whitesand

The fact is that shops in NZ are pretty awful, if you compare them to the rest of the world. Department Stores like Myers in Oz, or M&S, John Lewis or any in other parts of the universe do not really exist here. Smith & Caughey is a rather old-fashioed excuse for a Department Store which only seems to cater for cashed-up tourists. Shopping here can be quite a depressing experience, both for food and for clothes

j19fmm

K-Mart = Primark, cheap and chatty
Far better off in the independent shops that carry named brands

Hebe

Oh god. I am going to have to stock up before I arrive. I will be coming back to Melbourne regularly so will have to do my shopping then and online.

Bo-Jangles

I think Smith + Caugheys simply decided to ring their own death knell: they are so unbelievably dated and old-fashioned you kind of expect to find Mr Humphries in Menswear and Mrs Slocum in the ladies underwear department.

j19fmm

Just used M&S to purchase swimwear and lingerie (not for me!). Simple to do and free postage to NZ if order over £30. Bargain. Delivery estimated at 10-14 days. I'll let you know

MrsFychan

I use M&S and Tesco's and they have both been brilliant

sr71

It's not really that much better in Australia, many people shop online because Myer and David Jones prices are far too high, even with they constant 'sales'

Hebe

Not for American brands. They are much cheaper than UK sites

Clappy

Yes.

ellenarosemary

- nope, and to be honest I don't think I ever will.

Hazelnut

I can see me missing Monsoon and some other UK stores if we move over On the other hand this thread has pushed me to start learning to make my own clothes.

What are fabric prices like out there? it's hard to find fabric stores where I live, my nearest is 35 miles away, but ebay is a good source. TradeMe seems to have a decent amount on it with costs cheaper than in the UK but I wonder if I'm missing something.

I'll definitely miss IKEA but we're almost stocked up now on vintage, solid wood furniture which we'll bring with us and I have lots of Ikea shelving too.

sr71

Still expensive, stuff like Nike, Ralph Lauren, Gap can be bought much cheaper from the US. E.g. Polo shirts were about $135 in David Jones, on sale maybe $95. From the US only $45.

JaneRiley

Don't forget Postie+!

S_and_T

Wellington does have Kirkcaldy and Staines which is quite old fashioned and pricey. Someone earlier in the post compared Farmers to Allders. I would suggest BHS is a more suitable comparison!

We have just spent a few hundred quid buying clothes from the UK and shipping them over. If you think of Kids clothes for instance, Tesco will charge a tenner to ship here. Next ship here as well.

If your coming here for a John Lewis-a-like, no chance!

Choccie

Oh the tunic and leggings look - I'm sure it has been the same for the last 8 years. Always black/red/grey and garish patterns. Also find they seem to wear it from age 20 - 60 + .

We have named it the NCL look (North Canterbury Lady!) often comes with chunky jewellery and a spikey hair do.