My first ever visit to Carmarthen was in November 2011, the weather was not great but liked to look…read moreof the area and town centre but very sad to see so many shops empty and to let or for sale, clearly a sign of the times. At night the town is deserted, but comes to life in the day with market stalls and a great selection of small independent shops. A great effort had been made with the festive decorations, and every street was festooned with twinkling lights, lovely Christmas trees dotted around the town making it look so magical. Sadly that is where it ended, as I was followed around the shopping area by a security man who seemed to be on every corner looking at us, eventually after hours of being followed I was approached and asked what I was doing, apparently you are NOT PERMITTED to take photographs in this town. I asked where the sign was saying this was the case; I was taken and shown a sign high up a lamppost (which even when shown the sign I could not see the no camera rule) but with a logo the size of a postage stamp it did say cameras not allowed. What a way to treat visitors! I will never return to this town and in a climate where shops are closing weekly due to recession it seems a very sad way to treat visitors, I got in my car a left the town. I feel the residents and business owners need to address this problem if you wish to attract visitors to Wales

I've been meaning to visit this new shopping centre for months and I finally got there this week. I…read morehonestly don't understand what all the fuss has been about because, basically, it just consists of Debenhams, a cinema and some fast food outlets. I had expected a lot more from a £74m project - it's not even undercover! There's a 950 space car park at the back and it's also very close to the town centre, so easy to find if on foot.

A brand new Debenhams in the also new shopping arcade St Catherine's Walk in Carmarthen. I shopped…read morethere yesterday and, in particular, browsed through the clothes department. There are many fashions available for all the family, including footwear, and plenty of accessories too, from bags and scarves to belts and jewellery. Something which let the store down for me was all the litter at the entrance. An umbrella stand is there for customer use but yesterday it was partly full of litter not an umbrella in sight. Lots of other messy litter was lying around on the floor inside the covered entrance which customers had to carefully step over. Not a good first impression when visiting this store!! Opening times: Monday 9:00am 5:30pm Tuesday 9:00am 5:30pm Wednesday 9:00am 7:00pm Thursday 9:00am 5:30pm Friday 9:00am 5:30pm Saturday 9:00am 5:30pm Sunday 11:00am 5:00pm

Bought several jumpers over past few years but the two chenille ones I bought just before Christmas…read moreare not fit for purpose as they shed so much "fluff" that I leave a trail of it. My underwear is covered in it, it sticks to my body and even found it in my bed!! Head Office don't want to know. Poor show Debenhams. Won't be shopping with you again!

On a vist to Carmarthen last week Nov 2011 I enjoyed the store even though it was a bit untidy, but…read morethe staff were not very helpful, asked a few different staff about items, but got a blank look, and no help. At the till where I had bought a lot of items, some quite large. The girl on the till (says her name is Christine on the receipts) was not pleasant rang the items through the till and took the money, then turned away, she turned back to see me still waiting and I got, WHAT? I asked if I could have a bag please, I was abruptly told it would be 5p as it was the law in Wales, being a visitor to Wales how am I to know that? I bought a bag and paid for it. It is not the cost it was the way I was spoken to, I am a customer, paying your wages by my purchase I expect at least some curtesy. Is that too much to ask? I understand the attempt to cut down on PLASTIC bags, but who gets the 5p or as often is the case now 10p? we still have the shops advert on the bag, why can the stores not go back to paper bags? I feel it is just another way the consumer is being ripped off. If I buy a pint I would not expect to pay for the glass to put it in, the same should apply to shops if we buy from them they should give us to carry away our purchases in.

Great branch of 'Marks' with a lovely choice of clothes and gifts. I always thought of Marks as…read morebeing expensive but I picked up some bargains there today! (Some good quality men's jeans for £9.90) Very helpful friendly staff too. Recommended. UPDATE NOVEMBER 2008: Great cafe upstairs with lovely coffee served in nice cups with a free macaroon on the side! My husband enjoyed his iced pecan cake - it looked gorgeous. Everything fresh and looked after and the staff extremely friendly - a great service altogether. I think we just discovered our favourite place for coffee in Carmarthen. UPDATE DECEMBER 2008: Another excellent visit to this pleasant cafe. Discovered today that all coffee and teas there are Tradefair and the very helpful and knowedgeable staff member, Ben, made us aware that the cakes and the other food items available cater for different allergies and dietary needs. For instance, there is a lovely gluten-free Christmas cake slice available at the moment. All staff are very friendly and welcoming. Highly recommended.

This Marks and Spencer stocks a wide variety of clothes, homeware and foods…read more Its easier to shop here as you are relatively close to a large car park so you dont have to carry bags far. This is quite a big store and it doesnt feel as squashed as some stores. The coffee shop is indeed an assett and always seems to have a steady flow of custom. The staff are friendly and able to help with any queries without any problems. A good all round service.

Great store - lots of bargains and top fashions. I found some great winter clothes here yesterday…read moreand the girl who served me at the till was friendly and very pleasant. Nice selection of mens and children's clothes too. Recommended.

I like this branch of Peacocks, Its not the biggest but it has a surprisingly good range and of…read morecourse at a good price. Its easy to chuck a few things in a basket here - This week I bought my son Star wars PJs for just £7 - and they are quite good quality too. My daughter is always able to find hair trinklets here too. I do think the store has improved over the last few years. The staff here are friendly and the store is well kept.

Matalan in Carmarthen is much improved now it has its Party section. It has a huge range of party…read moreitems and we just keep going back for more. The baby clothes are cheap too and good quality. Sometimes the store can be a bit of a mess depending on what time you visit.

Matalan occupies a large building on the outskirts of Carmarthen. It has a good selection of womens…read moreclothing, womens shoes, sportswear, menswear, childrenswear, items for the home and a small selection of jewellery. Generally the quality of items is good, except for the jewellery which lasts hours. When I recently returned an item of jewellery a staff member confirmed they regurally have jewellery returned and have a box under the counter especially for returned jewellery due to the amount that is returned. The store occasionally appears a little messy but is generally well set out. There are regurally queues at the till, despite there being around 10 tills. During Christmas the queue becomes ridiculously long. A good selection of items but I'd only recommend shopping here if you need a few things and have the time to spare queuing.