River Is - pretty good - Land (River Island)

Member Name: B_O_M_B_A_

Product:	River Island
Date:	31/08/08 (313 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheapish clothing

Disadvantages: Some staff a bit rude...

As a young, trendy and up to date kind of guy I like to look good, obviously clothing is one of the key factors that determines how I look and are perceived. I live in Bedford and to be honest the shopping is rather poor, it does however have a River Island (RI). RI was originally set up in 1948 by Bernard Lewis who still oversees the day to day running of the business at the age of 82. Since, it has seen a few name changes (Chelsea Girl, Concept Man) until it became RI in 1989. The Company ha s 12 UK Superstores and others in Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey and various other countries.

The thing I like about RI is the choice, the Next store opposite has a very small men's area and to be honest has very few items that I would buy even if I could. The River Island however has a much larger choice for men. As you have probably guessed RI sells predominantly male and female clothing, it does however also sell jewellery and footwear.

As you enter the RI store you are welcomed into an incredibly well lit room filled with bright colours, manikins dressed in all the latest fashion, clothing organised by style and type and changing rooms. Each area is well labelled up so it is clear which department you are browsing and the clothing is arranged neatly and is easily viewable. I get annoyed in stores where they try to squeeze far too much clothing onto one rail and you end up having to fight your way through hundreds of tops to even see what one looks like. At RI they have tops hanging on rails with only one style per rail and jeans are folded neatly onto tables or are hung.

Each item has its own individual price and size label attached, although on occasions I have seen items that haven't had them on, but all you need to do is either look at a similar one or ask a member of staff. The prices are often very reasonable, I would expect to pay £35 for a pair of jeans which to me is very reasonable (when you consider you will pay £100 in Gap) and they often have the size I require. I do remember one time they didn't have the specific size I needed in store so the staff member rang up a local store and had one sent across, I was then able to pick it up the next day.

The changing rooms are well lit and have plenty of mirrors, usually on at least two of the sides. I hate it when store give you barely enough room to swing a mouse, to be able to see how something looks you have to be able to stand back a bit, I am happy to say RI's are plenty big enough. They do however have a six item limit, when you go in you have to take a small plastic token with the number of items you have taken in, if you have less when you come out, expect trouble!...

River Island fashion is always very up to date and trendy, I like the way the manikins are dressed up with new interesting styles of how to mix and match various items of clothing, it has often inspired me to try a different look, my most recent being a shirt with a waistcoat.

As I mentioned they also see footwear and jewellery, the footwear selection is actually very varied and stylish, a pair of shoes may cost you anything from £35 to £70 and trainers could be £25 to £55. I always go to RI for my footwear because they occasionally have deals on where you get your second pair cheaper etc. The jewellery pieces are more like accessories, they are obviously not made of diamonds but more like you would expect to find in a shop like accessorise. The men's area offers belts, woolly hats, chains, cufflinks, dog tags and scarf's etc; these are often priced around the £5 to £25 mark depending on the brand and quality.

The staff are usually happy to help and have a smile on their face, on occasions you do come face to face with an employee who is 'Super-cool' and has the, 'I don't care what you think of me' attitude, I try to ignore them. RI tend to employ the younger generation, I guess that is their target market though because their clothes are mainly for the younger crowd.

Overall I would say RI is a great fashion store that I will continue to use, you can buy vouchers for gifts and they have an online site. Happy shopping!

Summary: Great place to shop!