Supermarkets and corner shops
Good for: Food (especially fresh products), toiletries, household products, over-the-counter medicines 

In the UK, people can easily buy daily necessities like food, toiletries, over-the-counter medicines in local supermarkets and corner stores. Supermarkets usually offer more choices in products and cheaper prices, whereas corner shops typically open for longer hours. You can use the supermarkets map and corner shops map to find out what available stores are near you.

Online shopping
Good for: Almost everything 

Sometimes it is difficult to shop in person, or a particular product may not be available locally. You can then shop online. After choosing and paying for the items, your purchase would be delivered to you on the day specified by the selling / delivery company. 

Second-Hand Items and free item exchange
Good for: Expensive but essential items, like winter coats, furniture, or electronics 

Charity shops and second hand shops are also good places to shop for necessities like clothes and furniture. In the UK, many people like to donate used items that are still in good condition to charity organisations. The charity organisations will then sell those items to raise money for their works. You can find your local charity shops through the charity shop map, or shop through online charity shops like Oxfam, British Heart Foundation, Thriftify (for clothes) or Waste Not Want Not (for furniture and household appliances).

Sometimes people will instead sell their used items to second-hand shops for re-selling, or sell the items themselves at vintage sales and online marketplaces such as eBay, Facebook Marketplace or GumTree). These are good ways to buy serviceable items at a much reduced price.

Local free used item exchanges
Good for: Depending on the items on offer 

For those who do not like to waste, there are also local community groups offering unneeded items for free to members, or people living in the neighbourhood. You can ask local friends, or find out about these networks on social media platforms like Facebook. People will post about what they offer and what they need on these social media community pages and forums. And the future owner can pick up the items after contacting the current owner and arranging for a pick-up meeting. 

Some of these used item networks / websites are: 

• Facebook Marketplace (or Facebook community pages and groups) 

• Freecycle

• Freegle

• Trash Nothing

• Freeloved

You can also read about how to sign up for these used item exchanges and what to watch out for on Money Saving Expert. 

High streets, department stores, retail parks and outlets
Good for: More expensive items, like fashion, furnitures, or electronics 

Very often you can find easily-accessible streets passing through UK city or town centres which are filled with shops, restaurants, and entertainments. These are called high streets, and they are key locations for people to shop or just to have a good time. At city centres you can also find department stores, which sell a wide range of products, from clothes, furniture, electronics, household products to food. 

If you want to have a shopping trip out of town, you can also visit retail parks or shopping malls located on the outskirts of UK large cities or towns. They are one-stop shopping complexes with supermarkets, different stores ranging from DIY materials, furniture, electrical stores, and restaurants. They also often offer free parking. 

The pros for shopping on high streets, department stores and retail parks are that, as opposed to shopping online, you can look at the product in person before buying it. But items sold there are often more expensive than those sold online. If you want to look for a cheaper alternative, you can also have a look through the outlet shops, where brands sell slightly damaged or out of season goods at a much lower price. 

If you are wondering whether these shops are and how to get there, why not ask a local? Locals often are most knowledgeable about good shops and shopping centres in their cities and towns. Click here to be connected to a local through a church now. 

Pharmacies
Good for: health treatment suggestions, GP prescriptions, medicine, health products and toiletries

Pharmacies in the UK are so much more than a place to buy medicine and health products! For big pharmacy chains like Boots or Lloyds Pharmacy, they often serve as the first stop for local primary health care in the UK. You can drop in and ask for over-the-counter treatments if you have any minor illnesses, like a headache or a stomach ache. You can also go there with a GP prescription to buy your medicine. 

In addition, in the bigger stores they also sell health products (like vitamin supplements and flu medicine), skin care products, toiletries, beauty products, baby milk and formulas, or winter products like hot water bottles and electric blankets.