An area of the city not yet invaded by the trendy Oxfam shops St Gemma's Hospice is a tiny little…read morecharity shop providing cheap goods amongst the more up market little boutique shops dotted along the top half of Roundhay Road, the usual items are available from clothing, to ornaments, children's toys to books. Worth a little noisy if you are up this way as there may be some gems tossed aside by local lovvies.

Another lovely little gem of a charity shop in Oakwood, you can pick up some really nice bits of…read moreclothes and everything is in really good condition. The book section here is another great place to browse and pick up a holiday read. The prices are low on everything and you can get some great pieces of jewellery at remarkably low prices.

It's Waterstones. You know what you're getting. Books! The Wakefield branch, tucked inside the…read moreRidings, covers off on everything you'd expect - fiction; crime; fantasy/sf; music; humour; travel; a good local history section... you get the idea. The thing I really like about this branch of Waterstones, though, is that it evades the anonymous chain store feel of the bigger shops. It's not a big place and, although I only stick my head in occasionally, I recognise the staff there. I find that reassuring - it's staffed by people who care about books, and who know their job well, not temps just looking to make a few quid. The flipside of the shop's limited size and intimate feel is, of course, that the range is limited. You'll find recent releases, best-sellers and big-name titles, but limited shelf space means you won't find a massive range beyond that and might have to order in more obscure titles. It pains me that, barring WHSmiths (which I don't really count) Waterstones is Wakefield's only bookshop!

I thought I'd give this five stars because as charity shops go it really is a great shop. It is…read morevery large for a charity shop and has a good range of stock. In the foyer area there are women's clothes, accessories, shoes and jewellery. The main room houses men's clothes, shoes, children's toys and clothes and a large range of crockery, home ware and other bits and bobs. I found many a cute vintage-style china ornament, some lovely jewellery and two pairs of shoes I liked - in most charity shops I find none! The products were mainly of very high quality and you got the impression the staff, who seemed lovely, really take pride in their shop. The beautiful old historic-looking building and large easily visible signage also gives the shop bonus points.

Everyone must have heard of the good old Salvation Army. They are a church and a registered charity…read morethat have been running for nearly 50 years. Now working in over 117 countries worldwide, with over 1.6 million members they have grown immensely and are providing huge support for those who need it. They run programmes helping places such as drug rehabilitation centres, schools, hospitals, community centres and medical centres. Their shops are like any other charity shop, raising that extra bit of cash towards their cause. They are full of random bits and bobs and somewhere you are bound to find something you could do with, and usually for very cheap. I love charity shopping and will be returning to this place in the New Year.

Clinton cards have a good range of cards for any occasion and good little teddies and trinkets to…read moregive as little gifts, everyone needs to use a crad shop once in a while and clinton provide some really good quality ones, with really good messages and designs, they also seem to have cards for occasions that aren't so much celebrated or something too like passing drivin test or exams if you just want to geth the message across this shop is really good.

Located in the centre of town, this is a great place to go if you need a card for pretty much any…read moreoccasion. They have all sorts of cards which cater for most tastes and lots of variety. The prices are all quite good as well and quite competitive compared to other stationery shops. They also offer other products which could be given as gifts, such as mugs and cuddly toys, which is great if you're in a rush. They have a wide selection of calendars to choose from, also at good prices.

Another one of those shops that sell 'everything', Mega Goods Store displays its wrae on the…read morepavement, and as we've come to expect, they consist of plastic bins, buckets, containers, and small plastic children's chairs...and a few mops thrown in for good measure! And er, toilet rolls and footballs! Inside they sell loads of stuff for the home including crockery, a small selection of toys and a fair few colouring books (takes me back! I was almost tempted to buy one!)...and some huge gold painted gilt frame mirrors for £25. Yes prices here are cheap, which probably reflects the quality...but it's not as if it has pretentions of being a top quality up market home ware shop. What you see is what you get. Mega Goods Store is cheap and cheerful, but it sells many handy bits and bobs that you didn't even know you needed!

Lovely little shop. Good prices too especially on wrapping…read morepaper! The lady that served me was very nice and extremely helpful to! Some gorgeous cards. Also some beautiful home wares. Go for a visit otherwise you will miss out!

This cute little newsy is brilliant. It's located in the city centre behind the St. John's Centre…read moreand opposite the ma-hoo-sive new Sainsbury's. (I really hope the aforementioned supermarket chain doesn't affect their trade!) As long as I've been in Leeds the same lady (amongst a couple of others) has always been there and she is lovely. Dry humoured and quick off the mark, but friendly as long as you are polite. They sell all the standard papers, locals and nationals, and an affluence of assorted magazines. As well as this there is a whole range of little snacks and goodies at your standard fare, and of course, a plentitude of tobacco products. Be it a quick drink from their fridge, or a packet of Rizla, if you give a smile you'll get a smile and perhaps even a bit of banter. But don't be buying a packet of chewing gum with a twenty as she'll have you for that! It's just not cricket, is it?

I travel through Otley on business on a regular basis, and often pop in to Mounseys for a magazine…read more- I've never seen such a wide range of magazines on offer! They also stock lots of greetings cards and other gifts, and the staff are both knowledgeable and friendly.

Mounsey's is a huge stationary and gift card store situated in the heart of Otely. To find it all…read moreyou need do is hop off the bus, go past Savers Fashion Nett and head up onto Market Street - should be easy to spot from there as it has a huge glass window and big signage with the name branded over! There are all sorts of cards in here, you will be truly spoiled for choice, as there are rows and rows of them! Obviously Mounsey's wouldn't survive on card sales alone and so there are a number of other related items for sale here. You can purchase a wide selection of books although there doesn't appear to be any order or theme to the titles stocked - which include British Wildlife and Stephen Fry in America for example. There are also plenty of magazines, Lottery and tons of puzzle books and calendars! As it has been established since 1859 I think it's only right that should you be in need of a birthday card, or indeed a crossword book, that your purchase be made in Mounsey's. After all, Clinton's are two a penny and will almost certainly cost you more.