The Pit is half comic/games/role-playing shop, and half a sort of internet cafe, with a large…read morededicated area full of about ten powerful PCs, which in practise are usually used by kids for MMORPGs. The shop's great for obscure old games, and particularly for second-hand trading cards for really cheap prices. Great if you just want to dabble in a trading card game, you can build up a cheap starter deck in here. Generally good for all your geeky needs.

If you were to take away all the things that come out of my mouth that I stole from a film…read morepredominantly from the 1990's I'd be left with probably not much more than a few lines. It was in this era too that DVD really had its day - VHS was on the way out (VCD doesn't even get a mention) and mass internet downloading hadn't started yet. Thus a shop such as Hollywood Nites (spelt this way I assume purely for the gimmick factor) is a sure find for me - rammed to the hilt with such diamonds as Passenger 57, Predator and Young Guns. The deals are incredible too with such absurdities as three films for a fiver - long gone are the days of forking out £15 at HMV for but one title. These guys also buy films, consoles, controllers - anything electrical. Ideal if you've just robbed a house I suppose but let's not concern ourselves with such details. Rather, let us think of Wesley Snipes on a plane with hoards of terrorists and awful one-liners. For £2. Get in.

My two big vices (beside my Butcher shop whoring!) has to be books and films. Everytime I see a…read moreshop that looks as if it will seel either of these at a vaugley cheap price then i'm in like a shot. Hollywood nights had a stack load of films, so many on offer. Some brilliant offers as well, like buy 2 for £5 get one free! it was amazing, this is why I should never take my wallet out with me! They buy films, consoles and games off you as well, so if you need to whittle your DVD collection down a bit then this is ideal.

Nothing to do with the similarly named film studio, 20th Century Flicks is a small independent DVD…read moreand video rental shop. It's better than Blockbusters for so many reasons, the chief one being that they have dedicated staff who have an encyclopaedic film knowledge. You can go in, say something along the lines of 'I want that film, I think it was Hitchcock, made 1961 or maybe '64...' and they will usually be able to work out what you're looking for. They also go to the trouble of writing little cards with their opinions of the movies, which I think is a nice touch. Their library is as comprehensive, I've always been able to get what I want and kept up to date. They do a good line in ex-rental, so it's worth going along even if you don't rent much. Walking past this morning I saw Atonement on DVD for £5, a bargain. 20th Century Flicks is a good place to find a film and has a bit more of a personal touch to it, which I always appreciate.

This is quite simply the best video rental shop in Bristol. Unfortunately I live a bit too far away…read morenow, but I used to go here all the time when I was in Clifton. Why? Well, it's independent for one, which is a bonus in any walk of life. Also, the staff know what they're talking about and are all encouraged to write cards and lists recommending their faves new and old, with art house and cult hits very much to the fore, not just the latest crap from Hollywood. It's a little bit expensive but you certainly get what you pay for. And if they don't have what you want on their heaving shelves, ask at the desk as they can dig pretty much anything, however obscure, up for you from their back-up warehouse.

I've mentioned that I consider DVD rental stores to be a bit of an anachronism; a quaint old…read moreartifact from an older time, where people had the internet but didn't understand what it could do. Instead, they spent their time ineffectually pawing at their keyboards looking for lolcat pictures and using DVD rental stores for their movie needs. Now, everyone's all kinds of sussed on the internet. Everyone knows all about Netflicks and LOVEFiLM, so it's simply become a matter of time before rental stores such as Vision Often sink into the abyss and are replaced by a Starbucks (as every shop in existence will soon be). And, whilst I enjoy the simplicity the internet offers when renting movies, the loss of this store will make me a little sad. Vision Often is one of those rental stores that come straight out of an 80s movie. It's the rental store from Clerks, built in Cardiff and you can tell the staff really love their movies. They're always there with a recommendation and are always up for a chat. It's something LOVEFiLM haven't quite got the hang of, just yet.

This is a fairly large newsagents located in the St Thomas Shopping Precinct. They sell a wide…read morerange of magazines and newspapers along with crisps, sweets and chilled drinks. They also have a small range of cards and cheap toys and they have a fairly large window display in which you can advertise jobs or services. The staff are polite and friendly and the shop itself is clean and tidy.