been here twice, and i have to say ive never been to a friendlier cafe! everyone here is so beyond…read moresweet, and the food is amazing. my favorite to get is the dirty chai latte and its AMAZING. jessica especially is such a doll, shes been so helpful and always a great laugh. definitely coming back when i visit!!

A few paces away from my old home in Aberdeen, Books and Beans was always a welcome sight. Even…read morewhen I wasn't going in as a customer it was nice to walk by and see open windows framing folks reading books and sipping their lattes or friends chatting over their pastries. I did go in several times to do some writing for my Masters Dissertation, when I didn't want to spend another day in the library or just needed a change of pace. (I will say, this cafe isn't the best for super focused working. The volume was a bit too loud, with various conversations happening in different corners and music playing as well. I was on occasion able to find a nook that gave me a bit more privacy and quiet though.) I also brought friends in to try my neighborhood spot, and then we would be those people chatting away. My usual choice was their chai latte, it was not too sweet, creamy, and well spiced. The overall vibe was just so cheery and cosy, with walls of used books for perusing and purchase, yellow paint, and windows out onto Belmont St for Grade A people-watching. Super cool that all of their coffee and tea is FairTrade, and they're the only independent, fully fair trade coffee shop in Aberdeen. Woop, I'll keep supporting them for sure. Can't wait for my next visit this summer!

I love going to John Lewis before Christmas ,it's such a magic atmosphere there it always makes me…read morewant to stay overnight and pretend to be a small kid again You can find there almost anything! From anything from home such as electronics, beds, carpets, furniture... To beauty, clothes and toys, fabrics and little presents. I'm not sure if it's the best place to dress for woman up to 35/40 years old.. But the home stuff is just lovely to watch for any age group! The only downside I have notice with some products, the quality went a bit down for the price it costs. You would expect a table for almost £1000 to be at least stable and from a good solid material.. Otherwise, I still love going there time to time even just to have a look and their catalogs are full of inspiration :) Regarding the staff, they are always helpful, polite and not pushy - and that's one of the reasons why I prefer to go there rather than other department stores where you can meet unnecessarily too many employees trying to engage conversation with you. I prefer my own time and when I need somebody I will ask and there is always somebody in sight

Great food and okay service too - probably some of the best food we had during our Scotland…read morevacation (outside of a large city). Came here on a cold, rainy day and delighted in the hot tea and sensible food. The shop items are, in my opinion, nice but overpriced. We liked around, but didn't find anything we couldn't live without. The desserts were very good. Definitely recommend digging into at least one!

Have used the BFS before but there was a different vibe to it this visit…read more It was very quiet and whilst the food was ok/good we felt it had lost its edge a bit and service wasn't as sharp as it used to be.

I don't know... just not much to say - not really for normal folk to shop around :D…read more This one is quite small, but I remember friend was happy to go there for ribs for BBQ and nappies. Otherwise, you really need house with lots of space for your company supplies.

The biggest Boots in the city centre, where you can find from beauty section to prescription…read moreservice and optician. The selection is quite wide. However I've recently tried to switch to more natural and animal friendly options and those are not so easily found there, unless you have time to read and make some research in advance. They got rid of the Boots kiosks so it's bit harder to print your offers and it's forcing you to get the phone app or rely on the leaflets sent by post. You might also find yourself asked few times during your visit if you don't need any help, which - fair enough they make sure you get all you need, on the other side it can get a bit annoying - a good visibility of staff is more than enough for me in case I need a help to find something . That's right - find - as I don't really rely on their recommendation as they rarely know more than average customer about the products and its suitability to different needs. I just don't get these department stores - they have all the make up matching systems or specialists at each f the make up stands and yet - most of their customers are leaving slightly orange or off their natural shade? I do appreciate their little refreshment section with meal deal, which might get handy after few hours of shopping in town and needing to grab something quickly

My friends and I love to pop in and visit the lovely Elaine and her amazing shop every other week…read moreto see what new stuff is in (or just things we haven't seen before because there's so much goodness). Her prices are fair and she has so much knowledge about the clothes and is also always there for a chat. She remembers her customers and what they like and even though I'm a student, I have bought a lot of things from her as its all amazing quality and there's something special there for everyone.

Imagine The Cave Of Wonders where Aladdin found his lamp, only picture it full of vintage clothes…read moreinstead of gold and vintage handbags instead of lamps, and you've basically stepped into The Closet... And let me be the first to say it: if being in the closet was this good, you'd never be able to get me out of it!! Not only does this place look amazing inside, it's totally stuffed to the gunwales with all kinds of vintage treasures. There's a great range of 50s - 80s shirts, skirts, lingerie and dresses as well as a great selection of jewellery, accessories, shoes, bags, hats and small suitcases to boot. I love that there's lots of lovely home wear sprinkled around the shop - literally everything you see is available for sale which is incredible because often you'll find a lot of amazing stuff in these kinds of shops which are for display purposes only. I know this for fact because I bought a vintage hat box from here which I've been after for the past year but it's been impossible to talk anyone into selling before because they look so great on show! The shop is independent and run by a really lovely woman who sources all the pieces herself, meaning there's no bulk-bought junk to wade through and it's all hand steamed and in great condition. At the moment she's just updated the stock to summer wear and she's got a cheeky little sale rail for those looking to bag a bargain. It's mid priced, but there is defo some beautiful items to invest in. Failing that there's a few wonderful pieces available to rent for occasions so every girl gets the chance to be Cinderella for just one night, which is perfect for those who feel like taking the plunge into the world of vintage will leave then looking like a pumpkin after midnight ;)

Great selection of things for sale and really friendly staff.read more

HMV has a great amount of CD's DVD's Games ETC and the location is great but is really expensiveread more

A nice shop for the comics, dvds, and other pieces of merchandise. Not seen another Forbidden…read moreplanet to compare but I like the lay out of this shop and it has character with random nice things everywhere to keep your eyes busy. If you into this kind of thing it is definitely a paradise for some collectors. The staff in this one are nice, helpful and friendly and tend to have fun with their work.

Pretty standard as far as Forbidden Planet stores go. Was incredibly happy to find it when I moved…read morehere though. Nice big wall of comics (as you'd expect) and a reasonable range of toys and other merch. Not as huge as the Edinburgh store, but not as cramped and busy as the Glasgow store.