From cassette tapes to water bombs and scented erasers, the Redditch petrol station shop has crammed with delights and even an original red phone box that greets customers inside the Murco VVS Service Station, off Junction 3 of the M42

A ‘time capsule’ petrol station has been compared to an Aladdin’s Cave packed with retro goodies.

From cassette tapes to water bombs and scented erasers, the Redditch petrol station shop has crammed with delights and even an original red phone box that greets customers inside the Murco VVS Service Station, off Junction 3 of the M42.

This year, the petrol station store marks 20 years at the spot and it’s clearly built up its stock from those two decades in the business. While it sells fuel cheaper than most in the region, currently at 134.7p per litre for unleaded petrol.

Packed to the rafters with everything from greeting cards to bingo dabbers; Prosecco to glitter hair spray and even invoice books to ink cartridges for fountain pens, there’s a gem around every corner.

This independent petrol station, on the junction of the busy A435 Alcester Road and Beoley Lane at Branson’s Cross, is even open 24 hours, reports Birmingham Live.

Going wild in the aisles among items I haven’t seen since I was a child, there’s glistening retro gems that draw me from shelf to shelf amongst the more practical household and freezer food.

Standing proud in the back corner among the the vintage red phone box, which the shop assistant explains the owner came back with around 15 years ago.

“He’s had lots of offers from people wanting to buy it but won’t part with it,” she chuckles.

She also adds that they “always aim to have the cheapest fuel around Redditch and surrounding areas” too.

Rows of greeting cards for all occasions lead you into the store, but continuing past the toilet roll and halogen lightbulbs, I pass the wide array of Fray Bentos pies in a tin to reach the corner of more unusual items.

There’s a good stock of office stationery for the business person in your life. Books of invoice papers, reporters notepads and some 1980’s-looking charming ‘While you were out’ notepads in a champagne pink colour that have tickboxes with degrees of urgency from someone who simply “called to see you” to “wants to see you” and if it’s really “urgent”. I’m really tempted at just £2.79.

Then there are the packs of TDK cassette tapes that really take me back to my days of recording Wham’s Last Christmas and other hits from Radio One while listening to Bruno Brookes. I don’t have to buy the pack of 10 as the shop is selling them individually.

Nearby are the packs of washable ink cartridges in black and blue ink for any fountain pens forgotten in a school pencil case.

They will go well with the six pack of scented erasers in fruity odours including strawberry, blueberry and apple. There’s even an assorted colour of bingo dabbers that are urging you to ‘Dab me, don’t squeeze me!’.

Crafters and children alike will adore various options of glitter pens, mini pots of paint and Do It Yourself greeting card packs with a range of shiny accessories for just £1.99.

The celebration aisle, as I like to call it, also features spotty vibrant paper tablecloths, children’s party invites with retro cartoon drawings, England flag temporary tattoos and stickers and word game puzzle books.

There’s even glitter hair spray but best of all are the packs of 20 water bombs that open up a whole world of excitement just waiting to happen.

Every inch of this shop is covered with items, from the wooly hats and gloves hanging from the ceiling to the stands with sweets, eccles cakes, cake decorations and toiletries.