Home Bargains is a big national chain of discount stores which, as the name would suggest, sells a multitude of products for use within the home. They are an ever expanding chain with over 170 outlets already in place and apparently hundreds more to follow.

Home Bargains stocks everything from bedding and linen to toiletries via food, drink, loo rolls, toys, pet food, alcohol and much much more. Each store has the same basic layout, shelving and products. I know of at least 3 stores close to me and they are all pretty much the same inside.

These shops are great for bargain hunters. Personally I use them to buy pop (3 x 500ml bottles of Pepsi for £1), loo rolls (18 soft rolls for £2.99), toiletries like hand soap and foam bath (around 69p each) and crisps (prices vary). Occasionally I might branch out and buy some sweets and my little brother uses them to buy stationery.

What impresses me about Home Bargains is the selection. They seem to cram loads of different products into their shops and you can generally find almost anything you may be after. When you do find what you are after you are usually impressed by the price as well.

Things I don't like about them include the clientele. I have found that there are often a handful of undesirables in these shops. Might just be a regional thing but it seems to me that Home Bargains is a bit like Primark in terms of attracting these people. My only other gripe would be with their carrier bags as they are more like tea bags, they cannot bear much weight at all so you end up needing loads. This can't be very environmentally friendly.

Overall I would recommend Home Bargains as somewhere to go if you have one near you. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to get to one of these stores. They are great for toiletries, stationery, crisps and pop but be warned that the queues can sometimes get out of hand and you are likely to come in contact with all manner of chavs and generally unpleasant people. It's best to have a clear idea of what you want so that you can be in and out quickly.