The Booklover, I'd much rather support them and get a recommendation that's sure to wow!

This shop is a regular life saver for me. Be it a Kiwibank transaction, paying a car registration,…read morebuying a last minute birthday card (some are only $1 or $2 - wow!) and a pen to write in it with. The number of times Mitchell's Paper Plus has come to my rescue is countless. I don't know the names of the family that own this business (I'm pretty sure Mitchell moved on years ago) but they've been here at least 10 or 15 years and they are always lovely and polite to deal with. The pile of jigsaws/cookbooks etc out the front which are permanently on sale also make a good last minute Xmas or birthday gift.

Today, the worst experience happened to me in this shop. A salesman was not satisfied with my…read morelittle girl who is just 2 yrs touch the stuff in the shop and come to complain to me. His voice is so loud and his attitude is so impolite, even not say 'excuse me'. Children are naturally curious, I could not completely stop her but I already tried to. My daughter is not a naughty girl, and she just touched gently. Although she is not right, do you need so badly to us? In the past 7 years, I usually went shopping in northcote shopping center once a week. Most of time I went to this shop for paying the bills or a car registration, or buying some books for me and my daughters. But today's bad memory makes me will not go to that shop again.