I know it may be the most perfect example of a chain store imaginable, but Tesco Extra in Talbot…read moreGreen deserves a mention when reviewing great shops. This is the biggest Tesco store I have ever been in and the sheer size of it makes most supermarkets look like a mouse's broom cupboard. With two floors and over 100,000 square feet of space to play with, Tesco Extra in Talbot Green is one of the largest Tesco superstores in Wales, if not the universe. The amount of things on offer in this store can easily turn a quick trip for a loaf of bread into a fully blown shopping extravaganza the likes of which would rival Michael Jackson. In addition to the obvious selection of food available, they offer electrical appliances, clothing, home entertainment, toys, books, magazines, homeware, mobile phones and photo processing, as well as having an onsite pharmacy, opticians and a café. About the only things this store doesn't stock are tartan paint and spirit level bubbles. Located just a short distance away from Talbot Green Retail Park, this store is situated amongst a great selection of high street outlets such as Argos Extra, Next, River Island and M&S. Also there is another retail park just down the road that also offers a number of other shops to choose from. Whether you need a pint of milk, a car charger for your iPod or anything in between, you will find it here at Tesco Extra. You might spend a while searching for it, but you will find it.

We suspect that the people around Talbot green were pretty desperate for an enormous Tesco as this…read moreone is pretty much always packed. The car park is poorly laid out and you can be trapped for more than a small lifetime if you try to get out on a Saturday afternoon. That said, once inside the store it's not too bad. The clothing and DVDs etc are up on the first floor and so allowed quite a lot more space than some of the other Tesco Extras. As ever, the home stuff is pretty cheap and fairly quality. I've kitted out more than one uni goer in this Tesco.

The downside is Sainsbury's is that in general it seems to be a bit more expensive than other…read moresupermarkets so as best I can, I try to avoid them to be honest. However, there are still some bright sides. Atmosphere: Nothing impressive, slightly cramped to be honest, especially when comparing to Morrison's or Asda builds. Variety: Like I said, Sainsbury's tends to be a tad bit more expensive than your other supermarkets, so in this particular location with loads of supermarkets to choose from, you'll rarely ever find a deal here. However, from what I've noticed the "International Foods" section of Sainsbury's is a LOT more varied than other supermarkets. The times I do visit Sainsbury's are when I'm craving some favourites I'm unable to find at Morrison's or Asda: - Low-Fat Mango Ice Cream (so delicious!) - Plenty of East Asian foods that aren't your usual standard boring stir-fry sauces. You have Japanese curry capsules, Thai sauces, etc. Like I said, some of these favourites weren't available at the other supermarkets I frequent, so I come to Sainsbury's for that reason. However, if you're going for generic foods that you can find anywhere else, you're better off elsewhere given how expensive Sainsbury's is.

I worked for this Sainsbury's for 4 years part-time whilst I was a student. I have to say that it…read moreis a great store, because it is not too large, but still offers a great range of products. The Salad bar is amazing, where you can choose your own from Ham & Pasta to Cheese, Croutons and Fresh Fruit. The store also has a curry counter/hot chickens/ bakery and deli. The staff are friendly and as Sainsbury's usually dothe quality of food is better than Asda or Tesco. The store does however, suffer from bad stock levels from time to time around 5pm especially the in store bakery.

Great store with plenty of choice and availability. Staff are friendly. Reasonable prices.read more

I really like this Tesco store. I used to use it all the time when in Uni, and recently moved back…read moreto the area - is it possible to feel nostalgic about Tesco?! It's quite a good size without feeling like a warehouse. There's a pretty good selection of bargains on offer in the clearance sections. But what I really like about this Tesco is that they have now introduced a recycling centre that gives you green clubcard points on certain items (http://www.tesco.com/greenerliving/greener_tesco/what_tesco_is_doing/qa_recycling_centre.page ) Glass bottles and jars Steel/aluminium food & drink cans Plastic bottles (eg milk containers and soft drink/water bottles)

A great store in both senses of the word - just about everything you could want in the grocery…read moreline, tinned or packeted, frozen or fresh. The George clothes department is for all the family and there are plenty of bargains, so well worth a browse. Many other things besides - homewares, stationery, newspapers and magazines, toys, toiletries, the list goes on and on. The staff are helpful and well trained. Although this store is in the retail park it is close to the town centre so it's easy to walk from there.

It's an ASDA it sell food and stuff…read more This one is close to my mum's and I love it as unfortunately I don't have one close to me in London :( . I would go in the late evening to avoid the elderly who seem to have an across the board claim on all the shallow shopping trolleys.

This is not my local branch of Waitrose but it's exactly halfway between my house and my parents'…read morehouse in Wales, so we often use it as a halfway house and stop here for toilet visits, lunch at the cafe, or to grab some groceries. It's a sizeable store and stocks a wide range of branded and own-brand foods. The food is all amazing, and although it's expensive compared to other supermarkets, the quality is outstanding - you get what you pay for. The cafe is great for a quick snack or lunch, and the toilets always seem to be clean and well maintained. There's a cashpoint outside the entrance and a good sized carpark, as well as a petrol station onsite.

Waitrose are very expensive so why isn't their quality better, I bought a packet of their own brand…read morenatural roasted nuts and found a bit of old insole, inside YUCK!!!! I did take it back, this was two months ago, I'm still waiting for a reply

Tesco Express Creigiau has far more than you would imagine…read more The shelfs are always stocked with a large variant of items, from fresh veg and flowers, to cake making ingredients and even vegetarian quorn. The store has two self checkout tills which makes for a very speedy shopping trip.

This is a small friendly supermarket in a village outside Cardiff. It is well used by the locals as…read morebus services are infrequent and not everyone has their own car. By the time you add on the cost of petrol to get to a larger supermarket, it is worth paying the slightly higher prices in this store. The staff are all locals and most have been there since the store opened. Tesco's obviously made a commercial decision to open in this village, but it is one that is much appreciated by those living here. It has free parking for about a dozen cars, but that is sufficient as many of their customers are pedestrians. The village post office is also located inside the store.

Not the best of supermarkets, in fact I drive halfway across Cardiff to shop in Sainsburys instead…read more The selection of food here is ok, but they really don't have much in the way of quality products or specialist foodstuffs. Additionally they're not particularly great when it comes to stocking organic and fair-trade food products (not verygood in this day and age). I have noticed that I have plenty of offers on in store, especially when it comes to branded goods such as Pringles, Coca Cola, Penguins etc... making them much better value than in other supermarkets. As you've probably noticed from my list however, they really only generally have offers on junk food (no wonder we're all getting obese). I do come here though, quite regularly when I'm after DVDs, video games and electronic goods, which in my experience are often cheaper than even Amazon.com. So that's something too really bear in mind.

When I need a big local supermarket this is where I come. I must admit that I don't tend to buy…read moremuch food in here as my local Coop has better bread, biscuits and own-brand goodies. But for the bulky thing ASDA is just the job. Yesterday we bought toilet rolls, cat food, washing and cleaning stuff and a stock of shampoo that should last until 2012. The clothing department seems to have lost the plot in the last few years. There used to be nice things and now we wonder who exactly wears this stuff. The home department is very cheap and good for replacing broken dishes and worn-out pans. Don't ever buy the 'Smart-Price' pans, they last about 11 seconds before losing all their coating and going rusty.

I like Lidl. It's inexpensive and its easy. And by inexpensive, I don't mean cheap. They very…read morecarefully pare down the extras to ensure a quick, efficient and low cost operation. Where the local Tesco might have five or six brands of a product, at Lidl there will be two. Usually only one. And this means that they can put out more product for shopping. I would find it difficult if Lidl was my regular shopping destination because there are certain things that I want that they don't ever stock. Pita breads, good ground coffee, bagels and hummus are some examples. But what they do have is generally exactly what I want. So I don't mind spending less at Lidl and using Tesco or Asda to fill in the blanks. Lidl does not accept credit cards. This is again to help keep their costs down. They do accept cash, of course. And they will be happy to accept your debit card. But Visa and MasterCard and definitely American Express are not welcome here. (You know that V/MC/AX charge upwards of 2.5% to the vendor, right?) Lidl started the trend of chaining up the shopping trolleys ("carts" or "wagons" might be your terms) and requiring a deposit to unlock them. You get the deposit back when you return the carts. It helps them to keep the costs down since they don't have to employ a cart wrangler, but I seem to forget this when I go shopping and I don't have a £1 coin.

I know Lidl gets a bad rep from most general supermarket-goers as being a cheap, second rate store…read morethat's full of sub-standard foreign imports; but for me, Lidl is an awesome shop to snag some great deals and bargains. While you won't find the finest cuts of chiselled sirloin on these shelves, you will find a fair few items that warrant a double take as you wander around the aisles. With items as cheap as single figure prices and a varied selection on general cupboard fillers, Lidl is the ideal place to shop if you're looking to shave a few unnecessary pounds off the weekly shopping bill. From fresh vegetables and fruit to canned goods and frozen foods, as well as a large selection of beers, wines and spirits, Lidl have a lot more to offer than most would even realise. They also boast an ever-changing range of homeware, which varies monthly, so it's always worth checking back to see what's on offer from time to time. In recent years, the chain store has seen a faster rapid growth spurt than you're average steroid abuser and you can now find a Lidl outlet in most towns and cities across the country. If you want to save yourself bit of extra cash, this is the place to go for the weekly groceries.