High quality clothes (Next)

Member Name: NickyBo

Product:	Next
Date:	30/09/09 (63 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent quality, stylish (usually!)

Disadvantages: Some items are quite pricey

Until last year I had never been in a Next shop. I had seen them of course, but I always thought they were far too expensive so never bothered to go in. However, last year my husband started a new job and one of his benefits is a 20% discount at Next (I think the company he works for owns Next, but I'm not too sure). Now armed with a substantial discount, I thought it would be rude not to have a little look and see what the shop was like.

At my closest Next there is always a member of staff on the door greeting customers and offering baskets. The staff on the door always do their job enthusiastically so it seems like a genuine hello rather than in some shops were you can tell the workers would rather be anywhere but there!

The Next I visit the most has 2 floors. Downstairs is the womens department and then at the back is the childrens section. Upstairs are the mens and homewares sections. They also stock shoes for men, women and children as well as toiletries, make up and accessories.

The womens section is divided into 2 halves, on one side is the casual clothes, jeans and lingerie and on the other side is the more formal workwear and evening wear. I find this useful as, so long as I know what I want, as I know which part to start looking in therefore saving me time. I particularly like the casual clothes and find these to be surprisingly good value. I used to think Next clothes were far too expensive and not worth the money, but there are some good bargains, even without a discount card! During the summer I found some cargo trousers for £18, the same price as in other traditionally cheaper shops such as Matalan, but they wash much better. I have also found casual tops for less than £10.

I usually find something I want to buy in the casual department but I don't have as much luck in the formal department. I went there a few weeks ago looking for something to wear to a family party. Although there was plenty to choose from none of it was too my liking. I don't think I'm particularly fussy, the problem was that most of the clothes were very 80s. I know that's in fashion at the moment with the new 'Fame' film, but I would have appreciated a bit more of a selection for those of us that didn't want to look like we had timewarped from the 80s! As it was I left without buying anything.

My favourite department is the childrens clothes and this is where I make the most purchases. I have bought my son clothes from Next since he was a newborn and he is now nearly 2 years old. I have always been very impressed with the quality and the style of the clothes. When he was a newborn we bought a lot of sleepsuits that have the fold over sleeves to stop babies scratching themselves. They were a fantastic help when he wouldn't keep his mittens on! I liked the style of them and the quality was amazing. They were washed a huge number of times as they were my favourite sleepsuits, yet by the time he outgrew them they still looked almost new, and still felt of very good quality. They were priced at around £10 for a set of 3. I know other shops sell them for cheaper and we did buy other cheaper ones too, but the Next ones were by far the best.

Now he is older we buy 'proper' clothes and again, these are of fantastic quality. We are also given second hand Next clothes from my sister in law. The clothes have been worn by both her sons so my son is actually the third person to wear them, yet they look and feel as though they have come straight from the shop, and that isn't an exaggeration!
I find some of the childrens clothes to be a bit expensive, considering how quickly they grow out of them. However if you have a good look there is usually a good bargain to be found. There are often little outfit sets or multipacks that are good value, for example 3 tops for £8. These cheaper clothes are usually a little plainer than the more expensive clothes but they are still of the same high quality.

I don't tend to visit the girls side but I have noticed some absolutely gorgeous little dresses as I walk by. I can't comment on the quality or price but the style of the girls clothes I have seen is just lovely!

Although I don't buy anything from the mens department myself, I know that my husband is a big fan of the clothes and buys A LOT of things! Again, the quality is very high and all items wash well.

To conclude, although some items may seem pricey there are always some good bargains to find. The high quality of the items is also well worth the slightly hgher price tag.

Summary: It might not be as expensive as you think.