Will You Shop For It Or Argos It? (Argos)

Member Name: cazkins

Product:	Argos
Date:	27/09/08 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reasonable prices, simple & easy method of shopping, fairly good range of product choice

Disadvantages: Service isn't always super fast & items being in stock can be pot luck

A compact catalogue choc-a-block with goodies and all you have to do is pick what you want, go to the store, and pick it up...simple!

... Basic ...

Argos has been going for a fair few years now and has grown dramatically with over 700 stores throughout the UK. It gets a lot of media publicity both online, in the papers and on the TV so you always know when there's a new catalogue out or when offers are on. You can either use their website to view their products and check availability in your local store, or pop down to an Argos to pick up a free catalogue to take home and peruse at your leisure.

... Products ...

Argos offers a range of range of products in their main catalogue, in addition to their Home catalogue. The main catalogue covers purchases such as :

* Kitchen & Laundry
* Home & Furniture
* Garden & DIY
* Sport & Leisure
* Health & Personal Care
* Jewellery & Watches
* Gifts & Hobbies
* Home Entertainment (& Sat Nav)
* Video Games
* Photography
* Office, PC & Phones
* Toys & Games
* Nursery

Whether you're after small items, such as cutlery and ink cartridges, or larger items like sofas, gazebos & televisions, Argos offer a good variety. The catalogue tries to help indicate which items require home assembly but on larger items home delivery is probably the best idea.

... The Store ...

The store has a good colour and arrangement which is universal across all their UK outlets so it does appear organised. Store catalogues are available for you to look at but these stores can get quite busy, especially at christmas, so be prepared to possibly have to wait a few minutes to get a look in. Each item is given it's own catalogue number which you can key into the keypad by the catalogue - this will tell you the item name, price & availability. If it's in stock, you can note down the catalogue number on their order sheets provided and take it to the till. Because Argos can get quite busy the queues can get quite long. They've recently added a couple of self-service machines in most stores that allow you to pay for your item by card.
Once you've paid, the receipt will give you a collection number and letter. Go to the corresponding letter at the collection point and the number will give you a rough idea of how long you'll be waiting. The number currently being taken to the collection point is shown on the screen above the collection point, but I find that this rarely corresponds to what's being handed out so it seems a bit pointless to me.
They do put a couple of chairs in the store (but not enough) to rest your feet whilst you wait which is nice. If you have any problems with your product they can be bought back to the store and returned/exchanged with proof of purchase. Some items aren't valid in their money-back guarantee but these are highlighted in the catalogue.
The jewellery counter allows you to look at and try on jewellery and watches before you buy which is a good idea.

... The Service ...

I've found the service to usually be quite good, fairly fast and efficient and the staff are generally very helpful. Obviously it depends on where to go, and as for whether your product will be in stock can be down to luck. If you know exactly what you're going for, it's a good idea to give them a quick call and get them to put it to one side for you to collect to save disappointment. It's pot luck really, about 85% of the time I've tried to buy something it has been in stock, but there have been a fair few occasions when they haven't.

... Overall ...

It's a great concept. It may not be so quick at peak times when it's busy but there's a good range of choice. Obviously if you want something 'extra special' you may have to look elsewhere, but it does offer most of the basics at reasonable prices. It's simple and straight forward and that's always good in my opinion when it comes to the dreading shopping trips!

Summary: You can't go wrong by checking out the glossy book of treasure!