• General -
    When you arrive in Cambridge, you're probably going to lack many essentials (e.g. dishes,
    cooking ware, utensils, alarm clock, etc.) because you just couldn't haul them over from the US.
    If you're looking for low price, a good place to start is Argos, which is located at the Grafton
    Centre. You can buy just about everything but food at Argos and all purchases are made by
    selecting items out of a catalog. (For a glimpse, visit http://www.argos.co.uk/). For more
    standard department stores, you can go to Marks & Spencer (Market Hill and Sidney St) in the
    City Centre. Leaving the City Centre, there is Robert Sayle, Bhs and Debenhams, three
    department stores located in the Grafton Centre, and Tesco (described in section 3.1). If you're
    looking to decorate your room, there is usually a big poster sale held in the Guild Hall during
    Freshers' Week.
    For general shopping, you can visit the Grafton Centre, a large shopping mall (includes food
    court and movie theater) located outside of the City Centre. For a list of stores, you can visit http://www.camcity.co.uk/cambridge/Grafton_Centre/. There is also the Lion's Yard shopping
    center, which is located downtown (across from Christ's College). To see a list of stores found
    here, visit http://www.camcity.co.uk/cambridge/Lion_Yard/.
  • School supplies -
    There are several bookstores in downtown Cambridge, including Heffers (on Trinity St),
    Waterstones (on Sidney St), and a huge Borders (Market St). (The role of textbooks in
    Cambridge is discussed in section 5.3.) Books (excluding textbooks) are generally more
    expensive in the UK than in the US, with paperbacks costing £7-10. The Cambridge University
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    Press has a shop opposite Gonville & Caius College, and University students get a 10% discount.
    You can find some general school supplies at bookstores stores and also limited items at
    Sainsbury's and Tesco. WHSmith (Market St) sells a variety of school supplies you may need,
    and is more affordable than Ryman (on Sidney St, next to Sainsbury's); both are stationary/office
    supply store and will have just about anything you're looking for (you can get a discount if you
    show your Cambridge ID).
  • Electronics -
    Maplin, located on St. Andrew's St, is a great place to look for electronics, from speakers to plug
    converters. Showing a student ID will get you a 5% discount. There are various other
    electronics and multimedia shops around Cambridge, including a Robert Sayle electronics store
    on Sidney St (though it won't be very cheap).
  • Pharmacies -
    Boots is comparable to CVS and there is more than one in Cambridge, the most central probably
    being the one on Sidney St (by Christ's College). Another pharmacy, which will do better in
    supplying you with drugs and medications, is Superdrug, located on Sidney St. Either of these
    options would be a good place to go for a wider (and cheaper) selection shower supplies than
    you'll find at Sainsbury's.
  • Bike shops -
    The Cambridge streets are filled with bike riders and there are plenty of bike shops around to
    meet the demand. Most will both sell supplies and do repairs. Because there are so many, you
    might want to shop around to get the best deal on whatever you're looking for. Shops include
    Ben Hayward's Bikes (on King's Parade), Howes Cycles (on Regent St), Action Bikes (on Hills
    Rd), Chris's Bikes (by Girton College), and several others on Mill Road. There is one wellknown
    shop in Market Square, but it is usually a rip-off.
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