OK, so it may not be fashionably acceptable to admit that I've furnished nearly my entire house…read morewith items from the 99 pence store, but hey, who cares? I'm coming clean. I love this place. Why spend £2 on a pack of sponges when you can spend 2p? And why spend a tenner on a dish strainer when you can get a perfectly decent one for £1 max? In these hard-up, borderline financial depression times it pays to be frugal. So I go here for nearly everything. It may be cheap, but it does the job and I'm not complaining; although my broom did break into three pieces after its third use, but hey, whatever, that kind of stuff is expected when you only paid 40p for it. I am, unabashedly, The Big Discount Store's number one fan.

Going to the supermarket in a foreign country is SO FUN! I entered through the side where the…read morecheckout is and was confused to not see any food at first- turns out the more pharmacy side is up front and the food is in the back section. It is quite deep! They have cool stuff here that you can't get in the US- drizzle able peanut butter, astronaut gummies, European treats, so many fun things. I got some fun goodies to take home. My friend shops here as her primary grocery store and finds it to be almost half the price of grocery shopping in the US. It was clean and pretty easy to find items and pricing. They have a large self checkout section and you pretty much have to fend for yourself in there, unlike American checkouts. You also have to scan your receipt to exit. While it is very fluorescent and not too exciting, like an American grocery store, I still found it to be quite fun.

I know its really boring to review a supermarket, but sometimes one needs to be boring. Why?…read moreBecause. so this is my local supermarket. Tadaa! Nothing spectacular. i would even go so far and say its not great. They layout is strange. the way the organised their aisles has no real logic behind it. the frozen food is not even near the chilled products. the buscuits are not near the coffee and tea is ... I don't know ... around the corner. Also they are horrible in stocking up items. There is always something missing whenever I go there.

Doubt many economists head down to Balham these days, but if they do I think they'd be surprised to…read morefind one of the best examples of creative destruction since the digital camera. A few saddo's might have lamented Woolworths demise, but 5 minutes in this shop would have them convinced that Woolies closing down was, in fact, the best thing since sliced bread. Seriously - this place is Woolies on steriods, but at a fraction of the price, and a fraction of the disorganisation. You can literally fill your boots for £5; cans of coke for 30 something pence, shampoo at 70% off, shower curtains for 50p - this place is so cheap I wouldn't be surprised if it had the Sainsbury's next door worried.

Can't beat a 99p store! Went here to get some presents for party bags and was not disappointed! So…read moremuch value for money, it's unbelievable. You just have to be careful not to be sucked in by thinking it's cheap, they mark up some of their products higher than supermarket costs (obviously) so just be aware of that!

Okay, so first of all, this isn't open 24 hours; least of all on a Sunday, when it closes at 5PM…read morealong with every other grocery store in the area. That being said, even during the lockdowns, it is open fairly late and is really only one of two stores on this street that can be considered an actual supermarket. Enormous though it is- by UK standards- it isn't hard to get around inside and has two floors to keep things simple and easy to navigate, as well as an underground parking garage for those who dare to drive on these streets. Food and seasonal grocery-related items are on the bottom; clothing, toiletries, cookware, toys, and everything else are on the top. The prices here are very good for most items, and the quality ranges from, "I wouldn't trust this," to "I'll take ten!" The variety alone makes it worth the trip and the rather long checkout queues, as you're likely to be able to find everything you need in one go. Just don't expect a whole lot from the staff, as most will give you a lukewarm response, at best. If for any reason, you don't find what you're looking for, there are two other- smaller- grocery stores just a few minutes' walk down the street. And personally, I rather like walking here. Streatham High Street has a nice homey vibe to it.

A shiny new Tesco Extra in Streatham. Fun!…read more I headed down (rather further than my usual shopping ventures) as some friends had mentioned it and I wanted to check out this giant store that's now vaguely nearish me. There was something in particular I was looking for and while they didn't have it, 2 different associates were very nice in trying to help me locate it at another store. Overall, a nice place. Good location, lots of bright and natural light (always a bonus in any shop), and good selection.

Tooting Market is possibly the poorest, most underwelming market I've been to. The market is pretty…read moresmall but there's nothing in the market that's really worth buying. With Spitalfields and Borough Market you can get a variety of food form fresh bread to on the spot sandwiches but this market is more like a fruit and veg / cheap little market selling cheapy food and goods, not really up-market and fancy. Very no frills. Even if you can't be bothered going all the way East or to the Southbank, Northcote Road Market (a very continental market) is close by. I'm not really sure what this really has to offer and I wouldn't trust the fruit and veg from here either, I'd give it a miss.

This is one of the most authentic and down to earth markets I have ever been to in London! If you…read morewant a slice of South London, look no further, it's all here in Tooting market. I wandered through the plastic flowers, reggie music shops, sari fabric stalls, toys that don't meet EU standards, dodgy bags, henna hair dye and weave in a selection of fabulous colours. It's great to mooch around, buy household essentials, cheap summer clothes or even have your nails done! Its for locals, so don't expect glamour, expect friendliness. I bought some lovely plastic flowers and the lovely gent said I smiled so much he gave me another bunch for free! You can't beat that for customer service! It's one to go with a friend to have a mooch and browse away. Don't judge a book by its cover. this really is a fabulous gem of a market.

I had a dress made to go to a friends wedding in record time and I wasn't charged the earth either…read moreconsidering it was hand made. Everyone asked me where did i get it, I felt good saying it was a 'one off' and that they couldn't buy it in the shops! I would highly recommend if you like your clothes made to measure!

This shop has vintage cuteness in abundance. Their selection of clothes, shoes, jewelry and random…read moreother items is really elegant. The woman who runs the shop has good taste, but a terrible attitude. When I walk in I can feel her eyes pummeling through my shoulder blades. When I turn around her ferocious gaze locks into my eyes with unrelenting force and all of a sudden I feel besieged by uneasiness and I don't want to shop in the store anymore. I want to flee. If you're courageous enough to brave the ferocity of the hawk-eyed charity shop general woman then you're in for good vintage bargains. The clothes, especially the shoes, are worth the possible threat of attack. Unfortunately, the shoes are in vintage sizes, meaning that they generally run quite small. If you have monolith feet like me (size 10 or more) you may be out of luck. The hats are hot though, and unless you have a gigantic dinosaur head (which would definitely be sad to say the least) you may find a fedora cool enough to make the Rat Pack quiver in shameful defeat at their cool-factor downgrade.

Yay for fresh fruit and veg, and a magnificent selection of world foods. No more will I hunt in…read morevain for decent spices in Sainsburys. MFC is a stone's throw from me, and cheaper to boot. Oh, and they have a butcher's counter and bakery next door. Win, win, win.

One of the type of shops where you can get those really tasty orange- coloured Cyprus potatoes that…read moreyou can do anything with. Also extensive is the pre-packed range of cured (Polish?) sausages and ham/bacon pieces. I go for the particularly strong-flavoured beef and wine sausages to go with the potatoes, and an MFC white cabbage. The flat round bread with sesame seeds is always a treat, but you have to eat it the same day as it goes stale quickly. A local supermarket where you can get most of your weekly shop if you have a mind to.

This fashion store hold some cool, if garish items of clothing aimed squarely at the hip hop and…read moreR&B crowd. In amongst the baseball/rapper caps and Marvel comics clothing you'll find other some big brands like Ed Hardy and Phat Farm. They have a good shop layout and everything is presented to the customer neatly and effectively. It's the perfect weekend bling shop, but since the place is located in Tooting Bec, most of the bling is probably required 24/7.

From the owner: We Are Specialised in Hip Hop & Urban Brands like ( Roca Wear, Phat Farm, Baby Phat, Apple Bottom,…read moreEd-Hardy. Karl Kani, Akademiks, Pelle Pelle, Ecko, South Pole, New Era Cap ). We sell Jeans, Jacket, Dress, T-Shirts, Shirts, Skirts, Shoes, Bags, Caps, Jewelary and also Marvel T-Shirts. sizes: from New Born Babies to adults and also Bigman and Bigwoman sizes.

I frequent The Candy Box for all of my off licence needs. They have sodas, newspapers, lottery…read moretickets, all the products a typical off licence would carry. One thing that makes this place unique is their beer selection. They sell Lowenbrau! What is Lowenbrau? Only the best beer in the world! They also sell other obscure imports from Poland, Italy, you name it they claim it. Their wine selection is also impressive. Even the proper liquor stores around this area have less of an array of alcohol than this tiny little store. So you can get a brew, a lotto ticket, some gum and some candy all in the same place. The guy behind the cash register knows me by name and I go there everyday to pick up one thing or another. It's my favourite off licence ever.