Have always found the staff friendly and helpful in this store, and they are always willing to let…read moreyou have a closer look at any of the jewellery. You are greeted with a hello however they are not over bearing either and are happy to let you browse. The reason why I have dropped a star on what otherwise would be a 5 star experience is the fact they charge you 5p for a bag - now I know 5p isn't a massive sum and won't break the bank especially if you are spending £100 on jewellery but it's more the principle. The carrier bag tax was introduced to reduce the plastic bag usage - the bag provided is a paper/cardboard bag therefore are exempt from the tax - it's just being greedy!

This store is not long open. It's right beside argos and Victoria Square. It's the biggest pandora…read morestore I've been in most places have a Pandora section in the jewellery shop but it's tiny. The service in here is amazing there so helpful. It's the only store I shop in now.

If you're in a rush, heading to get your train and then realise....damn I need a newspaper, soft…read moredrink, sweets or other snacky things then this is your place. I've been using Great Victoria Street station for many a day and I always need to stop by this little newsagent for a coke and the paper. Rail News not only has a clever pun but a solid range of magazines and local/national newspapers. I used to call in and buy a can of proper man coke and Kerrang magazine back in my younger days (I wouldn't read it now if I was paid). These days it's the Time, The Irish News and a bottle of diet coke (See, see how I've grown up) Prices are typical of shops in the area, they are quick and have what you need. They also stock a range of sandwiches if you're in need of a bite and nowhere else is open.

Lecky's (great name!) is a corner shop situated in Church lane. It offers all the usual corner shop…read morestuff. It stocks magazines, a lot of confectionery, the essentials of bread and milk and cigarettes. There's nothing to special about it. The only reason I think it can survive the costs of being opened in the centre of city its convenient location in between lots of cafes and pubs. Many of their patrons can be seen going into Lecky's to get a paper or a pack of smokes to occupy themselves whilst enjoying a drink or waiting on food. The gentleman who's more than often manning the til has to be the grumpiest man I've ever had the displeasure to talk to. But the advantage of a corner shop is that your never in there long and you can just go back to chilling at Muriels or the Roost again.

This serves as the newsagent for the surrounding shops and passers by requiring cigarettes or the…read morepaper. Now as a hack journo I do have to keep abreast of the news and general currant affairs. So, after summarily sinking a pint in the local watering hole I thought it best time to see what news was 'going down'. I popped in for a copy of The Irish News and was ogling the UK nationals to see which of the broadsheets I would go for. I ended up lifting a copy of The Times, the Irish News and a bottle of coke. Not the friendliest welcome I've ever received at the till, little coarse and almost irritated but alas, I got my papers. This is a simple city centre news agent, no more. it certainly does the job unless you are looking for banter and a conversation then you should probably look elsewhere.

I have never left Stewart Millers empty handed. I'm not kiddin', honestly. It's like some kind of…read moremagnetic force which leaves me completely helpless and powerless, removing all inhibitions and barriers which prevent me from purchasing extreme numbers of goods from this fave store of mine. Or maybe that's just me shopping normally... Anyhow, Stewart Miller is a bargainous store which is primarily a newsagent and confectioners, but is also a bookshop, cardshop and toyshop. I've found books for peanuts, excellent sweetie deals, and, when I was younger, it was my first stop for TY Beanie Babies (remember those?! I still have an absolute ton of them stashed away in my wardrobe...couldn't bear [excuse the pun] to part with them quite yet). The Holywood store is undoubtedly my favourite. The toy section is huge, and they are genuinely well-priced (not always super cheap), top-quality playthings. The card section is extremely well-stocked, with a huge variety to choose from, and at reasonable prices. The book section is my favourite - I've gotten presents for my mum and dad for next to nothing, and even picked up a football book for £1.99 from £12.99 today, and I've found travel books for a fiver. Oooh, its a good 'un.

I'm lovin it. This gem on the Holywood main street has some of my favourite everyday treats -…read moreglossy mags, cold drinks and chick lit style books at very good prices. It also keeps the kids very happy as it has the best selection of football trading cards I've ever come across. My favourite thing about Stewart Millar is the magazine and comic selection. One whole wall of the front section is given over to mags and comics which means that I can happily browse Marie Claire and 25 Beautiful Homes and the kids can look at the Beano (yes it still exists) and Shoot! before making our choices. And there are none of those shouty 'This is not a library' signs either. At the back of the shop are the toys - good selection of lego- and books. The books are worth a particular mention as the prices are great. Some of the not quite latest releases can be snaffled at Tesco-esque prices which certainly floats my boat. There's a good selection of kids books too, especially quite unusual activity and pop up books which are always good for Christmas presents. All I need to do now is stop accidentally calling it Stuart Little which makes the kids fall about laughing every time as Stuart Little is of course a talking mouse. It's happened, I've become an Embarrassing Mum.

Arghhhhh…read more Frantically searching through my suitcase of a bag (qu: what do I even keep in this blinkin' thing?), I desperately struggled to remember where I had last put it. "There must be one in here", I cried, furiously digging deeper and deeper. Purse, check. Umbrella, check. Perfume, check. Bottle of extremely necessary water. Check. Even more extremely necessary makeup bag, check. Notebook, check. Pen...nowhere to be found. Well, now what was I to do?! Penless and peeved at the fact I had forgotten to put one in that monstrosity of a bag, I logically considered my next action. And then it came to me. Tom Browne (should that read 'he came to me' then?), in all his newsagency glory. Hallelujah. I quickly dashed in, no time to lose on the pen front. I was already far too long without one. Looking around this languid store, my initial thought was "eeek...no pens!". Voicing this concern, I turned round to the little old shop assistant (bless her), and innocently inquired, "pens?". She turned round, and produced a pot of blue biros...at 35p each. Blinkin' heck. Inflation, eh? Well, my desperation knew no bounds, so 35p poorer and a pen up, I was once again a (relatively) happy bunny. Thank you, Tom Browne.

The Alexander is the most unassuming we shop you're ever likely to encounter. Dwarfed by The…read moreMerchant Hotel Opposite and surrounded by popular nightspots you'll be forgiven for not noticing. If you work near by then you definitely should notice it - more than just a newsagent The Alexander does sandwiches, snacks and even has inside seating. The sandwich selection wasn't huge but they'd fill a hole. They also sell cigarettes and newspapers so if you are on your lunch break why not kill two birds with one stone? They stock Tayto crisps (see picture) and have almost every variety, who knows they might even make you up your very own crisp sandwich, worth an ask?

This is a great wee newsagent tucked away right up in the waiting area of Great Victoria train…read morestation. The shop is super clean and modern plus there's a very light and pleasant seating area (the glass ceiling helps) right across from it. The shop stocks all the usual newspapers and magazines plus drinks, crisps and snacks. There's also a 'bake & bite' hot food section where they have sausage rolls and the like plus a Piacetto coffee machine with a latte costing a mere £1.20. Add to that friendly staff and the fact the seating area is always heated then I must admit there are worse places to wait for a train. Pros: Nice setting/staff. Cons: Not a huge selection of food.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to get some work experience with the Belfast Telegraph. I can…read moreeasily say that this it was the most fun I have ever had in an office. They basically just handed me press releases and said, "Make up a story about this!" After this experience I always bought the Belfast Telegraph. The journalists told me that they used to just make funny stories up to fill space when it was a particularly slow news day. I think when you carefully read the paper you can find the stories in question. The other benefit of having work experience there was the freebies that were on offer. Who know that newspapers got sent so much free stuff. They had a big box in the office and said to me at the end each day, just have a hoke through there and see what you want. This certainly made me see print journalism in a new light. It also opened my eyes to the fun that goes into making a Daily newspaper.

Everyone I know who buys the Tele does so on a Friday, when the Jobfinder section is out. This is…read morethe only decent part of this conservative, quite dull, newspaper, as it's the main paper in the country and so all employers and recruitment agencies use it. All the ads are also posted on the Tele's jobsite nijobfinder.com. The features section is a good bit better than the Irish News', although that wouldn't be too hard, and the classified section is extensive and again used by most people in the country to find a flat or buy a car. They also have the hilarious 'Telepost Friends' dating section, where a typical ad is from a self-confessed lady or gentleman who invariably adds (P) or (RC) after their description. The fact that people think this still matters is typical of the average Tele reader. The letters page is as dreary and depressing as that of the Irish News, and the columnists around the same quality, although I do think Jane Graham is excellent and usually hits the nail right on the head. Did I just use a cliche there, while critiquing the Belfast Telegraph? How ironic.

Just don't go in- you'll never leave!!…read more This quietly unassuming second-hand bookshop halfway up North Street will steal your time, but in a great way. From the outside it doesn't look that big, but step inside and you find yourself in a tardis, with books piled from floor to ceiling, winding backwards and sideways and crammed into every possible place. While it can initially be a little intimidating by the sheer volume, everything is organised into genres and between fiction and non-fiction so finding things is easier than you initially think. The fact that the books are second hand means you might find little gems that you wouldn't see piled neatly in the chain stores because publishers tell them too, and you might stumble across a book or author you'd never even considered. If you can't find what you are looking for, don't be afraid to ask, these guys are super friendly, and at the prices they charge who would bother with a kindle! I'll be back, when I've a couple of hours to spare. :-)

This place is AMAZING!!! Books behind books, on top of books. Could easily spend days here. And the…read moreprices are amazing. Tons of Irish authors, classics, sci-fi, and everything in between.