No, please don't drag me to The Range! Please, nooooooo! (The Range)

Member Name: stuff10

Product:	The Range
Date:	20/07/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sometimes she doesn't make me go

Disadvantages: Too big, too much junk, in Scunthorpe

I'll admit it now: I hate The Range. Whenever I go with my wife we always end up arguing, which normally leads to public slanging matches followed by a few hours silent treatment before one of us (me) apologises and concedes that we really did need the portable walrus cleaning kit.

It's not that The Range is a particularly bad shop... it's more down to the fact that I hate shopping. And I especially hate this kind of shopping... Being dragged from one garden centre to another (usually on a Sunday morning, always in Scunthorpe) is such a waste of time that could be better spent asleep or sat in a darkened corner rather than having to face another half an hour wandering aimless around the store's aisle after aisle of pictures, mirrors, furniture, plants and other equally boring items.

Our local store (well, the one we go to most) is in Scunthorpe which is a depressing enough place to visit as it is without having to endure The Range as well. The Scunny store is located on a small estate with other successful businesses including No Frills DIY and MFI - both of which are now boarded-up and covered in graffiti. Which, at least means parking the car isn't an issue.

From outside, to be fair the store doesn't look too bad. It's distinctive blue and orange logo is instantly recognisable and immediately fills my heart with dread and makes my wallet quiver. The first test usually comes with about 20 seconds of entering as the wife peruses the picture frames and mirrors at the entrance. No dear, we don't need any more pictures... we haven't even been to New York, so why would we want a picture of the Manhattan skyline at night adorning our living room wall?

With the pictures argument over, we move further into the store and onto the birthday cards that they sell. Fair enough, it is auntie Betty's 80th birthday next week, so you probably should get that card for her. Next!

Toys... we don't have any kids, but at least the toys are fun to look round and fiddle with. However, after about 30 seconds I'm usually dragged off to the adjacent candle department where another debate ensues... Tealights (in case of a power cut) I can handle, but nobody needs this many candles! And especially not scented ones! The other half argues that they 'create a mood', I think she's been suggestive and so half a dozen go in basket.

Luckily for me, we've been in our house for 3 years and so we generally get to avoid the lighting and furniture departments, but she will drag me round the kitchen stuff - I suppose it is her domain after all! Luckily, my argument of not buying Coca-Cola branded glasses when they give them away for free strikes a very deeply-hidden money-saving chord with her and on we move to the barbecues...

Now, barbecues have been a constant source of friction for the last couple of months. The wife wants a shiny new one whereas I'm happy with disposable ones that you don't have to clean, put away in the winter or buy fuel for. Sadly, it's an argument that's still on-going and shows no real sign of ending, although I did manage to skip past them rather quickly yesterday.

With the home stuff out of the way, this is where the fun really starts: the garden centre. Now, I hate normal shops, but I REALLY hate garden centres. The embody everything that I hate about life - particularly wasted Sundays when I'd quite frankly rather be anywhere else than in a garden centre.

The Range's garden centre sells the usual crap... plenty of pots, plenty of plants, gardening gloves, water hoses... oh yeah, we do need one of them for the back garden actually, best pick one up... shears (we'll make do with the ones we've got thanks), secateurs (just use the shears), pop-up bins... ours has actually broke, best get one of them too.

Before you know if you've got half a dozen things in your basket that you don't want, but you probably do need. And that's the reason I don't like The Range... it's full of things that I don't WANT, but we do actually NEED.

Summary: I hate the place, but it can be useful