OK some of the stuff looks a bit tacky and as if it might break as soon as you touch it, but most…read moreof the things they stock are goods you would pay a lot more for elsewhere. I got a pack of padded envelopes 5 for £1 when the day before I paid about 90p for one. They stock a nice range of art things for kids and I have picked up a lot of Halloween party things for a party next month. It is worth a look as they do sell a fair bit.

I use this shop to get household cleaning products as well as having a look and getting anything…read morethat will save me money getting from a shop where everything costs just one pound. I often pick up a multipack of crisps for the grandchildren to enjoy when they are at my house. I get my dog mess bags from here as the packs are a large size, come with a plastic scooper and are black and thick. A short while ago I bought a thermal mat to use with my hair straighteners after paying approximately £5 for one just before spotting this one. They can get busy but they have a number of staff that will do the till work when the queue grows

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.

The student area of Selly Oak is a veritable hotbed of convenience stores, so Lifestyle Express,…read morelocated on the upper end of Bristol Road in the area, has its work cut out to distinguish itself from its numerous, extremely well priced competitors. It does this in a few ways. Firstly, their service goes above and beyond. I've been in a couple of dozen times and the service has never been anything less than fantastic, always friendly, and they can't ask if you need any help quickly enough it seems. The second way is by a great range of products, going much further than usual shops, selling cards (although admittedly this section is sometimes sparsely populated) and an above average selection of frozen goods (these are often mysteriously missing from small shops such as this). The best (in my humble opinion) is their low canned drinks prices, with some available from as little as 30p, a price you rarely see in this day and age.

i like this shop because the staff are very friendly and the shop is nice and bright .read more

This is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades convenience store with a 'cafe' and dry-cleaning service…read moreavailable. They stock all of your typical convenience store goods; milk, eggs, bread, cereal and so on. It comes in handy when I'm on my way into the Jewellery Quarter and need to pick up something on the go. The cafe isn't one that I would choose to go to - Rosella's a bit of a weird amalgamation of services that leaves it all a bit substandard. Anyway it fulfils it's purpose of being a convenience store, as does the cafe - so perhaps the cafe is best described as more of a convenience cafe. It's not the most extraordinary of establishment that you'll ever visit (in case you were expecting that) - but it's prototypical, reliable convenience store to get a mars bar and a pint of milk when passing by or in your slippers.

For such a residential street, it is surprising that this 'corner shop' isn't open longer hours. In…read morefact, many times I've walked past this shop in the middle of George Street, underneath a big block of flats and it appears closed. It doesn't open till 9am, however, it is very handy to have something close by if I run out. We've been in their for supplies to ease of a cold as well as basics such as eggs and bread when we've been caught short. Service is always good. They also have dry cleaning from here now and it's a point to collect post if you're out during the day. There is a cafe in there and I'm not sure if the attached pizza take away is ever open but I may find out one day!

As you may have seen from previous reviews, I am a bit of a bargain hunter. I like to eat well (by…read morehaving a very mixed diet) and save as much money as possible on the boring stuff (like the food shop). This makes me a really big fan of Aldi. I remember the stigma that was attached to discount supermarkets when I was younger and the shame of having "non branded" crisps in your lunchbox at school, well, I certainly feel that a lot has changed and these stores are now a viable option to get great quality, cheaper food (and drink) options. This branch is actually my favourite. I know, it's weird having a favourite branch of Aldi, but when we can't get to market on a weekend we have a plethora of Aldi's and Lidl's around us to choose from. This one (just by Cannon Hill park) is always tidy, clean and tends to have the items we need in stock (rather than other branches which seem to run out of things). I always find it really funny to see how many Mercedes, Jag's and high end cars are parked in the car park of this branch. Clearly the discount supermarket is no longer a taboo! As well as the usual choice of fruit, veg and meat you will find lots of speciality items here. With everything from award winning wines and champagnes to a great selection of baking paraphernalia and season items in stock, if you're anything like me you'll usually spend more than you bargained for! Again, this is my favourite branch of Aldi in Birmingham. If you are looking for a way to cut down the cost of the weekly shop or just get a picnic in before visiting Cannon Hill, you could do much worse than popping in and seeing what these guys have in stock.

Oh Aldi, you always make me spend more money than I intend to. Why must you insist on having such…read moredelectable goodies poking their noses over the edges of the shelves which somehow always find their way into my trolley? But in all seriousness Aldi really has managed to shake off the stigma it once had by continuing to stock good quality items at slightly lower prices than the big supermarkets. Especially with the 'super 6' offers and weekly offers on meat that often beat the big supermarkets measly 20p off by a country mile. Aldi is great for the vast majority of things but it's quite rare that we can do an entire weekly shop there, unfortunately some items we can only get at our local supermarket that shall remain nameless. That being said their selection of beers is great (and lets face it, it's what we're all here for!), with several ales, weissbier, pilsner and a few other bits and pieces as well all coming in at £1.25 or less per bottle - bargain! Just make sure you take some carrier bags to reuse, they will charge you!

You're usual Aldi. Take your own bags, try to catch items as the checkout assistant throws them at…read moreyou. There is a 'perceived' cheapness with stores like this over other supermarkets, like for like they are the same. My only real negative is it can be a pain to get in and out of the car park. Avoid driving down Peartree Lane from the direction of Merry Hill, it will take you 20-30 minutes in traffic even in none peak rush hours.

This stores opens on 15th April (2010). Usual Aldi experience with extra opening offers.read more

I have popped in here a few times when I have been in Northfield and needed something to eat or…read moreneeded some groceries to take home. It is fairly big inside and they have all of usual things that you would expect from a convenience store, such as newspapers, snacks, a few toiletries and other bits and bobs. I have always found what I needed easily too, which is good as I hate not being able to find what I want! Although, if I could not find anything I would not hesitate to ask the staff because they always seem really friendly and very polite, which is nice and also refreshing. The prices are alright, perhaps a little pricey, but overall it is a good convenience store as the service is good and the store has been useful to me on more than one occasion!