The is a handy and ubiquitous convenience store chain we saw throughout Scotland. The best thing…read moreto me is that their ATM's had the best rates for ATM cash. Their rate was the current 1.35 USD/GBP exchange rate plus only a 3.95 GBP charge. Other ATM's I tried at the airport and at a bank wanted about a 1.55 USD/GBP exchange rate which equates to a ridiculous 15% fee! Otherwise, we like convenience stores like this during our travels for items like bottled water and such.

Sainsbury's on West Port, not too far from Chalmers Centre, in Edinburgh was the first grocery…read morestore I went to in Scotland. On my second day, first morning, in Scotland (6 July 2019), I was looking to get a few food items for the day before picking up my rental car and was aware of this store as I passed it the evening before on foot when going to get dinner. The store was bigger on the inside than it looked like on the outside. Sections were well set up and easy to navigate and peruse. I was particularly impressed with a bakery/fresh-baked breads section at the back of the store. In the United States of America, the stores of an equivalent nature might have hot dogs or donuts available, but not fresh-made bread. I got a few items and went through self check out. It took me a couple tries to get the payment right, but everything worked. Worker(s) were friendly.

After mailing some postcards and breakfast at The Painted Rooster on the morning of Friday 19 July…read more2019, I was on my way on foot to Holyrood Park to do some hiking. I had packed some food and decided that if I passed a small store on the way I would stop and see if they had any last food item(s) I wanted for a morning of exploring. Nearing St John's Episcopal Church, I was seeing the stores thin out and spotted Tesco Express. I slipped into the store and quickly looked through the offerings. I went with a small snack/candy item. There was a short line, which while standing in I noticed a small case of Krispy Kreme donuts. I did not get one of those, but it was a reminder I was going back to the United State of America the following day. Oddly, or goodly depending on one's perspective, it made me want to stay in Scotland more than go back to America.

Euan at Princess st store is a very valued member of staff always very polite, patient and service…read morewith a smile. He should have best staff member badge and a day off :) well done as you are young and this is rare.

Almost by default, Irvine's is my newsagent of choice on the Royal Mile, as on principle I refuse…read moreto put up with old misery guts that works in The Scottish Grocer just a few doors down. It's exactly as you'd expect from a newsagent, stocking papers, mags, sweets, drinks and fags. There's also a few Scottish bits and bobs for sale, but it doesn't appear to be the main focus. It's a very small shop, so there's not a huge amount of choice, but the friendly atmosphere keeps their noses in front of the rest.

As Gavin has already mentioned, Irvine's isn't the largest newsagents around but boy to they know…read morehow to make the most of the size and it's full to bursting with goodies. I popped in here the other day for a magazine to read on the train and some chewing gum and I also noticed that this place has a really nice friendly atmosphere. As far as newsagents goes, this one is pretty darn good!

Quick easy convenience store in Wales. Carries most items but I prefer Aldi or Adsa in Wales.read more

Oh! I thought this was a Metro. It's so much bigger and better-stocked than its little cousin down…read morenear my house that I just assumed it must be. (What world is this that I am able to make unconscious assumptions about the kind of Tesco I'm in? Ugh.) Anyway. It's bigger and better-stocked. That's why I thought it was a Metro. It's also pretty tidy most of the time and last time I went in, there was a nice young man from Stoats giving away free samples, which was fun. The tills are fairly well laid-out... I don't really know what else there is to say. It's a Tesco, and just a Tesco, and it's got nothing particularly out of the ordinary to recommend it, but it's juuuuuust fine.

Stopped off here to pick up some groceries and snacks. It has a decent variety of food but not the…read moremost orderly store and the employees seemed grumpy which was unusual given my experience with others in town.

This Sainsbury's Local store is in a useful location on Shandwick Place, just off Princes Street in…read moreEdinburgh city centre. The selection is mixed, they have a great to-go food and drink section, which includes a Costa Express machine, however, the stock of essentials and groceries wasn't too good while being at the usual inflated convenience store pricing. The layout of the store was easy enough to follow, but due to the presence of security gates, you will need to go through the checkout area even if you don't buy anything, which can be a pain, especially if there's a big queue and the item you wanted to purchase is out of stock. There are a couple of hotels nearby, so this can be a great stop to get a couple of things to take back to your room, without having to travel far, but better alternatives for sure around the city. 3*

I used to make regular visits to The Paper Rack on my way between Edinburgh Uni buildings at George…read moreSquare and The Mound. I have some sort of messed up metabolism and need to eat about every 30 minutes. I don't like eating a lot of snacks and junk food so having a purveyor of some healthier alternative (a rare find) on my route is great. On my visits I would buy from their great selection of cereal and smoothie bars to fulfil my calorie needs. Having said this The Paper Rack does have a good selection of snacks and junk food as well as (for some reason) decent quality tinned biscuits. As has already been mentioned they also have a good selection of papers and magazines, a must for all newsagents. The staff serving me were always on the phone but managed to still be perfectly pleasant. They seemed to charge me something different every time for the same item, but it was always cheaper than the other nearby newsagent.

A newsagent's can only be so good I suppose, but with the rip-off haven of the Royal Mile just a…read morefew yards away, I really can't think of a better option round here for fags, chewing gum, scratchcards or gossip fuelled tabloids. With a selection of mags that almost rivals International Newsagents down the road, minus the foreign ones, it's very well stocked, and they also sell the fantastic Brannigan's crisps, the king of potato snacks and often annoyingly awkward to find.

Another branch of convenience store Margiotta, this one is well stocked and well organised. It has…read morea good selection of tinned food including an extensive range of the delicious Baxters Soup and I was over the moon to see they had my favourites; chicken broth and cock-a-leekie. Excellent from a convenience point of view and they also stock birthday cards and a good range of magazines and newspapers. They have a good range of wines, bottled beers and spirits so if you're looking for a tipple or need a carry out for a party, Margiotta can sort you out.

I'm a big fan of this shop and not just because I can see it from my kitchen, it's because it's…read morefabulous value for money. It is rare that a shop like this is able to compete with all the big name stores in the area, but ti does and it does it by offering great quality and value. It's eggs for example are about 50p cheaper per dozen than anywhere else in the area and we would never consider buying them elsewhere. Beyond rambling on about how many great deals you can get from here the best thing I can do is to tell you about how popular it is. I sit in my kitchen and watch the people go into this shop and I can tell you that someone goes in consistantly every 3 minutes or so during the busier parts of the day. If it wasn't delivering it simply wouldn't be this popular. It is well worth coming here it feels a bit like a large corner shop, but it is great value for money.

Although a little scruffy with its appearance, an awkward isle layout and random product placement…read morejustify this, the Tollcross Superstore houses plenty of useful items and convenient buys. There's a whole row donated to Polish brand pickles, a variety of rice layering the next and the odd unusual packet of spice here and there. Cheap, cheerful, convenient. Nothing more.

It does what every other Tesco's does. It's cheap (ish) , it has loads of stuff that you might…read morepossibly want and it has very accommodating opening hours. But any time I have bought my lunch there, it feels like some kind of compromise of price over taste. Still, just because the food is manky, it shouldn't reflect badly on the shop staff who always seem nice, if a little harassed due to there being two tills, two self service tills (one frequently breaks) and not enough staff for a busy shop.

There's a Tesco Express at Fountainbridge that offers a wealth of variety for the local student…read morepopulation. The fresh sandwiches come in a vast range of unusual fillings, fillings I had no idea Tesco even offered. They have all the essentials and enough space to whisk around at a steady pace and get your weekly shopping done. I wish Holyrood's Tesco Express was more like theirs. They're like the Express that Tesco forgot, still packing sandwiches like Just Ham and Just Cheese. As a regular (and the Duke) it's embarassing. The aisles are narrow, there are pillars everywhere and they don't stock anywhere near what other Expresses and Metros in the near vicinity do. The fridges have the most random array of fresh meats and ready meals, the rice and pasta section is about two shelves big, woeful, just woeful. Given the amount of colleges, universities, offices and residential areas around, it beggars belief why they didn't buy a bigger space, or at least re-design the space they have.

I've only ever been to this grocery with the express purpose of purchasing beer. You see, I have…read moreinsiders all over the city. People with important and useful information. In this case: a friend of mine who used to be obsessed (within reason) with the Brauhaus knew that the guys who ran the Brauhaus also ran this grocery. And that the quality of the beer was similarly amazing. And it is. There are about three different kinds of Erdinger! And Sierra Nevada! And Wiehenstephan. There's so much good beer it's practically impossible to do a quick shop. I mean, I can spend up to 15 minutes ogling all the beer in a pathetic attempt to make up my mind. They also sell food here, by the way. Like any grocer does. And tights. And tobacco and etc. But. The. Beer. Sadly, not cheap. But, this is good stuff we're talking about here.

With supermaket chain stores dominating the markets ever more, its hard to fine a general…read moreindependent grocecy store, let alone one that manages to keep its prices lower or equal its big name rivals. You won't find Nina's Mini Market cheaper for everything, but bare essentials like milk or butter tend to be of competative prices. Of course the selection isn't as great either, but that is to be expected. As is often the case with independent shops, you will also find brands you might not otherwise come across. So there you go. Low prices with the added bonus of supporting local independent shops in a central location.