Yet another Brighton convenience store/corner shop, North Street Food and Wine is a little more…read moreconvenient than most corner shops for me, being directly on my way back home from the North Laine area. I often seem to end up here on my way home, if money's tight, picking up some cheap grub, and for that this store is absolutely fine. Just don't expect anything too fancy: it is just a convenience store. Run by the same people that run All Sorts across the road, North Street Food and Wine is definitely the better of the two shops. They have more on offer, not just booze and magazines, and it can legitimately replace a cheap food shop if you're just looking for microwave pizzas and crisps. I have to admit the occasional horrible food binge: every now and again, food like that is all I really want, making this the right place to go. As stated above, this is a convenience store: don't expect the world from the stock. If you're looking for anything beyond cheap, tasteless snacky bits and pieces, you should be shopping elsewhere. Also, offering lots of cheap food but smacking on a huge card handling fee is not my idea of a fair deal. Especially when it seems to change depending on who's serving... In the end, North Street Food and Wine is convenient and has a larger stock than most convenience stores, so it is a lot better than many of the convenience stores that dot Brighton's shopping landscape. Just don't expect healthy food, or anything out of the ordinary.

This convenience store looks very similar to the one opposite the road(All Sorts? Or All In Here? I…read moreforget...), so I guess they're owned by the same people. If so, then this store is the better of the two (although lacking an internet cafe, but then why would you need another one 30 seconds away?!). Here you'll find your usual array of cheap snack foods, as well as a few basic grocery/household items. They also sell individual fresh fruit pieces, displayed outside, which can be quite handy if you're on the go.

Apparently, Oxfam is the largest retailer of second-hand books in Europe, selling millions of…read morecopies of well thumbed paperbacks every year. There's lots of individual shops dotted across the city but this branch is the biggest and it's entirely devoted to books. There's a small selection of vinyl, CDs, videos and DVDs but the majority of shelf-space is given to the magic of storytelling. Outside the shop there's always a selection of books in wooden crates for £1.99 or 99p whilst the inside stocks a varied selection of old and modern fiction, history, geography, travel, food, theatre, film and biography. There's also a few rare and collectible books which are usually priced £10 and upwards. A must stop for bookworms.

Christmas present shopping when you're a student isn't always easy. While I'm happy to survive on…read moresecond hand and sale bargains when shopping for myself, presents are another matter. No-one wants a 'half price' sticker on their Christmas book. This is where Oxfam Bookshop comes in. Unlike the badly organised book sections of some charity shops, consisting of a few shelves of dog-eared trash-lit, this is a proper bookshop. It is organised into well kept subject sections, and also has a good music section with both vinyl and CDs (a rarity in this digital age). The staff seem friendly and knowledgable, and I could happily while away too many precious minutes here - sadly I had to push on with the present buying, but came away with a beautiful nature photography book for a photographer friend, for the bargain price of £2.99 (ok, the text is Russian, but that's all part of the fun..)

All in here was a life saver for me when I randomly found myself in need of pen and paper at 3:00…read moream one very late evening. I jumped on the N25 and soared into Brighton hoping that I wouldn't have to go all the way to the 24/7 Asda at the mariner... After several rather disappointing stop off's at other corner stores, I thought I'd put "All in Here" 's name to the test... To my delight, they not only had pen and paper, but in a good deal of variety too, with a mix of pencils and large notebooks sitting alongside ball points and 100% recycled jotters. Fantastic! And the range of bits and pieces isn't limited to stationary either, with plenty of random goods on offer. They also have the standard array of soft drinks and snacks too, and a well stocked set of alcohol shelves. There's a good selection of corner shops on North Street, but this is the one for me, seeing as they saved me so royally that evening.

All in here has a good selection of soft drinks and alcohol, and the wine and beer stock is…read moreparticularly good. You'll also find your usual newsagents products, like newspapers, magazines, snacks, cigarettes, and some convenience items. Service is friendly.

On lazy Sundays, there's nothing I like better than going for a long walk along the beach then…read morepicking up a couple of paperbacks from the West Pier bookstall. Last time I found a copy of J. Robert Lennon's hilarious novel about an obsessive compulsive mailman and this morning, I managed to scoop two recent Walter Mosley novels. Situated by the West Pier, the bookstall is open every weekend throughout spring, summer and autumn - unless there's heavy rain - and specialises in great quality, secondhand books. All the stock is in crates and there's usually a great mix of paperback and hardback fiction, poetry, biographies, true and literary crime and local interest books. The owner is clearly a bookworm himself and is happy to recommend titles if you're looking for something new and compelling.

I used to live near the West Pier on Montpeiler road and would regularly use the beach as my back…read moregarden on sunny days. This was also a good excuse to have a snoop around the crates of the West Pier Bookstall and pick up a second hand read whilst I enjoyed the sun. There is a good range of fiction and a selection of biographies that have just dropped off the current flavour of the moment. The prices are reasonable as is the quality of the books (nothing worse than a tattered paperback disintergrating from a gust of sea wind!) The propieter is an amicable chap and will try and open execpt in really adveerse weather conditions. I haven't directly been to check out his wares in a while, but noted that he was still going strong as I passed him last weekend. being a little out of the way, you also find that his prices are a littlle more reasonable than similar establishments in the North Laine.

Hove Park Stores is a small newsagent-cum-general store just by the train station in Hove. It has…read morethe usual selection of newspapers, chocolate and snacks, fruit and vegetables, but distinguishes itself by the great selection of sandwiches, some of which are made, if not on site, then certainly by hand - when I went the selection included brie and grape, chicken masala and bacon with mixed leaf salad. They also sell samosas and chicken curry wraps of various types, all of which are really inexpensive compared to buying a similar thing in a cafe. They're very friendly in here, and are also open quite late, which would be great for commuters coming off the late train. They also often have a good fruit selection, with more unusual things like pomegranates and star fruit on occasion, although you couldn't rely on them having them in. Generally though, it's a good bet for a quick lunch or dinner that's a bit more interesting than your usual newsagent fare.

Like thousands of other Yelpers, I rely on coffee to help me kick-start the day and chocolate to…read morekeep me going throughout the afternoon. If I have the time and money, I'll splash out on a speciality bar from Montezumas, Green & Blacks or Valhrona. When I'm in a rush or on a tight budget however, I'll settle for a cheap and cheerful sugar rush courtesy of a Galaxy, Flake, Fruit and Nut, Dairy Milk or Cadburys Caramel. Handily, Norfolk News is a stone's throw from my office and stocks a vast range of chocolate and candy bars. It also sells Nurofen, paracetamol, cans of pop and a wide range of newspapers, broadsheets and magazines. They also stock a small range of postcards and Brighton memorabilia for tourists.

Due to its small size, and limited stock, Norfolk News is only really useful if you are interested…read morein buying a newspaper, a snack - i.e. a chocolate bar -, or a soft drink. They do have some other food items, but most of them don't look particularly appetising. One bonus is that you can now get cashback here if you spend over £5, and the service is often friendly.

Situated in a busy parade and area of shops this well stocked store offers you just about…read moreeverything you require in the stationery line. A reliable stockist of Collins products, which I use They are agents for Staples, Webster Pens, and other art material suppliers Particularly, they have an excellent range of cards for variuos occasions, and at fair prices. Parking can be a bit hectic but there is small car park behind Iceland on the South side, but don't go over TWO hours.

Small traditional newsagents but with a reasonably wide selection of magazines (albeit with limited…read morenumbers, so they may run out of anything specialist if you don't get in there quickly after publication day)! They also sell confectionery, tobacco and drinks. Staff seem to be very variable - some helpful, others seemingly roped in to help out, and less helpful.