Wilkinsons

Almost a supermarket in size, Wilkinsons is full of just about everything you can imagine. There is a smallish food section with tins, packets and drinks, a large home section which covers painting, bathroom, kitchen, garden, bedroom etc. It is also a great place to go to stock up on well known cleaning and beauty/​cosmetic brands, for a good price. They also have a substantial officey/​stationary section.

This is such a great shop, because you can find anything in here for extremely cheap, whether it’s shampoo or house paint. Admittedly, the quality of homeware items isn’t the best, but many things I’ve got from there (baskets, storage bins etc) have lasted for years. The best reason to go there, though, is for the Hallowe’en and especially Christmas decorations — they sell a huge variety of figurines, lights, trees and ornaments, all of which are at a very good price. The staff on the shop floor are very helpful, but for some reason most (but not all) of the people on the checkout tills are pretty sour-​faced and miserable-​looking types, but this doesn’t matter to me as it’s more about my experience on the shop floor than when I pay. This is a great place to come to because they’re open later than most shops, and it’s a cheap way to decorate or even furnish your home.