Scene: A damp and dreary November morning. Bristol…read more Mission: Find a bikini for impromptu holiday in the sun. Jenni's reaction: Panic. Sheer panic. Having not actually gone on holiday for the last three years, I'd seem to have misplaced all my bikinis and so I was set the unenviable personal challenge of trying to find swimwear, in England, on the run up to Christmas. House of Fraser laughed and H&M asked, "You want a bikini in November?" Things weren't looking good. And then I remembered Debenhams. Lovely Debenhams. The place I used to consider "quite classy" as a child, and where I used to go with my Nan to try on perfumes. I hadn't been into Debenhams for over a year and it hadn't changed one iota. It was a little bit like stepping back into my childhood; smiling made-up ladies behind the counter, unflattering lighting, mums and their children looking for sensible shoes. I approached the nearest shop assistant and looked pleadingly into her eyes. Swimwear? "Let me show you Madam," said the lovely woman as she led me to the first floor sale section. There, in the furthest corner of the store, four bikinis - 70% off. A bit behind the times, but very reliable!

To fully appreciate Debenhams take a trip to Primark first. After the barely controlled chaos (well…read morethat's a slight exaggeration) to the latter shop, Debenhams will feel like a paradise of tasteful muzak and neatly folded clothes. The staff are keen, sometimes overly so, to help you out. The quality is always good - the suits in particular are lovely. Excellent ranges up on the upper floors in the home and electricals departments. Unfortunately this all comes with some hefty prices. Although the new Harvey Nichols has probably taken the crown for Bristol's most expensive department store Debenhams comes a strong second. This is probably why it's so empty of customers, and makes the rock-bottom prices of next door Primark all the more attractive. Give everything in there a 30% discount and I would be in there like a shot, at the moment Debenhams offers good stuff in a pleasant setting but is just a bit too pricey.

This shop has been in existence, in one form or another, for over 100 years and has evolved into a…read moresleek and stylish independent gallery and shop for homeware and art. Difficult to pinpoint, the Guild offers not just ridiculously over priced kitchen accessories but also smaller trinkets and gifts, postcards and gourmet food - you know the kind, fancy jars of jelly beans and unpronounceable preserves. The various sections within this surprisingly large shop cater for the kitchens, living rooms and what I consider the best bit - kids bedrooms. Cuddly toys and traditional board games are on offer, as well as the more unusual, such as life-size green dogs made from moulded rubber. Bristol Guild is the kind of place I imagine Kirsty Allsopp would frequent if she lived round these parts, and is somewhere that should make it on to your list if visiting the area.

Bristol Guild is a small gallery crammed full of things. It's quite narrow in here but they sure…read moreknow how to get as much in as possible! Just don't visit with large bags or a clumsy personality! There are some hidden gems in here if you are willing to give the gallery some quality time, however I have never really found anything that tickles my fancy. Staff pretty much stay in the background and won't approach you unless you go up to them. They have a nice coffee shop at the back of the gallery if you have exhausted all your energy supplies. It has a nice terrace overlooking Park Street if you are able to brave the cold and rain too!

Good shopping centre and not too many empty stores. We last went on a very rainy day but it didn't…read moretake away from the shopping experience. I love that they have little food places staggered around like Ben's Cookies (which is always an essential when shopping for the family!) Easy to get to and access. Worth the visit.

Wow! I could do some serious damage at this place! Cabot Circus is a beautifully constructed…read more"outdoor" shopping centre with every store you can imagine! We were staying across the street at the Future Inn and on the evening we arrived, we strolled over to take a quick peek at the adventures I would be exploring the next day. Much to my surprise, pleasure and happiness, there was a Pret right there as soon as we walked in! Breakfast at the hotel was on the pricey side so we knew where we'd be coming in the morning and we certainly needed to get fueled up for a day of shopping! CC has lots of high end, brand name stores and with even more shops beyond the boundaries of CC, this made for a lovely day of retail therapy. My poor husband... oh well, at least they had an Apple store for him. ;)

Once I had gotten over the massive shock of Woolworths closing down I had to find another shop that…read morecould offer the same variety of household goods, food and drink, entertainment (and of course Pick & Mix selection!) Wilkinsons is the logical replacement, in reality, although I hate to admit it, they are probabley better than Woolworths. I come here for many household items, from picture frames to lightbulbs, and from tea-towls to frying pans, they have a very good all around selection at very good prices. The top floor is dedicated to entertainment, cards, pick and mix and childrens items. The downstairs is for household items.

I'm not ashamed to say that I shop here a LOT! Whether it be for loo roll or a new shelving unit…read morefor my room, Wilkinson's have it in this shop for an insanely good price. What I like about it too is that it doesn't just sell its cheaper own brands if you feel like a bit of luxury. They sell all the usual 'Fairy Liquids' and 'Flash' products at a much cheaper price than a supermarket. Very good location in the centre of Bristol and it's a really large store which divided into two floors. The upper floor is for everyday household products and the lower is a larger section for kitchen, bathroom and bedroom goods. I have recently bought a lovely set of curtains for £7.99 which easily look like they are worth £30...bargin! Usually long queues of upwards of 10minutes though.

Bristol isn't short on department stores, but top of my favourites list is House of Fraser. Since…read moreit changed location it's undergone a swanky makeover making it as bright and shiny as Cabot Circus itself. It may be that I don't cope well with change but I find the layout of the new store a little confusing, often meaning I walk past the same rail of clothes several times before finding a polite shop assistant to point me in the right direction. In-keeping with the ethos of Cabot Circus, this House of Fraser stocks high-end lines such as Vivienne Westwood and Lulu Guinness in amongst Miss Sixty and French Connection which can push it into a "looking not buying" category of department stores. I tend to come for the small but extensive Paperchase and Benefit stands, and a bit of a window shop in the ladies department. Not great for every day wear, but worth a look if you're looking for a "special occasion" outfit.

When it moved from the Horsefair to shiny new Cabot Circus, House of Fraser had a bit of a…read moremakeover. No longer the frumpy department store most people walked past to get to Debenhams, now this has an emphasis on the higher quality (and higher priced) brands. Over four floors, with cosmetics, accessories and Paperchase on the lower floor, mens on the middle, women's fashion on the third floor and home decor on the top floor, it is a sprawling space with indiscernible boundaries between the brand displays. It doesn't have a great flow for browsing round, but its not bad. I come here mainly for Mango and Ted Baker brands (although there is a Ted Baker shop in Cabot Circus their women's range is better here).

Until very recently the centre (being the open plan water fountain area by the Hippodrome) only had…read morea couple of independent newsagents, which was fine. Then in the space of a few months two of the big players popped up - Tesco Metro at College Green and Sainsburys Local in Broad Quay. Each can complete with a much-needed cash point in the area. Previously, people had to either walk halfway up Park Street to the HSBC or halfway down Baldwin Street to the Alliance and Leicester. Sainsburys Local is your bog standard Sainsburys Local but it looks much nicer and newer. It sells the usual from sandwiches to chocolate and soup to milk and eggs. It's also handy for the smokers in the nearby office blocks. I don't know about you but I'd much rather shop at Sainsburys than Tescos and now you can if you live or work around the city centre in Bristol.

Good selection of ready-to-eat sandwiches and meals, even late at night. Besides that, it's not…read moremuch different from any other Sainsbury's. Oh, unless you love Reese's. They also happen to have an epic selection of Reese's peanut butter cups, pieces and even the oft-unseen crunchy candy bar. Heady stuff.

Despite being brought up to be confident enough to feel I can fit in anywhere, I still feel a pang…read moreof self doubt whenever I enter a high-end store. I'm all to paranoid that the shop assistants nonchalant stares are really saying "you're not welcome here... don't touch the things, you're making them dirty". All this self consciousness lifted when I walked into Harvey Nichols. As the doorman pulls back the door and welcomes you with a warm smile, you can't help but feel at ease even though you know in your heart of hearts (if you're anything like me) that you can't afford the bags their lovely products come in. All the staff are wonderfully cheerful and laid back; no pushiness to force you to make a purchase - but again, maybe because they know in THEIR heart of hearts you won't be making a purchase. To call it a department store is probably unfair to properly sized ones, with this Harvey Nicks feeling like a taster of what you'd get in one of their larger outlets. But there's still enough for you fashionistas to gawp at and long for including Moschino, Chloé and Vivienne Westwood. Not a realistic shopping venture, but a great place to play "when I win the lottery I will buy..."

I was really excited about this store coming to Bristol and now I have mixed feelings. What it has…read moredone is bring a whole new set of shoppers into the city, and their money of course, which can only be good for Bristol. It also holds up Cabot Circus with its central spot on the main stretch. However with its bouncers outside it really intimidated me and it took me weeks to go inside after it opened! It has the sparse layout of you-can't-afford-this and even some areas have the we-don't-even-have-price-tags level of you-can't-afford-this. Needless to say with my budget that I haven't been back...

Ahhh, why is it that I always end up in this store at Christmas time, when its super hectic!! Its a…read moregreat place to pick up nice good quality wrapping paper, gifts for aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews. M&S has long had a good reputation for excellent ladies underwear and this store does not disappoint with some nice cute ladies underwear sets. My absolute fave thing and why I frequent this store however is for the absolutely amazing dark chocolate ginger biscuits with real stem ginger in the middle. So good they turn me into cookie monster. And so good they are worth braving the very big queues this store has at lunchtime. My husband bought some suit trousers here and they were very helpful in the mens department. M&S goes through funny clothes phases, sometimes you can find some cool items here and other times its just a bit too mumsy for me.

Old Marks and Sparks lies opposite Debenhams and Primark in Broadmead, selling classic food,…read morehomeware and clothes at expensive prices. This shop has a great homeware section upstairs, but I was bitterly disappointed when the Bialetti coffee maker I wanted was priced at £30. In the end I went to Bristol Guild and bought a smaller one for £12. M&S is brilliant this time of year though, when you need a luxurious gift for mum or gran. And a Christmas Pudding from here is a brilliant treat for Xmas day.

Uncle Sam's has been here for as long as I can remember, and I do quite like it, but despite saying…read morethat, I haven't actually bought anything from here. It is a fairly small shop, a beacon to vintage lovers on Park Street. They sell records, leather wallets, jackets, 80s dresses, cut off levis.. anything vintage that pops in your head, they do have it here. You do have to dig abit to find things though, which just adds to the fun. This is somewhere I always pop by to have a browse, always expecting to find something awesome, but never really do. Maybe that is because the prices are quite steep; rising with the rise of the love of vintage fashion these days.

From the outside it looks as though Uncle Sam's is going to be the best offering that Park Street…read morehas. A classic American vintage sign, a window full of Levis and checked flannel shirts, but it's best not to judge a book by its cover. (Or a vintage clothes store by its window!) I love a bit of a rummage through piles of retro clothing, but the interesting finds here are so few are far between that it doesn't make your wait worth-while. On the whole, I find that men do better here than women with some fantastic leather jackets and belts to be had. Just be prepared to pay a hefty price for some of the better pieces. It's worth a look for die-hard vintage clothes fans, but personally I prefer to save my pennies and go rooting around Bristol's fabulous charity shops. Cheaper, with added feel good factor!