Dean's Electronics is a local shop for local people, and one of the handful of surviving…read moreindependent businesses on St James' Street that sell practical goods rather than luxury items (think patisseries, delis, clothes, plants, furnishings...). Here's the place to go if you need an extension cable, a toaster, a wall clock and such like. There's a great stock with plenty of models of each item. The shop specialises in home electricals, incliding tv parts - though if you need anything computer related you wont find it here. And expect to pay a full whack £14.99 - £24.99 for a toaster - there're no smartprice options here! I asked the owner how he does for business when I went in there recently to buy a tv scart lead, and he sounded pretty positive, as I guess there's not too much competition this end of town. Nevertheless I imagine many people head to the city centre chains and the Asda hypermarket for many item... Anyway, enough waffling! Support Dean's Electronics because it's local and the owner is lovely - he even gave me money off my purchase cos it was near closing time and he'd had a nice day!

Deans is one of those amazing shops that will never, ever not have what you need. Well, providing…read morewhat you need is electrical, that is. The place is packed full of various household electrical goods, such as kettles, toasters and radios, as well as all kinds of cables, extension leads, lightbulbs and wires. If electricity runs through it, they sell it. Like many independent places, the quality of the service here is fabulous - I went in with an unusual shaped lightbulb which I had given up hope of being able to replace - they found it for me instantly.

When Sunderland Electronics first opened thirty years ago, I'm sure it was a cool electronics store…read morefeaturing bad ass stereo seperates by the best audio companies. It still stocks an impressive range of individual amps, CD players and ipod docks from names like Pioneer, Teac, Marantz, KEF and Sony. The problem is, it lacks the style and ambience of high end audio and visual electronic shops like Seven Oaks. The window displays are terrible and the interior of the shop is run down with frayed carpets, plain walls and an old desk. This is particularly cruel when one of the large adverts for their range of high definition plasma TVs features the strapline: Image is everything. Time for a fresh lick of paint and some rebranding I think!

Although I'm not a technology whizz-kid, or an electronics geek, I certainly can appreciate the…read moreaesthetics of a well-designed stereo system, or the beauty of a vivid, high definition television picture, and Sunderland Electronics is the type of store that lets such technological worship thrive. Everything inside looks sleek, stylish and borderline sexy. Unlike the products in many shops of this type, none of the items here look like they've recently fallen off of the back of a van, or that they were assembled in the dark by a one-armed chimpanzee. The vibe is all quality, quality, quality. You'll find tvs, stereos, cd players, Ipod docks, speakers, and other such high end electronics accessories. Everything has a certain charm to it, everything looks like it will work for longer than a week, and everything looks worth buying.

Adur Vision is one of those electronics shops that have "domestic" written all over them. If you…read moreneed that weird fit light bulb from the IKEA lamp you bought all the way from London and don't fancy the fifty mile drive to get another, or want more plugs than you thought mankind had ever built on a strip multi plug, this is the place to come. I found it a little like crossing the electronics section of the Argos catalogue with say Maplin. It's not all high end sound and vision or super tech electronic parts but at the same time there's a little more to it than the tacky bush HIFI systems that you find in Argos. This is a great place to pick up a neat little radio for the kitchen or a set of scart leads. When I popped in earlier I found that the chap behind the counter was charming polite and totally ready to look up the item I needed and sort me out.

Good, old fashioned shop where they stock those hard to find bulbs and batteries. Can order stuff…read morein, as they have done for me a couple of times. Good selection of radios

Like all phone stores in Brighton, getting to speak to a sales assistant in the 02 store seems to…read morerequire a huge amount of patience. They're always under-staffed and the few members of staff there are usually on the phone or already talking to a customer. Once you get to speak to someone however, the staff here are excellent. They know their products inside out and don't try to get you to sign up for services or phones you don't want. I went back to complain about a fault on my iPhone and the guy I spoke to not only helped me get it fixed, he helped me get a £45 credit added to my account. Now, that's what I call customer service!

This store has quite a nice layout, though its design does rather highlight the lack of products…read moreactually on display inside. You'll find phones, mobile broadband, and, surprisingly, some laptops here, as well as professional service.

If you buy from Cex only do so in store and then, buyer beware. The 5-year warranty isn't worth the…read morepixels its written in. I made the mistake of ordering online. I was sent a phone which was not fit for purpose. It would not open to 180 degrees. The after-market screen protector was creased so I removed it because it was a Samsung Z Fold 4 and I hoped it was this badly applied after-market (i..e. not the one Samsung fitted in their factory). I hoped removing it would allow the phone to open to 180 degrees as it is supposed to. I emailed Cex who told me to take it into the local shop. The salesperson who served me looked at the phone and confirmed that it did not open fully as it should. He also noted that there was a bulge in the middle of the hinge. I said how disappointed I was that it wasn't as expected from your company who my son has been using for many years. I said I thought it was a grade C, but the salesman replied "it should never have been sold to you in this condition (the hinge bulge as well as not opening flat). I used Cex because they had upgraded their guarantee to five years. The salesman said he'd process the refund because no Cex branch had a similar phone. I left the shop disappointed that my purchase couldn't be repaired and Cex didn't have one find the same price range. An hour or so later I was phoned by the salesman from the Cex store I visited. He told me my refund had been cancelled by his manager because I had removed the screen protector and the fact that it was creased and bubbled didn't matter. I had voided the warranty on a phone a Cex employee said ex should never have sold me! He told me that his manager had noted I had removed the screen protector and had therefore voided my entire 5-year warranty. The warranty states I must not remove the "factory fitted" screen protector. I pointed out the screen protector wasn't the original because whoever applied it had creased it when they had put it on and there were air bubbles under parts of it. That made no difference. I have wasted £465 and have a phone which is frankly not fit for purpose. AVOID.

Like certain record shops, CeX seems to smell permanently of boys sweat and smelly trainers…read more This is probably down to the clientele and the fact a lot of boys in their teens and early twenties seem to shop there. As the window displays show, CeX is a second-hand store that specialises in new and used video games, DVDs and videos. They have TV drama and documentary box-sets, world cinema, music and hundreds of more mainstream releases from Harry Potter to Slumdog Millionaire. They also sell mobile phones, iPods, iPhones, laptops, digital cameras and blackerries. The reason most people go though, is for the games and DVDs. Next time I go I might wear a nose-clip. I'll definitely go back though because I picked up Seasons Two and Three of Six Feet Under for a tenner each.

The Robert Dyas location on George Street has a bit less than the one on Western Road, but also has…read morea lot less shoppers swarming through it. I found it much easier to wander through the aisles here and appreciate the variety of home and garden items available. There's pretty much every kitchen appliance you could imagine: sandwich makers, mini hotdog grillers, cappacino machines and even the allusive filter coffee maker, crock pots, kettles, toasters and a cotton candy machine! Wowy. That one's even on offer. Kitchen stuff also includes dishware, utensils, and a few kitschy items like Sergeant Pepper and Corporal Salt. Homewear then moves into tools, paint and hardware as well as an aisle of household cleaners and a few electronics: telephones, keyboards, USB drives and a small selection of printers (like, two.) For gardeners, Robert Dyas has tools in a variety of styles, plus a huge display of seeds. The prices of everything are really reasonable, and I'll definitely be back to pick things up when I move off-campus.

I agree with Jessica that this is my prefered store for the same reason. I was surprised with the…read moreextent of the ranges and with the little extras they do. For christmas I bought my brother a western shooting, drinking game and we had great times with it. If you are unsure of a gift for somebody this place can be a treasure trove of ideas and answers as you might see something that sparks an idea of a present that you could get elsewhere.

Amazing range of tools, and friendly staff member Nicki was very helpful. Would definitely…read morerecommend!

Tinkers is actually two shops, occupying next door premises in the heart of Seven Dials. This is…read morereally the upmarket version of Ransoms on London Road, and a similarly wide range of goods are available. One shop seems to concentrate more on 'classic' hardware items - paints, nails, sandpaper and the like. The next door shop is more oriented towards general homewares - pet foods, haberdashery, toasters.....it is difficult to see how such a wide range of goods is available in two very small shops, but they manage it. The friendly staff will help advise you with anything you need, and although I'm not sure how long it has been there, I get the impression this has been a local institution for some time.

Currys PC World in Brighton on Western Road is a really small branch of the chain, considering it…read morequalifies to be one of their Superstores in all but size, as it also contains a Carphone Warehouse area, which is like the rest of the store - tiny! The selection of the store was so limited, it felt more like a PC World store, the stores were of course combined in 2015 - The selection is mainly of basic, cheaper laptops compared to more advanced gaming ones, there wasn't even a selection of large TVs and other household appliances one would expect to see in a store of its' kind. The staff and customers seemed to each do their own thing, I like that in a way but they just didn't seem approachable or willing to acknowledge the customer with even a smile or "hello" - disappointing. A really small store with a small variety of items, and the item they do stock being a small product range of that particular item, unwelcoming staff all add to the picture as I wonder "Is this a real Currys PC World?, only to look outside and the sign confirms it. 1*

Went in the shop at western road Brighton and brought a television for 340 and 20 minutes later got…read morea email saying my order is cancelled but no explanation as why and for some reason when I handed the money over the man put the cash on a gift card to purchase the Tele and now they say they are waiting for the money to go back on the gift card before they can pay me. Also went in the shop and Ben the manger said the money will be there when it's there and was extremely rude. Over 2 weeks and still not received my money.