The student area of Selly Oak is a veritable hotbed of convenience stores, so Lifestyle Express,…read morelocated on the upper end of Bristol Road in the area, has its work cut out to distinguish itself from its numerous, extremely well priced competitors. It does this in a few ways. Firstly, their service goes above and beyond. I've been in a couple of dozen times and the service has never been anything less than fantastic, always friendly, and they can't ask if you need any help quickly enough it seems. The second way is by a great range of products, going much further than usual shops, selling cards (although admittedly this section is sometimes sparsely populated) and an above average selection of frozen goods (these are often mysteriously missing from small shops such as this). The best (in my humble opinion) is their low canned drinks prices, with some available from as little as 30p, a price you rarely see in this day and age.

There is something strange going on along The Raddlebarn Road. Of the small knot of 25 or so small…read moreoutlets, including a butcher, two hairdressers, various takeaways and a DIY outlet, there are no less than 6 off-licenses/convenience stores. You'd think that harsh economic forces would instigate a survival of the fittest process and, one by one, we'd have this number dwindle to a more sensible 1 or 2. Not so. This is an 'Open All Hours' place that sells wines, beers, tobacco, cleaning products, tinned goods and various other odd and ends and, like the alleged competition along the road, it does a brisk trade. The staff are helpful and the prices are pretty much what you'd expect from such a store.

The Selly Park Convenience is a life saver indeed, especially If you are an Au Pair that has plenty…read moreof tasks to deal with and always forget to buy some essential items like...milk! The kid was studying at a school on Teignmouth Road, The Selly Park Convenience is right next to this and it's a very friendly shop. There are plenty of school around, by the way, and I wonder if it's a local shop of many people in the same situation. As most of the big shops in this area are placed at Bristol Road, some around the corners convenience stores like this one are all whet we need sometimes.

Situated at the bottom of one of England's longest student roads (Dawlish Road), Omco Convenience…read morestocks your typical convenience store range of products, with a little bit of everything a student might need, such as various food stuffs, newspapers and magazines, toiletries and a selection of alcohol that I can only describe as "average". They also have a healthy sideline in selling tickets to various club events. Prices in Omco are a little more expensive than they are in similar shops in other parts of the city, but this is the same in many convenience stores in Selly Oak. I'd like to take this opportunity to to commend the relaxed manner of the staff. I had a moment in there before Christmas when I was buying a product which could of caused embarrassment (it was condoms if you must know), and the guy behind the counter handled the situation with a seen it all before cool that put me at ease. In conclusion, Omco doesn't have a hell of a lot to separate it from similar businesses, but is still a good store to use none the less.

Food is not always fresh and quality is low. But bad review is for clerks attitude. Rude,…read morediscriminative, unhelpful.

Seoul Plaza is 500 square foot of retail space dedicated to Japanese, Chinese and Korean foods. The…read morespacious aisles have space for fresh fruit, spices and vegetables, dried goods such as noodles and rice, freezer chests full of all your oriental favourites as well as packets of stuff that I've never heard of. I'm not a specialist in these foods, more of an enthusiastic amateur, but the "what the hell is that"? aspect of shops like this has always appealed to me , and there was plenty of those kind of thrills for me at the Seoul Plaza with many products that I can only label as "specialist" nestling between the more familiar items like rice, tofu and fresh chillies. The drink section was also intriguing, with Aloe Vera based drinks that taste delicious and lemongrass seed drinks that look worryingly similar to frogs spawn. I'm giving Seoul Plaza three stars not because I don't have the expert knowledge to tell if Seoul Plaza is great at what it does or simply very good, though it might well take a Chinese or Korean chef to tell you that. However, I can say that it's a well run store with an interesting selection and polite staff. Also for reasons completely unknown to me they sell what appears to be the cheapest cans of Coca Cola in the West Midlands ( a mere forty five pence!).

There are a fair few Asian food supermarkets in the city centre, particularly around the Hurst…read moreStreet area where the city has bustling Chinese quarter containing restaurants, Chinese remedies and travel agents, but Seoul Plaza is just as good as any of those and is right on my doorstep (well, a ten minute walk away). This place quite rightly saw a gap in the market and chose to serve the large number of Chinese, Japanese and Korean students who attend the nearby University. There is a fair selection of fresh produce, and it's great for fresh lemongrass, coriander, and so on. There are the usual baffling (to Western eyes at least) array of sauces, packets, sweets, drinks and dried goods but its also provides all the 'usual' stuff like soy sauce, chili oil and the like. My wife is half Philippino and often drops in for ingredients she can't get elsewhere. There is also a fairly good frozen section and its a good place to pick up fish, seafood and items like spring rolls. It's a fairly big place - somewhere between the size of a small supermarket and a convenience store, so there is a lot of stock to chose from, so you'll more than likely find whatever it is you're looking for. The prices are fairly reasonable, too.

This small convenience store run by a friendly husband and wife team carries all the things one…read morewould expect, including essentials such as milk and bread, cleaning products and a small range of alcohol and tobacco, but it is particularly well-stocked with ingredients for more exotic cooking - they carry a wide range of Asian spices, Garam flour, and the like. It's by no means the cheapest of shops, but this is made up for by the long opening hours (he can be open as late as 10pm in the summer months. They carry a small selection of fresh vegetables which are displayed in front of the shop.

I have visited this place a couple of times as it is close to where I live. I have found every time…read moreI go in, the man that runs the store is always bumbling around restocking the shelves or keeping himself busy, he's never stood around looking bored, which I think is a good sign! When I first visited this store, it was a bit overwhelming as there was so much stuff all piled into the place, which is not that big. However, it stocks a range of fresh fruit and veg, some of which is stored outside during the day, so I often get a box and help myself. It states outside that it is self service. It is not so cheap, but then again he is competing with a range of other stores that stock similar items on the same road. One of the things I like most about this store, is that it stocks a range of Asian products, such as herbs and spices, which is handy when I attempt to make my own curries!

So overpriced. Convenient for those on campus who can't be bothered to walk down to Bristol road…read morebut they make the most of it with sky high prices. The staff are friendly though and if you need some chilled alcohol in a hurry this could be the place for you. In general it's a pretty standard Spar just at premium prices.

Okay this store is only good because it's in a convenient location especially if you're on campus…read morefor say lunch and you only have a short amount of time. It's very expensive and the quality of products and brands is poor! They have the essentials and some food and drinks items. There are much better places than this outside the uni campus and at a fair price. This is ripping students, staff and others off.. The staff are polite but very limited staff so no one on the shop floor. This place could be so much better.

One of several convenience/off license stores on a small stretch of Raddlebarn Road. I think there…read moreare at least 6 shops all doing a similar trade, and all of them seem to survive. This was a mystery to me when we first moved to the area, but I'm slowly cottoning on that these places survive due to students. A) There are loads of students in the area and they all walk to the nearest one B) There are loads of students in the area who visit the shops in groups and, after having a lengthy discussion at the counter about who is paying for what, they all want to pay separately with a debit card. When this happens it's very quick and easy to simply move along to the next shop, rather than wait 15 minutes for the whole shenanigan to play out. Sakib is one such store. Local, friendly, convenient.

Locally known as Sakib's this modest corner shop has a remarkable range of products on offer to the…read moregeneral public. From tennis balls to food stuffs to alcohol they have the lot here and this place most definitely targets convenience. The owner is a friendly gentleman who welcomes each customer with a smile and never fails to act in a polite and professional manner. This place like many businesses on Raddlebarn road appears to have been around for years, so there is a real sense of local community in terms of the way it is run. Sakib's is another store which continues to prosper in the face of massive Supermarket chains and long may that continue.

Shah Pharmacy occupies a prime spot in central Selly Oak. As well as serving prescriptions to the…read morelocal student community, it sells the usual range of items sold in modern chemists, such as hair products, make up, and off-the-shelf medicines such as cough medicine and Gaviscon. The one factor that makes Shah Pharmacy better than other similar businesses is the caring nature of the staff. They genuinely seem to want to help their customers, taking extra care to make sure that those collecting medicines know how to use them. This is very commendable and reassuring for those that use the pharmacy. In conclusion, this is a good business and one that I would recommend to those in the area.

In many areas Shah Pharmacy is your stereotypical pharmacy outlet with a wide range of products for…read moreall manner of ailments and the option to pick up your prescription. What marks Shah as an outstanding establishment is the way in which the staff go about their business. The staff at Shah know their stuff and they do their utmost to pass on that knowledge to the customer. After all, prescriptions can sometimes be a confusing business, so having someone to explain the procedure to you in detail can make a real difference.