Paper money...but not the monopoly kind! (highstreetvouchers.com)

Member Name: saz_alicious

Product:	highstreetvouchers.com
Date:	11/06/09 (162 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to use, acceptable in wide range of shops

Disadvantages: shops may not give you change in cash (or at all)

Intro
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I didn't know love2shop vouchers existed before last year when I worked in a call centre. At the end of each month, on top of my salary I was given a nice chunky wad of vouchers as a reward for hitting various targets. They really were delicious incentives because unlike money which I might put towards bills or something equally as boring yet important, these vouchers force you to go out and really spend money on yourself (or the family).


Appearance
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The vouchers look appealing enough, coming in 3 different colours:

1. Green vouchers for £1
2. Blue vouchers for £5
3. Pink vouchers for £10

The amount is displayed clearly on the left and bottom right hand side. The left section of the voucher is torn off by the retailer when you hand it in so you do need to make sure its intact and that you don't accidentally tear it otherwise it might not be accepted as valid. (Although I've never had this problem). In the middle of the voucher is a white heart full of the names of all the places you can spend the vouchers. They include:

*Argos
*New Look
*Boots
(my personal top 3 places)

*HMV
*Iceland
*Wilkinson
*River Island
*Principles
*WH Smith
*H.Samuel
*Woolworths
*Homebase
*Virgian megastore
*Principles
*BHS
*Mothercare
*Carphone Warehouse
*Warehouse



Other less obvious venues...
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If you turn the voucher over you'll see that there are also less obvious places listed such as Alton Towers, Legoland and Madame Tussauds, meaning that really, although its a much-exhausted line, there really actually is something for everyone: You can spend them on individual shopping sprees or family days out.

I would recommend that for the higher-end shops or venues it's best to have a sizeable amount of vouchers so that they will knock off more than a few pennies off the larger retailer/theme park/outing otherwise I'd opt for the smaller more regular place such as Argos or Boots.

For a full breakdown of all the possible places to spend the vouchers copy and paste the following into your browser:

www.love2shop.org.uk

You can also use more than one voucher at a time if you want to double up n savings.



The not so lovely things:
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The list is for once rather limited. But I've categorised a few problems you might want to be aware of and try and pre-empt should you buy the vouchers or be given them:

1. They are only vouchers

I know this sounds obvious but they are only made of a slightly thickened paper so may crease or get crushed easily. Therefore it's a good idea to try and keep them unfolded (if you have space in your purse/wallet). Although most stores will be happy to accept a voucher which is slightly creased or bended it does save both parties time when its clear and uncreased as a) they are unlikely to waste time perusing the expiry date and b) they are less likely to get torn.


2. The expiry date

I recently found a very creased and folded love2shop voucher (sorry not a good example in light of the above but never mind) at the bottom of my bed from at least a year ago which was still valid so the expiry date is fairly long but it's worth double-checking if you've had the voucher for a while.


3. It's not always possible to get change

In terms of change, shops vary. If for example you go into a shop and want to buy a top that costs £15.00 and you hand them 2 £10 vouchers they may tell you you won't receive the extra £5.00 back in change.

Some shops will pay you the difference in the form of a credit note
Other shops will actually pay you the difference 'en cashe liquide' but I've found this last option the least frequently adhered to. It is in a way understandable- if shops don't have to pay the difference back in cash they don't lose money.

You may want to have a look at the T&Cs to see if there are any guidelines relating to this. Since the vouchers are free in the first place I've never felt the need to check up on this. I also usually try and just pay some cash for a purchase buy use the voucher to get a little bit off.


4. Remember that not all shops will accept

Although a lot of the main high-street shops do accept the vouchers its worth double-checking the list BEFORE you go out shopping.

I made the fatal mistake of somehow getting it into my head that the shop Jane Norman accepted these vouchers. I don't normally shop there on account of everything being so expensive (but so incredibly exquisite at the same time) yet I thought I'd take a look. I spent a good half hour, taking my time browsing through the various stands to find a few possibles, picking a lovely jade and black checked shirt, trying it on and then bringing it to the checkout, only to find out as I pulled out my love2shop vouchers that they didn't accept them. I felt a bit stupid and was more than half annoyed I couldn't buy the shirt I'd had my heart set on!


MY LOVEly verdict:
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Apart from a few minor points to consider Love2Shop vouchers make a great gift or reward and can be used in many different places which make them more flexible than your average vouchers. They are easy to use and should be valued as well-appreciated additions to anyone's handbag!

5/5!

Summary: Ideal for gifts or rewards