Picture this: it’s a grey, miserable day which you’re forced to spend inside with the future-in-laws and your PlayStation-playing boyfriend. Even though it’s Saturday (prime shopping day), you’ve got no chance of convincing anyone to accompany you into town for a browse through the stores. Faced with an afternoon of boredom (’We can listen to the football game on the radio if you want, and then the Thames Boat Race is on at 4pm on telly!’), you realise you have two choices. One: you can submit yourself to that dull, mind-numbing rainy-day gloom and end up wishing you’d spent the day in bed; or two: you can hit the online stores. I’m sure you can guess which one I chose.

After spending a good couple of hours browsing around, I’ve come to the conclusion that the UK is a far better place to live when it comes to online shopping, simply because postage is much cheaper and the selection is far greater. Here are the top ten UK-centric online stores I’ve come across today - some of them ship internationally, so even if you’re not UK based you can take advantage of my finds.

1. Amazon.co.uk - www.amazon.co.uk

Amazon has long been a favourite of mine as they offer a massive selection of just about everything, from books to DVDs to CDs to electronics and games to home-wares to toys to fashion items. Many a time I have found a rare book or import CD listed on Amazon which I haven’t been able to track down anywhere else. At Christmas, I placed a huge order for books and DVDs for presents for friends, and thrilled everyone with my online shopping prowess. Once you spend over a certain amount you also qualify for free postage, AND the Amazon Wish List program is, in my opinion, one of the best. Recommendations are generated from your wish list so you can discover new authors or musicians without having to browse for hours.

2. Waterstones - www.waterstones.co.uk

I love Waterstones, it’s so much nicer than WHSmith (which verges on being a supermarket, not a bookstore). Every year at Christmas, Waterstones put out a gift catalogue which I pore over eagerly looking for new reads. They have a fantastic selection of every subject I’m interested in too - Architecture, History, Art, Politics, Popular Science, and of course Fiction.

3. Boots - www.boots.com

I only realised that Boots have an online store yesterday, and I spent a huge part of this morning scrolling through their beauty products. Boots, of course, are one of the best (if not THE best) pharmacist/chemists in the UK, and if you’re looking for a good selection of beauty and make-up products, Boots Online has it all. Best of all, they have a load of promotions online - presently, 3 for 2 beauty products.

4. TopShop (and TopMan) - www.topshop.com & www.topman.com

I’m not necessarily a huge fan of the TopShop brand - their clothes are far more trend based than I prefer, and thus they can only be worn for a season or two. Having said that, their online store(s) are comprehensive and really easy to use, and I did find several bags listed in their Accessories section which I was tempted by. During the sales, TopShop also have a dedicated Sales section on their website, which is definitely not a bad thing!

5. River Island - www.riverisland.co.uk

Okay, yes, I’m probably biased, I do love River Island with a passion. Having said that, their online store is fantastic - very easy to use, great to scroll through if you’re browsing, and is updated almost daily with new items. I believe it’s also been voted the Best Online Retailer quite recently, which just goes to show I’m on to a good thing.
6. Zavvi - www.zavvi.co.uk

I still refer to this as Virgin in my head, but they are very firmly re-branded as ‘Zavvi’ and they’re sticking to it. The online store has a better selection than the physical stores, simply because you’re shopping through a central database attached to a warehouse - so if you’re looking for something rare or harder to find, the online store is the way to go. Not as cheap as Amazon.co.uk, but they’ve got some great membership benefits and you can visit the stores in person if you want to check out the products before you purchase.

7. TATE - www.tate.org.uk/shop

The best place to find slightly unusual or arty gifts - books, prints, home-wares, jewellery, toys; you name it, the TATE gallery shop online has it. It’s a great place to pick up memorabilia or souvenirs if you’re interested in an artist or exhibition currently showing, and it’s also handy for finding a present for the person in your life that has everything.

8. Ebuyer - www.ebuyer.com

I didn’t cotton on to Ebuyer until Rob pointed it out a few months ago, and I can see why he likes it so much. If you’re after anything computer or electronics, Ebuyer is the best place to start - simply because they often have great specials and deals on items they have bulk amounts of. We’ve found many a bargain just by browsing through, and it’s generally a lot cheaper than PC World.

9. Marks & Spencer - www.marksandspencer.com

Marks and Spencer is great for basics, but the clothes do tend to be a bit hit and miss. Their food, however, is the greatest creation known to man - and that’s why their online store makes my list. If you haven’t ever tried M&S Lemonade or their sweets selection, I pity you.

10. Accessorize - @ www.monsoon.co.uk
I used to work for Accessorize, and I loved it - each week we’d get our shipment of new products, and we’d take it in turns to open up a box and pull out the new additions to the store. It was like Christmas on a weekly basis… and we got to wear all the necklaces and bracelets we wanted whilst we were on the shop floor, too. Unfortunately, Accessorize closed its doors in Australia, which is why I stock up whenever I’m in the UK. Their online store is fantastic - a huge selection of bags and a great choice of jewellery and scarves makes it one of the best ways to find gifts for your friends without leaving the sofa.

Have you got any favourite online stores that I’ve missed? Care to recommend a site to me? Leave me a message in the comments. For more of my finds from my rainy-day online shopping, check out my Kaboodle profile.