This newsagents is in a very handy location on the main Oxford road which leads from the North of…read moreAbingdon (and the A34) to the centre of town. There is a layby outside the shop for parking, but it only has room for a couple of cars and is also shared by a few other small shops. The shop itself is bigger than it seems from the outside and sells a large range of newsagent style products and other essentials, and is also an off-licence. The staff are always friendly, polite and helpful.

The Dillons at Peachcroft is often busy during the school run as children persuade their parents to…read morepop in for some sweets! But outside of those times it is a nice shop with a large selection of newsagent-y things such as newspapers, magazines, sweets, soft drinks etc. If they dont stock a magazine that you want they will order it in for you, which is handy.

A handy shop for newspapers, magazines, sweets, cigarettes, greetings cards and the odd bit of…read morestationary. Just dont go in there between 8am and 9am or 3pm and 4pm on weekdays or you will be swamped by children on their way to and from school buying sweets out of their dinner money! Quite a big newsagents, friendly staff and a good variety of magazines although they are often in a bit of a mess, and muddled up. You can also get lottery tickets here, and there is plenty of parking right outside the shop.

Clifton Hampden Post Office is briliant! Right near the river in this picturesque village - very…read moreconvenient for stopping off on a boating holiday or for fishermen. I's not just for buying stamps and posting parcels, they also have a good range of basic foods (including some really good bread baked in house), it's a real life-line for a lot of older people in the village. There are sandwiches, hot snacks and tea and coffee available too. They also stock a range of really unusual gifts - some foodie type stuff like jams and preserves as well as interesting jewellery and ornaments etc as well as greetings cards. The couple that run the shop are lovely - always welcoming and helpful.

This is a village shop as village shops should be - friendly, helpful, tiny - but with a surprising…read morerange and selection. If you need it, they probably have it, somewhere! Clifton Hampden Stores is a family run business with a small Post Office counter, they stock cards and gifts as well as all the essential grocery items you'd expect, fantastic cakes and locally made jewellery. They also do Ecover refills if you take in your empties. I discovered recently that they offer a dry cleaning service at very competitive rates too. The owners, Emma & Glenn, are very friendly and welcoming, as are the other staff, and I'm sure many of us pop in as much for a chat and to see a friendly face as to actually buy anything.

The Bookstore is the largest book shop in Abingdon, and has a good selection of books and a…read moreregularly changing window display to entice you in. The staff are courteous and knowledgeable, and always on hand to help if you want to order a book in. They have occasional special events as well.

Lovely little independent (I think!) bookshop. I love browsing in here - always excellent window…read moredisplay enticing you in! There is a surprisingly big range of books including all latest bestsellers. The staff are very helpful, going out of their way to make suggestions and when I ordered an out of stock item they phoned me the very next day to let me know it had arrived.

Mostly Books is a relatively new, and really good, bookshop in Abingdon. It's not huge, but has an…read moreinteresting display of books and a regularly changing window display to entice you in. There's also lots going on - with special events, author signings and talks - and it's worth keeping an eye on their newsletter to keep up-to-date. It's a much warmer atmosphere than a chain bookstore, and you can get a decent cup of coffee/ tea and a slice of cake too - there's a little patio at the back where you can sit outside if the weather is nice.

I haven't tried the coffee and cake yetbut I love browsing this shop…read more There's a good selection of books in a wide variety of genres, and the staff are always warm and friendly. When talking with them, I got the impression that opening a bookshop like this was a life dream, and the fact that they enjoy what they do shines through. One real plus point to this little shop is their great range of 'book mugs' - mugs with the titles of Penguin Classic books on them. I've not seen them elsewhere in Abingdon, and they make great gifts. An antidote to the big chain bookstores like Waterstones, and a pleasant place to browse and buy.

Now that Woolies is in trouble, Smiths is one of the few places still stocking that wonderful…read moremelange of cards, stationery, books and chocolates. The range isn't great here, so it's definitely not the best for CDs or DVDs, but if you're in a last-minute hurry, you could do worse. It's best for good-quality stationery and a good range of magazines. It's very conveniently located and I've never found the queues to be too long, which makes a nice change from the central Oxford branch.

A small WHSmith store, but with a good selection of magazines, books, cards and stationery. There…read moreis a small entertainment department, but the selection is not amazing. The staff are friendly and helpful and the store is generally tidy and easy to navigate. There are some good offers on if you look around, but obviously prices of some things is cheaper from internet companies, however sometimes it is worth supporting High St stores.