MandMs 's Reviews

Another outlet sprang up in our local neigbourhood Centro, hardly ten days old, it's in a very convenient location on Level 2 near the centre's Jacob Street exit where the bus stops are. When you come in from the summer heat, you see Moochi straightaway and may fall into temptation for something nice and cold. Something different about this fro-yo (frozen yoghurt), it's got mochi in them of course. Little bits of chewy and gummy glutinous balls mixed in with several flavours of fro-yo. It's delicious. We visited the kiosk on a Sunday afternoon and there were two queues of at least six deep with the staff in full swing trying very hard to keep up. Friendly and hip service with a smile at the counter as you make your decision. Despite the throng, the team member took a little time for small talk and personalise the order taking. Time in the queue was an opportunity to decide what to have. After our order was taken, we waited at the side for our turn. Staff hurriedly scooped toppings onto the Moochis and called out customers' names. So organised and systematic; they hardly stumble over each other when there were five the behind the counter, not including the two staff taking orders at the tills. Prompt and happy service. A little pricey but you get something unique and refreshingly delicious. Would try again.

Not another retail bread shop I hear you say. This one is different from the other large franchises - it's family run and you get personal service. From time to time, one of their staff will stand outside and entice you to try a bite sized offering of one of their baked products. We were inducted to this shop in this way and were pleasantly surprised at how neat and tidy the store was. The main island cabinet is all glass and you get a full eyeful of all the goodies on offer. Baked buns, breads and scrolls were all looking so glowing and appetising. We felt we had to try them all. Along each wall, more glass cabinets presented cakes and more buns. They don't bake too many of each variety and we got there in time to purchase some freshly baked egg tarts at 3pm!

They have table settings for customers that wish to have a coffee and bun there and then at the front of the store and at the rear. No need for you to eat your buns whilst being eyed by Bankstown pigeons.

They also do special cake orders for occasions such as birthdays and had an album near the counter, especially for kids with their favourite animated characters in mind.

The baked goods here were cheaper than the other stores and tasted just as good. Most of the buns are under $2 and many are 10 or 20 cents cheaper than the other bread shops. You can't beat egg tarts at 50 cents each! (bulk buy). We would definitely visit them again.

After hearing all the things about Costco, we manage to make our first trip to the warehouse in Auburn. The carpark entries are either at the front (off Parramatta Road) or via a side road. Entering the carpark (on a Sunday) and you can imagine how busy it is. It is definitely a car park with vehicles moving very slowly or stopped waiting for a spot.
The store entry was either via the long ramp or the hospital size elevators, enough to fit at least 4 trolleys. The thing that hits us first was the smell of cooked food and the queues of people. The signs are so large that you won't miss the prices and what food is on offer. After queuing for the 18" pizza and drinks for 5, the wallet's only about $25 lighter. The humongus pizza feeds a family - the first sign of value to come inside the store. The membership is currently $60 (or $55 if you have a business/ABN) - almost cost of cup of coffee monthly. Members are not just 'members' but immediately awarded the Gold status? The member cards are printed and issued straightaway but they'll need to take your mugshot.

It's strictly members only (and guests) entry to the store and diligently monitored by the entrance 'bouncers' asking, 'Card please'. Cards are flashed in their faces but I'm sure they don't know if the cardholder is the owner of the membership. Make sure you pick up your trolley from the carpark (or you'll have to make another trip down there). The trolleys are huge and perfect if you have twins as the toddler seating holds 2. These are not easy to maneuver and makes me wish that 90% of the people there had been taken through their L's in order to drive the trolleys. I can assure you there were plenty of bingles, due to partly driver, partly the rear wheels are fixed straight (unlike the usual Coles/Woolies/other trolleys). But isn't this the case with most cars?

The warehouse store has very, I mean very high, ceilings with huge white spot lights. I almost needed sunglasses in there. Goods are stacked so high and dwarfing the throngs of people. Goods that are for sale continue to be accessible at the ground floor level of the industrial shelvings. It's no wonder trolleys fill up quickly as you will find mostly bulk buys. Almost all sorts of merchandise you could possibly want in a warehouse buying environment - electronics, food, frozen meats, breads & pastry, fresh vegies (held in a large cool room - brrr!), household products, clothing, books, toys, outdoor needs (I saw a plastic kayak for sale).

Towards the rear of the store, or should I say 'Warehouse', is where the foodstuff is located and there are several food tasting stations in operation. You get to see, buy, taste - what more could one want?

With a trolley-full of goods, we queued at the busy checkouts. Looked like over 20 counters, each one run with precision process - products go on the conveyor, operator scans the product, trolley goes on the other side, another worker stack the goods down into your trolley, you show the member card, pay and off you go - not quite at Grand Prix pitstop speed but systematic.

Pushing the trolley back to the car is hazardous - heavy trolley, reduced maneuverability, many people (and children). The carpark does not have adequate walkways for pedestrians or trolleys so you're weaving in/out of traffic trying to get to your car.

Shopping experience = So-so, it's wholesale what do you expect?
Customer service = Non-existent, workers too busy,
Carpark = Busy, allow time to circle and wait for someone to leave
Value = Not all products are cheaper here, you still need to comparison shop, bulk sizes does not always equal cheaper
Stress free? Not at all, people, people everywhere
Would return? Probably
PROS: Bulk buys - Big/Volume product sizes, some massive savings
CONS: Crowded, long wait time (car park and checkouts)

Recently opened local sushi shop adds another choice to Panania's culinary variety. They are prominently located near the busy T-junction of Tower St and Anderson Ave. The shop sign is simply white lettering on black background. I made the mistake of turning up on Tuesday but they are closed - opens 6 days. The storefront is simple and unassuming all glass from floor to ceiling. On entering through the double glass doors, there are simple seating arrangements on the left and the serving counter on the right. Not in your face Japanese decor but the obligatory salutation of ""Irasshaimase!" is immediate as your attention turns to the welcoming smiles behind the counter eager to serve.

From behind the glass food display cabinets, there are at least a dozen different sushi varieties to choose from. Current special is "4 sushi rolls for $10" or "3 sushi rolls plus a drink for $10". There aren't a lot of rolls on display but this is a good thing, it means they keep making them fresh! We spent $40 on sushi and dined in - comfortable but nothing fancy. Sushi is served on disposable plastic plates with the small fish shaped squeeze tubes of soy sauce and small packs of wasabi. The sushi is definitely fresh and delicious. We watched the world go by whilst munching on fresh sushi.. They also sell hot cooked food and had some on display (will try these next visit) but our first visit is to try the sushi. This store seems to appeal to a fair number of locals as there were also other patrons purchasing sushi to take away.

School kids seem to like this place too as I've seen them flock here for sushi after school to stave off the monster munchies. A much better alternative than oily fat chips for growing bodies.

We would visit again and look forward to more sushi and other hot foods (also freshly cooked). The business card says,'So Good So Fresh' and I can believe it.

You can't overlook Lincraft for the largest floorspace and range of fabric, knitting, haberdashery, arts and crafts needs. Allow plenty of time to browse this store as you'll probably have to do a lot of searching. After you find what you're after, you will spend time trying to decide which item to pick. We went to shop for a shirt's replacement buttons and there was an entire aisle of buttons! Almost any kind of button you need or could want were neatly contained in plastic canister tubes.

Customer service was prompt, however, it seemed a challenge to find someone to help, unless you go to the front counter - perhaps fewer staff on a Saturday. Product knowledge of staff were challenged as we found they didn't know about silk screen printing materials - probably best checking out other specialty art stores too.

Generally a neat and tidy store with almost whatever you might need for your project, be it sewing up a costume, mending materials for your garment, school art projects, etc.

This Muffin Break outlet is prominently located next to Target and at the front of the long row of food outlets in the food court. Their window display usually has plenty to offer and deciding on one out of the many different muffin flavours is made quite difficult. The outlet is kept very clean and organised. I've been a repeat customer of this Muffin Break outlet for better part of a year now. Their service is generally prompt and accurate. Their coffee is good but there are better, however, I can't go past their fresh daily baked muffins - best served warm.

Good experience, good store.

We visited this outlet on a Sunday afternoon and the shopping centre was full of throngs of people and this store was fairly busy (8-10 customers). This Jeanswest outlet was located near Big W and on the same level as the food court. We navigated our way to this store with the Westfield app. It was less prominent than other stores, which scream out with their bold signs and dressed up windows with Sale signboards and all. The store looked almost brand new. The many shelves and racks were well maintained and located. Walking around the store, one felt all space was fully utilised with menswear on the right and womens on the left - quite a typical layout of many clothing stores. We browsed through the various clothes - almost something for everyone (from teenager and up). There was an older couple and the man was trying out jeans. Their merchandise ranges from T-shirts, Casual shirt, blouses, dresses and of course, Jeans! We found that the store was lacking in coloured jeans (except for half a dozen pairs on the racks) - I received 2 emails from their recent campaign about 2 pairs of coloured jeans for $99. I guess they were sold out.

The focus of our visit was to get jeans! We converged toward the rear of the shops where the different types of jeans were stacked and folded neatly on the shelves. They were crying out - take your pick and try! From Slim to Classic, Straight leg to Bootcut. Once you're familiar with these, it's so easy to find your right cut and size. With jeans in hand and walking to the fitting rooms, one was confronted with BUTT CAM! Cool idea - the first I've seen in any store. So, don't ask me if your butt looks big in the jeans - it might offend. Just look for yourself.

There was only one nice lady working during our visit when there should be two (she told us). Despite being short staffed, she provided good customer service and even advised us when we selected 1 pair of jeans, that if we got a second pair, it'll be $99, otherwise, $70 per pair. Nice upsell. We left the store with 2 pairs of jeans! If you're ever at Westfield Liverpool, check out Butt Cam with your jeans!

It's only 4 stars because we find the queues and the checkouts too busy and causing long wait time. Otherwise, this is one of the better Woolies around the Bankstown vicinity. The market feel of the fresh food section is quite welcoming. Don't forget to check out the deli. They have very good presentation and the products are neatly stacked and separated. This oozes pride from the Deli workers. The layout is typical and the aisles are unremarkable. When this store is busy, it is difficult to navigate due to the crowd in the store. The products are well stacked and neat, with ample end of aisle specials. The staff tries hard at providing good customer service but one can tell they are a little stretched at times. Good supermarket experience but could be much better.

Great location, shame about the customer service. The experience of this newsagency is unanimous amongst all members of my family. Whenever we visit, it's just all about the transaction - you choose, you buy and you leave. Despite being local and visiting this agency several times each month, we get no smiles, no acknowledgement that we're repeat customers or locals in the area. There are the usual two staff members, a man and a woman, whom we think are the owners that cannot crack a smile under gunpoint. Our last straw came when we went in for our lotto purchase and asked for previous week's results. The man promptly told us to check the other counter for pre-printed results. When there were none that we needed, we waiting on the side. He promptly offered the excuse that he's too busy with other customers to print. He could have politely asked us to wait. If we can avoid this newsagency, we would from now.

One of my favourite shopping centres, conveniently located and accessible off King Georges Road or from Canterbury Road; Centro Roselands has is all - ample FREE car parking (mostly covered), ample sized food court (though the selection could be improved), ample variety of specialty retailers, ample Majors (Coles, Myer, Dick Smith, Target, Lincraft, etc) and more. Easy for commuters too with the bus terminal right outside the complex.

The centre layout is easy to navigate and a pleasure to walk around. The main atrium is light and airy with lots of natural light coming in from glass ceiling/roof, options for elevators or escalators are easily accessible.

The clincher in the deal for me are the free all day carparking (unlike Westfields), good clean food court, airy feel from the natural light and great variety of stores.