Positioned right opposite the castle, on the corner of castle arcade's entrance, this tiny wedge of…read morea newsagent is in a really handy location. It is so tiny it doesn't stock a great variety of food - but if you just want a cold drink, a magazine or a newspaper, or a bar of chocolate, you can grab one here without queuing or paying sky-high cafe prices. They do stock a good range of magazines and newspapers, on the other hand, spanning most interests - certainly rivalling any of the other city centre newsagents around. The staff are friendly and very efficient, too, so you won't be hanging around for service.

A very handy shop indeed, especially when the Mega bus used to go from outside Cardiff Castle…read more A newsagents with a personality if you can believe that. They actually have a quite a good range of magazines and newspapers for a small shop. There are also sandwiches, drinks and sweets to be had if your on a for a travelling session. The people that run the store are incredibly lovely as well and always worth a visit if you like that personal touch to your purchasing adventures.

I know what you are expecting to see here. Here's New offers... news?…read more Well, yes, of course it does but it actually provides that and a little bit more. This is kind of like what a newsagents' would be like if they went on Pimp My Shop. As well as everything you would expect you can get things like books. The prices are all really good and the service is great. I was really happy with the way that I was treated and I'd come back here if I wanted some more... news.

As you'd expect from the name the shop is a newsagents with all the confectionary chocolate bars…read moreand small selection of convenience foods to bring people into a community shop. All you magazine, papers, and cards are stocked. The place is a bit like open all hours, slightly overstocked with Welsh souvenirs in the form of flags, books and other random collectable tat. I think you would rather go in here if you need direction or a quick chat as well as your order, the alternatives are across the road, which I won't mention as they get enough publicity.

This is another newsagents like Here's News, further up Albany Road, in the sense that it offers…read moremore than the newsagents that I am used to. Rather than just a chocolate bar and a magazine, like I remember, you can instead pick up a little book! How odd. However, I kind of like it. Not that there were any books I really wanted and the fact that it is primarily a newsagent means you don't get a good selection. Then again you still get everything you could possibly want, and get served by a lovely person. What else is really negative about it? I'm trying really hard to think about something! I would say it's prices aren't great. But that's good too! Damn you, A J & B Dudden!

A J & B Dudden Newsagent are somewhat of a rarity these days. They are an independent newsagent…read morethat haven't sold out to the Life Style Group or some other such chain. Good! This means that they can carry the stock that they want, and decide how things are going to look, and essentially do things their own preferred way, making A J & B Dudden Newsagent unique as a consequence! Unique and quirky I should say! They carry items that you wouldn't automatically expect a newsagent to stock, such as board games and books, (mainly Welsh in theme, such as guide books etc.), to compliment the national and full range of regional press and their good selection of magazines (which again reflects their desire to stock titles that you can rarely find elsewhere, unless you go to a large WH Smiths or a chain of similar stature). This of course, means that they can look after their dedicated loyal locals who consistently patronise the shop, allowing them to buy in items that have been requested. This shop is run by a lovely family who never consider anything too much trouble. Being small, they can't arrange the same level of bulk buying discounts that the larger chains are able to negotiate, and so their prices are a little more expensive. But I hope that this doesn't put too many people off using them. We run the risk of losing our independent corner shops, with their individual identity and their lovely quirkiness. We need to carry on shopping there and at other shops just like it if we are going to see them survive.

When I was younger I used to come to this newsagents all the time, however since returning from…read moreUni, I've discovered it's been taken over by new management, and has gone slightly down hill. They used to stock old fashioned penny sweets, which were so delicious and such a novelty, that my friends used to give me orders for them (being young I was not savvy enough to charge a fee), but these are now long gone. The staff are all new, and whilst generally friendly they don't always know their stock very well. One thing the Malvern is very good on is its magazine selection, which is vast, and much better than the nearby Tesco. They also stock some cards and wrapping paper, which is always handy in an emergency. They have also recently become a Spar franchise (a bit weird, as there's a Tesco express just on it's doorstep), and stock a few Spar branded items. So if you're after a few extra groceries Tesco's probably your best bet, but if it's a magazine you want head to the Malvern.

A childhood memory is this place to me, as I used to go here many times with friends. There is so…read moremuch cheap choice there too. It is almost an old fashioned sweet shop it has sweet; sugary, juicy different flavoured mice, lollies, and there all kinds of chocolate and many other sweets there. The prices are just right and the staff are really friendly and very welcoming. I recommend it as the best sweet shop in town, and it is one of the best arcades within town. I love this arcade because it is amazing what neat, smaller, old fashioned shops that you discover down here. I also love it because it reminds me of Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter, fantasy novel series. Apparently Cardiff is known for being the city of arcades representing perhaps the only images left that tell us of the wonderful and interesting history of the Victorian and the Edwardian heritage. It was in 1858 when the Royal Arcade in Cardiff's city centre was built; before that the 1790s only beheld twenty five retail shops known as 'market stalls.'

Fine Chocolates is an extremely well positioned shop on the corner of The Royal Arcade where it…read moremeets St Mary Street, allowing it a sizeable shop front on both, whilst retaining the prestigious address of The Royal Arcade. The chocolates are exquisite, but with a price tag to match, and so I have only ever bought them as gifts for other people, munching out on the less expensive, ubiquitous mass produced Belgian chocolate when I have a chocolate attack. I think that this is probably what most commonly occurs. With a selection of modern gift boxes, which are all finished off with presentation ribbons by the staff, it's clear that the gift option is a popular one. (This doesn't mean to say that it's not possible to prize the box open and snaffle a couple before you present them, somewhat apologetically, to their intended owner. And, this way you can announce with authority, as you hand the goods over, that the contents of their gift are really very good!) The shop also stocks soft drinks and a few lower cost items, like cake, that you can eat in at the tables provided. They also do great ice creams. I guess it is the sale of this kind of stuff that subsidises the chocolates, and justifies having such a large retail space, (otherwise there would be no point, and it certainly wouldn't be affordable).

As you would expect from any decent newsagents there's a good selection of magazines and…read morenewspapers, however I get this impression that this newsagents is really aimed at kids. Martins does sell your basic chocolate bars and crisps, but there is also a fairly good selection of sweets which are surely intended for those under the age of 14 (think dolly necklaces). In addition to sweets, Martins newsagents further caters for children by stocking a small range of toys. You won't find the latest Barbie but this place is great for emergencies (everyone forgets at least one persons birthday).

Supercigs in Merthyr Tydfil is located at the top end of the town centre and is opposite WHsmith…read more There is a big step up into the shop so it is not suitable for wheelchair users etc. they offer soft drinks in a chill section, the usual daily newspapers - national and local. Magazines for women, men and children and also provide the TV guide. They also sell many crisps and sweets and you can find all these at very resonable prices. This is one of the very few shops that you can also buy cigarettes from, and because of this it is alwayd full, but the staff always deal with the queues well, they also do the lottery here.

The only other shop in Llantwit Major's Pound Plaza alongside the mighty Filco is Rainbow Plaza…read more And what a freaking awesome shop it is. The ground floor is nothing too exciting, just newspapers, magazines, gift cards, stationery, chocolate bars, that kind of thing, but if you head up the stairs to the right, then boy does it get good. Up here you'll find a proper toy shop alongside a DVD rental operation and the only place in Llantwit Major to sell CDs and DVDs. The selection of CDs is a bit rubbish but the toy side of things is frankly brilliant. I've never seen so many box fresh board games. They've got both Cardiff and Swansea editions of Monopoly (surely they're all brown squares in Swansea? Boom! Take that Jacks!). They even have the table top cricket game that I always wanted as a kid. With an impressive array of Lego toys, huge cuddly toys, a Games Workshop section, and some toys for girls (phhmp! Whatever...), Rainbow Bargains is a cracking little shop that is very difficult to leave without whipping your wallet out.