A bit more intelligent than the tits and telly of The Sun or The Daily Star, The Metro is fairly…read moredecent read, and enough to make you forget the depressing fact that you're travelling by bus. Their music / film sections concentrate on less mainstream releases, and some sections, particularly the letters, have a very "quirky" feel, for want of a better word, which I'm sure some people like but i just find a bit annoying. The sport section is far weaker than the other daily rags. Still, it's free though, so can't grumble.

The Metro is the highlight of any commuting experience in Glasgow. Indeed, when I step on a…read moretrain/bus/subway to find there are none left, I descend into a rage which never quite abates for the rest of the day. The news articles are nothing special; pretty much a rewrite of the wires. But it's the features where The Metro truly shines; as well as the daily "Guilty Pleasures" section, a celebrity gossip update which delivers pretty much what is says on the tin, the newspaper regularly publishes indepth and interesting interview with top film directors, writers and actors; recent interviewees have been Clint Eastwood, Christian Slater and Ricky Gervais. And whoever came up with the 60 Second Interview deserves a knighthood as far as I am concerned.

When working at tha ABC, this place does me well. I can be out the door, over there, buy some scran…read moreand be back to rip tickets/flyer in the space of 2-3 minutes (traffic pending). Another "they sell everything" stores, as they're aren't obviously enough in Glasgow/along Sauchiehall Street, it's smaller than most, but equally as stocked. Still semi-pricey, but I suppose, now adays you have to pay for convenience. Tut.

This shop came in really handy for me as one late night I was walking home and I had the sudden…read moreurge to buy a play toy Siberian tiger that is about the size of a small dog, low and behold Mr News had one in his shop window my luck was in! No that defiantly didn't happen and I doubt it ever has so why do they sell them in this shop is beyond me, guess you'd have to ask Mr News himself but it really cracks me up! I understand they want to sell as many things as they can and this is helpful as it is a late night convenience store but large soft toys? Really? Apart from that the shop isn't all that interesting but is a good stop off for a late night munch after a hard night on the ran-dan.

A shop that reminds me of Arkwright's open all hours, a shop that literally sold everything from a…read morenewspaper to a hard hat. This may not be the best of shops with a window display that it looks like an after thought, but there are a few good things about this shop such as the free cash machine, that's well needed in this busy area especially when a few do charge for their use.

A 5 star newsagents? It does exist, and it's here in Glasgow…read more Thanks to Kelly R's tip the other day, I found out they sell Frankie magazine here (thanks again Kelly!). Frankie is an Australian magazine which I was totally addicted to, back in the day. I didn't know it was even sold in the UK so when I saw the tip I screamed (I'm not kidding), and visited Barrett as soon as I could. As I scanned the shelves, and scanned them some more, I came to the crushing realisation that they didn't seem to have it. The girl behind the counter was super helpful, looking it up on the system for me and chatting to me about the magazine. Sadly, it had sold out already but she offered to take my name so that for all future copies, they'll have one for me. How's that for customer service?! She was super helpful and friendly, and I really appreciate that she offered to go that extra mile for me. Even though I don't live close to Barrett, I'll be heading here for all my magazine needs in the future.

I love these places…read more Glasgow Convenience Stores You can tell when you enter one of these that you are back in Scotland. Askit powders by the register and Irn Bru in the fridge. This one is great and I used to drop by on my walk to work. It carries a variety papers, bottled waters, loads of gingers, and all of the miscellany that I would require during my day. Sometimes, it is not the big things that remind you of a place. You can take an immense amount of pleasure in the small things.

Something of the schoolkid's favourite- and so best avoided around lunch time and betwen three…read morethirty and four- this is one of the few newsagents that actually stock a good range of magazines, in Shawlands. While some of the other shops get by on papers and cigarettes, this actually has heaving shelves- difficult to find the exact magazine you want, sometimes, but well stocked. The staff are friendly enough, if sometimes rather busy, and it has the usual range of odd items that you come to expect from a local store: random food in tins, writing pads, cheap pens, string and combs, et cetera! It is a bit dark and foreboding around the entrance- a consequence of being so heavily stocked- and can get crowded quite quickly. It also seems to be a bit of a hang out for some locals, who can be found chatting to the shopkeeper for most of the day!

Found myself diving in here a few times before the cinema if I am struggling for time, where I…read morewould normally go to the Sainsburys round the corner. They have a great selection of sweets and crisps, with a relatively poor choice of soft drinks, by comparison. It's tight inside, with alot of other patrons also making a snappy purchase ahead of cinema time. A good shout for last-minute snacks and supplies you can stuff inside your coat pockets (after paying for them, of course).

Call me crazy for even having one, but this is by far my favourite Newsbox…read more And why, I hear you cry. Well... it's because it's right across the road from the Cineworld cinema. And, um, well... that's about as far as it goes. To its favour, though, it does have a smashing selection of sweets, crisps, and drinks. You even find the odd throwback sweetie showing up here. I don't know if they just find the odd old box out the bag or if they're on top of that sort of thing. All I know is that it's the only place I can find things like Squares (crisps), Vice Versas (Okay, that was 3 years ago, but still amazing!) and Crispy M&Ms. It's super convenient, it's very cheap, and they have everything I could ever want for my cinema-snacking needs. They also have a pretty good selection of magazines. Beautiful!

I can't quite make up my mind about Mr News…read more Yes, he provides me with Heat magazine, salt and vinegar sqaures, and endless packets of chewing gum, however, he also advocates the stuffed animal policy (see my other 24hr shop reviews for an insight), and the staff can be slightly creepy, i.e. watching you constantly, and can be a little sleazy (no, I don't want you to wink at me as you hand me my chewing gum with a toothy grin...*shudder*). Hmm... depending how much of a rush I'm in, or where I'm headed determines if I'll stop to talk or not.

What a store displays in their window says a lot about the entrepreneur that that runs the…read moreestablishment . If l was to describe in one word it would be to avoid, and spend your money in a respectable store unless you are like me and disparate for milk at 1am. Plenty of pipes and bongs on display for recitation activities, not to forget the filth on the top shelf and I'm not talking about the dust. What l do like about the store is that it is open 24 hours a day, and plenty of fake money on the wall.

As the name suggests this newsagents and 'grocers' prides itself on the 'rite price'. The rite as…read moreopposed to right does irritate the proof reader in me and the grocers irritates the shopper in me...but this is actually a really nice local newsagents with fairly decently priced products. This may not sound earth shattering to you, though after spending a few days at the boy's in the West End (aka where the streets must be lined with gold if the newsagent prices are anything to go by) - this place is a welcome change. It may not have coconut milk or organic bog roll (ok, that's a little below the belt, I admit) but it does have all the basics you may need e.g. the morning paper, fresh Morton's roll and a cheap pint of milk. Hence, this is exactly the kind of newsagents you want to have within stumbling distance on a Sunday morning. In addition to the good prices, the staff are also pleasant, actually acknowledge you and possibly even recognise you. That's good customer service at a good price.

How can anyone resist a name like Young's Interesting Books? I've actually been here a few times…read morenow - it's in the Skirving St strip of shops which I love, and Young's is always worth a stop in. It's a second hand book shop, and as the title suggests, you're going to find some interesting gems in here. The window display is always amazing and they tend to have something quirky/unusual in there, or themed (recently they've had Star Wars stuff in the window). It's definitely worth taking time for a browse in here - if you were looking for something in particular you could ask for help, otherwise it's nice just to chill out and have a browse. You never know what you're going to find.

At last an independent book shop that isn't in the west end. In fact at last an independent book…read moreshop. In fact, scratch that, following the recent death of Borders or as my friend and his Northern accent calls it 'Boarders' at last another book shop! The name could be argued as a bit presumptuous.. but it has of course a wide range of second hand books from curiosities to standards and is just the place book lovers love to while away an hour or so. If you like to feel the book in your hand that has likely been all over the world, read a wee bit and judge not by it's cover or the anonymous tips of online book sellers then this is definitely the place for you. The prices are reasonable and they buy as well as sell. Ideal.