This ASDA looks like every other. It has all the usual aisles and a cafe. The latter is hidden…read moreupstairs and and commands a view over all the shoppers and the hubbub they make. Outside is the sculpture to the local miners. Appears in the socialist realist tradition and in some ways it is a shame that this monument to a working heritage is overshadowed by another monument to consumerism in its neighbours ASDA and McDonalds.

This is what Tonypandy has needed for a long time. Its a…read morelargish store with a clothes department, small electrical department and some toys. They have a deli counter, hot counter, pizza and fish plus they make and slice thier own bread and cakes. There is a cafe upstairs, 3 free cash points and plenty of parking. The staff are all friendly and helpful and they have some really good end of day reductions.

Pretty much smaller than the other Marks and Spencers but it has all the usual departments,…read moreclothes, food, home, a very nice café, and most important lingerie. It's a fairly well known and acknowledged fact that if you need a good bra there are few places better than Marks and Spencer. The range of other stuff in this branch isn't so wide but at least they understand their priorities. This is our first port of call in search of the perfectly fitting and not overpriced bra. There's parking outside but it can get a bit crazy here at the weekends. Somehow they thought it would be a good idea to put a load of great shops next to a totally inadequate car park.

I love this Marks and Spencer because it near and its out of town. It has a good selection of…read moreClothing items fo Men, Women and Children. It also have a coffee shop on the top floor and the best thing is the food hall. The staff are extremely helpful and very friendly. It also has a great range of christmas gifts and packing items. The dine 2 for £10 is also a good offer they have in the food hall whcih is worthy looking out for.

This is an average size store but great to have in the centre of Pontypridd. They have a selection…read moreof mens, womens and childrens clothes. They sell other home items and toileties. The best part is the food hall on the lower floor which has a good selection of food items. The food hall does get quite busy an saturdays and don't leave it until late there will not be many fresh items left as in most Marks and Spencers. They seem to have some great sales.

Marks and spencers ia a very large shop with most of the stock and all sizes are catered for. They…read morealso have a food department in the basement area. Staff are always helpfull and prices are reasonable and you can find bargains in the sales although it gets very busy and chaotic.

A large branch of the popular peacocks stores. Has lots of stock which is frequently replenished…read more Great fashion at reasonable prices for all the family. Can get busy in here especially when the 40% friends and family vouchers are issued. Friendly and polite staff work here.

Peacocks is located at the bottom end of Merthyr Tydfil town centre and is a quite a big store, It…read moreoffers mensware, womensware, childrensware and baby clothes, all sections are big and offer underware, Pjs and accessories for all ages. It is a well stocked store and always had staff to help yo with any other sizes or any questions that you need to ask, Although a great shop it is always messy and has clothes all over the floor which is really off putting as when I pass thats the first thing I see, and if i see it i think many other people do also.

A good branch of this high street store with a lot of choice for all the family. Plenty of clothes…read morefor all occasions, especially fashionable and for the young. Quite a few bargains to be found as well, especially amongst the end-of-season lines. A good range of accessories too including bags, scarves and jewellery, and also nightwear, shoes and slippers. The staff always seem very pleasant and helpful too.

I like this branch of Marks and Spencers!…read more It's only a small branch, but has a good range of women's, men's and children's clothes. They also sell a good range of food and drink. Obviously you won't get the same choice that you'd get in a branch in a larger town or city, but they stock a good range in a variety of sizes. I'd agree with Jane-Elizabeth - the staff in M&S are exceptionally friendly and helpful - nothing is too much trouble. Something I love there at the moment - their dine in for £10 deal, which runs every other weekend up until Christmas. For £10 you get a main course and side dish, dessert and a bottle of wine. Great if you want to spoil yourself and have an evening out of slaving over a hot stove!

A fairly small branch but very good nevertheless. The best thing about M&S is its present movement…read moretowards ethical trading. They have pledged to increase their use of trade-fair, environmentally sustainable items (that are not tested on animals) as part of their new image. The clothes are good quality but a bit expensive for me; however, their range of toiletries is marvellous and not particularly expensive. The big bottles of coconut milk, and cocoa butter and vanilla, body lotion (300 ml) are gorgeous and only £1 each! I thought that was a mistake when I saw them first. There are really lovely gifts on offer this year too (leading up to Christmas as I write this), with lovely packaging - especially the scented toiletries and also children's toys and games. Of course, all branches of M&S will sell all these things, not only the one in Neath (but that's the branch I was in today)! I was struck by the helpfulness of the staff when I asked where something was; they are trained well in customer service.

This branch of the co-op is the only shop in the old Llanishen Village that'll have everything you…read moreneed from a grocery shop. It's just like a small supermarket, I suppose. The comings and goings of Llanishen Village mean there is always a steady flow of custom at the Co-op. It goes without saying, but be ruthless around the bakery section. They don't have that much on offer and if it's busy and lunch timey then you'll have to take your moment to grab the tongs for your desired maple and hazelnut croissant before anyone else takes the last one. The Co-op are one of the main ambassadors for the Fairtrade range and that have a good amount on offer at this store.

On a recent holiday we were treated to a trip to the quaint market town of Abergavenny whilst there…read moreI discovered a marvellous shop called Nicholls.It is a department store which stocks a range of furniture,gifts and ladies clothes. Nicholls sell some unusual gifts along with more well known makes and have a wide range of Ainsley china in stock. They also have a fab coffee shop in store which sells healthy lunches ,beautiful freshly made sandwiches and mouth watering cakes,ideal for a relaxing sit down I came home with a lot of Christmas shopping and hopes of returning in the new year.

A little overdue (sorry)..... A lovely little store,…read moreprobably aimed more at women but with a wonderful cafe, to keep the men happy. It's like a mini department store, clothing (not sure if they have mens or kids), some furniture, kitchenware, lots of gifts, womens clothing, jewellery and of course, the cafe. An old relation owns a wonderful hotel in a neighbouring town and she loves to come to Nicholls, both in Aber and in Crick, so that's a good sign. To be honest, I only went because my aunt asked me to take her there for Christmas dinner (she doesn't get one, where she is). I chauffeured, she bought the food. For £8 odd, you got a good plate of food, with separate vegs & potatoes and a gravy boat. Wonderful. And the turkey actually had taste. Yes, amazing. I don't know if it was free range/organic, or just fresh and local but this was stunning. I hate turkey normally, because of it's blandness but this was in a different league. All the accompaniments were also extremely fresh and tasty. They don't advertise as being free range/organic, rather local/fresh (which avoids them having to check suppliers, I guess, but I'd put money on the turkey at least being free range). Bernard, eat your heart out, that's how it SHOULD taste. I hope to be back this year again, with my aunt, for what was the best Christmas Dinner I've had in many a year. Thank you Nicholls. david