What? I'm not finished yet - I've only been in here for 4 hours! (Primark)

Member Name: aylawarner

Product:	Primark
Date:	20/05/09 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great value, lovely underwear and accessories sections, up-to-date fashion, wide range of clothes

Disadvantages: Sometimes little mistakes on clothes, sizes sometimes wrong

Primark is a fabulous store for bargain priced clothes and accessories. When I was a teenager I remember refusing to go in there and waiting outside for my mum and nan to do their shopping, or I'd try hiding behind them in the shop in case anybody I knew would see me in such a cheap and horrid shop. But now I've grown up I love it and gladly sport by Primark goods and am proud to tell people that I bought such a nice item for such a great price.

Opening as Penneys in Ireland in 1969, the store gradually became bigger and bigger and is known as Primark in the rest of the UK. They have now became such a popular store that they are even trading in the rest of Europe with 188 stores currently running worldwide. The famous opening of the new huge store in Oxford Street, London, in 2007 saw hundreds of people queuing in the streets to be the first ones in.

The sections in Primark include women's wear, men's wear, children's wear, and the home section is beginning to ripen including products such as bed linen, towels, home accessories and smellies. I've picked up some great bargain bits for the home or as gifts for people, such as a set of four mugs for only £2 and a soft throw for the settee for only £1. The women's wear section is the biggest section with everything from all sorts of tops, trousers, skirts, dresses, swimwear and underwear. I love the swimwear and underwear section as they have a large range and you can pick up a sexy bra and knicker set for only £4. Accessories are brilliant, especially socks costing only £1 for a pack of four bright coloured ones, jewellery all under £5 and some lovely cheap bags. The baby and toddler section is brilliant as, if you've got children I'm sure you realise how quickly they grow out of their clothes, so Primark's cheap prices are perfect for the little ones and you won't worry and feel like you've wasted money when something's only been worn a few times. Personally though, I think the men's wear is the best section in Primark. They do some great and quality stuff and my husband never fails to find something he likes in there, whether it's a t-shirt, shirt, jeans or swimming trunks and all his underwear and socks are from here.

I generally find them to be very up-to-date on the latest fashions and I'll often see something in a more expensive shop that I like and then find something almost identical in Primark for way less money. Admittedly the quality of their goods isn't perfect but what can you expect for such little costs. Occasionally there are loose threads or wonky lining but you can hardly notice these tiny mistakes and it doesn't mean that it's going to fall apart. I've had some of my Primark clothes for years and they're still as good as new. Sometimes the sizes aren't always correct and I find myself fitting into a size 6 pair of trousers but a size 12 top but they do cater for all sizes.

Prices generally range at £3-8 for tops, £8-12 for dresses and £6-12 for trousers. They do some great winter coats in here costing around only £15. Simple shoes can be picked up for £4 and flip flops for only £1. You really can't get better value anywhere else. Although they do have this silly tax system now where everything costs slightly less, so a pair of flip flops that was originally £2 will now be £1.97 which is rather annoying.

There have been issues with the ethical side of things being that if the clothes are so cheap, the people who make them must be earning the very minimum wage. Primark do state that they trade ethically and, due to the fact that their business employs over 700,000 workers across three continents, most of which are poorer countries, I'm perfectly happy to continue shopping in there. If no one shopped in Primark, all these thousands of workers would be out of jobs and, in the long run, who does that help?

At the moment I'm trying to cut back on my clothes buying, not that I buy a lot of clothes but I'm just trying to save some money. However, every time I do go into my local Primark at the moment (Bexleyheath, Kent) I end up leaving after 5 minutes having not liked anything I've seen in there. But this is a small store though so they have much less stock than the bigger ones. I love the Bromley store which is much bigger but the Oxford Street store is by far the best. It really is absolutely huge and I can easily be in there for a few hours without finishing and end up getting dragged out by my husband! They sell absolutely everything in here and a much bigger range than anywhere else. I do get annoyed though every time I go in there as it's so crowded you can't take a step without bumping into someone and I often see someone holding an item I like but can never find it on the shelves because the place is so big! If you're ever in London make sure you take a trip to Oxford's Street's Primark, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Summary: The cheapest place to shop