This little shop is jam packed full of goodies for kids. Literally it's bursting, I have no idea…read morehow they fit so much in there. I had to buy a present for my cousin and know literally nothing about kids, so armed with only a vague estimation of age and approximate 'hand height' and stats I braved it. Luckily the woman behind the till was more that happy to offer advice, inspiration and expertise and helped me pick out something that was a) Very cute ("do these come in grown up sizes?") b) Fitted properly. The result was coming away with a really awesome little cardigan/dungarees and looking like I really knew what I was doing when I presented it to my uncle. Wins all round then.

Really helpful staff and great selection of schoolwear all year around…read more My only complaint is that the polo shirts are not a good quality and are a bit thin.

Argos is open until 8 and for that reason alone, I give it 4*. Right on the waterfront in a tiny…read morelittle development that contains a KFC, Morrisons and a Focus DIY shop this little argos extra is really well placed for complete convenience. What I love most about it is the lack of fussing around that you find in the Cardiff Bay branches. Instead you can get in and out with minimal grumbling, which in my experience is practically unheard of for Argos.

Less crowded than Cardiff stores.Friendly helpful staff.read more

Five massive stars go to this branch of Dotty P's for the customer service…read more The selection might not be huge but the shop is always really tidy, organized and well staffed. I bought a few sale items a while back and when I had a problem with my card the assistants were really fantastic. They said that their machine had been playing up and did their level best to kick start things but it was futile. Luckily I had cash on me so I settled up in filthy shiny notes but I was about 20p short. I asked them to mind my things whilst I ran across the road to the cash point and before I was out the door, the woman called after me "AREN'T YOU A STUDENT?" I said I was, and she gave me the 15% discount reserved for young academics like myself. She gave me a knowing wink when I handed over my student ID and I got change out of my fourty quid. Very helpful, very lovely and very efficient. If only all stores were like this.

A great clothes shop with ranges to suit all. There is a petite section and a maternity section as…read morewell as shoes, accessories and lingerie. I dont like they way the staff try to get you to take out a store card every time you shop there tho! The hard sell is annoying.

A small shop of discount fashion clothes for women which are, as a result, good value. You can pick…read moreup many bargains here - I have bought several things on different occasions. Often you can get something a little out of the ordinary too. Although they are classed as 'seconds' it's usually almost impossible to find anything wrong with them. A few times a year they have a sale so things are reduced even more. The sale racks stand outside the shop on the pavement so you can have a quick riffle through without even going inside!

Located on Barry's high street, Premier offers everything from toilet roll and toys to spirits and…read moresmokes, making it less like a corner shop and more like a mini grocery store. The selection of wine is much better than what you'd typically find in a small shop, with prices that rival Tesco to boot. Premier also offers frozen goods, grocery items, even arts and crafts supplies (I found a Silvine memo book for only 74p, which I quickly scooped up). However, the main draw for me was the stock of individually-wrapped ice cream without a trace of freezer burn - it took everything I had not to devour a mint Magnum in the early hours of a cold and windy weekday morning. The lovely lady behind the counter actually took a few minutes to speak to me about the looming Christmas holiday and what she plans on buying her grandkids. This is definitely a shop that has a steady stream of regulars coming in, judging by the amount of conversations that went on between customers and staff alike.

We decided to visit the restaurant as it's newly opened. It seems to have the edge over other…read morerestaurants in the area as it offers unlimited refills on soft drinks, the salad bar and the ice -cream machine. This makes it a cheap meal out. However, the vegetarian choice is awful we went for the buffet. We did not have a choice it was cheese and tomato pizza and that was it. It was burnt on the bottom and as my daughter put it Tasted like chalk. We needed the drink refils to wash it down! The utensils were all dirty so I didnt know if the pizza slice had been used to pick up the fish (it looked like it had). The food was awful, the service was sloooooooow and it just wasnt a nice experience. I did say that next time I'd try the restaurant meals rather than the buffet but I honestly dont think I'll bother there's a Weatherspoons around the corner I'll go there instead!

I'm not really a big fan of peacocks stores in general but having one on my door step does have its…read moreadvantages. There's quite a big shoe selection so if some cheap and easy flats are what you're looking for then it's perfect. It also has quite a big selection of womenswear but when I went looking for Pearl Lowe's collection my questions were met with blank faces and heavy silences. Probably best to try one of the bigger stores for something like that. There's a small section of jewelry which is disappointing because I do love disposable trashy faux bling.

I really feel as though I shouldn't like this shop, but I do. I really, really do. Darn it…read more Home Bargains has shunted its way into the spaces left behind by the like of Hyper Value and Woolworths, and is very much like a cross between the two of them.And yet what it has to sell is surprisingly practical, they have good brands and cheap prices. And while they probably won't ever have everything that you're looking for, what they do have it worth the venture in to find it. What separates this from some of the other stores of similar ilk is the alcoholic section. or students or BBQs, or Christmas time and genearl celebrations, this is a wonderful place to pick up an interesting and cheap array of alcohol and snacks. In short, we don't want to love it, but we do.

I love this store it is an average size and has lots of bargains for you and the family. Outside…read morethere is a free car park which is a decent size so plenty of room to park. The shop stocks everything you need for yourself and your home. I find the toiletries there are so cheap compared to other places and there is a good variety. There is also a good choice of toys for your children at the moment they have some great outdoor toys ready for the summer. I can spend hours looking around as there lots of great offers on including cheap bedding and accessories for your home.I find the prices in there are very cheap. The store is well laid out and it is easy to find what you're looking for and if you can't find something the staff are happy to help you. Sometimes in the weekend it can get quite busy so you have to queue but it's like that in most places.

I love this shop it sells great ladies clothes for very cheap. The shop itself is quite narrow but…read moreopens up slightly at the back. I go to this shop quite alot as the stock is reuglary changes and you can get a bargain. Normally outside by the door they have some reduced clothes. I got a lovely red coat from there for four pound. Then inside the shop it has all the upto date trendy clothes. At the back of the shop it has a few bags and slightly older stock or reduced items. It also has two changing rooms at the back of the shop which have big mirrored glass doors. I often find these hard to shut. The staff there are always friendly and often give me advice on what suits me and sizes.

A lovely little place opposite where the bus stops are. Staff are very friendly and always offer…read morehelp when picking out that all important present.

Yes, there's a big Tesco's in Barry, but my two favourite convenience stores are Londis and Co-op…read moreFood! Why? Well, there's a multitude of reasons... all of them an essential consideration when making ethical choices about where to shop. The first is that I can often buy things cheaper here than I can at Tesco's. I find it interesting that we have all bought into the fallacy that Supermarkets sell things cheaper. It's just not true in many instances! There's no denying that the massive supermarket chains indulged in a price war to kill off their smaller competitors, but when they felt that they had done as much damage as possible, they allowed their prices to steadily rise, allowing them to make more profit per customer. Perhaps what they didn't reckon with is that shops like Spar and Londis were going to preserve a lot more independently owned convenience stores than they thought. Not only is this competition essential to keep the larger stores in line, but it also means that local convenience stores have access to larger bulk buying discounts, thus often making them more able to undercut the big boys! Because Londis shops are all franchises, they can if they want, participate in national promotions, and offer discounted items for a period of three weeks. Not every Londis shop is the same. Being independently owned means that the proprietor of each shop can buy in stock that is culturally relevant to the local area in which they trade. This has to be seen as a distinct advantage Londis has over its larger rivals, but the main benefit to the local communities which they serve is that when locals shop at Londis they are making an investment in the future! A friend told me an interesting statistic the other day... apparently 80% of the money spent at supermarkets leaves the local economy whereas 80% of the money spent at independent stores remains within circulation locally, which is great if it's true! If high percentages of money leave a localised area, then impoverishment will eventually ensue. So, to retain 80% of the money you spend within the area in which you live means the opposite!