The trouble with W H Smith at the moment is it doesn't know what it is. Is it a book shop, a…read morenewsagents, a sweet shop? So they try to cram everything in that they think someone might need. This means you have to walk an assault course to get to the back of the store. This branch in Uxbridge has actually got a lot of floor space but you couldn't tell on first glance due to the massive displays and no space in between. I would hate to have to push a buggy around, your poor baby would have Cards and magazines crashing on it's head. The one thing I do like about this shop is the self service tills. You don't have a depressed member of staff trying to sell you half price chocolate. As you scan your own stuff. Much better when you nip in for a birthday card. This does have a great selection if birthday cards. But every time I leave I'm thankful I made it out alive!

The best for buying papers or magazines. Usually pop in to pick up the free DVD or CD from the…read moredaily mail. Has a post office on the upper floor. The back of the store could do with more space, but most stationary and other basics are aesy to find.

I read 'Fitzrovia News' as 'Tower' for over thirty years,…read morebefore I was encouraged to contribute as a writer, & distributor. It is bang up to date, informative,witty, occasionally controversial... but always inclusive to locals who wish to be part of the bigger picture. Great local paper / Join / write for it too!

I recently discovered Fitzrovia News after a friend gave me a copy. I was amazed to find out it is…read morewritten entirely by volunteers and people who live in Fitzrovia. What I like about the paper is that it doesn't pull its punches yet at the same time caters for a wider variety of tastes. It's one of the few community papers that takes a firm stance on things that matter to people living in central London. The paper has interviews with local celebrities, analysis of local political issues. It's not afraid to have a go at big business. It doesn't moan about them. It attacks them! The letters' page is full of opinions about anything and everything in Fitzrovia. If you live, work in or visit Fitzrovia, it's essential reading.

I have had many dealings with Metro over the years. I have called on them to publicise events on…read morequite a number of occasions, and they've always come through for me, and the organisations I've been representing. When I lived out at Coed Hills Rural Artspace last year, I called on them again to help spread the word about a fundraising event to be held at this 'not for profit' organisation. As always, they came up with the goods, even though they had undergone a series of regional rationalisations and were down to a skeletal staff in the provinces of South West England and Wales. Everyone I have ever dealt with at Metro has been more than gracious... they are downright, upstanding, lovely people! Over the last couple of years I have relied very much on a chap called Velmir, and never a more professional and all-round good guy there was. He used to be based at the address in Bristol below, but I've just done a search on the internet to see if these offices are still around... nothing came up! Velmir, if you are still out there, i send you my very best! So! What of Metro? What can I say? It's free. It's exceptionally well informed, and it's daily. It features loads of stuff that's of real interest, and as well as being colourful it's really well laid out... Best of all, their listings are always on the money! The only thing is, I have no idea how they do it! Clearly they deploy some kind of magic! METRO Bristol News & Media Temple Way Bristol BS99 7HD

The Metro is a great paper. The best thing about it, is that it's free :) other than it being…read morefree, it's informative, and it always has a quirky story on the 3rd page. The always have light hearted articles running throughout. There are celebrity pages on in the inside, sports pages at the back, readers comments, travel updates and holiday ads on the back pages. The main reason I pick up the Metro is down to Nemi, Nemi is fantastic, it is my favorite comic strip (next to Snoopy) she is really funny. On the same page as Nemi you will get some cool games to play if you are bored on the train :) You can pick up the train at pretty much every tube station in London, normally these run out in the morning so be quick :P As Coralia mentioned an E version is available, if you have an iphone, it is available for download. Note: the ink does rub off on your hands :( rubber gloves might help stop that though or the E version ;) After you have read your paper you can do many things with it, you can keep your hair dry if it suddenly starts to rain by placing the paper on your head, you can make some paper aeroplanes, you can use it as a pee mat for your dog or alternatively you can put it in the recycle bin at work :)

All your ex-pat needs in one totally random place!…read more Hot News has shelves full of Australian, New Zealand and US foods and drinks to satisfy your homesick cravings. And I'm not just talking Vegemite. This place has all the obscure cereals, chocolates, beers, spirits and snacks you've been missing, and if it's not on the shelf, you can ask the friendly owner to order it in for you. It is pricey, but no way near as much as the old Australian Shop in Covent Garden. We spent £50 and got: Nutri Grain, 2x Kraft peanut butter, Cherry Ripe, Summer Roll, 3x Twisties, Cheezels, Violet Crumble, Chicken Crimpys, and a 6 pack of VB. If you aren't Australian, that may sound like nonsense, but believe me when I say, finding this place has made me a far happier Aussie in London :)

This is such a tucked away spot, in the basement of a sort of mini-mall, but perfect if you're…read moreheading to the Cineworld opposite and want something a lil more interesting to eat. They have super basic sandwiches and cheap drinks if you're on a budget, but also imported snacks from the US and Australia. These are a little more costly but worth it for the experimental value. Reese's cereal with Hershey's chocolate milk? (Way better than you'd expect!) Even if you just want to browse, you'll find lots of intriguing items to look at. And best of all, the staff are really friendly: not your typical newsagents - and I speak from experience ;)

i'm really sorry for yelping about this ten days late!!!…read moredidn't strike me at that time to yelp about it at all!! my bad! anyway, they were giving away green and black's organic easter eggs (maya gold) - 180g, apparently worth 5.99, for free with your purchase of the evening standard. i was initially told by a colleague about it but did not dash out to grab my copy of it. after all, it's only the evening standard. it was only on my return from lunch and exiting from the tube station at gloucester rd that i chanced upon the offer. 50p for the egg and paper??? a no brainer if you ask me!:) it was only later that i found out i've been ripped off! if you showed your oyster card, you get the evening standard at only 25p!!!!!!!!!LOL nonetheless, do look out for the evening standard next year, around easter time!!!:)

The Evening Standard is a publication I feel positive towards. I've won their Mini Codeword…read morecompetition twice. First time it was so funny. I won a pampering spa day for two at Bannatyne's in Essex somewhere. My Australian friend and I had a three quarters of a hour massage and then were able to use the swimming pool. Next I've won a 'Charming Hotel Stay' in the UK which I will book when my friend is over in the Summer. To top it all I've finally won the Sudoku £50 prize! It's quite difficult the Sudoku in the Standard and there comes a point where I have to start guessing and either it works out correct or it doesn't. But I've finally won it! They lose one star from me because their regular columnists come out with the same old boring Liberal-Left Blairite drivel about how marvellous the EU and diversity is day after day. Time to get a UKIP columnist to spice things up a bit and give some balance instead of the same old cracked records. They are however very good for publishing readers' texts having a go at the health fascists over smoking - they even published one of mine once. I've used the ES to buy shares by looking at the year high and year low values. I haven't made a fortune but I'm up.// Oh I've just upgraded my stars to five for the ES even if it is full of Blairite toss! I've won the most fantastic day of Tennis, hospitallity and a knock around with Pat Cash himself through them and Hackett, Bishopsgate!! Certainly up there with one of the best prizes I've ever won!

Yes fantastic free paper as I've won quite a few things out of it and can pick it up in the Kilburn…read moreHigh Road. Over the years have won tickets to a top West-End play called Man & Boy starring one of the Suchet brothers, an England Managers book worth about £15, fabulous comedy show last Christmas at La Scala in King's Cross (can't remember the artist) but even a Daily Mail reader like me found it funny. I did win tickets to a champagne reception, concert and tour of Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath at a charity event attended by the then Mayor of Camden, Jonathan Simpson. Apart from the fact that the live Soul music was too mournful for me and the Mayor was rude to Simon and I (I've never voted Labour anyway) it was lovely to be in The Orangery of Kenwood House and have a tour round. I've had a free lunch from The Camden New Journal but it loses one star as it's so left wing.

New Journal Enterprises publish three weekly free newspapers in London; Camden New Journal (The…read moreCNJ) which covers The London Borough of Camden, West End Extra for The City of Westminster and Islington Tribune for The London Borough of Islington. New Journal Enterprises is London's only remaining independent newspaper publisher (all the others are now part of large media organisations) and this is probably down to the fact they they are more interested in running good quality local newspapers rather than making huge profits, for this reason they are well respected not just by residents that read their local papers, but also by the newspaper industry and have won many awards over the years. The Camden New Journal was launched in the 1982 by Paul Foot, Frank Dobson and Eric Gordon and has been going strong ever since. I feel so lucky to live in an area that is covered by such a brilliant local newspaper and it's free! Here are links to the three New Journal Enterprises local newspapers: Camden New Journal (http://www.camdennewjournal.com) (Camden Council) West End Extra (http://www.westendextra.com) (Westminster City Council) Islington Tribune (http://www.islingtontribune.com) (Islington Council)

Did you know that you can buy your favourite books or try out a new author or genre, on…read morehttp://www.thamesandhudson.com ? neither did i! Forget Amazon! buy direct! fabulous!

A good shop which you can send and receive money fromread more