Shopping
Being a fairly large town, Oxford has a variety of shops. Most are clustered in the city centre and you should be able to find much of what you need within a short walking distance. The neighbourhoods of Cowley, Headington, Jericho and Summertown also have a number of shops, should you find yourself living further out from the city centre.
Department stores
Boswells in Broad Street.There are several department stores in the city centre where you can buy
items such as towels, pillows, cooking utensils, etc. Boswells, located on
Cornmarket Street, is one of the cheapest places, and it stocks pretty much
everything. As do Debenham's, located nearby on the corner of Magdalen and
George streets, and BHS, which is located further on Queen Street.
You may also want to try Argos on New Hall Street, which has a wide selection of items (especially electronics and home equipment) and is relatively cheap. You have to order from a catalogue available in-store and wait for a short while until your item is brought from their stock in the back. Very near Argos you can also find Robert Dyas Ironmongers. It is a small shop, but it keeps a range of useful hardware and household items.
Clothing
Oxford has a surprisingly extensive selection of clothing shops to suit every budget. Primark is the haunt for relatively inexpensive basic items and can also be a popular destination to purchase pieces for fancy dress occasions, such as college bops. High Street shops such as Karen Millen, Whistles and Coast are also well represented; whilst Debenhams and Marks and Spencer offer an extensive selection of attire for both men and women.
A little further out from Oxford, Bicester Village is a little shopping haven. It has a number of factory outlet stores, many of which sell luxury labels (including Ralph Lauren, Jimmy Choo and Burberry, among others) at discounted prices. It is only a 20-minute bus ride from Oxford and easily reached, with buses departing regularly from bus stop number C4 on Magdalen Street.
Caps and gowns (or sub-fusc)
Academic dress, or sub-fusc as it is known in Oxford, must be worn to all formal academic occasions, includeing Matriculation, so you will need to buy a mortarboard and academic gown. You should first check with the JCR or MCR or the Porter's Lodge at your college, if they have second-hand gowns. This is the cheapest option. However, because there are usually not many available, you should ask for one as early as possible.
There are a number of shops in the city centre that sell caps and gowns. These shops also buy and sell second-hand gowns. For new gowns, prices vary, so you should shop around. Shops that sell caps and gowns include Shepherd and Woodward on High Street, Castell and Son (The Varsity Shop) on Broad Street, and Walters of Oxford on Turl Street. You can also try Ede and Ravenscroft on High Street. While you may find it considerably more expensive than other shops, it seems to keep gowns of higher quality.
Undergraduate and postgraduate gowns differ. If you are not sure what you need, simply ask —the shops know all about it and all they need to know from you is the course that you are on. They can then find the right type and size for you.
Cosmetics, toiletries and medicines
Boots in Cornmaket Street.Boots, located at the corner of Cornmarket and Market streets, will have
almost everything you might need. Across from Boots, on Market Street there is
Superdrug, which also has a wide range of products and can be cheaper than
Boots. (If you live away from the city centre, there is a Boots on Cowley Road
as well). These shops – and some supermarkets – stock many common
items in their own house brands, and these are often cheaper than other brands,
while Lush on Cornmarket Street and Crabtree & Evelyn on Queen Street sell
hand-made soaps.
Boots, Superdrug and Boswells have in-store pharmacies. There are a number of other pharmacies in Oxford, too, such as Lloyds on Walton Street. For more information, see your college welfare webpage or visit this NHS pharmacy search website, which has a search facility and overview of the range of services pharmacies can provide. If you need to see a pharmacist outside normal working hours, the Pharmacy located at 59 Woodstock Road, near St. Anne's, Green and St. Antony's Colleges, is open from 9am until 7:30pm everyday.
Stationery
WH Smith, located on Cornmarket Street, is popular, and Rymans on High Street has almost everything that you are likely to need. Both stores also stock greeting cards. Staples, located on Hythe Bridge Street, keeps cheap stationery as well as office equipment and is well worth the visit if you can spare the time. The Works, with branches on Cornmarket Street and in the Westgate Centre, is a bit more accessible for most. While it does not have the same variety as WH Smith or Ryman's, it offers some good bargains and a range of art materials. Honest Stationary on Cowley Road (a few shops before Tesco) stocks a wide range of stationary at very competitive prices.
For specialist stationery, Scriptum on Turl Street sells handmade paper, wax seals, and leather-bound journals. It is fairly expensive and does not keep essentials or office stationery.
Books
Blackwell, Waterstone's and Borders bookshops.Blackwell Bookshop, located on Broad Street, carries most required texts
on reading lists. It is a huge store, with a great second-hand section up on
the very top floor. The staff here are helpful and knowledgeable, and if you
don't find what you are looking for, they can usually order the text for you.
Caffè Nero is also on the second floor. Blackwell's closes at 6pm.
Waterstone's is another bookstore in the city centre, located at the corner of Cornmarket and Broad Streets. It is open until 7pm (except on Sundays until 5pm) and also has a coffee shop. However, it has a smaller selection of books than Blackwell. Nearby Borders, located on Magdalen Street, is open the latest until 11pm (except on Sundays when it closes at 5pm). It has a Starbucks coffee shop, which is ideal for late night chats over something warm. Unlike Blackwell, Borders also keeps a wide selection of magazines. In addtion, you may want to keep an eye out for their student discount days, when you can buy books for as much as 20 per cent off.
As you may already know, Oxford is also home to Oxford University Press (OUP) and the Press has a shop on High Street.
As for second-hand bookshops, there is an Oxfam bookshop on St. Giles, just past St. Cross College, and another one on Turl Street. Jericho Books on Walton Street, Reservoir Books on St. Aldates, and Waterfield's on High Street also sell second-hand books. See Daily Information for more shops. You should also ask your JCR or MCR, who may have a bookshop or be able to get discounts from particular bookshops for their members. Students in the years ahead of you may be able to offer you books at a discount as well.
And at last and not at least, amazon.co.uk can be really handy, and is difficult to beat in price.
Bikes
The Bike Zone.When it comes to buying a bike, you will discover they can be found for any
price you are willing to pay, so you should be able to acquire one, whatever
your budget.
- Bike Zone (5-6 Market Street) is the most centrally located of the bike shops, selling both second-hand and new bicycles. You can also hire bikes here. Its strength is its convenient location, but if you're looking for affordability or range, then you may be better off heading to East Oxford where most of the rest of this shop's kindred are.
- Bee-line Bicycles (61-63), Cycle King (120-130) and Cyclo Analysts (150) on Cowley Road and nearby Reg Taylor (285 Iffley Road) provide a range of new and second-hand bikes. Cyclo Analysts also caters for bike enthusiasts with its specialty bikes.
- Oxford Cycle Workshop (39 Magdalen Road) in East Oxford is a non-profit community project that recycles abandoned bicycles for resale. They have a helpful website for newcomers to cycling and run the ‘Bike Doctor’ service, about which you can find out more in the Transport and Travel section of this Handbook or by visiting their website.
- Walton Street Cycles (78 Walton St) has a very informative website and you can also hire bikes from them.
In addition, if you are looking for a second-hand bike, you may want to check out:
- Oxford Union Bike Sale (Oxford Union, Frewin Court): this usually happens every Wednesday morning during term time. This is correct at the time of printing, but we would still advise you to confirm the exact day and time at the Union before actually heading down there at the crack of dawn in the middle of term! However, the Union does have a fair during Freshers' Week with a huge tent with bikes for sale from Cycle King.
- Daily Information: you could either take a look at the print version, which is usually pinned up on College notice boards in common areas, or visit the website, which is much more frequently updated.