I rarely review supermarkets, especially ones that I rarely frequent. I go to Asda about twice a…read moreyear. I'd read that this store was burnt out in this town a few months ago, so the folks in charge of the company right now have opened another store beside the charcoal shell. The supermarket chain, which is worth around seven billion pounds, is being bought and sold by big players in the market with TDR Capital LLP buying the shares owned by billionaire Moshin Issa last month. Moshin left his wife for an employee of EY Manchester. This fractured the relationship with his brother Issa. While it's bright and spacious I assume it's a temporary fix as it's like a giant hard canvas and steel structure, and fair play to them for providing a service to their customers. I called in to buy carrots as the preferred snack for a fussy Bichon Frieze and a dizzy mini dachshund. The carrots were 65 pence a kilo, the same price of M&S. I also got a few packs of seedless red grapes (99 pence for 375gm) from Egypt and 2 cartons of four Spanish nectarines again 99 pence a carton. The in-store staff are real mega friendly and undoubtedly mostly minimum wage to support the lifestyles of billionaires.

This asda is situated just off the main road in Downpatrick and is surrounding by other popular…read moreshops such as Argos and Halfords. The shop itself is well staffed and the staff are always polite helpful and will go out of their way to assist. The store is often busy due to its reasonable prices and location therefore i would recommend you shop in the evening or during the week to avoid the weekend rush. The store is well laid out, always stocked and prices are always clearly marked. This asda is definitely the grocery hub of Downpatrick. There is more than ample car-parking in the area although at the weekend spaces can be limited.

I love love love this store!! The parking facilities are brilliant with front street parking and…read morerear private car park. The store lay out is welcoming and easily worked. The staff are friendly, helpful and even when under pressure will take a few minutes to assist. The prices are cheap and the new pricing struture means most of the iceland products are priced at round figures of £1, £2 etc. The offers are updated regularly and stock of the offers is always brilliant. Best time to shop is definitely in the evening when it is quiter. The store is open 7 days a week with various hours. Definitely more than a frozen food store- i can often do my full weeks shopping in this iceland. A*

When it is present time for one of the girls in my family I go to Castlehill Candles. I do not know…read morewhat it is about candles but girls love them, especially scented ones, I suppose it candles are to women what catnip is to cats. Is it the scent? Is it the shapes? Or is it the mysterious flame? Who knows, I do not think men will ever be able to explain it. Anyway, Castlehill Candles is an original scented candle maker that's is located on the Ards Peninsula. It is a family owned business and has developed many unique scents over the course of the last 25 years. The making of these candles is completely original, they offer smells for any moods or rooms in your house. My house smells how Willy Wonka's factory looks but has much better fire precautions due to the amount of candles. Because this is a factory outlet the candles are offered at a discounted rate and it is better to go directly to Catslehill Candles rather than stockists. The staff are really helpful and will wrap candles as gifts which always makes the present seem even better.

Gordons is my favourite shop in the town. The staff are friendly and helpful, there's always great…read morespecial offers on, the chemist itself is large, clean and spacious and well laid out.

Gordon's chemist is the newest chemist in Downpatrick. The store offers frequent special offers and…read morediscounts and is one of the most popular stores in the town. The chemist is clean, tidy and well staffed. The store is popular with the local residents as it is also equipped to dispense prescriptions and helps treat ailments. The store is located on the main street and is situated in the main shopping area. The products are reasonably priced and probably the cheapest in the town. The store is open 9am to 5.30pm and is open monday to saturday. The store also participates in the sunday chemist rota.

The most memorable aspect of McKay's was the wasp chase that ensued as soon as I stepped through…read morethe door. Them chasing me, that is. Says it all... McKay's is really your average newsagents, with your average magazine / newspaper selection, your average confectionery choice, and your average bits 'n' bobs component (a few groceries and toys). I waited in an average line for an average period of time. Once I got to the front of said queue, the average till conversation went averagely, and the service was well, average. [Eh, hello, smile?] I did manage to pick up a couple of Lisburn papers (reviews to follow), and a packet of 45p chewing gum (above average prices, it would seem), so the visit wasn't all that bad. Just as dreary as the weather outside... The wasp chase continued on my out (blasted things), but they needn't have bothered. I was already leaving.

Top drawer this wee shop is, I don't know what your other blade was on about, maybe she mistook the…read morenewsagents in Ballynahinch for Harrod's and was disappointed by the lack of wildlife running about (other than that wasp obviously). I found the staff to be great, it had everything I was looking for and as I needed directions I got a chance to chat to the ones working there. Couldn't have been more helpful

One of the many good things about Pinewick is the large display area where you can see the…read morefurniture properly before making a decision. I have been looking for a good, reasonably priced wardrobe for ages and finally found the perfect one in their recent sale, along with a chest of drawers. There are many genuinely pleasing items to choose from here, where apart from bedroom furniture there is a huge range of living room, dining room and conservatory furniture along with lamps and pictures. In the past I have also ordered a non standard sized mattress through Pinewick which was also reasonably priced and good quality. They also supply upholstery cushions made to measure. I have found Pinewick efficient, helpful and straightforward to deal with. Another bonus is that you won't need to deal with the dreaded self assembly furniture or be confronted with any awkward binding contracts that some big stores will issue.

Hannawin's Medical Hall was the first port of call for a highly distressed sister of mine. Her skin…read morehas been causing her a few issues, bless her, so she wanted to pop into a pharmacy to see if they could recommend anything for her. When we approached the first sales assistant (at the prescriptions section), she was anything but helpful, and directed us to the skincare aisle, where we'd just spent the last five minutes looking. Asking my sister what she'd had in mind, to which the reply came "anything", the sales assistant scoured the shelves and finally gave up, handing us over to another sales assistant. I was starting to wonder if this was a good idea after all... Well, it seemed it was. The second sales assistant, a younger, friendlier girl, was far more affable and helpful, asking questions about my sister's skin, giving her hints and tips, as well as recommending certain products. Ah, that was more like it. Unfortunately, Hannawin's didn't actually stock the acclaimed products (whoopsies), but Miss Cheerful sales assistant wasn't fazed. She simply referred us to another pharmacy, smiling all the while. Lovely jubbly. Extra star just for you lady. Hanna (whoever she may be) may have won with this super sales assistant, but more importantly, Lynne and sister also did. Not bad.

I'm not used to decorating homes and recently I have undertaken some redesign and decor of our…read morespare bedroom. I called in here to price curtains and bed linen as they have been about for absolutely ages and have a decent reputation. I wasn't that impressed. The stuff, I felt, was out dated and expensive. The staff weren't very helpful even though I very obviously needed help with measurements, colour schemes and the like. I personally prefer Dunelm Mill but I was in the centre of town and couldn't have been bothered traveling about the place. I don't think I will go in again for anything other than a definite item as I just felt a little overwhelmed at all the stuff but the lack of help.

I'm not really big into curtain / fabric / bed linen shops, since I don't have a requirement to buy…read moreany of these types of goods. However, when my parents were away on holiday last year, I decided I would venture in and purchase a duvet cover set for myself, having been in dire need of one for quite some time. Undoubtedly one of the most important days in a girl's life... I was fortunate enough to be in the shop during sale time, and was even more fortunate to find a blue and white barcode striped duvet cover for half price...£10 ("how do you do it?" is a frequent question asked by my mum). That usual jubilation that suddenly overcomes me the moment I find a bargain eluded me for once. I *had* to phone my mum and dad to ensure that my find was genuine and the bargain was good enough to warrant a purchase. A five minute phonecall later, and we established that this was the case. Phew. A year later, and my blue and white striped duvet cover is still perfectly intact, currently taking pride of place on my bed. Having had such a wonderful experience, when I went back this year to a newly refurbished Spinning Wheel, I was slightly disheartened to find no duvet covers on the bottom floor, despite the fact that this was indicated on the wall. Being in a hurry, I had to go, but I will definitely pop back in for a proper look very soon. And to get lost among all those curtains. Looks like such fun...