bazaar

Jenners, Princes Street, Edinburgh

Reputation: "The Harrods of Edinburgh", though with its wooden balconied central hall, it feels more like Liberty, with a dash of Selfridges. Jenners celebrates its 150th birthday this year.

Facilities: If you had a flat there, you'd never need to go out, even if you required a photographer's studio, beauty salon, cashpoint, property bureau or chiropodist's (which, rather cruelly, is on the fifth floor).

Customers: Tartan-mad tourists, old women in velour hats taking morning tea and the Queen (neither wearing a velour hat nor taking tea).

Service: Excellent. Jenners still keeps the personal touch. And although it may be more expensive than John Lewis, at least it takes credit cards.

Do buy: Moschino, Calvin Klein, etc: Jenners is one of the best places in Edinburgh for designer labels. Although the Food Hall isn't a patch on Harrods - too low ceilinged and full of tartan biscuit tins by half - it does provide a home to the delicious Jenners Truffles (pounds 2.25 a quarter).

Don't buy: Musical haggis (pounds 3.95), Scottish bagpipe chanter kit (pounds 21.95), plastic "safety" skean dhu (pounds 13.95)

1 Bromsta double-frame futon ...........................................pounds 42

2 Garlinge futon mattress ..............................................pounds 59

3 Ivar shelf .......................................................................pounds 33

4 Pixbo chair ............................................................................... ounds 74

5 Billy bookcase (oak) ..................................................................pounds 75

6 Kvilla two-seater sofa .................................................................pounds 285

7 Mantrop two-seater sofa .........................................................pounds 198

8 Agen wicker armchair ...................................................................pounds 25

9 Billy bookcase (red/brown) ............................................pounds 75

10 Garlinge double futon mattress .....................................................pounds 84

It is hot work trying to cool down. Our search for electric fans shows that is still possible to buy one if you do some homework and do not mind spending pounds 75 or more. All the fans listed were in stock when we rang on Wednesday. But they move fast, so call before setting out to make sure the shops still have some.

Do It All (0800 436436) Sold out throughout its 198 stores. A spokesperson said: "We get our fans from abroad and have to order them at least three months in advance. It's a bit like ordering Christmas decorations - very difficult to predict. If we order too few, people say 'Why don't you order more?'; if we order too many, they are expensive stock items to hold over the winter."

Sainsbury's Homebase (0181-784 7742) A spokesman said: "Most stores have some 7in fans available at pounds 14.99. We can't give availability of larger fans. Mostly we are out of stock and, when we do get them, they go immediately."

B&Q All stores are sold out of fans. They said: "We didn't expect the prolonged heat hitting all parts of the UK. Usually we would move stock around depending on regional weather variations - but we have no stock left to move! The next order of fans will be for next summer - we will be upping the order, though."

John Lewis London W1 (0171-629 7711) Has some classic black metal Micromark desk fans left, pounds 75.

Harrods London SW1 (0171-730 1234) A spokesperson said that the five phone extensions have not stopped ringing in the small electrical department with continual requests for fans and air-conditioning units. It only has Cinni fans from India in black metal or chrome, pounds 119 (desk) or pounds 150 (pedestal).

Conran Shop London SW3 (0171-589 7401) "We haven't got any and won't be getting any more till September. We could have sold so many in the last few weeks."

Selfridges (0171-629 1234) Have some black Micromark 16in desk fans in stock, pounds 89.99.

Compiled by Julie Aschkenasy

Simplug, pounds 1.99

It may not look much, but this is nothing less than a plug revolution. Ordinary 13-amp plugs have those irritating mini-screws that are hell to unfasten and tend to disappear into the carpet. The Simplug, however, has no screws: the wires are held in by small clamps that clip easily into place. And the cover slides on, so you do not need to screw that, either. They come in black, white, brass-look or antique brass from branches of Texas Homecare (or buy direct, for pounds 1.29 plus p&p, from Plugco: 01254 665632)

Twining's Iced Tea, 59-79p

Iced tea: you tried it at home by sticking ice-cubes into teabag- flavoured water. Somehow, something was missing. Apart from ingredients like lemon juice and sugar, that something was class. It is, after all, the rich colonial's cold cuppa. Twining's dainty little 250ml bottles denote the "By Appointment" pedigree - nothing as vulgar as those Liptonice cans or Snaffle pint bottles - and come in lots of delicate flavours (rasberry, peach, and Earl Grey, above). The only snag is the price: just watch your money slip noiselessly through your sweaty pores. From supermarkets and upmarket soft drink outlets.