I really, really wanted to give the Market Place 5 stars but feel I can't as it's really gone down…read morehill recently. One of the largest markets in the South East it's so popular that they actually run coach trips here! The market is mixed and contains stalls ranging from clothing through meat, vegetables through CDs. Some stalls, such as the CD stall outside Debenhams or Peter the Pleater's blind stall have been there for years. Others are newer. The market stands on a cobbled area and is fringed by the shops and, more recently, some living accommodation. The ancient St Edwards church provides a focal point and gives the whole area a rather historic feel. Market days are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with the market place being used for car parking outside these times. Expect the market to be operational before 9am and to close up around 4pm or later if trade is good. There's an Eastend buzz about the place but it's not what it used to be!

I used to like the romford market, but i agree also that it has gone down hill recently and i dont…read morego often anymore. I just prefer to go to the shopping centre instead. However during the run upto christmas there are some good offers in the market.

This Primark store was formerly a branch of Allders. It covers three floors and it very spacious…read more The ground floor has womens clothing and accessories, the first floor has childrens wear and womens lingerie and the second floor has menswear, homewares and womens shoes. There is also a customer services department for refunds and queries. It is an extremely busy store but nevertheless there are ample checkouts and the staff deal very efficiently with the queues so the wait is never too long. There is an excellent range of products and the store seems to be kept reasonably tidy compared to the smaller branches.

As Primark's go this is one of the better ones, but it's still like a glorified jumble sale most of…read morethe time. I can't understand why Primark seems to attract the kind of customers (not all of them of course) that will just drop stuff on the floor and not pick it up leaving clothes everywhere for the poor staff to run around after. Good disabled access with disabled changing rooms and specialist low pay point and lifts as well as escalators. Cheap and cheerful and just outside next door there is a plaque to commemorate the fact that it was the birth place of H G Wells.

Loved this quirky little store that we stopped by during a shopping trip recently. It's like a…read morelittle IKEA (slightly more out there like with the toilet golf gift, haha) with very awesome prices and a neat set-up. I loved looking at everything, it was very tough not to walk out of there with like 100 items. I ended up buying a cute shower curtain and a little pepper mill shaped like a lady for about £14. The girls working there were very helpful & patient when I tried to use my US debit card (no pin & chip sadly) and they had to get my proper signature on a receipt, look at my US driver license to compare the signature, and then put that in the cash drawer. They were so nice and even said it was a learning experience for everyone! Haha. Love Tiger!!

This is the Clapham branch of the bourgeois gift chain Oliver Bonus, located on the cute and…read moreachingly middle class Pavement, near Clapham Old Town. Oliver Bonus is one of those shops that sells a bit of everything, Clothes, stationary, jewellery, cosmetics and items for the home to name but a few. This branch is large, and very interior design orientated, filled with sofas, chandeliers and nic naks for your posh home. And you'll pay a large price too. Although the content of the shop is very nice, i find it a little smug. But that's just my opinion, and with 24 stores around London they're obviously doing something right!

Just got my order and everything fits perfectly. The denim skirt is amazing and I can't wait to go…read moreout with it this weekend!

You gotta mix it up, kids. For every purchase which makes you wince, and your credit card recoil in…read morehorror, a visit to the 99p store must be made. It's not even the pound shop - its 1 whole penny cheaper every time! I came to the 99p store, which is hidden away in the cheap corner of Kingston at 10.30am on a week day. Every other shop in Kingston was just getting going, but this place was packed. Credit crunch central. I generally view heavily discounted shops as a bit of a false economy - yes you might buy a lot of stuff, but is any of it actually useful? So I came in here with the aim to find goods which I would actually need, and I was pleasantly surprised. As well as the omni present tat, there was quite a large amount of food on sale - not fresh, like Aldi or Lidl, but perishable goods. Did you know that Lloyd Grossman sauces came in jumbo size? The industrial looking container made it look a bit.... unappetising, but I presume that this sauce is no different then the one that I would find in Waitrose for 4 times the price. I also found a few food items that could almost be considered in the deli bracket, like balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Its not all eastern European cereals here. I also found a wide range of toiletries, household goods, pet food and toys, kids toys, electrics and even a little bit of underwear. Unfortunately the women's pants only came in sizes above 22, but at least that gave me 5 minutes of fun playing with them. I kept on imagining that the 99p thing was just a gimmick - and that only a few things would be that price, with everything else being more pricey. But it does what it says on the box; absolutely everything in the shop will give you change for a pound.

Does what is says on the tin: so, not quite sure whether it's embarrassing to admit to shopping…read morehere, or if it's something to own-up to - with pride - as the sign of a canny, practical shopper. While it's not one of my all time favourite stores - far from it - if you have the time and perseverance you can come away with some astonishing bargains. Amongst these might be a large Pandoro or Panettone (a traditional Italian cake) served at Easter and Christmas, that might retail for up to ten times the price in other outlets. Books, stationery, artists supplies and kitchenware basics are other good reasons to shop here. It can be a little hit-and-miss though; you can't rely on finding the same item here twice - stock changes frequently - but if you visit, in the right frame of mind, you might just end up smiling at some of the less enticing 'bargains' that you wouldn't touch with a bargepole.

This a quite a large T K Maxx situated in the Beckton Retail park. It is the farthest end away from…read morethe large Tesco in the same park. And alongside the shop is a Game, The Officers Club, H Samuel and New Look. There is usually plenty of parking outside the shop, as the other end of the park is much busier. If you choose not to drive there is a bus stop a little walk away which will take you to surrounding areas or to the nearest dlr station (Gallions Reach). As you walk into the shop they have the ladies and childrenswear, upstairs is men and homewear. They have a good range of items in the store and many of them are designer wear.

The Staines branch of Gap is quite a large one and is over two floors, so there's lots of choice…read more Staff tend to greet you as you come through the door, which I suppose is intended to make you feel welcome, but in fact I always find it intimidating and false. The children's wear in particular is nice and is reasonably priced. The mens and womenswear is less impressive and my particular bugbear is that they produce relatively large sizes, but don't order very many larger items for each store, meaning that we fatties are often disappointed. Once you get past the initial awkward American-style greeting, the staff are generally friendly and helpful.

Average / smaller sized WH Smith branch within Kings Cross tube station. Gets very packed with…read morecommuters making it difficult to move around the store & the queues can be massive waiting to pay for purchases. Has a selection of books & magazines on offer plus snack food / drinks. Would be much better if they expanded the store making it larger since it's such a busy main train station.