I needed to pick up some cough meds while visiting Cardiff. This pharmacy was recommended by our…read moretour guide. Because I wasn't familiar with the brands, I got the assistance of a young lady who worked in the Medicine Dept. She asked thorough questions to make sure she recommended the right one. Although I went for the Pharmacy this store was quite large. There were cards, snacks, sandwiches and drinks. There also was a large assortment of beauty, hygiene and toiletry products. Probably even more departments in the back that I didn't see.

ABOSULETLY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE !!! I was looking for a…read moremoisturiser and went up to one of the sales assistant and asked her if they sold a moisturiser which I had seen online. She looked at me rudely straight in the face and blanked me completely and didnt bother to give me an answer. She just turned around to her colleague and pretended that she was speaking about someone else in front of me to her colleague. I am a person from a minority ethnic background and I just know the motive was pure racism. I didn't bother saying anything more because did not want to cause any DRAMA. I just turned around and walked away, this ruined my mood and shopping experience in Boots.

This is a small health food store in Penarth, selling a range of products from lentils to lip…read moregloss. They have a good range of food, including preserves, nuts and pulses. They also have fruit and nut bars, protein bars and supplements. I went in looking for diabetic sugar alternatives, and was pleased to discover that they not only stocked it, but charged the same decent price as Holland & Barretts. There is a wide range of natural and organic cosmetics, shampoos, lotions and the like. They have a great range of sea salt scrubs in a number of enchantingly tempting flavours. This shop is not all fancy and hippy like you might think. Instead it's a sensible and well laid out store that does exactly what it says it does; provides health and beauty products. And a good range at a good price.

Pro Health and Nutrition is like a mini-Beanfreaks (for those of you familiar with the Cardiff city…read morecentre health food store), offering a wide range of products from pills to protein shakes. The store interior is a bit dated and the carpet could use replacing, but the stock here more than makes up for it. I even found Tom's of Maine deodorant, which I've only seen back home in the States, priced at £3.80 (it's aluminium free, which is apparently better for you. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen). Pro Health also carries a wide range of beauty products, many of them natural and organic (I was pleased to see an extensive selection of items made using tea tree oil), as well as protein supplements, nuts, and vitamins. Pro Health also sell poncy teas like Clipper, which I fail to find at competing stores, so major points for that.

You know how some pharmacies seem to sell drugs and helpful items, while others sell hairbands,…read moregift sets and rose-scented talcum powder? Well this is one of the latter. There are several pharmacies in the Penarth area, and also a fairy large Boots store, so for this store to remain open is, in itself, pretty impressive. But I'll be honest and tell you that I'm not entirely sure how they do it. With a decent range of all those essentials, and a pharmaceutical counter in the back, I start to wonder if Penarth is just made up of a whole lot of sick people. But the staff are polite, and it's got a far more pleasant feeling to it than Boots' cold and sterile atmosphere. A good place to try first, just don't be surprised if they don't have quite what you're looking for, or if you end up paying that little bit extra.

It's vaguely insane to think that you can pick up your prescription and a handbag in one go but…read morethis is Penarth and it's a very middle class town with very middle class shops to match. Among the usual things (cough syrups, combs, paracetamol etc.) you can find cute gifts and oddities in a very slow paced, friendly setting.

The Co-op Pharmacy, located on the Mermaid Quay end of Bute Street, is a well-stocked and…read morewell-presented medicine dispenser with pleasant, knowledgeable staff. I've gotten a few prescriptions filled here, and the lovely ladies behind the counter are quick (less than a five minute wait) and cheerful, which is always welcome when you're ill and in need of a friendly exchange. I like the ethos of the Co-op Pharmacy, so I try to shop here whenever possible. They often have sales on a range of items, sometimes making it as cost-effective as shopping at Asda (my beloved bought Johnson nappy wipes here for only £1 a pack, which is really reasonable). If you head toward the back, right in front of the till, you'll find their marked down/clearance items. I found a few face masks priced at only 50p each and a nasal hay fever remedy that was half off. Bargain! I just wish they were open on weekends, but if I ever need a prescription that badly, there's always the Queen Street Boots, which is open until 8pm most days.

I seem to spend most of my time in pharmacies at the moment, though now that I have got this new…read morebrown steroid inhaler I'm hoping it will all turn around. This pharmacy is actually one of my favourites, though the reason why is quite hard to put my finger on. After all, it doesn't really provide either much more or much less than any of the (many) others I've visited. I think that part of it is just seeing how clean it is. I always feel that pharmacists who work in a clean shop will be able to help me better. Secondly, I like the Co-op as a business; the way it treats its suppliers, customers and employees. Maybe the sun was shining particularly brilliantly on it that day; I don't know why else I would have walked past Boots to get to this other pharmacy. But I'm glad I did.

This new pharmacy has just opened at the top of Clifton Street (Newport Road end) as part of the…read moreregeneration scheme. It's small but well-stocked and is very white and 'medical' looking! I popped in at 10.30am on a Saturday morning not long after it opened and there was no one in there apart from the charming young guy behind the counter and the pharmacist out back. I was greeted with smiles and relief - 'at last, a customer!' I could almost hear the thought reverberating in their heads. The pharmacy had lots of deals and offers on cold and flu remedies and the guy serving me made sure that I had taken the Beechams Flu Capsules before and knew what I was doing. I hope this personal service picks up when their business does! One puzzle yet to be solved, however, is why, oh why, have they just opened a small pharmacy at the end of Clifton Street when the huge 'Clifton Pharmacy' is positioned just down the road and another, smaller pharmacy is literally around the corner on Broadway? Three pharmacies within meters of each other - surely we're not that much of a sick-note Britain?

This is probably the best Tesco ever…read more If you thought the Tesco on Western Avenue was big, you should see this one. I think the actual food section is really only slightly bigger, but the clothing section upstairs is huge. If you like Tesco clothes, this is the best Tesco to visit. The Western Ave Tesco is having a bit of a makeover, and their clothes area certainly looks pretty fancy now, but they only occupy a small space. The clothes at Culverhouse Cross covers almost half of the second floor, and its nicely spread out so you can actually see the clothes on the hangers, rather than having to filter threw the rails for what's hidden at the back. This is also the best Tesco to go to for bargains. In the home section, you can pick up end of the line cups and plates for as little as 10p, and many other items are super cheap while you wont find them in other Tesco stores. I got all the things I needed for my new flat here for less than £1 for each item. I have never been so excited about Tesco as I was walking around this store.

The biggest Tesco I've ever been in, this one's even bigger than the newly-opened one in North…read moreBristol. The Bristol one used to be my local, so what's confusing about this one is that all the aisles are exactly the same- except it's left-to-right flipped. It's surprisingly confusing, especially if like me you tend to go into some kind of consumerist trance when you're supermarket shopping. I like Tesco supermarkets, particularly this one. Yes they're not the cheapest for everything but overall their prices work out very reasonably. They have a good range of stock on most food stuffs, they put the effort in in their larger supermarkets to stock more imported and exotic brands, and they sell decent ranges of things like electrical and clothing goods. Some of the electricals in particular are priced even cheaper than you'd find them online, which is a pleasant surprise. The cafe is useful as well. It sells plain but very cheap meals with no frills. I tend to eat here before doing the shopping rounds, because if I go round a supermarket while hungry, I buy far too much food. Decent parking, straightforward service, no problems.