This account is not in use anymore, please remove me from your COT if I'm in there! My new account i...
This account is not in use anymore, please remove me from your COT if I'm in there! My new account is JessL. If you want an explanation, see inside my profile. x
Member since:09.02.2003
Reviews:80
Members who trust:17
Boots is a well-known chemist with stores up and down the country. If you don't have one near you, or find it inconvenient, you can buy products from the website at http://www.boots.com.
Boots sell cosmetics, medicines, perfumes, haircare products, even sandwiches, and they are even branching out into areas like Botox, photo-processing, opticians, and laser-eye surgery! I have seen these advertised, but I have not used these services, so I can't comment on them.
I have two stores near me, but I'm concentrating on the Trafford Centre branch for now. It is spread out into two floors - the ground floor deals with photo-processing and baby products, ie: nappies, bottles, etc. The upper floor is dedicated almost entirely to cosmetics, haircare products, etc, with a small section for the food (sandwiches, crisps, drinks, etc).
Everything is neatly laid out in widely spaced aisles, large enough to comfortably fit a wheelchair through with plenty of space to spare. The place is really clean and tidy, and I have yet to see any litter or mess! Everything is well-stocked - I have never seen any empty shelves or have been unable to find what I wanted.
Boots sell all the usual brands; such as Maybelline, Rimmel, L'Oreal, Astor, etc in stands, but in the larger
branches, they have beauty counters for the more expensive brands like Max Factor, Lancome, Clinique, Elizabeth Arden, etc.
They also have a few own brands: Natural Collection is one of my favourites, with all the ingredients not being tested on animals. They sell body sprays, soaps, shower gels, face-masks, lip-balms, skincare products, and a lot more! These are all under the £5 mark and all smell delicious, not at all synthetic.
There are also the No7 and 17 make-up ranges. 17 is cheaper, and is aimed more at the teenage market, and the products I have tried were all very good. No7 is the more expensive brand, and they also sell skincare products, ie: toner and moisturiser.
The Boots own brand skincare products are great. You can get cleansing wipes, eye creams, cleansers, moisturisers, etc, all for under £3. I have found them to be as good as more expensive brands like L'Oreal! Everything in this range is available in cucumber or fragrance-free version.
There is an Advantage Card system, where you can get 4 points for every pound spent instore, and once they have built up, you can redeem them for items, excluding medicines. 1 point is equal to a penny, but there are always offers, such as 150 extra points if you buy this mascara, 500 points if you spend £15 on this brand, etc. There are machines inside where you can check the amount of points you have, and see what offers are available. Points cannot be partly redeemed, ie: you can't pay £1 and use £2 worth of points to pay for a £3 item. Also, they can't be exchanged for money.
Whenever I've asked about a product, I've always been met with a helpful, polite response and if they couldn't help me, they passed me onto someone who could.
I have not had much experience of the pharmacy, but my local one dispenses normal NHS prescriptions, though I understand not all Boots stores have this facility. They have a large selection of own-brand medicines, as well as branded medicine, and they also sell the usual Nurofen, Strepsils, Alka-Seltzers, etc.
It's worth having a look at the Boots meal deals as well. Choose a drink, snack and sandwich, for £2.60. There's loads of choice there as well - Diet Coke to mineral water, Mars bars to Wotsits, sandwiches to sushi, and they're all cheaper and healthier than McDonalds!
The Trafford Centre branch has a lift and a staircase, so if you have difficulty moving about, then this won't be a problem. There are no toilets or baby-changing facilities in either the T/C or my local.
Boots seem to be becoming more of a department store than a chemist. I have seen trampolines on sale, they sell cameras, and Janine (jlearner) has informed me they are now selling baby clothes!
There's always a catch, and with Boots, it's the prices. You can find the products cheaper elsewhere, ie: Bodycare or Superdrug. A few examples: Impulse deodorant, £2.19 in Boots is £1.49 in Superdrug. A Herbal Essences shampoo in Bodycare costs £1.25, but it costs £2.19 in Boots. They might not seem like a lot, but the little differences do add up! However, the many 3-for-2 offers and Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF) deals make up for the price differences.
I tend to buy things when they are on special offer, ie: extra Advantage Card points, or the item isn't available elsewhere, such as the 17 brand of cosmetics. I used to be a complete Boots-aholic, but since they opened up a Superdrug right opposite my local Boots, I seem to have been visiting Superdrug a lot more!
VERDICT: Boots is a very convenient store, as there's one practically on every High Street and they sell every type of health-and-beauty related product you can think of, but the prices are a bit steep. It's worth visiting for the frequent BOGOF deals, where you can save yourself a fair bit of money, but for your regular health and beauty shopping, you're better off going elsewhere!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Like you, I enjoy Boot's range of Natural collection and they are not expensive either!
mornev 03.06.2003 18:54
I was in my small local Boots today and not only have they sstopped selling Revlon but I bought my usual hair colour, went across the road to Superdrug and there was my hair colour in a special offer of 'Buy Two' three quid off! Mornev in a 'gently sobbing' kinda way ;-(
Deenar 03.06.2003 13:41
Loved your op on Boots,
I work for them I am impressed on how much you know about them...
I Agree with an earlier comment maybe more about the healthcare area and pharmacy,Boots Core business is the Pharmacy and Most(not all) but most do have NHS licences therefore will dispense prescriptions,but if youve had no dealing with the pharmacy then its not fair for you to comment on it.
Well done
Advantages: Huge range of products, fantastic and regular special offers, great loyalty scheme Disadvantages: Sometimes over-priced, pharmacy is not as good as smaller pharmacies
Pumpkin 18.12.2003 (24.12.2003)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Boots (Shop)
very helpful by (98%):
helpful by (2%):
