Best toy stores in Auckland: find options near you

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Popped into Kmart St Lukes to buy a bike for my toddler and was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to compare and test them in-store. They had a good selection of kids’ bikes fully assembled and on display, which made a huge difference — we could check seat height, handlebar reach, and even let our toddler sit on a few to see what felt right.

The layout in the toys and bikes section is spacious enough to navigate with a pram or trolley, and there were both training-wheel and balance bike options in various colours. Price-wise, it’s hard to beat — most bikes were well under $100, and they had helmets and accessories right there too, so it’s a one-stop shop.

Staff were friendly when we needed help with a boxed version of the same model, and there were plenty available to grab straight off the shelf.

TIP: Bring your toddler in with you — being able to physically try the bike helped us avoid guesswork and made it a fun little outing. Also, weekdays before 11am are much quieter if you’re trying to avoid the weekend crowd.

Would I recommend it?
Yes — for convenience, price, and having bikes fully set up to view in person, it’s a great option for toddler gear. Easy parking via the mall and a smoother experience than I expected.

The self-checkout system is convenient, but sometimes there are long queues during peak hours. Staff are generally helpful, though finding assistance on the floor can be a bit tricky at times. Overall, it’s a good place for everyday shopping, and I’d recommend it if you’re after quality items at reasonable prices.

However, I really appreciate the very reasonable pricing on most things.

I’d recommend this Kmart for anyone looking for a Kmart shop in a clean environment.

The way she was working, that was simply awesome! She gave her heart and soul.

Single handedly managed all the aspects as a front person, that too during the peak hours!
Returns, refunds, checkout authorisation, calls and look up items physically in the background. What else you expect from your employee, truly an asset to that branch.

Even after all of that, her smile and her patience was on tops! I’m from a fast pace retail industry and experienced the same situation everyday. But a very few, actively participate and take the ownership.

Her efforts must be acknowledged
High respect

Kind regards,
Aakash Virdi
Branch Manager
Tony’s Tyre – Grey Lynn

The photo (attached) is my 7th attempt at contacting the store today at which point I gave up. This attempt was line 5 (customer service).

HOW ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS MEANT TO KNOW IF PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE?

Below scores are out of 5 ⭐️s
Customer Service   5 ⭐️
Atmosphere   5 ⭐️
Presentation   5 ⭐️
Products   5 ⭐️
Location 5 ⭐️
Price $$ (rated between 1 – 5 $)
️ Parking:    Lots of paid parking available

Overall   5 ⭐️

James Ashwin
Kakapo Business Sales

Hamish Dorrington
Kakapo Business Sales

The staff itself were fine n all, so 1 star not for them but the store, store policy, etc.

So called Manager at Toy World behaved unprofessionally, laughing and displaying rude behavior towards customers. Their lack of respect and customer service skills left me feeling disrespected and unappreciated. Avoid this store if you value being treated with basic courtesy and respect.

It’s absolutely maddening that Toy World’s staff has the nerve to doubt where I bought a toy from when it’s glaringly obvious to any customer! It’s your job to keep track of your sales, not mine to hold onto every single receipt. And don’t even get me started on their archaic computer system! You should have a record of every purchase for better product knowledge. Even if their prices match other stores, don’t anticipate any level of decent customer service from these greedy individuals. They’re only interested in lining their pockets and couldn’t care less about customer satisfaction!

Don’t waste your hard-earned money on these subpar products. Toy World should be ashamed for selling such cheaply made items. I expected better, but all I got was frustration and a broken toy. Avoid this store like the plague – you’ll thank yourself later.

BIG NOOOOOOOOO for this store

If you’re into collectibles and cute figurines, Pop Mart in Newmarket is a must-visit. The shop is beautifully arranged, and the selection of designer toys is impressive, featuring popular series like Molly, Skullpanda, and more. The atmosphere is bright and inviting, making it a fun place to explore.

The staff are knowledgeable and helpful, always willing to answer questions and share information about the latest releases. What I love most is the excitement of picking up blind boxes—it’s like opening a mini surprise gift every time!

Prices are fair for the quality and creativity of the items, and they often have new series coming in. Whether you’re a serious collector or just looking for something unique, Pop Mart delivers. Highly recommend visiting if you’re in Newmarket and love quirky, high-quality collectibles!

To make matters worse, employees misdirect about stock availability—when asked, they claim there’s nothing, only for a message to go out minutes or hours later telling people to line up. Is this some kind of joke? Even worse, staff openly tell customers to buy from Marketplace or TradeMe, where prices are 2-3 times higher. There was already a discussion in one of their social media groups where people were doubting and discussing if ‘some people’ had internal info on releases from their employee friends. Employees themselves asking customers to buy from other channels feels concerning and makes people doubt if their friends are the ones actually securing the stocks and then reselling it online for a massive profit?

If this company actually valued transparency and customer trust, they’d move releases online and stop this ridiculous, exploitative system.

The “Big into Energy” dropped on 15/06/25, I’ve been sacrificing my weekends just to line up in the hope of purchasing at retail. But what happened today was a repeat of the same pattern again and again.

People who regularly queue up today, the familiar faces didn’t get sets. Yet somehow, entire groups of people we’ve never seen before showed up right before opening and all managed to get their hands on stock. We’re talking about mums with toddlers, grandmas, entire families who clearly are not regular who wait outside the store “magically” knew exactly when to come. It’s not hard to guess what’s really going on: someone is leaking inside information.

After tickets were supposedly all given out, a girl appeared at the back of the non-ticket line and was then allowed ahead of others. The male staff just let it happen without explanation. Whether she bought or swapped a ticket, it’s unfair to the rest of us who were there early, hoping for a fair chance.

Staff dishonest is another thing. On 14/06/25, staff claimed there was no Labubu stock. But come the next day, surprise! There it was. You could see the boxes of labubus in the backroom the day before. But the staff will say

This is not a one-off. Ask staff about Labubu, they say “no stock,” but magically 30 minutes later, it’s released. Conveniently after their “preferred” customers have been notified.

It’s frustrating, disheartening, and honestly feels like a betrayal of loyal collectors who just want a fair shot. Popmart needs to do better – the community sees what’s happening, and it’s time these practices were called out publicly.