Whether you are having a party or just want somewhere to buy a cheap drink, then you should go to…read moreJays. I think this is a great shop for alcohol and they have fantastic deals too. They stock everything you need such as all your beers wines and spirits plus your mixers too. Not only do they sell alcohol, they also have fireworks and cigarettes for sale. So if you are looking for some fireworks for your bonfire then this is the place to go as it is cheap.

The best thing about independent booze shops is that they are normally a lot cheaper than their…read morecorporate rivals. Jays wine and beer shop sells everything you need for a night in or as a precursor to night out. Staff are great and unlike some booze shops this place does not feel so threatening. Thats not to say you wont get some kid ask you to go in for them- but I think you will get that everywhere.

There's a Tesco, Sainsbury's, Co-op popping up on every corner of the city centre and it doesn't…read morestop at one branch of the supermarket giants' one stop city centre shops. The domination and battle of the supermarket giants are ever present in the city centre, you can find like four mini Tescos around the vicinity of Deansgate and Piccadilly areas. A lot anyway. So here's to the Xpress on Whitworth Street West, one of a few cornershop types springing up in the city, to balance the equilibrium of the chain store masses and inject a little local to the often impersonable, daunting city centre. Xpress Local has recently opened up on my route to university. I've watched it been transformed from an empty space, learnt what it takes for a cash machine to be installed whilst thinking damn, this is where my late night snacking will take it's higher form. Xpress stocks all your basic groceries, milk, cheese, bread and acts as your off license too. I've used it for the range of bad snacks on offer, which has been bad for the healthy eating regime plus the purse. It annoyingly does not display prices on a lot of things which I thought was because it was opening mid-finish but this isn't the case. Annoyingly so, one late night purge, I watched my tube of pringles being scanned to reveal £1.99. I knew I should have purchased the half price ones in Tesco. Xpress is one of those places you just pop in and get the things you want or crave or when you're under time pressure. There may not be an extensive range of fresh or organic what nots but you can expect a pleasant none lengthy queue if you do find yourself in here.

Shudehill Convenience Store is located on Shudehill, it is basically next to Shudehill, Shudehill /…read moreMayes St (Stop Nm) bus stop and around a minute or two on foot away from Shudehill, one of the main bus stations in the city to get around Greater Manchester. As suggested by the slightly unoriginal name, Shudehill Convenience Store it is a convenience style newsagents store, one of the many stores of its' type in Manchester city centre which includes one of four in the Shudehill area, including a Manchester Souvenirs and News and Spar across the way, and Arden News inside Shudehill Bus Station. Sadly, compared to the trio of extremely nearby neighbours this store ranks the worst. The store seems a bit confusing and hit and miss, and appears to do too many things at once, after entering the store through a step it is kind of cluttered to navigate as there is the main counter which includes MyHermes drop-offs, another counter which appears to be for mobile phones and/or cigarettes and then the rest of the shop floor. The overall look and feel of the store isn't fantastic, and in the case of essentials, the selection is kind of limited. The service didn't seem great, with staff not standing out as friendly. Once again, I'm struggling to see the need for this store with so many similar rivals nearby, on a plus side this is the only MyHermes drop off store in the Shudehill area with the Spar store across the way not offering the service, but this once again is seen as less as a bonus with many other stores nearby who offer the service just a short walk away. Due to a poor, confusing and cheap overall feel and the store not offering something you can't get just a stone's throw away and overall being quite disappointing from selection to staff and everything in-between, I sadly feel a one-star rating is in order here.

Despite being a small store, this branch remains to be much better than the nearby store on Quay…read moreStreet, it is located on Deansgate just off Bridge Street. The staff seem friendly enough and they seem to have occasional sampling going on here pre-COVID times including Carabao who had a stall here - a Thai energy drink company which is pretty good. The store is small and in terms of overall selection I do prefer the Co-Op which is a couple of minutes away, but this isn't a bad alternative if you're going down Deansgate through the city centre or searching for some Sainsbury's own-brand products. 3*

In my continuing quest to find Sainsbury's own-brand fruit and fibre cereal in central Manchester…read morefor my girlfriend's breakfast I hit this Sainsbury's Local on Deansgate. I'm getting quite worried now. These Sainsbury's exploits could almost turn into a list, of me basically reviewing the same thing over and over again, all without the feted fruit and fibre ever appearing. Needless to say, this Sainsbury's Local doesn't have the fruit and fibre. It's just packed with city workers buying ready meals on their way home.

If you wanted your soul destorying whilst buying food, then Bamford Village Store is the perfect…read moreplace to shop. The staff are rude, ignorant, lazy and that's mostly the managers. They rarely have things in stock and if you dare ask them to look in the stockroom .. is rally goood customer service now igive them 10/10

This is actualyl a spar and has been for a while. When it was Bamford village stores it was quite…read morepleasant - not best priced, but some local stuff, good range of products and pretty friendly. Even when it first became Spar, it was alright for a spar. But new owners/staff dont seem to know the meaning of customer service, or as far as I can gather speak. At least in English, to customers - just blank looks. Shame really.

A useful Convenience Store open 24/7 in the city centre on Piccadilly, just a couple minutes away…read morefrom Piccadilly Gardens and Piccadilly Stations, while the prices are high they do have a pretty good selection of essentials which is great if you live in town. The prices, on the other hand, are on the pricey side, there are other stores nearby who offer a similar, or even better range of products at a lower price so if you are visiting during the day (when those stores are open), you would be better off going there. Sadly, there didn't seem to be a gluten-free section. They did have some but limited offers around the store, and while most items were overpriced, some were competitive value. Decent store, useful location if you're in a rush or late at night but there are similar/better stores within 30 seconds on foot away. 3*

This place sucked poor customer service etc I don't have time to waste discussing how bad this…read moreplace was