HMV in Newcastle is located in the intu Eldon Square Shopping Mall, in a form of "bridge" on the…read moremall, hence it comes from the name Blackett Bridge which is the sort of street name used to make it easier to locate the store, even though it isn't on a street and is inside the mall anyway. The staff around the store didn't seem overly friendly, and the product range I saw was basically average for a HMV store. Inside, the store once again was average, maybe slightly below that, it wasn't the nicest of stores, albeit it wasn't the worst either and hadn't yet received the modernisation which some stores, such as my local branch of HMV at the Manchester Arndale have received. Some of the pricing was competitive, albeit more expensive, in some cases considerably more expensive than online retail giant Amazon. The selection of games was also minimal. The store was quite large being over two floors but still the overall feel of the store and other aspects I have mentioned sadly mean I feel this store is only worthy of a low two star rating.

I have ordered CD's from Spin for a few years and never had a problem until now…read more I have one order that has not been delivered after six months. I emailed and received replies from Steve Brooks apologies, will ship ASAP, suppliers on Christmas holidays but no CD's received and now I do not receive a response to my last email. A second order is now two weeks overdue and still no response to requests for a despatch confirmation. The money for both orders has, of course, been taken from my credit card. So receiving goods is a bit hit and miss or, in my case, completely miss.

Sometimes, you just have to be patient. Yes, items can take some time to be delivered, but it is…read moreworth the wait. If you have any doubts on your order, the team there are quick on emails and are approachable when phoning them. They get just as frustrated as I do when they are waiting for stock. If you are a fan of great music, this is the place to go.

This is a pretty decent little store aimed at specialist music and DJs, as they stock a good amount…read moreof vinyls and unusual releases that you would be hard-pressed to find in the likes of HMV. A browser's paradise, RPM is filled to bursting with interesting music releases that are fairly priced, and you can easily spend a while just working your way through the artists if you're a bit of a music buff. Keep your eyes peeled for the sale section, as it is sometimes populated by cds that are a bargain at their asking price.

One of Newcastle's independant record shops, it's tucked away but 5 mins from the Haymarket bus…read morestation. I remember this shop when it was called 'Steel Wheels'. It may have changed to a name of lesser quality but the stock is still decent. This shop sells mostly CD's and vinyl. There is also a selection of DVDs, T-shirts and tickets for local gigs can be purchased here. This place is well worth a browse on your lunch break. There are many hidden treasures to be found. Just think, Aladdins cave without the push and shove of heaving H.M.V. The prices are relatively similar though. The genres range from dub-step to black metal.

St. Oswald's is a North East based Cancer Charity which has opened a series of specialist shops to…read moreraise money for their cause - the book shop on Gosforth High Street being one of my favourites. The shop isn't big in size, but it's well laid out with a good selection of books ranging from Autobiographies, to Sci-fi, travel and more. The staff are friendly, and there are often offers on. I picked up four great Sci-fi books for a quid, for instance. Bargain! A good visit for any book reader, which raises funds for a good cause.

This branch of WHSmith is the most reviewed branch in Newcastle city centre of WHSmith with an…read moreimpressive 12 reviews on Yelp, including those merged across from Qype. It is probably the largest store I saw on my recent trip to the Tyne and Wear Region of WHSmith, which included branches in Newcastle Central Railway Station, Durham and the Gateshead Metrocentre. This branch was my favourite out of the ones mentioned mainly down to the size, it had a good product range for items such as lever arch folders, drinks and snacks etc. The drink selection was good however I found the 2 for £2.50 promotion to be a tad expensive, considering Superdrug nearby runs a promotion to have 2 for £2, which works out £1.80 with my Unidays Discount however sadly the range they have is much poorer than the WHSmith branch, when comparing the branch nearby to this one. There also is a huge staircase in the store, with the upper floor having some more WHSmith floor space as I recall and a post office. The staff member working seemed friendly enough, although I did have to take longer checking out my items as for some reason the self-service tills wouldn't recognise the 2 for £2.50 offer on my drinks, meaning it would take longer as I had to go to the manned checkout, then I had to go through the slightly longer process of finding my card after being told they don't accept Apple Pay by an employee, only to go on to find out they did accept it and the member of staff who served me didn't know about it. This is a large, decent branch of WHSmith, staff training on payment methods, machines recognising offers and pricing needs to be worked off at paramount importance, but until then this is still a decent store and a nice branch of the chain to warrant a three-star rating.

WHSmith is one of those shops that makes you feel really depressed as soon as you walk through the…read moredoors. This store in particular is very grotty and every visit to it so far has left me feeling deflated. The blue fluorescent lighting makes the shop horrible and dingy and the staff look like they are working in a prison. The store is far too big for what it is (a newsagent) and they never seem to have enough stock to justify the space. Especially upstairs. All that is up there is the post office and stationery, with a huge empty gap in the middle. I only really come here to buy snacks on the go as they have a good selection of confectionery, including American chocolates. I would have left a 1 star review but the confectionery lifts it up to 2. But as a whole, WHSmith works better in the travel industry, like in train stations and airports because their main high street stores are always eerily quiet and depressing, with the only noises being your footsteps and the occasional beeping of the self checkout.