Something about 'success' and 'victim of its own'? (The Gadget Shop)

Member Name: imagin8or

Product:	The Gadget Shop
Date:	06/07/01 (999 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Coooooool, cheap (on the website), free delivery - again from the website.

Disadvantages: Too...many...people...sma ll...shop...past...capaci ty, nothing more

I saw a bit of floor, just seconds ago. Gone now. Ah! There's a bit. Stupid 10 year old. Here's a bit, wait, I just came from that direction. Ohhh! That's it. Barging time. AAahg. Well that didn't work. Grrrr. Ooh, people moving out of way. I must look kind of scary when I've been standing on the same spot for about a quarter of an hour, waiting for a gap to move forward towards that amazing gadget...

Every time. Every *single* time. Unless you turn up at lunchtime, breakfast time or closing time, the Gadget Shop is full. Why? Because it's great. Everyone loves it. The parents can (oh so accidentally) lose the kids by the lava lamps, spinny disc things and plasma plates to disappear off to the, er, less child suitable end (they sell the 'odd' kinky item). Not that ends mean much in a shop the size of a luxembourgian front room, but hey.

Bluewater is a big shopping centre just outside Dartford, North Kent. Inside Europe's biggest shopping 'mall' are 320 shops. But for all the size of it all, the Gadget Shop's flagship store is tiny. It's bigger than some of the others, but then it has about 10 times the throughput. Or attempted throughput.

Oh, I seem to have missed the introduction. The Gadget Shop that I've seen is in Bluewater, and it sells all manner of cool gadgets. They have every Mathmos (the lava lamp people) product under the big bright yellow sky-thing, scooters (you know, the ones that those 10 year old zip up and down outside your house with), swiss army knives, transparent alarm clocks, alarm clocks that project the time on the ceiling, groovy watches, little robot toys, plasma lamps and plates... I'll stop there. The array of things you just take one look at and compulsively go 'coool'. And that's part of why the Gadget Shop is so crowded. Everything is 'coool', and the second thought in every one of those minds is 'I wouldn't mind having on
e of those'. And therein lies Gadget Shop. Any shop that sells stuff that every one of the customers will want cannot fail.

Gadget Shop as a shop. Well, don't trust yourself. For an instant. The old 'well it *is* really cool, and it would look so good next to the tv' chips in and before you know it, you've gone and bought a £25 alarm clock that projects the time onto your ceiling. The range of products in the Gadget Shop is nothing short of stunning. I think they were one of the first places to sell Mathmos lava lamps - its probably thanks to the Gadget Shop that Mathmos has about 5 ranges of lamp. Oregon Scientific is similarly well stocked, mainly radio controlled alarm clocks that tell you the temperature, or project the time on the wall, or both. Then there's the fantastic array of wallet gadgets, like credit card torches, multitool things, etc. More lamps seem to prevail than anything else with heart lamps, bubble lamps, egg lamps, cool light bulbs, plasma balls, plamsa plates, 'and more'. There are decorative items like CD racks and I came across some chrome bowls the other day... They even have some Gadgetshop branded items, like their eClock that you download mp3s to as alarms.

I can't possibly list everyhing they sell, but needless to say you won't be able to resist buying something. So I have a better idea. Avoid it like the bubonic, at first. Go to their web site, gadgetshop.com, and look around. Take your time to consider pros and cons, you know, like you're supposed to before you spend your money. Then, to get a feel for the actual product, go to the shop. Don't buy it there, as it'll take a while, and you don't want to fight through that queue. Buy it online when you get home. It sounds odd to go to the shop in the middle, but if you look on the website, there is a 'super bright projection clock', which looks ok. Then you get to the store and two things hit you instantly
. Firstly that sucker's huge. its over a foot high and no featherweight. Secondly, the display is an analogue clock. Two important things you won't pick up from the website.

Having tried this method a few times, I'm very pleased with it. I've stopped myself from making silly purchases (including that projection clock, I'm after the digital one...) and I've saved money. Delivery is free on the website, and if you're not happy, they say they'll take it back, but I wouldn't rely on that. All of my purchases came well packaged, on time, and each was accompanied by two emails - a confirmation and a dispatch notice. The prices on the site are pretty good, as there's always something on sale.

So my advice? Go to the website. Go to the store. Buy from the website. It'll be cheaper, and less of a 30 minute Heimlich manoeuvre.

Happy shopping. And remember to breathe.

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