Nice little place this, I used to say hello to the guy who runs it when I went in regularly. These…read moredays I don't swing by so often and I don't think he remembers me. When I used to be travelling between Sutton and Wolves and addicted to extra strong mints and Lucozade, this place would provide me with my fixes for the journey. If I didn't have a book on the go, it'd sort me out with a paper to do the crossword in. Plus this shop isn't a rip-off unlike the vending machines you find on platforms or the shops at New Street, which happily rob you blind. Ultimately, this shop is Ideal for commuters first thing in the morning and then a handy little extra feature of the station for travellers the rest of the day.

This is the closest Sutton Coldfield can get to 'Brief Encounter'…read more Sadly however, you're not likely to see Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard here conducting a poignant, innocent middle class tryst. But, this impossibly retro newsagents carved into the heart of Platform 1 still feels like something from a by-gone era. Fortunately for the commuters, at this busy station the stock belongs to today, giving customers everything they need as they negotiate rush hour. I hope these Suttonians know how lucky they are. I can't help feeling a bit jealous as I see the locals quaffing coffee and nibbling muffins as they board the train as I have get on at a shopless station before Sutton. Yes, I'm happy enough with my free Metro but it would be nice to have a shop like this to make my journey that bit more comfortable. I pop in whenever I can, close my eyes and imagine the steam trains that once used to chug by this great little shop.

This place is a lovely gem for those in the locality, The man who is usually serving is very…read morefriendly and builds great rapport with regulars. It's great for the usual corner shop finds: sweets, chocolate, cigarettes, fizzy drinks. What is great about this place is that you can also pick up fruit and veg! When my friends and I are cooking we often pick up last minute ingredients from the General Food Store. I have, on more than one occasion, headed round with a list in my head (too good for pen and paper) and returned with an odd assortment of things none of which were integral to the meal. I popped in once on the off chance they might have plastic cups for the wine I was taking to the park (the sun makes this sort of behaviour acceptable) and he did! What a lifesaver!

When I lived around the corner from here a few years ago I used this place on a regular basis, and…read moreI was always amazed it stayed open. They had some tired looking veg out the front and a handful of tinned goods inside a very bare shop. Arriving home from work late it was, however, a convenient place to pick up a pint of milk, or an onion, or some other essential that I needed in order to eat, or have a cup of tea. Since then, however, it appears to have thrived and survived and is now a charming little local store. Clearly those early days for the store were a struggle and having managed to get through that, they've now turned it around and stock a lot more of life's essentials. They are also open quite late so if you are in the area, or live nearby, it's a good place to remember for when you run out of milk, or cigarettes.

Spar on Brindley Place is a decent-sized unit, the store is modern and much more attractive…read moreaesthetically than most other SPAR stores I have visited in the past, it also includes a coffee machine and counter from Philpotts. The location is good, it's quite central within the Brindley Place area of Birmingham and a short walk away from the Hilton Garden Inn. I did find the prices to be a little high, even for a convenience store, making it much more expensive than the Sainsbury's Local around the corner. The selection in the store seemed fine, they did have a selection of brands in most areas including milk - many SPAR stores just sell their own brand of milk, but this one sells Cravendale which is useful for me (although the price is very inflated). 3* - A modern convenience store in a useful location, normally open until 11 PM, although the prices are offputting.

If you are a fan of having to carry your ID everywhere and of the Sun newspaper then this is the…read moreperfect Spar for you.....let me explain! Now I like to think I am looking ok approaching 30 but I am under no illusion that I do not look 17 anymore....or 25 really but on occasions I have been refused service of alcohol here due to not having ID. I fully respect the laws surrounding alcohol and its consumption but surely you have to use your discretion at points.....this Spar does not seem to do so if you are going to buy a beer or bottle of wine on your way home......don't forget your passport or driving licence! The latter half of my opening statement is due to the fact that if you go into this Spar later in the evening you can get a free Sun newspaper. Totally not my thing but I mean sometimes I will take one......incase I need to clean the windows in the flat! I find that newspaper is the best way to get glass clean with a decent glass cleaner on! Kim and Aggie have taught me well! Other than that there is a basic selection of food and drinks here....everything you would expect for a local shop with the hidden surprise of a Subway at the back. Overall decent.

I walk past this place every day on my way to work and I believe it to be a new opening. It's quite…read moresmall on the inside at the moment, they are doing up 'the other half' at the moment and last time I went in you could smell the paint! So at least they are doing something to improve it. There's the standard stock of milk, food and lunch time goodies as well as wine and beer. It's in a good location at the bottom of Corporation and should get a lot of food traffic as it's near the University, the hospital and the police station and if nothing, its some competition to Tescos! There is a 50p charge for cards at any price but there is a free cash machine which is useful as there aren't that many on this side of town.

Tesco Express on High Street in Solihull is a large location for an "Express" store, it is in a…read moregreat location within the town, it is close to multiple bus services and opposite Touchwood Shopping Centre. It represents more of a quick grab and go shopping experience, compared to the large Waitrose nearby. The store was relatively modern and it had a nice feel to it, compared to some other Tesco Express stores, which can sometimes feel a little dated. They had a nice selection of to-go food and drink, with a small selection of essentials including alcohol, and a Costa coffee machine. 4* - Useful store within the town, it can be a little awkward at times asking people to get past when busy, but that is typical with these types of stores.

Visiting the Custard Factory whether its for fun, shopping or a meeting always seems like a trek…read moreeven though its not that far from the city centre shopping at all, even so its good to know there is a standard issue newsagents on hand for chocolate, sweets, a drink and a magazine or two. Quick speedy service and just what you need if you are late for lunch at Yumm Cafe.

This is my favourite little corner shop and it's even better for me because it's located in the…read moreCustard Factory where I spend most of my days. They have everything that I need even things I didn't think they'd have but when I've asked I've received: from, plastic spoons, to plastic cups and more. It's a really handy shop and the staff in the shop are really friendly. They always smile and provide a fast service making sure you are not waiting in long queues, which wouldn't be nice because the store is quite small. Though it's small, like I said before it's packed with everything you need. So, if you are ever in the Digbeth area and need to corner shop with a drink, sweets, crisps etc visit H S News.

No air once Again sort it out not good enough ! Every time i go you have no air for a petrol…read morestation this is not good enough ..

Manual scales in place. Funny that the store in Telfiord still uses the electronic scales. 17/11/11…read moreStill no sign of the scales returning. They have supposed to have ordered manual scales rather than the previous electronic ones that kept failing. Add to the fact that twice now I have encountered goods wrongly priced: Flowers in a bucket for £5 turned out to be £10 Excuse: Customers putting things in the wrong place. Unfortunately, the argument didn't hold as there was no bucket marked £10. Half priced batteries was 13.99 for 18, sale price: 6.99. At the till they were 7.99. Excuse: Offer must have ended, but shelf price not updated. If the offer had ended then the price should have come up at 13.99!!!! One bonus is that the staff are really helpful and friendly, even if sometimes the excuses used by some are not quite right. Now dropping to to two star. 23/8/11 I go away for a couple of weeks' holiday and return and find that the scales have disappeared at the Redditch store. I am not sure if this is across the whole chain. This is ridiculous. How am I now supposed to get the right loose quantities for a recipe? I have been to customer services and they have said I could get them weighed there, but this would mean getting in a queue each time. Alternatively, bring the whole amount in one go and go backwards and forwards to either return items or get extra items to meet the weight I require. I'm not looking for fancy scales that will print the price and weight, and connect to the store's database. I just need to be able to put things on a scale and ascertain the weight of the goods. Is that too much to ask? What next? Remove the scales at the deli, fish and meat counters? It was interesting to note that the cashier I asked today didn't even know that the scales had been removed. So there seems to have been little consultation with the staff. There wasn't even a notice to explain why they have been moved. I then found out from customer services that they kept breaking down. What this now means that they have reduced the customer service by not providing an obvious tool to the shopper. I think that this may be the start of a trend within supermarket in general.

In a way, Taylors is quite a strange little shop. It sits about two-thirds of the way down Coles…read moreLane, next to the entrance to the football ground. To all intents and purposes it looks, smells and feels like a newsagents. Only it doesn't sell newspapers. It sells fags, sweets, groceries and bakery-esque stuff but if it's a newspaper you want, you have to go to the shop called Shop on the corner of the lane. It also doesn't open late like most newsagents or corner shops. Taylors has been going for years and does what it does pretty well. It's popular with schoolkids because as well as the usual array of chocolste bars, it sells sweets out of jars behind the counter, something other nearby shops don't do. It's also popular with local residents who I'm sure keep up on all the gossip when they visit to pick up odds and ends.