Next at Straiton has recently expanded and is much better! The new store is an absolute labyrinth…read moreand I found myself getting lost many times. On the ground floor, there is womenswear, childrenswear, furniture and Beaverbrooks the jeweller. When you walk in, there is a big double height ceiling which really opens up the place! Upstairs pays host to menswear and homewares. There is also a Paperchase (yay!) and a small Costa Coffee. (yay again!) There are also toilets up here which are clean, spacious and bright. My favourite thing has got to be the furniture department because you are free to sit on the sofas and pretend you live a perfect life while you sip your Costa coffee. I was very impressed with the size of the shop and the Paperchase and Costa were doing a roaring trade with queues stretching out round through the shop. I'm glad that the old cramped store is now gone and we have this new one to serve us!

Ah, Sharon G reminded me of how I feel about TK Maxx…read more Getting past the fact that it's called TJ Maxx in the states (why the difference??), coming here is weirdly fun. Everything is so cheap! It's not just cheap, though, there is actually some nice and well made stuff. I can only assume that it's the kind of stuff that has some kind of invisible fault that makes it unsellable in the likes of John Lewis and other type stores, because that's the only way for me to explain the price. It's so cheap and well stocked, that The Man is actually the one who suggests coming here. We have purchased Le Cruset, bathroom accessories, cute glass storage jars, and have been tempted by loads of their pots/pans/etcetc. The clothing takes more work - they've got pretty reasonable walking gear, but in terms of everyday clothes I've not even tried to look because I just don't have the energy it would take to search through dozens of racks of rank just to find one nice thing. I think I'll probably suggest going this weekend...

This TKMaxx isn't as nice as some I've been in. It has a very garish orange decor and it is dark…read moreand dingy on the inside. The stock isn't really as good as the branches in Glasgow or even Fort Kinnaird, which is half the size. Staff aren't the friendliest and there are often tourists who stop in front of you to pose with the sign saying "Love Straiton". Also I tripped on the staircase once and an employee just laughed in my face. I'm not going back to this branch any time soon.

Great Nike outlet store with reasonable factory prices and great clearance sales too. The store…read morelooks great and is fun to browse, and I found a great workout too marked down to £5.50!

Apparently this is one of only a hand full of such stores in Scotland, and hence I thought it worth…read moreof a review, especially seeing as its located in the centre of Penicuik, a small town south of Edinburgh whose's shopping scene, quite frankly, has seen better days. Needless to say, the large blue exterior, with clear windows offering gazes into the wonders within, intrigued me. As I entered, I was surprised to see the extent of goods available in this shop. It certainly can be considered a miniature department store. Clothes, groceries, clothes, toys, DVDs, car accessories, camping accessories, DIY, stationary..... the list is seemingly endless. I first explored the DVD section and was amazed to see many familiar, popular titles included in a two for a fiver deal. I ended up purchasing two reasonably priced reporters notepads at two for £1.50. The reason I have put this under "reasonably priced" is that the paper quality isn't that fantastic, and I observed that this was probably the case which a lot of the stock available. However, is that not expected from such a discount store? The stock was very well presented and the staff offered a friendly mannerism. Overall, four stars due to the fact that a lot of the products available aren't of great quality which may leave some disappointed.

A bit out of town... Not pedestrian friendly…read more.. A big box jungle.

Located outside of town going towards Penicuik. For me this shopping area just doesn't strike my…read morefancy. Feels hard to get around the place without always looking to make sure I don't get hit by a car. The stores are also ones I never or wouldn't normally shop at. The best place here I think is the Pet store. You can go in and browse at the fish and bunnies and such. There's also a Sansburys but I find them to be to expensive as well. Check the place out though before judging it to harshly from Yelp reviews. I just don't care for it to much .

Matalan is a shiny and gorgeous shop at Straiton. Since it opened in 2014, it has gone down well…read morewith the consumers and it is always buzzing. Downstairs has womenswear and childrenswear and the upstairs has menswear and homewares. The fitting rooms are spacious and bright and there are toilets at the back of the ground floor which still look brand new. Matalan's strong point is the homeware section which has scented candles, cushions, furniture and more. This store is bigger and better than the ones in Leith and Slateford and I like it.