Quidsworth

Foreign readers unfamiliar with English retail customs may find it slightly unbelievable that we don’t have a market of £1 shops so much as we have a veritable pantheon of them, atop of which stands the inimitable Poundland, closely followed by the ‘apparently now a chain’ 99p Store. Quite where Quidsworth of Kings Heath fits in, I’m not entirely sure, although their unintentionally hilarious tagline of ‘most items £1′ should give you some indication that their standards are not quite that of the big chains. However, that’s not saying a great deal really, and Quidsworth is a perfectly functional that (to its credit) lives up to its subtitle: most items are indeed £1. As expected, they do a real hodge podge of items, and probably a wider, more eclectic range of items than their nationwide competitors, with products including curtain tassels, hubcaps, party banners, and sweets. If you’re in need of a relatively item but can’t quite pinpoint exactly where would sell it, then Quidsworth is definitely worth a try.

Every now and again you need a mop bucket, or a doohickey for handing up towels, or a packet of yellow dusters. Those mundane, everyday items that always seem to run out just when you need them. Quidsworth is the sort of shop where you can all-​but guarantee they’ll have what you need, and usually for a song.
Aside from the plastic and cloth household essentials the rest of the stock rotates on a frequent basis and there is, to be fair, quite a lot of tat. However, the do have what seems to be a permanent selection of items for the garden which, as a keen gardener, comes in handy. I’m talking about stuff like twine, plastic ties for climbing plants — that sort of thing. Having Quidsworth nearby saves me from a fairly depressing trip to a homecare warehouse.
There is also a good aisle of dog and pet toys and accessories, so if you have furry friends you should probably take a look.

I found this store to be an average pound-​saver store. It was quite small inside and also quite dark, which I thought was a little odd. I came in here to look for a plunger and I found one, for a pound. Mission accomplished! The man behind the counter proceeded to try and sell me some of the items on the counter, which included key rings and pens, but I was not really interested. If I am buying a plunger then I am obviously not looking to buy key rings and pens, but he did try and that is fair enough I suppose! There were a lot of handy plastic containers for sale and general household items, such as plungers, which is useful to know if I need anything like that in the future. Overall, it is a standard discount store and where the staff are keen to get you spending.