If I need to buy a greetings card or gift then Card Factory is the first place I look. It's…read moreconsiderably cheaper than the likes of W. H. Smiths and Birthdays. The quality might not be brilliant but it's usually good and certainly they offer excellent value for money. They sell cards for all occasions along with mugs, small ornaments and so on. The only problem is that the shop is so brightly lit you need sunglasses to go in there!

With the credit crunch continuing to bite it's no wonder that Home Bargains are going strong. The…read moreBangor store is one of three new branches to open in North West Wales recently, along with Rhyl and Llangefni. It seems that they have bought a job lot of old Kwik Save stores as like quite a few of the others this shop is located in the an Kwik Save. For the uninitiated Home Bargains sell various household products at bargain prices. The range includes food and drink, cleaning materials, toiletries, toys, soft furnishings and kitchen equipment but you really need to visit to get a better idea. Some items come and go very quickly. For example they recently had packets of McVities mini digestives for 10p which had an rrp of 49p. These disappeared more or less overnight. However they also have permanent product lines. I wouldn't dream of going anywhere else for toilet rolls, toothpaste, deodorant or microwave rice amongst others. This store is handily located on Caernarfon Road (it's not far from Matalan) and has a more than adequate carpark. It's a big store for a Home Bargains and has wide aisles so it's easy to get round. The product line is much the same as other branches but because of it's size it's well stocked. If you've never been to a Home Bargains give it a go, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Being tight as I am, I'm a big fan of the Home Bargains chain of stores. Rarely do you find…read moreanything cheaper elsewhere that you do in Home Bargains and often, even when you think you've gotten a good deal from somewhere such as Poundland, you find the item in Home Bargains for 79p or even less. I'm amazed that they can sell products so cheaply. The Bangor store opening recently is brilliant because before that I had to travel 30 miles or so to Llandudno to visit one. The Bangor store is a good size, which is pleasing, but it's still full to the brim with items for sale. I last went in there today and they had lots of new lines in, which is always a good thing. Some baskets are in there for £2.99, which seems a bargain as they're a good size and they look good quality. They had their usual arrangement of sweets, followed by toiletries, then gifts for him and for her - which make ideal Christmas presents for teenage girls and boys, as well as adults, then the toys. They had a variety of nightwear and baby items, and medicines, then cleaning products, and then the bottom half is concentrated on foods and drinks, whilst the top half is divided into household goods such as baking equipment, rugs and pictures, with some more toys and games at the very top. The Bangor store seems very well organised and the shelves are always fully stocked. It also seems to be in a prime location - not too close to Bangor city centre, but definitely not too far a walk, and worth the bus fare anyway.

If you are a bargain hunter then this is the place to go. Home Bargains is a chain based mainly in…read morethe North and Midlands and they a number of branches across North Wales. The Colwyn Bay branch was first to open in my neck of the woods but the Llandudno branch, located on the Mostyn Champneys Retail Park, is bigger and therefore has more choice. Basically they sell a bit of everything from food to toiletries to homeware to clothes. Some items are permanently stocked but there are always things that appear breifly never to be seen again so you'll always find something new when you go there. Unlike a lot of bargain shops a lot of the stock is made up of well-known brands and usually the food and drink items have reasonable use by dates. What makes it worth a visit however are the prices which are often a fraction of supermarket prices. If you've never been you have to give a try, I guarantee you'll be hooked.

The best Shop for Bargains in Llandudno - I was so happy when I heard that Home Bargains was coming…read moreto the retail park. I never fail to spend far too much here as there are so many Bargains to be had, from Health and Beauty products, Homewares, Food and Drinks and Gifts there is something for everyone. Its a great place for everyday bargains and they sell named brands aswell as lesser known brands so you know your getting quality products. I'm not ashamed to admit that most of my Home Furnishings are from Home Bargains, they always have a great range of modern pictures and prints aswell as bedding. Another bonus is the great parking facilities - always a space nearby.

At last, a decent card shop in Colwyn Bay. Card Outlet is ok but usually lacks choice, W.H. Smith…read moreis overpriced so I'm very pleased to see the new Card Factory shop open for business. The shop sells a range of cards, mugs and other small gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas etc and pretty much everything is very good value for money. The items look more expensive than they actually are so the person receiving the card will think you've spent more than you have :-). Definitely worth a look if you know someone with a birthday coming up.

Very pretty little gift shop. Reasonable prices, friendly staff and lots of locally made goodies on…read moreoffer.

Colwyn Bay's branch of The Works is pretty much like every other branch of The Works I've ever set…read morefoot in. There are plenty of reduced price books of all descriptions as well as a selection of cds, dvds, stationary and arts and crafts materials. You won't find any recent releases but I often dig out a bargain. They also from time to time stock slightly random items, at the time of writing for example they've got a wide selection of flower and vegetable seeds. Not what you'd expect to find in a bookshop but very competetively priced none the less.

My favourite Shop in Conwy - A typical Gift shop full of Quirky and unusual items that make great…read morepresents. I always buy my Birthday or Occasion cards from here as they have such an unusual selection. They also stock a range of clothes, which are good value and different. You know that you wont have one of those nightmare moments when you walk into a room and somebody is wearing the same dress!! They only stock a few of each size which makes the clothes rare. You could spend hours in this shop, the lay out is a bit cramped and there is a real mish mash of stuff on offer so it takes a while to look at everything. But I never manage to come away empty handed, there is always something that I want and feel that I just cant live without. Highly recommended for one-off, original Gifts.

What a gem. On a high street of hit-or-miss stores and a lot of charity shops, it was wonderful to…read morefind Browsers. Their recent nomination in the Welsh Independent Retail Awards is well deserved and I hope they win. Be sure to stop in for a book or a map (great selection of regional maps) when you're in Porthmadog.

Top place. I love Browsers! They have a great range of books and are always willing to help you…read morefind what you are looking for. Even if you want a book about. and don't have a title or author they will search the computers for something suitable, order it in for you and phone to let you know it has arrived. The art department at th back is similarly helpful, with a huge range of paints, paper, card making, face painting and other art supplies. They have a loyalty card, where you get a stamp every time you spend £10, and once you ahve 6 stamps you get £5 (or possibly £10 I don't remember) off your next purchase.