The one stop shop (WH Smith)

Member Name: GroundZero

Product:	WH Smith
Date:	22/04/01 (575 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good range of magazines

Disadvantages: Mixed video and DVD chart, some uncompetitive prices

In terms of the range of goods they sell, WH Smith are one of the best all round shops on the high street. In addition to their main role as a newsagent, they sell videos, DVDs, music, books and stationery.

WH Smith stock a more comprehensive range of magazines than most other newsagents. In fact, the only shop I have found that offers a comparable range is Borders, the bookshop, which also sells some more obscure titles, like American imports. One minor complaint is that some titles can be hard to find after the first week they have been out. One of my favoured magazines, PC Plus is available in CD and DVD formats, but most of the time I can only find the (more expensive!) DVD edition.

The music selection is generally good, although their prices are not the most competitive. You can now buy most chart albums for around £9.99, either by shopping online or from your local supermarket. On saying this, I have quite often come across some real bargains where the store is having a clearout and a large number of CDs and tapes are all dumped into one big pile. You may have to rummage for a bit, but you can certainly pick up some real bargains. A few years ago I came across a copy of the latest REM album, just 6 months after it was released for £1.99!

The video and DVD selection is reasonable, although not as good as the specialist shops. Again, prices are typically more expensive than online, but they are comparable to other high street retailers. At the moment they have a 3-for-2 sale on (also applicable to PC-CD ROMs and Playstation 2 games), which at least means there is some chance of you getting a decent deal. Their software stock is disappointing, as they only really concentrate on the latest titles.

A recent development in many stores is a combined video and DVD chart, which in all truth is a nightmare. Instead of easily being able to distinguish which items are videos and which are DVDs, you now need to look more clos
ely, although the prices might give you an indication. Why WH Smith have chosen to do this is unclear; after all, the old method seemed to work well enough.

WH Smith also stock a reasonable range of books. Although by no means as comprehensive as places like Waterstones and John Smith’s, they offer a fair selection of the bestselling titles alongside the most popular books.

If you are a regular buyer, it may be worth getting hold of a WH Smith Clubcard, which works in a similar way to supermarket loyalty cards. The more points you collect, the more money you can redeem at a later date.

As an all round, one stop shop, WH Smith is hard to beat. The only comparable shop is Woolworths, who have a distinctly less modern image. As an avid buyer of magazines, I would be lost without WH Smith.

Summary: