Saturday Shopping Trips

Once upon a time, before online shopping and Deliveroo existed, Saturday was sacred. It was shopping day. You’d wake up buzzing — maybe eat a slice of toast, maybe skip breakfast entirely because town was calling — and you’d pile into the car with your mum, your Nan, or a mate. No one had any money really, but that didn’t stop us. A fiver felt like a fortune.

There was a ritual to it all. First stop? Probably Woolworths, because of course. The pick-n-mix was a rite of passage. You’d pretend to care about how much it cost but still load up on white mice, fizzy cola bottles, and those weird jelly burgers no one actually liked.

Next up: Claire’s Accessories. You didn’t need anything, but you needed everything. Rows of plastic sparkly nonsense that somehow made you feel like a style icon. You’d browse headbands, mood rings, lip gloss that tasted like battery acid, and probably buy a new pair of £2 stud earrings you’d lose by Tuesday.

Lunch? A cheeky sausage roll from Greggs or a Happy Meal if you were lucky. (And yes, the toy absolutely mattered more than the food.)

After that, it was on to WHSmith to browse Shout, Bliss, Mizz, and Top of the Pops — only to put them back unless you begged hard enough. You might’ve picked up a gel pen, some stickers, or a new notebook you didn’t need but felt emotionally attached to.

Maybe a dash through New Look, Tammy Girl, or the market stalls for a hoodie with glitter writing or a butterfly hair clip. Then, finally, home — knackered, full of sugar, and ready to lay all your loot on the bed like a dragon counting treasure.

Those Saturdays were simple, chaotic, and absolutely perfect. The freedom! The high of buying a new lip gloss! The way a trip to town felt like an adventure. No phones, no contactless payments — just vibes.

Daisy’s Corner 🛍️

Right, listen. I used to DRAG Amber to town every Saturday to ‘just look’ and then spend £14 I didn’t have. Once bought a neon green fedora from Claire’s and wore it unironically. If you’ve never tried on matching BFF necklaces with someone in a shop mirror and then immediately lost them both, you didn’t live. Also, shoutout to the 2007 Greggs sausage roll that burned my tongue and changed the course of my life. Iconic.