This shop smelled a bit weird and there was some random guy jabbering away at me whilst at the…read moretill. Yet he was friendly enough and the young guy behind the till clearly had to give him a good listening to. It is a pretty standard convenience store, with basic food and household items alongside booze and newspapers. I purchased some chewing gum so I didn't exactly do much in the way of in-depth research. It looks massive from the outside, but is actually rather small inside. There are lots of convenience stores in Old Hill and this one is perhaps middle ranking. It is convenient and it is a store. I've been in better and I've been in worse.

Samra's is my emergency shop. It is where I head to in the event of an empty washing up liquid…read morebottle or when faced with a hungover fizzy drink craving. It is a well-stocked corner shop, with a really good sweet section. They also sell stuff that could constitute a half decent meal in the event of an Old Mother Hubbard moment. Like most corner shops, prices here are slightly higher than in the supermarkets. The lady behind the till is always friendly and will give you cheery smile. What more could you want from a corner shop?

This is one of Old Hill's larger shops and it caters for the local Muslim community as well being a…read morehandy local independent supermarket, with more choice than in the plethora of local convenience stores. It is really good for cheap fruit and veg, with a massive display outside. The apricots, cherries and plums looked delicious whilst I was browsing. The prices are really low, especially if you buy in bulk. They sell some small household electrical items as well as everything else you could want from a small supermarket.

Ladies and gentlemen, my I take the great pleasure of introducing you to my local corner shop?…read more Yes, RKP is where I go to buy cranberry juice for my cosmos, tonic for my gin and pipes of Pringles for my insatiable salted snack cravings. It is hard to go into great depth about it; they sell most of my essential food stuffs (Pot Noodles, Haribo Tangfastics and salted pistachios) and are open at hours when supermarkets have shut. If I were going to get critical, I'd perhaps say that the lighting concept is a bit harsh and the windows are too cluttered with posters for my liking. There are can sometimes be some interesting local young fellows lurking outside with their Staffordshire Bull Terriers - the cuteness of the dogs and the ridiculous tiny scooters make up for any sense of menace.

You might not save much here but it is the one when you need some late night provisions! Open 24…read morehours it is a good shout when wanting booze or cigarettes or even a midnight snack! The service is cool and there is much to choose from! I often make a pit stop en route after an evening on the town. A central, all night offy is always a good call. I would recommend to all of you night owls.

This place is a god send as a local resident…read more Open 24/7 - Yep, all day, everyday, it's great when you're stumbling home from a night out in search of something to nibble on or to keep the party going when you've ran out of supplies. It has a pretty decent selection of wines, spirits and beers, a small selection of fridge food, fresh milk etc and not too shabby amount of cupboard food and confectionery. If you find that your first choice of shop/supermarket is closed be sure to always give this place a go. It's not too expensive and sometimes cheaper than the big chains and tends to have some of the lesser known items that you could be looking for.

This is a standard convenience store and stocks all of the usual items that you would expect; some…read morefood, snacks, a few household items, newspapers, alcohol and tobacco. I have been in a couple of times when I have been in Harborne. The chap who works there or who owns it seems really friendly and chatty. Several times he has made small talk with me, which is nice as it makes me want to pop back in here. I have always found what I needed in here, which is usually just some chocolate and something like milk to take back home. The prices are fairly reasonable for a convenience store and I have been to more expensive stores in the area. Overall, I like this store because the service is great and it has been convenient for me.

The old motto of writing about what you know rings true here (and for the next few reviews) as…read moreHarborne Convenience is very much my local shop. Open from early morning until at least 10pm every night this isn't somewhere you'd travel miles to visit but if you live nearby it's a great place to purchase things like compost or barbeque briquettes. They are also notable for stocking a good range of real-ales, an extensive selection of doggie treats (which get the seal of approval from Dave the greyhound) and the man who runs it is a really nice chap who often compliments us on how well Dave is looking and very much lives by the adage 'the show must go on'. Not only does the shop stay open at Christmas and New Year but perhaps most memorably of all through a recent power cut where thanks to a torch-lit fetching service the people of Northfield Road were able to continue to make their essential purchases of booze, fags and Monster Munch.

Of all the local newsagents/convenience stores, this is probably the grimmest. I think it is the…read moredepressing and bizarre window "displays" (can a single can of marrowfat peas and an old Express and Star count as a display?) that put me off the most. In fact, they make me want to go all "House Doctor" and fully re-merch and deep clean the whole shop. I sometime joke that I will one day cook tea based solely on ingredients from Nayla News. If my memory serves me right, the floors are wooden and the stock is very sparse. It is definitely somewhere you want to be in and out of as quickly as possible. They do deliver the Express and Star locally though, which means you can get your news without having to visit.

This is a fairly standard Costcutter store located within what used to be The Broadstones pub. You…read morecan easily make out its pubby past from the distinctive "1970s boozer" architectural flourishes. The brick work is a depressing shade of grey/brown and there are bars on the windows. It is a bit grim. They have a cashpoint and sell phone top-up credit. They have some decent(ish) deals on a range of food and drink items. My favourite bit about this shop is the view that you get - it is perched high on a hill over looking Dudley and Halesowen. Ideal if you fancy a Frey Bentos chicken and mushroom (pie) with a view. Sorry, I couldn't help it.