The increasing dominance of the UK High Street by multiple chains takes some of the fun out of being in a different town.
I can go to Waterstones or La Senza or Monsoon pretty much anywhere - what's the difference whether I do it in Norwich, London, York or Bath? Fortunately some towns still have a thriving clutch of local retailers - old family firms, small boutiques, and specialised businesses.
Guildford's High Street might have a mix that's rather biased towards well-known brands, but as soon as you take the little alleys and smaller streets that run off it, you'll find an eclectic mix of shopping.
Guildford even has not one, but two hat shops.
Go through the arched gate of the Angel Hotel and you find a long, thin courtyard, with The Hat Box.
It really is a box, just one tiny room absolutely crammed full of hats and headpieces.
There are tweed and velvet hats, purple and red felt hats, fascinators and flat caps, berets and beanies - lots of hats for every day, as well as the usual wedding and Ascot hats.
Shoot off in the other direction down Castle Street and you'll find the Mad Hatter, where alongside the ready-to-wear and designer hats you can commission your own bespoke headgear from Chapeaux Kiki.
There are pashminas and gloves too and glorious Italian umbrellas with double skins, so that a staid black umbrella might open out to display a glorious shocking red under-side.
If you have a sweet tooth, head down Chapel Street to find Sweets, a traditional confectioners - the type with huge jars of toffee bonbons, chocolate eclairs, nut brittle, gobstoppers and coconut teacakes in the window.
If real retro sweeties to reclaim your lost childhood aren't quite your thing, the shop also stocks Belgian chocolates for grown-ups.
Lost childhoods can also be reclaimed at The Bear Garden in Jeffries Passage, which sells Steiff and Merrythought teddy bears.
You might not think it matters what kind of bear you get, but spend a little time with the bears and you'll see there's a huge amount of difference between an active, beady-eyed Steiff and a furry, bemused-looking Canterbury Bear.
There are even artist bears - Barbara-Ann bears in bright hippy colours, for instance - and animals from tabby cats to crocodiles, monkeys and bumblebees.
You can even get a polar bear for your children to ride - miles cuddlier than a rocking horse! Back to practicalities.
Tunsgate, through the great neo-classical gateway of the old Corn Exchange, offers a mixture of shops including electronics, cameras, and The Knob Connection, where you can find door, window and cabinet knobs, hinges, door knockers, handles and letter boxes.
If like me you've ended up with a lot of rather boring Ikea furniture, you can jazz it up with some new handles.
Tunsgate does have a few less down to earth shops, as well; Cry for the Moon sells antique and second hand jewellery, and is a compulsory window-stopping shop for anyone who loves jewels, with a window display full of fine Victorian and Edwardian pieces.
You may hear the tap-tap-tap of a planishing hammer, too, since the shop has a workshop on the premises and takes commissions as well as doing repairs.
If you still haven't found quite what you wanted, you might like to know that Guildford has three separate branches of Oxfam! Or on Fridays and Saturdays, you can visit the market in North Street, with a wide range of stalls.
There's pet food, jewellery, clothes, a fishmonger and a butcher, deli stalls, cut flowers, and freshly ground coffee - and there is an utterly sinful cupcake stall, from which I bought a wonderful sponge cake with dried fruit and pistachios.
I was amused to find in an eighteenth century map in the museum that North Street was originally called 'Upper Backside' - being the northern 'back side' of the High Street.
Besides this thriving market, there's a farmer's market in the High Street on the first Tuesday of every month, with over 50 farmers and local producers.
Definitely a shopping experience with a bit of a difference - and the lovely thing about Guildford is that you can combine this with a stroll down the cobbled High Street, admiring the architecture, or a trip up to the castle keep to look down across Guildford to the North Downs, a truly amazing view considering the very little effort required to get there.
I can't think of many better ways to while away a Saturday morning - perhaps with the promise of afternoon tea afterwards at the nearby Relish restaurant.