Dissolving shoes and £1 classics (Primark)

Member Name: kerrypanda

Product:	Primark
Date:	05/06/09 (98 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The cost and the choice.

Disadvantages: Crowds on weekends, sometimes questionable quality.

I have a love-hate relationship with Primark. It's usually love!

Primark is an Irish clothing retailer which has the bulk of its stores in the UK. They sell clothes at budget prices. They don't advertise which helps keep their costs down, and they have 188 stores across Europe, allowing them to buy and sell in bulk.

I don't know how big the standard Primark is, but my local Primark store occupies the former John Lewis department store site in Oxford, so there's a lot of room. Ladies clothing is on the ground floor and menswear and children's clothing are on the first floor via escalator.
There are cash register counters with eight tills apiece at each side of the store.

It's never quiet, but there's plenty of room to manoeuvre and you're never in the queue for longer than a few minutes.
I haven't yet been able to just walk straight into a changing room cubicle, there's always a bit of a wait but nothing major except on Saturdays. Then you see people just trying clothes on anywhere as the changing room queues are insane!

Whatever you are looking for you can usually find even on a small budget. Whether you are looking in the shoe department, bag department, jeans, accessories, etc, you will always find a lot of choice.

I've had two memorable Primark disasters,
I bought a holdall for a hen weekend, it was absolutely fine until I went to unpack when I got home, and it would not unzip. It only cost £6 so I just cut it, but it would have been a hassle if it had broken while I was away.

Now here's my sad shoe story. I found a pair of gorgeous brown suede-like ballet pumps that I was really pleased with, they looked much more expensive than the £3 they cost me. The very first time I wore them out I was walking home from a friends house when it started raining, and they just fell apart. The inner soles were made of cardboard, and they turned to mush. Then the seams came apart just as I got to my street, and I stepped inside my front door barefoot!
The experience hasn't totally put me off but I would only wear Primark's cardboard and material shoes out again if I had something sturdier in my bag in case of emergencies!

Things I like.
Primark is usually my first port of call when I need a new winter coat, they have a variety of modern and classic styles at reasonable quality and very reasonable prices.

You can buy lots of holiday kit - beach towel, sandals, bikinis, kaftans, sun-cream, t-shirts, etc and still have change from a £20 note.

They have carried several beauty lines since December, I especially like the Ooh La Spa range. My favourites are their bath bombs, and a generous sized tin of Minty Kisses lip balm for £1.50.

A bug-bear of mine is when high street stores send items into magazines for promotion, and when you look for them they're not available for a month, or sold out already, or sometimes they don't even put that particular product on sale in the end. When I have gone into Primark looking for a specific item I have always found it (you have to be fairly quick, mind you, as they have a fast product turn over!)

My favourite Primark purchase is a pair of sunglasses with aqua blue frames I bought for £1. They look just like the Wayfarers Sienna Miller and Sarah Harding wear, and I cannot tell the difference between them and the expensive ones. I'm sure they won't last as long as the real thing, but for £1 who cares?!

Summary: Whatever you need - and cheap.