Was I the last to find this out? (matalanonline.co.uk)

Member Name: Tracy_1127

Product:	matalanonline.co.uk
Date:	24/06/09 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: see review

For years now I've had problems with travelling because of my joint pain and as we live out in the sticks it means I often can't get to any of the clothing stores that are over 30 miles from where we live. For as many years I've been wishing some of the clothes stores I like would have websites where you can order and have the item delivered to you. Matalan is one of these stores and up until recently their site just showed me the great clothes I was missing out on and told me where my nearest store was. Otherwise known as "too far away"!

During a browse online I decided to check out what Matalan had in stock and much to my excitement found their site has now changed and you can order online. I was giddy with excitement about this and immediately started checking out all the clothes.

The first thing I noticed was the site is a little bit slow, it takes a while to load pages or should I say pictures on the pages. It's not as bad as some I've used but it is a bit frustrating.

The departments are much the same as you'd find instore with Ladies, Mens, Childrens, Home, particular brands and sections that are pertinent to the time of year such as "holiday shop" and "back to the eighties". There is a section called Inspirations that shows the latest styles and another called "In Store Highlights" which has store finder, store news, gift vouchers and a Reward card feature that doesn't make sense to me!

The reward card section implies you will save less if you have a reward card but it's actually just a standard Matalan member card which everyone who shops there has to have as far as I'm aware so it made little sense to me!

Still I was too excited by being able to shop online to bother much about that. After a lengthy browse I established that like most websites attached to large high street stores there isn't the same amount of choice available as shopping in the store but there is still quite a lot to go at.

I couldn't find the delivery price until I'd put some items in my basket which is a bit naughty, it's £3.95 and should take less than 5 days to arrive. I can confirm it does and my items arrived within 3 days. The returns section is also a bit vague, it doesn't say you have to pay for your returns to be sent back but then it also doesn't say it's free so I'm not sure. Luckily I didn't have to send anything back but obviously this means I haven't found out details about this.

Matalan have also got mobiles for sale on their site and some deals for things like Gala bingo which makes me think they've become affiliates for certain companies that they think will appeal to women. I also checked out a section called "Influence - what's yours?" thinking this would show some outfits in various styles but what actually came up on the screen was a picture of a house so I gave up on that!

But to say I was pleased to find I could order some bits online is an understatement, I was delighted! Although I won't have access to everything you find instore I've at least got the opportunity to buy some of the goods. The £3.95 delivery is pretty normal for these days and the 3 days to arrive is quite fast. I'm thrilled Matalan have finally got a shop online option and hope Primark follow suit for those of us who can't get to the shop itself!

4 stars from me and if you haven't checked it out yet go to www.matalanonline.co.uk or www.matalan.co.uk and have a look!

Summary: Have a browse!