Time for a Coffee and Chat (Chat)

Member Name: welshfruitbat

Product:	Chat
Date:	23/03/06 (280 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of stories

Disadvantages: Finishing it !!

~~ Background ~~

There is nothing I like better than settling down with a nice hot cup of coffee and my Chat magazine.

I have been reading Chat for a long time now and look forward to every Thursday when the new issue is out.

It costs 76 pence and is published by IPC Connect, which is part of IPC media, a Time Warner company. It is the ‘older sister’ of ‘Pick me up’ magazine.

As well as the normal issue’s which come out on a weekly basis, it also brings out specials, for example – Summer Specials, Christmas Specials, It’s Fate Specials, to name only a few. These normally cost around £1.50 and are also a very interesting read.

The particular one that I will be concentrating on for this review is the weekly one, and in particular the issue dated 19 January 2006.


~~ The cover of the magazine ~~

The cover of the magazine is brightly coloured and stands out on the shelf as it is red in colour. There is a picture of an attractive lady on the front, which is normally what the cover of each issue looks like.

There are also pictures of some of the people whose stories are featured in the magazine. Also printed are some of the titles of the stories featured in the issue – for example – ‘I sold my body to buy Lemsip’, and ‘Toilet Terror! I was frozen to the Loo!’, to name only a few.

The titles of the stories featured in the magazine are sometimes unusual and very intriguing – they make you want to buy the magazine in order to find out what is behind the title of the story.

It lists some of the competitions featured in the issue – for example ‘Win £50 every day this week! Instant anagram’.

The titles on the cover stand out as they are in a bold type and are normally yellow or white in colour, making them stand out well against the red background.


~~ The magazine itself ~~

Upon opening the cover, you are greeted with a double page entitled ‘Your lives, Your loves, Your laughs’. In this section you have the same headings every week, but different people writing in with their experiences. The headlines are ‘The day that changed my life’, ‘My wedding dress’, ‘My hunk’, ‘Story behind the picture’, and ’60 word fiction’, to name only a few. My favourite section on this page is the ’60 word fiction’, as people write in with their own short stories and some of them are very imaginative. Also included on this page are the magazine contents and page numbers.

If you send in a story of something that has happened in your life, you can get paid anything upto £500. In this issue there are a total of ten true life stories printed.

Another section is called ‘Your 2-minute Chats’. In this section you can write in if you have just a short story to tell. There are normally four stories printed on a double page.

There is always a double page on fashion and this issue concentrates on Pyjamas. This section is good because they cater for everyone’s budget – from the more expensive shops such as Debenhams and Knickerbox, down to the cheaper shops such as George (Asda’s own make clothes brand) and Primark. I think it is good that they decide to cater for everyone’s budget because then if you see something you like, then there is a version of it you can afford. There is nothing worse than looking in a magazine and finding something you really like, and then realising that it is more than you can afford to spend. It doesn’t just cover the clothes, it also covers the accessories. For example, this issue is highlighting pyjamas, so it also gives prices on slippers, hot water bottle and bed socks.

Another double page section is called ‘Your good health’. In every issue there is always an illness they cover in the ‘In the spotlight’ area. This issue talks about Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). I think it is good having an area like this because I think you need to be aware of your body and what certain symptoms of different illnesses are. Another part of this feature is ‘Fat Box’, which has peoples before and after weight and a brief synopsis of why they had decided to lose weight. There is also a ‘Tried and tested’ section, in which each week different cures are rated. In this issue it was ‘Kiddy cure’s’. Another part of this section is ‘Ask the Doc’ where you can write in for advice on your medical problems, and there is also ‘Ooh Matron’ which you can write in to with any embarrassing medical questions you may have.

‘Crimes of passion’ is a double page spread that appears every week. This covers a story about people who have murdered for love or money, and how they were eventually tracked down and caught by the police. What makes this section so good is that it is a true story.

Also appearing on a weekly basis is ‘our spooky stories’. In this double page spread, people write in with their supernatural experiences.

As with all weekly magazines it has a section dedicated to soaps, in which it gives you some information on the current storylines of our favourite soaps. This is usual if you have missed an episode.

Another section covered over a single page, is beauty. In this section you can write in with any beauty questions you may want help with. Every week a particular beauty product is examined in ‘3 of the best’. In this issue it was lash lengthening mascaras.

The magazine also has ‘The great chat giveaway’. This section is basically freebies which are being given away. For example this issue has 31 sets of beauty goodies worth almost £50. There are normally six different giveaways. You have the option of sending a postcard in for each one you wish to enter, or ringing a telephone number and entering upto all six in one telephone call, if you wish. At first glance, you would assume that the one telephone call would be the cheaper option than six postcards and stamps. Upon closer inspection you find out that the telephone line costs 65 pence per minutes and the call last between 1½ and 5 minutes. I worked it out that the cheapest the call will cost is about a £1 and the most expensive is about £3.25. I assume that the cheaper call is if you enter one giveaway and the most expensive is if you enter all six. I have personally never used the phone way of entry as I consider it to be too expensive, I always enter by post.

Another featured cover is ‘Where’s that then’. This basically gives information on certain destinations around the world. This issue covers the destinations of; Brno, which is South of the Czech Republic, Girona, which is in Northeast Spain, and Knock which is in County Mayo in the west of Ireland. The feature covers information on ‘Why I should go there’, ‘What is there to do’, ‘Places to stay’, and ‘Cost of having a holiday there’. There are also telephone numbers and websites addresses you can contact for further information. This can be really interesting as it covers places that I have not always heard of and I can find out more information if I want. It is also nice that they cover places in the UK as well as abroad, because not everyone likes going abroad.

There is a section called ‘Ruth the truth’, which you can write into to have some advice from the psychic agony aunt.

Another section is called ‘Chat to us’. This is basically your page where you can write in with your letters, stories, views and opinions. Every letter printed wins £20, a letter printed with a photo gets £25 and the star letter £50.

There is a section called ‘In your kitchen’, which has recipes, new products available and comparing products which are current available.

As with all magazines you have your weekly horoscope section.

A section called ‘Just kidding’ is where you can write in with your stories about your little ones.

‘Share with Denise’ is another problem page, where you write in and she gives you advice.

‘Blimey that’s clever’ is a section where people write in with hints and tips on how everyday items can be used in other ways. You get paid £15 for any tip that is printed, £25 for a tip with a photo and £35 for the star tip. I have found that some of the tips published are really useful.

There are a total of 19 puzzles printed throughout the magazine, which you can enter for prizes, for example - £500, £250, a holiday to Turkey and Jewellery to name a few. The good thing with this is that there is an entry coupon printed in the magazine that you fill in your answers on. You can put all your answers on the entry form. It doesn’t matter now many or few you enter – you will still just pay the price of a postage stamp and envelope.


~~ Advertising in the magazine ~~

The magazine has a total of 67 pages and in this issue approximately 14 pages are made up of advertisements. I think that for this particular type of magazine it is an average amount.


~~ Age range for this magazine ~~

I don’t really think that this magazine would cater for someone in their teens and early twenties, as they may find it slightly boring. I have been reading this since I was about 25 and now aged 30 I still love it. Once I have finished with it, I pass it onto my mum who is 60 and she likes it. She then passes it onto my gran who is in her eighties and she likes it as well. We certainly get our money’s worth out of this magazine in my family !! I would say it caters for all ages from 25 and above.


~~ Is it for men or women ~~

I know this sounds like a silly heading as it’s obviously a women’s magazine. You would be surprised to know though, that some of the true life stories, letters and tips are written and sent in by men. My husband even picks up my issue and has a read of some of it before it goes off to my mum. So yes it is aimed at the female sector of the market, but if yours mysteriously disappears, then go and find any male member of your family and they will probably have it.

I think it’s good that men read it, as they can sometimes get to see things from a woman’s point of view and can appreciate what and how we feel sometimes.


~~ My opinion ~~

This is a brilliant magazine. It caters for all ages – young and old. There is something that will appeal to everyone.

At 76 pence it is excellent value for money. If it was slightly more expensive, then I would probably still buy it, as it is such an interesting magazine.

My favourite sections in the magazine are ‘Spooky stories’. I find it very interesting reading about anything supernatural. It really does make you think ‘what if ……’

I also like the ‘Crimes of Passion’. It is scary how calculating some people can be. The way they plan a murder, conceal evidence, and create an alibi is truly amazing.

As it highlights so many true life stories, it really can make you appreciate how normal your own life is. When you read what some women and their families have to go through, you can really sympathise with them. It just brings it so close to home. We tend to moan and complain about the slightest thing sometimes. We just don’t always realise how lucky we are.


~~ Would I recommend ~~

Most definitely yes. It is a magazine, which is reasonably priced and well worth any penny.

I look forward to Thursday when its in my local newsagents and like to settle down straight away and read it. The only downside is finishing it !!!

Would recommend to anyone aged over the age of 25. If you are younger than that, then I would recommend you borrow one from someone if you can before you buy.


~~ Thanks for taking the time to read my review, Cath. ~~


Please note that this review has been previously published on Ciao under my username of Welshfruitbat

Summary: A reasonably priced magazine