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Shop names in Sydney: where to find stuff when you first arrive

Depending on the airline you fly with, you may be moving to Australia with a single suitcase. For me, this meant some ruthless decisions had to be made, with my hairdryer, trainers, and bedding failing to make the cut.

While planning to buy most things when you arrive seems like a solid plan (this is Australia we're talking about after all, not Antarctica), I had no idea just how tricky that becomes when you don’t recognise the names of the stores. There’s no Argos equivalent, and in general, the shops aren’t megastores, so you’re unlikely to find electrical products at a supermarket, especially not in the city. If you're thinking of just ordering everything on Amazon or ebay, brace yourself for disappointment. They’ve got quite a way to go to catch up with the US or UK, and to say choice is limited is an understatement! Ebay is the better of the two for choice, but items coming from overseas can have incredibly long delivery times, especially if you’re a fan of next-day delivery.

Finding all this out for yourself is part of the adventure of moving to a new country, but if you're in a rush, want a starting list to work from, or are still struggling to find anywhere selling a hairdryer after three weeks, here are some tips:

THE SYDNEY LIFE | Shop names in Sydney: where to find stuff when you first arrive

Homewares

Furniture – the basics

For bigger basics like beds, mattresses, dining chairs, tables, sofas, and storage, Fantastic Furniture, Bedsonline, and SuperAmart are probably the best value I saw, especially if you consider their furniture packages. There’s also an IKEA if you’ve got the car to get there.

For bedside tables, rugs, or laundry baskets, K-mart, Target, and Big W are a good place to start.

If you’re not a fan of the disposable-furniture culture, consider checking out Gumtree, especially for mattresses. The renting culture in Sydney means it's full of people who stay a short while then move on elsewhere, so there are a lot advertised as nearly new.

Quilts, pillows and 'Manchester' (i.e. bedding, duvet covers, sheets, towels)

K-mart, Target, or Big W (UK equivalent Matalan) Pillow talk Adairs For fancier options: Bed, Bath & Table David Jones

Crockery, kitchenware

K-mart or Big W (UK equivalent Matalan) Victoria’s Basement Also the bigger supermarkets

Plants

Haven’t found much choice in the city, check out local markets, or Bunnings stores (UK equivalent B&Q).

Food, Electricals, and Other

Groceries

The big supermarkets are called Coles, Woolworths, and IGA. There may also be an Aldi or Foodworks depending on where you’re staying.

Alcohol: you want liquor stores or bottle shops

There’s no difference between these, just two names for an off licence. In New South Wales, alcohol isn’t sold in the supermarkets, but there’s an abundance of bottle shops to choose from. Some of the chain stores: Liquorland or BWS (stands for Beer Wines Spirits) Chambers Cellars Vintage Cellars Dan Murphy’s (usually bigger, more like a cash and carry)

Hair driers, straightness, men’s or ladies’ shavers, electric toothbrushes

The Shaver Shop Myer or David Jones department stores (UK equivalent Debenhams or John Lewis respectively)

Mobile phones and SIM cards

After a year, I’ve still not come across an equivalent of Carphone Warehouse or Phones4U. There’s a store online called Allphones which also has outlets in Sydney, but they only seem to sell Vodafone plans online. For mobile phones, shop at the network providers: Optus, Vodafone, Telstra, and Virgin are the big ones, most others will piggy-back off one of these.

Chargers, phone cases, radios, TVs, laptops, cameras, useful cables, dvds

JB-Hi Fi (UK equivalent Currys, Comet)

Books

Dymmock’s or Kinokuniya (UK equivalent Waterstones)

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