NEXT CLOTHING FOR HALF THE PRICE (George by Asda)

Member Name: jacklover

Product:	George by Asda
Date:	09/07/04 (35202 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap and cheerful

Disadvantages: No online shopping

Now, I'm not a cheap skate but I'm always on the look out for a bargain. I love shopping and when it comes to clothes, shoes, accessories and underwear my debit card reaches a weak point. I enjoy mixing both quality, expensive clothing and cheap and cheerful clothing in my wardrobe - That way I'm not spending as much as I probably would like to but getting the same amount of clothes!

After moving a little out of my home town of Colchester into a nearby village, West Bergholt I realised that ASDA was now our nearest accessible superstore. I'd never really been interested in ASDA, Sainsburys was more our thing but now it seemed more appropriate to start visiting ASDA.

BIG MISTAKE...

I think I've probably spent hundreds of pounds in ASDA over the last few months and thats excluding the food shopping! There are many things I love about ASDA, here are a few ideas:

CD's and movies are cheaper than most places
Greeting cards are dirt cheap
Electronic accessories are amazingly good quality and also cheap
The clothing is super
Food is super value
Great food in the cafe
Super, friendly staff

I could write an endless list especially as our ASDA branch is currently being extended into a WALLMART ASDA which will end up being huge! They will then sell bikes, childrens toys, TV's, DVD players and best of all more clothes! (As well as much, much more!) However this review I've chosen to write is based more upon the 'GEORGE' part of ASDA which revolves around the clothing.

GEORGE is the clothing section of ASDA superstores. GEORGE clothing is designed by the same designer of NEXT clothing (The highstreet shop and mail order catalouge!?) Theres one difference in the clothing though, not the designs - the price! GEORGE clothing tends to be less than half the price of NEXT clothing! YES it's true! So if you enjoy shopping at NEXT, why not take a peek at ASDA'
s own brand...?

THE CLOTHING

Wow, where do I start? We have womens, mens and childrens clothing. Outfits for all occasions! The womens clothing contains a lot of variety, there are lots of summer/winter tops depending on the time of year, loads of trousers and skirts and tonnes of underwear. The male section contains a lot of T-Shirts but you can also pick up suits, shirts, ties, dressing gowns, underwear, jackets and jeans. The childrens section also contains everything a child would need PLUS dressing up costumes depending on the time of year.

The ranges are fantastic and prices are unbeatable. Here are a few examples of things I have previously bought:

Mens smart shirt - £7
2 pack of silk ties - £5
Mens logo T-shirt - £8
Womens bra and knicker set - £10
Womens dressing gown - £13
Womens casual logo top - £6
Womens smart, black, bootleg trousers - £15
Womens cotton thong/knickers - £2
Toddlers top and trousers - £8
Teenagers jeans - £8
Teenagers casual summer top - £4

Can you believe those prices!? The best bit is the quality isn't that bad either! I've never had any problems with any of my products - obviosuly you would expect them to wear after a while but for the price you've payed - are you that bothered?

ACCESSORIES

Although clothing is the main part of GEORGE there is much, much more to choose from including accessories. Now these too are dirt cheap and although not the best quality - they are reasonable enough. Here is a list of available accessories in most ASDA stores:

Jewellery - Ranging from childrens colourful plastic bangles to womens gold necklaces there is a huge range of jewellery available. For children there are small stands that offer bracelets, clip on earrings, rings and necklaces all for under a fiver. Whilst the more sophisticated section is based around an actual jewellery section like it would be in a jewellers. (Not
sure if this features in all ASDA stores) This too is not very expensive and offers a wide range of silver and gold accessories and brilliant gift ideas.

Hats/Scarfs/Gloves - Depending on the time of year, these accessories will vary in amounts but when they are in there are lots of them, catered for all ages and unbeatable prices!

Bags - I love this part of GEORGE. The female bag section is amazing. Although it only consists of a few actual bags, the variety is great and you will never be able to buy a simalar bag from anywhere else for the price you pay. You can also buy childrens bags and males too. Holiday suitcases are available in some ASDA stores but this is not part of GEORGE itself.

Ties/Cufflinks - A wide range of ties, cufflinks, tie hangers, personal mirrors and male grooming 'things' are available from GEORGE. I recently bought my Dad a nice tie hanger for £5 and a 2 pack of silk ties for a fiver!

Hankerchiefs/Socks - Hankies and socks are available for both sexes, all ages and in all colours! Cheep and cheerful too!

Hair Accessories - Childrens hair accessories are great and only really range from £1-£3! They are colourful and cheap birthday presents. The adults hair accessories are more part of the main ASDA store.

There is also a make up section within ASDA stores but this is not part of GEORGE.

FOOT WEAR

The footwear is just as great as the clothing. Cheep, cheeful and great variety! The womens footwear is superb, all occasions are catered for - evenings - daytime - work - casual. A nice pair of strappy heels will only set you back £20 max which I think is well worth it when you compare prices with Topshop and other high street stores. I just bought 3 pairs of summer flip flops the other day, pink, black and yellow - they were £3 a pair! I bought a pair last year that managed the summer so I've bought more, they're great! Mens footwear is a lot more simple a
lthough you do have a nice selection of trainers and casual/smart shoes, again prices are really low and I would guess quality is of a reasonable standard. Childrens shoes are really popular, there is so much variety - all sizes and so cheap!

THE SALES

GEORGE tends to have regular sales and they are good although if you don't get there early you are only left with the size 16+ clothing! (Not too sure about the mens items!) You can find really good bargains in the childrens section though so I'm told!

REFUNDS AND CUSTOMER HELP

Asda are great in general about customer help, as the advert says, 'they're always happy to help!' If you need particular sizes, any info or just some help there are usually quite a few staff scattered around the GEORGE area who are always willing to help. Refunds are really good. If the product is unwanted just return it as soon as you can in its original condition! (I think there is a time limit like 28days for example) They are not generally fussy about receipts either!

CHANGING ROOMS

The changing rooms at my local store are spacious, comfy and there's about four of them which is quite good. However I do sometimes feel a little insecure about using them as it seems a little weird to strip off in the middle of your local superstore!?

LEAFLETS AND THE INTERNET

You will find many leaflets and magazines which are free of charge at the tills in your ASDA. These sometimes contain a nice range of GEORGE clothing which gives you an idea of the styles they do (Which is most things!) You will see pictures and prices but unfortunately the items can only be bought in store - there is no other way. The internet is also a no-go for buying. Although you can maybe purchase your food shopping online, GEORGE is strictly in the shop buying only. You cannot even go through the ranges of clothing on the internet either which is a bit of a bummer!

WEBSITE: w
ww.asda.co.uk

CONCLUSION

As I'm sure you can tell, I really enjoy shopping at ASDA and the GEORGE range is fantastic. Always dreamt of filling your wardrobe with 'Next' clothing? Well you can - just pop into your local ASDA!

It may not be everyones ideal shopping heaven but for some people it is. Not everyone can afford top designer brands all the time! At ASDA the variety is superb, the prices are unbeatable and the staff are fantastic. It may not be your cup of tea but theres no harm in trying right!? Thanks for reading everyone.

Emma x

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