Marks and Spencers Sidney Street is a reasonably sized store that offers a very similar experience…read moreto most of M&S's other branches. This Marks and Spencers offers a large food section, catering for snacks and sandwiches, fresh fruit and vegetables, breads and boxed ready meals, either from a variety of cuisines or their own Gastropub range. All sections in the store are clearly organised so that it is relatively easy to find the items that you're looking for. The store is often quite busy, and the aisles can become crowded and slightly claustrophobic, but there are a good number of tills so queuing once you've chosen your items isn't too fraught with difficulty. The till staff themselves are friendly and helpful.

Not bad for an M&S, but the layout of the stores can be a bit confusing. It's split over two sites,…read morelinked by a passageway. This passageway is closed on Sundays because it's actually rented off the church and they don't want it used on a Sunday. In the Market Street store there's a nice café on the second floor.

I walk through the long passage of this Arcade daily on my way to the faculty, and the impression…read moreit makes is largely that of a bleak characterless provincial mall. There is no design creativity whatsoever with shops simply lined up along the way on two levels. It's filled with bland typical high street businesses like mobile phone companies' stores, HMV, Starbucks, Tophshop, etc. On the bright side there is also Hugo Boss here. An attempt to develop the upmarket retailing is also evident in a number of high end watch and jewelry boutiques. Overall though, with all the foreign tourists, students and the general reputation of Cambridge for being an attractive town, its premier modern department store could be somewhat more interesting.

What a shame... if all the story telling was to be beleived we were going to get exactly what…read moreCambridge needed - a quality new shopping area which met our needs. Unfortunately i would suggest the Grand Arcade ahs failed to deliver. Some units are still empty giving the impression that it isnt finidhed in parts, and many of the shops that are there are just the same old carbon copies you can get anywhere. The feeling inside is certainly lacking in something as it just doesnt create the right impression of somewhere you would want to stay to shop in. Good ideas.poor result.

Excellent value for money - perfect for buying lots of colours and styles - can easily spend £50…read moreand end up with 3 bags worth of stuff - good place to bulk buy socks and underwear - Saturday is the busiest and most stressful day to shop here though so it's worth doing on a weekday

Best Primark I've ever been to, staff are well mannered and well presented. The size is brilliant…read moreand as always the prices are good and low. And unlike the Primark in Norwich, the clothes are always in order, I've never seen it a mess and there's plenty of room to move.

I wouldn't recommend going into this store unless you have a bit of time on your hands. Sometimes…read moreit feels a bit like an upmarket jumble sale - items everywhere, not always in any kind of logical order! That said, if you do have the time to browse, you can pick up some real gems - anything from 'designer' clothes at a bargain basement price to cheap trainers to kitchenware, gym gear, luggage and beauty accessories. You have to wade through rubbish to get to the gems - but one man's (or woman's) junk is another man's treasures! I've got some real bargains at this store before so if you're not in a rush and don't have clear ideas in your head of what you're after, I would persevere because the stock is regularly updated and you might just find something fabulous! But if you go in there with a really set idea of what you want you could leave disappointed.

With T K Maxx you do not expect perfect order, or great customer service. It is bargains you are…read moreafter. One T K Maxx varies a lot from the next, depending on what stock is in. However, the Cambridge T K Maxx is the most chaotic I have been to. Clothes were all over the place, in the wrong section - trousers with tops, coats with skirts. And none of the sizes were in the correct places, so you really had to rummage to find what you were looking for. The staff were relatively helpful, although several of the items I found were mis-priced, or without prices altogether, which delayed my shopping further. It is great for a bargain, but if you are after a stress-free shopping experience stick to the high street and pay a bit more.

Debenhams is a massive store which is easy to get lost in!…read more Upstairs, there is all the kiddies clothes, and homeware items, plus things like champagne glass sets, expensive ornaments, and a wedding gift registry service, as well as having a café that serves some great food and has excellent baby feeding fascilities available. Downstairs is huge! This is where all the designer brands have 'sections' of the shop floor, as well as where Debenhams put all their own fancier ranges which inmclude their dresses that are suitable for proms/bridesmaids etc. There are loads of different designers ranges to browse through, and lots of shoe collections too. Once you have browsed through all the clothes, you then walk into the make up department, which has different 'stations' for different brands, and there is lots of perfumes too. The store is well looked after and there are lots of staff around. It gets busy, especially at weekends but its a big shop so you tend not to notice.

Cambridge's premier destination for those who suffer from a (habitually debilitating)…read morefurniture-porn addiction. If you don't go for all the sumptuous sofas, chairs, beds, gifts, lights, dressers and a rather natty drinks cabinet built into a ship's trunk, then go for what is one of the city's best-looking buildings. Opened in 1903 and originally home to the Laurie & McConell department store, it has a stunning staircase that weaves up to a huge skylight, which bathes the space in light and air. Quality.

I loved the Grafton Center, though a lot of it stems from the fact that I lived across the street…read morefrom it when in Cambridge. It has a nice cinema, a music shop, and (i hope it is still there) an awesome cart that sold the best dried fruit and baklava ever. Not somewhere I'd recommend as a destination if you're there on holiday, but a good utilitarian mall for students.

Grafton centre is the best place I spend my Saturday mornings to afternoon. It has entertainment…read morerestaurants and shops to satisfy your shopping addiction if you know what I mean. Shops present are Next, H&M, Debenhams, Boot, Phone 4 u, Oasis, Millie cookies, La senza, Claire's accessories and many more designer shops all under one roof. The location in the city centre makes it sometimes exciting to leave your quiet room, sad you may think but it is quite thrilling. After my morning activities, I walk few mins to the bus stop to catch the park and ride bus all the way to the city centre. Then walk a short distance through the park to Grafton centre, where I fill my eyes with the things I can't afford and the things I can definitely go home with me. After all the shopping and the tired feeling, I stop at one of the restaurants to have my lunch before going home. It is a great way to spend ones Saturday and for family shopping.