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.

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.

If you know anything about the Kirkintilloch Herald - you'll know that it's never called that…read more Instead, those in the know refer to it as the Kirky Herald, which is MUCH less of a tongue-twister. The Kirky Herald, then, as it's known, is a local paper which covers Kirkintilloch as well as the surrounding area. This includes places such as Lenzie and Auchinloch. It can be found in just about every newsagent and supermarket in the area - and will set you back about 39p - Bargain! The paper covers a range of local news stories, relating to the area, local businesses and local people. It's the kind of newspaper which will print an article about someone from the area reaching the dizzy heights of the second round of X-Factor, as well as news stories about local events. The Kirky Herald does quite a lot of work with charities in it's catchment area - and is always happy to help publicise local events. If you do decide to get in touch with them, the staff are always really friendly and helpful and will be happy to co-operate with you on most stories.

As is the case with all Johnston Press papers, the Kirkintilloch Herald (or Kirky Herald as the…read moreprevious reviewer correctly pointed out) leans slightly towards the safer side of reporting. Hard news, investigative pieces and groundbreaking interviews are unlikely to feature much in a weekly issue, but then again you simply cannot expect that from a local paper in this day in age. Instead, the Herald generally continues to do what it does best, publicising local events and working with the community for the good of Kirkintilloch. Offering some particularly well-deserved exposure for local junior side, Kirkintilloch Rob Roy, it's a decent local paper and one which deserves to survive for years to come.

Okay, so it might seem a bit facetious to review a newsagent, but I used to live in the area nearby…read morefor 2-3 years, and it's really taken root in a special little place in my heart. Mostly I think from the shopkeeper who always greets with a cheeky grin and a friendly "How have you been?" or "A lot of chocolate today, eh?" or "Wow, you were only here half an hour ago!" Some may say he's just doing his job, but I feel we've become quite close over the years - he's the only one who understood and fuelled my chocolate addictions. It's got a well-stocked and ample magazine section for the size of the place, and the window is well known for letting - I actually found my most recent flat in that very window! How apt.

Hmm, ok so I'm reviewing the shop window rather than the shop itself. Let me explain...if you're…read morelooking for a flat to stay in the west end or a flat share situation, this is the place to go. Their window is literally covered with little handwritten post-it-style notes from people with rooms to rent or seeking flatmates. I found myself here last year when I quickly needed a place to stay in Glasgow and when I arrived a crowd of people were already there scribbling down phone numbers and phoning through them all. Not ideal, no, and probably best to be avoided at the beginning of a new term but very handy to have and so few places now do this kind of advertising which is so much-needed.

I used to make regular visits to The Paper Rack on my way between Edinburgh Uni buildings at George…read moreSquare and The Mound. I have some sort of messed up metabolism and need to eat about every 30 minutes. I don't like eating a lot of snacks and junk food so having a purveyor of some healthier alternative (a rare find) on my route is great. On my visits I would buy from their great selection of cereal and smoothie bars to fulfil my calorie needs. Having said this The Paper Rack does have a good selection of snacks and junk food as well as (for some reason) decent quality tinned biscuits. As has already been mentioned they also have a good selection of papers and magazines, a must for all newsagents. The staff serving me were always on the phone but managed to still be perfectly pleasant. They seemed to charge me something different every time for the same item, but it was always cheaper than the other nearby newsagent.

A newsagent's can only be so good I suppose, but with the rip-off haven of the Royal Mile just a…read morefew yards away, I really can't think of a better option round here for fags, chewing gum, scratchcards or gossip fuelled tabloids. With a selection of mags that almost rivals International Newsagents down the road, minus the foreign ones, it's very well stocked, and they also sell the fantastic Brannigan's crisps, the king of potato snacks and often annoyingly awkward to find.