Boots is one of my favourite shops, but it is also one of the most difficult shops on which to write an opinion, as it sells such a range of products, and is also a shop that just about everyone is familiar with.

I’m going to give a general overview, and then explore in more detail some of my favourite things about Boots. My main experience of Boots is of its Bournemouth Town Centre branch, a good-sized branch on two floors, and its smaller Boots Pharmacy branch, which comprises a pharmacy, a small area for snack foods, and very basic essential toiletries. I’ve also visited many, many other Boots branches of all shapes and sizes – from tiny branches at train stations or in small towns to huge central London stores.

If I had to pigeon-hole Boots, the best description I could come up with is that of a chemist, but it really is so much more than that. As well as being a pharmacy, it sells off the shelf medicines, health supplies, homeopathic remedies, make-up, toiletries, snack foods, diet products, sunglasses, electrical beauty products, hosiery, perfumes, baby goods, children’s clothes, greetings cards, gifts, photography supplies and toys. It used to sell a range of home and cookwear, but this range has been scaled down almost to nothing to make way for some additional services introduced by Boots over the past couple of years.

Boots also have a website, previously www.wellbeing.com, now www.boots.com, which sells the full range of products and offers free delivery on orders over £30, which for the average family should not be hard to achieve.

Boots appear to have recently changed their brand values slightly, with the aforementioned move away from home wear and an increased focus on “well being”. As well as their optician service, which has been available in larger stores for a number of years, many stores now have their own chiropody and dentistry services. They have also started to offer their own private dental insurance (which I understand is competitively priced compared with competitors such as Denplan), alongside their existing range of travel insurance.

So now onto a few of my favourite things about Boots!

***ADVANTAGE CARD***

One of the original and best high street loyalty schemes, the Boots Advantage Card was launched a good few years ago. By completing a simple form, you can apply for the card, which you can then use to collect points every time you buy qualifying products. This comprises pretty much anything in the store, apart from some medicines, prescriptions and all gift vouchers. You earn 1 point for every 25p spent, and the good thing about it is that you get a point for every part 25p (in other words, if you spend 26p you get 2 points instead of 1!) Each point is then worth 1p towards another purchase, so in effect you are getting a 4% price reduction. Points can be redeemed against any qualifying product, and these are identifiable by an asterisk on the shelf front price label. Again, almost all products qualify. The only condition for redemption is that points can only be used to purchase a product in full, not put towards the price of a product.

There are frequent offers, particularly around holiday seasons, where you get double or triple points on every purchase, and often certain products or ranges attract bonuses of 100 extra Advantage Card points or even up to 500 points in some cases.

Extra benefits and offers can be obtained by visiting the “Advantage Point” on arrival in the store. You insert your card into a machine resembling an ATM, which greets you, tells you your current points total, and displays a range of offers broadly tailored to your needs and preferences. It is worth noting that it is not just the customer who benefits from loyalty card schemes: the retailer learns huge amounts about their customers and their shopping habits, as through the card they are able to link each purchase to the customer in question. Some people may see this process (CRM – or Customer Relationship Management) as an unwelcome, Big Brother style intrusion, but I think it is fantastic as it means I get a personalised service and range of offers from Boots.

Offers from the Advantage Point generally comprise extra points on certain purchases, and are almost always a couple of “Total Spend” offers – in other words, if you spend more than a certain amount in one purchase, you get a substantial amount of extra points. You simply print off the relevant vouchers and present them with your payment at time of purchase.

The Advantage Card can also be used to earn or redeem points on the Boots website.

Also as an Advantage Card holder, you receive a magazine on a quarterly basis, featuring various offers and lifestyle articles. You also receive some personalised vouchers, again for extra points on certain total spends.

***PHOTO PROCESSING***

I always get my photos developed at Boots. Despite being slightly more expensive than some other stores, they offer a good service and I have never had any cause for complaint about the quality of my photos. There is a range of timescales and print sizes available, and photos can also be put on a CD. Recently, they have started to offer the option of digital photo printing. You simply insert your digital media into a machine in the store and select the prints you want.

Boots films are also good in terms of quality and value. They are often on special offer – either buy one get one free or three for two – and also include an offer of 100 extra advantage card points when developed at Boots.

***OWN BRANDS***

Boots have a range of their own brands, available only at Boots stores. These include No. 7, a make-up and skincare range of which I am a big fan. It features good quality packaging, a huge range of make-up colours, and skincare to suit all skin types. It also frequently features three for two offers, or free gifts when you spend a certain amount. Price and quality-wise, I would say it is comparable with brands like L’Oreal or Olay, but it feels more luxurious when you buy it, as it has its own counter and beauty advisors, so the shopping experience feels more on a par with Clinique or Lancome!

17 is a younger, trendier range of cosmetics, aimed at teenagers and on a par with Rimmel or Maybelline.

Fresh! is an innovative range of toiletries based around natural products and fragrances. It features unusual ideas such as massage bars, mousses and body scrubs, and is a rival for Lush or Original Source.

Natural Collection is a more traditional range of fruity toiletries and make-ups and is very similar to the Body Shop.

Botanics is a slightly more expensive range, again featuring natural products such as clay, plant extracts and minerals.

Other own brands include the Time Delay anti-ageing skincare range and The Spa – a range of products and treatments with a health spa theme.

***SNACK FOODS***

For a long time now, Boots have offered “Meal Deals”. These started off being priced at £2.50, but have now gone up to £2.70. For this price, you can choose from a range of qualifying sandwiches, a drink and a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar. Only certain products are included, but these are clearly marked. Recently, other products, such as cakes, flapjacks and fruit can be added on for a minimal extra fee. The Meal Deal is a great idea if you regularly buy this amount of food for lunch, but if, like me, you would generally only purchase a sandwich, the Meal Deal is a temptation to spend more and make a fairly expensive sandwich (often £2.20 or so on its own) seem better value!

The sandwiches themselves are good quality, and there is also a range of wraps, speciality rolls and baguettes. There is also a Shapers food range, a low calorie, low fat range of sandwiches, crisps, drinks, confectionary and desserts – many of which are also included within the Meal Deal offer. Each is clearly marked with the amount of calories and fat it contains.

***SPECIAL OFFERS***

As you will probably have noticed, Boots is full of special offers. Generally, the end of most of the shelving units is taken up with a special offer of some kind, whether this be a buy one get one free offer on a particular product range, a three for two offer, a free gift when you purchase a certain amount from a particular range, or extra Advantage Points. These are extremely tempting, and I try to be good and only take advantage of the offers on products that I would be buying regularly, otherwise it becomes a false economy! These offers are so frequent and so varied, however, that there is almost always something useful for me to purchase when I visit the store.

Around Christmas, there is normally an offer to get a free cuddly toy if you collect enough tokens, issued with purchases over a certain amount.

***GIFTS***

Boots have always been pretty good with providing gifts at any time of year, but at Christmas they really go to town. In October, the Boots Christmas Gift Catalogue appears in store, showcasing many of the products in their Christmas range.

For the past few years, Boots have had a fantastic three for two offer on Christmas gifts. Gifts included in the range are marked with a sticker, and I have seen gifts costing up to £50 within the range. If you are buying three presents in this price range this represents a huge saving.

Gifts vary from traditional toiletry, make-up and aftershave sets to radios and remote control toys, to food and book gift sets, and there really is something for everyone.

Boots also stock “Gift Experiences” – box sets containing vouchers for experiences such as a health spa day, a motor racing experience, extreme sports or flying lesson. These, however, are not included in the three for two offer.

If you really can’t find anything you like, or are spoilt for choice, you can always buy a Boots gift voucher, which are available in a range of denominations.

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Overall, I love Boots. It is a great place to browse, and as someone who loves trying out new toiletries and skincare products, it is a treasure trove of delights for me! I find the customer service excellent: very rarely do you encounter a miserable member of staff, and many of the assistants in my local branch have worked there for years – suggesting an effective recruitment process, and genuine job satisfaction amongst the staff – hence a superior level of customer service being delivered. Assistants are only too happy to help, and will willingly go and check the stock room for something that is not on the shelf, or walk you over to a product you are having difficulty finding.

A slight drawback is the Pharmacy – I find it is always very busy, and is harder to get advice from the pharmacist than in some smaller pharmacies. It is also usually quite public, with a long, open counter, making it difficult to have a private conversation about a health matter. There is almost always a wait for prescriptions in the larger stores, but they will give you a definite time when it will be ready. For these reasons, I would generally go to a smaller, independent pharmacy if I needed advice. That said, advice I have received from Boots pharmacy has always been sound and professional, and prescription products always seem to be in stock, unlike in some smaller pharmacies.

Queues can sometimes be long at busy times, such as lunch time, but I do find that they endeavour to open as many checkouts as possible, and often encourage people to go and pay at other counters, such as the pharmacy or make-up counter, to reduce waiting times.

My only other slight reservation with Boots is the prices of general toiletries. Compared with supermarkets and shops like Superdrug or Wilkinsons, they are considerably more expensive. However, if you take advantage of the regular special offers, there is probably not an awful lot in it, and for good value Christmas gifts and an enormous range of products, they really cannot be beaten!