Everything a corner shop could need, plus alcohol…read more If you're an avid reader of my reviews, you will recall an Italian Bistro I used to work at which used to send me out for pizza because it was on the menu but we didn't cook it. The same bistro used to send me running out to the 10 til 10 to get Amaretto for the occasional late night regular who'd prop up the bar and regale us all with the week's gossip. So it has always been the place for me where you can get emergency alcohol. And there's a decent selection. I do miss the way it used to be with a wooden frame separating you from the drink and grubby windows which students and tramps alike pressed their noses against whilst picking their drink of choice. These days they're a lot more trusting and let you get the majority of stuff yourself, but then they've obviously come under new management too, if the gaudy new shop sign is anything to go by. I have before and after pictures for comparison...

10 til 10 is a small convenience market that is actually open from 9am to whenever they feel like…read moreshutting, which is sometimes as late as 2 or 3 in the morning. I guess by lowering the expectations about when the shop was going to actually be open they expected that people walking past at midnight would be pleasantly surprised and would venture in and but Snack-a-Jacks and Blossom Hill rose aplenty. This is a particular gem if you have a friend, or indeed if you are a friend, who lives around the area. In which case a few six packs of export strength lager and a bag of minstrels procured at just-above-supermarket prices mean that the party can keep on going long after the last orders at the Pilgrim has been rung. Oh hells yeah.

Ten points for the shop name. Unless of course Sarj is meant to be Sarge, in which case he loses…read morepoints for misspelling. However, I like that it rhymes, and in a somewhat sarcastic way suggests that these two items go together, and should therefore be sold and celebrated together. This shop is tiny, but proudly flying the England flag here during the World Cup (2010) and offering everything you need to chow down and drink during said event, from wine and beer, to Haribo gummies and chocolate bars, to Pringles and Walkers crisps. And of course if you need your tabloid newspaper or your glossy magazine, you can find those here as well.

Gotta love the little newsagents on every corner. They're always there for you. Except that they…read moredon't seem to sell notebooks, pens, or other stationary items which I, as a writer, think is a crying shame. This particular convenience store and newsagent on Liscard Road is a little on the small side, but they do have the basics (ie cold drinks, crisps, toilet paper, magazines.) I guess for the size of shop the magazine selection was fairly good.

Spar has recently moved from a nearby location to the corner of Dale Street (where there once lay a…read moreHSBC). This Spar definitely has the most futuristic look about it with its glossy, glass-panelled and chrome finish on the exterior. I don't often shop at Spar because prices are generally expensive compared to competitive stores and of course it isn't really the place you'd go to do your weekly shopping; it's more of an emergency shop for locals and business folks nearby. Spar is located in a prime location for office workers in the area and has ideal products for people on-the-go. This makes it a great place to grab a quick lunch and newspaper or magazine. Let's say that this is your super mini-mart!

This is a very conveniently located store located on busy Dale Street. As you would expect it's…read moregreat for essentials like bread, milk etc and also good for picking up a bottle of wine on your way home from work to the train station :) They also sell a wide selection of magazines and newspapers plus lottery tickets and scratchcards and there is a food to go counter at the rear of the store for freshly prepared sandwiches and pizza. I think its open from 7am til late. There is also a cash machine in store too but it charges £1.50 for withdrawals.

I have to admit this one creeps me out a bit. It's not really that there's anything wrong with it…read moreexcept that the exterior looks about 300 years old (in a bad way), it's small, in a kind of shady-looking area of Seacombe (in my opinion), and kind of feels like the sort of place a character in a horror movie would accidentally wander into at the wrong time of night ... It's also interestingly right across the street from a convenience store, begging the question, how can these two survive in such close proximity? And why bother? Still, as the old battle cry is beginning to ring true--if you have got to have that newspaper now, you can always find it here.

As long as you don't mind queuing with a tramp for what you imagine is some much needed booze at…read more3am - and lets face it if you're getting more booze at this time then one more tramp is going to bother you - then this is the place for you. Swift Drinks offers 24 hr booze supply for those who just don't know when enough is enough and God bless them for it. The saviour of many a Saturday night/Sunday Morning when town just isn't enough for a good time! What can I say there is often a grizzled, goblin-like man in a glass booth despatching drink and fags to people with a menacing, bitter quality because, well they're trapped behind a glass booth and you're all partying til the early hours.

Swift Drinks is an absolute lifesaver for those that refuse to stop drinking when the clubs in town…read moreclose and boot everyone to the streets! It's pretty much an all night off licence, fashioned a little bit like an Australian bottle shop! Keep your wits about you when you buy from here though as sometimes weird characters hang around this place in the middle of the night. A friend of mine almost got mugged walking away from this place with a crate of beer; luckily he managed to get to a black cab in good time! This place sells beers, cigarettes, wines, and spirits throughout the night and is very reasonable priced considering! They also sell condoms, if you're caught short on the way home from a club with someone you've picked up! They sell loads of snacks too! Crisps, chocolate, sweets etc! Great for those with the munchies in the middle if the night! Your can get a can of Fosters for £1.10, and I think this is the cheapest beer they sell. Just look out for pissed people after a kick off in this area late at night!

Tesco Express on Strand Street is a good convenience store, located by the docks in Liverpool city…read morecentre. The facilities inside the store are good, this is a Hermes Parcelshop, so you can drop off packages here with Hermes (Good for cheap packages and Amazon returns), there is also a small Krispy Kreme doughnuts stand and Costa Express coffee machine. The layout of the store was pretty good, it was more visually appealing than other Tesco Express stores I have visited. The selection in-store was fine, obviously, the prices are what you'd expect for a Tesco Express store, which can be just over 10% more than a regular Tesco due to it being a convenience style location. My main issue with the store was the unfriendliness of the security guard, who seemed to have let all the power go to his head, he was standing on the door, blocking the only way into the store, I ended up having to squeeze past him, as he refused to even acknowledge me or move, both entering and leaving the store. I have never felt more unwelcome and like a criminal just for entering a store. 3* - The store its-self is good, but I probably wouldn't return if the security guard keeps acting like a nightclub bouncer at a low-grade boozer.

It's almost as though people feel the need to have a newsagents/general store every half a mile…read more Are the general public really that attached to their newspapers and beer that they can't even get on a bus to go buy them anymore? Hmmm. This particular convenience store is pretty good in that in that it provides a fair amount of basic grocery items so that if you have run out of something, or you forgot to buy something for tea you can always pop in here, if you live near by, that is. It's no great shakes though. Nothing particular amazing for sale here.