Reading the homesick thread made me think; it took a lot of time to figure out where to go and get stuff, life sucks when you don't have places you can go to on autopilot without dramas and know that your in the right place for you. It can be so hard in the early days when you can't find nuffin, nuffin you like, nuffin as good as back home, nuffin fits, or if it does it's nasty or too darned uxpunsive. So let's share our new favourite and perhaps some of the worst shopping experiences.

I'll start with my most favourite shop: Jeanswest

I have pretty much found my level in there, although of 'middle-age' I can pretty much guarantee that I can walk in there and find something I like. Staff are lovely and I find the styles are not too young, nor too old for me, I never have any sense that it's not somewhere women of my age should be and nobody looks down their nose at the old bird. Stuff fits nicely, is quite affordable and good quality and they change the range on a regular basis; hence they have lots of sales and they have different things every time I go there. Which is quite a novelty for NZ. They have a loyalty card and I am now silver member and get 10% off of everything. I trust their sizing enough to purchase things on line if they don't have my size / or items I want in the local store. Their sizes are a bit bigger than we're used to - I usually buy the small and extra small size tops.

Marks & Spencers and Tescos

Yes well M&S is still my main go to, nothing here can compare especially not when it's 20% off days and free delivery. I ordered some towels this week.

Millers for me. It's a really granny shop but suits my middle age tastes ! Also, the sizes are big enough to fit my fat bottom.

Warehouse can be good. (Ye gods woman, have you no taste ? Um, no, not really.)

Farmers doesn't do much for me. It's expensive and I can get similar clothes in the Warehouse. A brand new Farmers has opened in Wanganui. The old Farmers moved into brand new premises. Now it just looks as sterile and unfriendly with hard tile floors and far to bright lights as the Palmerston North Farmers. It comes to something when my husband describes their clothes as dated ! I got some underwear there on Thursday as it was half price.

Hallensteins is ok, but that's about it. I find myself browsing rather than buying in there. Shanton can be ok.

Personally, I don't find the boutiques selling clothes much different to each other. That is a reference to the shopping malls in Auckland i.e. Botany. I assume they all buy from the same wholesalers as Warehouse etc do.

Postie is good for clothes, well, by my tastes anyway.

I occasionally find the odd thing that I like from Just Jeans. I've bought a couple of tops and some jeans from there. I occasionally buy Jockey underwear from Farmers when they have a sale on but don't like there other clothes.

Have got shorts from The Warehouse and a couple of black tops to use backstage at the theatre but like others, most of my clothes come from M&S or Monsoon.

Yes for me too plus ASOS - could not cope without the amazing choice & free delivery

Find clothes here don't fit me well and can be very over priced

1. EB Games. For computer games
2. JB HiFi. As above plus music, stereo gizmos et al. Crap staff tho.
3. Bunnings. DIY store
4. FCO. Outdoors stuff like fishing, camping etc. Now closing down tho - still have Pack n Pedal, or Torpedo. Stay away from Kathmandu - it is 95% rubbish.
5. Citta. Nice homeware bits n bobs
6. Early Settler. Proper solid wooden last a lifetime furniture.
7. Most butchers. Still exist in NZ and can get you good dead flesh if you are nice to them
8. Greengrocers. Also still exist in most small towns. Cheaper and better then supermarkets.
9. New World. Supermarket with a good mix of quality and price. The Albany one has good fresh food - almost as good as 7) and 8).

Our local petrol station! Its independent, you can get fishing gear and a pie. Plus in the summer they have a interesting range of inflatable lilos.

We don't get into town very often......

Ezy buy excellent, aqua it ions and I have grown to like pay and save Albany is good and I take my Tesco and sanisburys reusable bags which staff pack for me lasted longer than nz reusable ones