A bit out of the way from the Canary Wharf station, this Paperchase is positioned on the far end of…read morethe Jubilee Place adjacent to Waterstones and en route to Obika. Not a fan of sending greeting cards myself (that's so 90's, honestly), I was drawn in by their antique-looking Coca Cola and Bunny Suicide calendars. So clever.

News On The Wharf has a few units around Canary Wharf's shopping centres, pretty much an average…read morenewsagents in terms of what it sells and the prices, the selection is okay with prices slightly higher than typical chain stores some of which are nearby. The store here at Jubilee Place is slightly small but it is ample within the mall, especially considering there are other locations nearby. A small selection of drinks, newspapers etc. There is a bottle deposit scheme, the first of which in the UK within Canada/Jubilee/Cabot Place in Canary Wharf, where you can get a voucher to get money off within this store which is pretty cool, something which is so common around Europe sadly hasn't taken off here yet. A-OK. Small store, but does the job even with slightly higher pricing in comparison to the chains with staff failing to give all-round good service. 3*

Cards galore. I only come here for my greeting cards…read more The layout is always efficient and there's a wide selection here. I can always walk in and within seconds find the aisle I'm in search of. People are not on-top-of each other either because of the large selection available. They also sell wedding cards, albums and candles there. Sometimes they have themed items on offer like Dad's Army, Best of Britain type paraphernalia. Service is always on point with a smile.

The internet can't replace the touchy feely of a card. Wish the cards were a bit cheaper.read more

Being a Wharfie (aka, someone who works on Canary Wharf), Scribbler is my local card shop, and so…read moreif I need to pick up a card for whatever reason, a stop in here after work is often in my plans. They have a very wide range of cards, from the classical to the not-so-classic, and from the utterly banal to the unique -- and so far I've not had trouble finding a card for anyone or any occasion -- although often helped by many of the cards being occasion agnostic. Friendly shop staff as well makes this a good choice. Ok -- so it's a card shop. But what a card shop...

Scribbler provides the best card selection in the Wharf. Whether you are looking for a card for a…read moreBirthday, Wedding, Valentine's Day or other occasion, Scribbler will have something that fits the bill. The shop is tiny so you may need to fight your way around on popular card giving dates (like today, 14 Feb) but there is always a card which is just right if you look for long enough. The cards tend towards the brash, humorous end of the spectrum, although there are a fair few which are just simple wordplay which I always find inexplicably amusing. In addition to cards there are also a few small novelty gifts - however, this is not the reason to come here - its all about the cards cards cards!

This branch of Paperchase is located in the Icon Outlet above The O2 arena in the Greenwich area of…read moreLondon. The store is probably one of the most poorly-decorated and hideous Paperchase stores I've visited - being in an Outlet mall the store is pretty small but one thing which caused bother to my eyes was the disgusting yellow back-wall which didn't fit in with the rest of the store - I admit at the checkout it stood out and looked okay but the fact it continued past the checkout onto the back wall made it worse - it wasn't even fully painted and it looked like a building sight in process where they were taking all the shelves out of the store, ready to re-decorate which obviously wasn't the case. Like many branches of the chain, they had multiple tables showcasing some items - but the store already was pretty narrow, especially around the compact checkout which made it worse. The store selection was pretty poor and mainly sold overpriced gifts and greetings cards compared to stationary and filing which this brand is probably more well-known for that selection lacked which is a shame and even being an Outlet store has no excuse, I feel it is compromising the integrity and principals of the Paperchase brand. 1*

My family called Joanne's yesterday asking if it would be possible to order a basket of flowers for…read morea funeral today - and that, due to the tube strike, it had to be ready to pick up first thing in the morning. We were told that this was no problem, the basket would be ready for 9.30am and full payment was taken. When I arrived this morning (at 10.10am) I was told the basket hadn't even been started because the staff had been delayed getting in because of the strike - the same one we'd been assured yesterday wouldn't be a problem. I asked why they weren't working on it now in a bid to get it ready, and was told they'd had to put the flowers out the front of the shop first - despite the fact this was actually already finished, and the staff member in question was instead stood at the counter eating croissants when I arrived. I asked how long it would take to make up and was told 15 minutes - which would have meant missing the first of two strike buses I had to catch, and then my train to the funeral. All I was offered was more excuses and a half-hearted apology. I don't normally leave negative reviews, but on this occasion it's a different story. I find it unacceptable that a service was promised, with all the facts of the strike known in advance, and no provision was made to ensure this promise was kept. Had we been told this may have been an issue, we could have made other arrangements that it's now too late for. Florists deal solely in emotional transactions, arguably none more emotional than a funeral - and one which I am now going to empty-handed, rather than with the final declaration of love that had been intended. I won't be coming back here again.

A bit of colour in an otherwise grey corner of Bethnal Green. Bethnal Green is as name suggests,…read moreblessed with plenty a tree and green space but Roman Road sadly doesn't share in this blessing and can be rather lugubrious and down right depressing especially after market hours. But this little florist is a tardis of all things floral. The narrow shop is lined with shelves groaning under the weight of potted bulbs and luscious, orchids. And below is a bank of cut flowers, regal, rich stems dotted in amongst clouds of those little white filler flowers billowing out the door. Phew for this oasis.