Yes, it even sells Mats (Matalan)

Member Name: eatingpinkzebras

Product:	Matalan
Date:	22/06/09 (123 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap and pretty clothes

Disadvantages: Queues, not enough mirrors

I am lucky enough to live within a five minute drive of a large Matalan store. This means that whenever I feel like a quick shopping fix, I usually end up there.

Matalan is a shop which sells a wide variety of items. The majority of the store nearest to me is dedicated to women's clothes, however there is also a large section for men's clothes, another for baby clothes, a homeware department and an area which seems to sell miscellaneous things such as children's books, cookbooks, board games, toys, garden furniture and accessories, suitcases and other random bits and pieces.

The women's clothing part of the shop is the bit I always go to first and there is a lot of choice. There are basics such as simple plain vest tops and t-shirts, party wear including prom dresses and sparkly tops, casual wear such as printed and patterned tops and jeans, and work wear including a large array of blazers, skirts and shirts. There is also a nightwear section, a shoe section and a vast underwear area.

I have bought quite a few things from this section of the shop and most of them I have been very pleased with. I have got a couple of gorgeous patterned glittery tops which cost me just £8 and £12. I also bought some beautiful purple patent high heels in the sale for the measly price of £6! However some of my purchases have not fared very well, such as some pyjama trousers that I bought for £5 which went bobbly and very thin after the very first wash! Because of this I wouldn't suggest you spend a lot of money on clothes from here, instead I would advise you to only buy things if you are happy for them not to last forever.

I often also visit the homeware section. They have everything from cute patterned mugs to large printed canvases for the wall to rugs and throws. Some of it is quite high priced but there are bargains to be had.

I have been pleased with the quality of everything I have bought from this department. I got a few lovely white crockery dishes which have survived being in the oven and dishwasher with no problems. I also bought a faux leather footstool for around £20 which has been used nearly every day for a year and looks the same as when I bought it.

If I had one main criticism of Matalan it would be that there are often long queues at the till and it can take forever to queue up and get served. Also, there are not enough mirrors around the stores, so they could do with putting a few more up.

Summary: Matalan isn't perfect but it offers good value and I will carry on shopping there.