Next all the way! (Next)

Member Name: NinkyNonk

Product:	Next
Date:	09/11/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Directory, Location, Products

Disadvantages: Menswear is a bit predictable

My husband once joked with me that I should cut out the middle man and arrange for my wages to be paid directly to Next. He's got a point, I suppose!

Reasons why I love Next:

SALE TIME!

I have been lucky enough to have been invited, over email, to many of the VIP sales over the past few years. Next say their selection is purely random but strangely, the one time I didn't get an invite was when I was in credit on my account and they owed me money? Hmmm. Anyway, the sales take place 4 x a year. Twice for the big end of season sale and a couple extra mid-season sales. The end of season's are really worth waiting for, as pretty much everything in the directory is half price or less. Given that you can buy branded items in the directory, there are lots of opportunities to bag some real bargains. Examples of mine include Replay trainers for my little boy, from £35 to £15 and Matthew Williamson perfume from £35 to £10.

WORKWEAR

I love Next's suits, skirts and blouses/shirts for work. Excellent quality, good value (especially in the sale!) and lots of choice. They've recently had some nice work dresses in too that I've got my beady eye on!

THE DIRECTORY

I love the fact that you can order a load of stuff, in various sizes, have it delivered to a local store for free and try on in the comfort of your own home without a penny having to leave your pocket! I won't lie and will tell you that my Next account has proved very useful for a couple of last minute, a week before payday nights out! I pay off my balance in full each month so I'm unsure of the APR, but would guess it's high!

LOCATION

It's great that I have 3 big stores within a 20 mile radius of where I live, and they are all situated on retail parks with free parking. No trekking into town for me! Next make is so easy for you to shop there!



My husband has never been a fan of their menswear but I've also had a fair bit of kids stuff from Next and if you avoid the tops emblazened with the logo or anything with puppy dogs and trains then they have some good stuff! I remember picking up some fab linen shorts in navy and cream for my little boy in the sale this year, £2.50 each!

I do like the home products, in fact my living room furniture is all from the directory. I was bought some Next bedding for a wedding present 5 years ago and it's still going strong.

It's not the cheapest of places but I do think Next signifies good value when you take everything into account and they've really upped their game in the fashion stakes lately. I thought I'd walked into Topshop last week when in fact Next had had a new delivery. So many things on my wishlist!

Summary: Next are very clever and have really thought about the whole consumer package.