Boots is one of my favourite retail shops. It is one of the most famous and desired cosmetic chain-stores.

BOOTS THE CHEMIST

The first thing I discovered when I came to the UK years ago was the Boots store at Heathrow airport in duty-free. I entered the shop and I was very impressed by how organised it was; I found everything - from beauty products, food and even baby clothes; all under the same roof. So I decided then, that, when I'm settled in, I would look for a Boots store and explore more!

When I settled in, I hit the shops, looking for Boots stores; I knew later that the shop is called "Boots the Chemist" and I found two of them near where I lived: one was a big store and the other was a lot smaller, with limited shelves and fewer products.

Quick information about the store.

Boots originally was founded in Nottingham by John Boot in 1849 and was transformed into national chain stores by his son. It was mainly for cosmetics in the first place; at the onset of the First World War they started to stock prescription medicines and officially became Boots the Chemist. That was the only the beginning . . .

Stores Locations.

There are almost 1500 stores nationwide plus some overseas stores and recently they hit the middle east market by opening megastores there (of course only the richest countries like the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait).

Back in the UK, there seems to be at least one store in every town and in some bigger cities like London . . . there are way too many!!

What You Will Find.

I'm going to explain a bit about the shop in general:

You can find nearly everything at Boots. The best thing that caught my eye was the size of the stores and how well organised they were, with easy layouts; the shelves are tidied up accordingly. There are special counters for beauty, perfumes and even some medication that you can buy without prescription 'over-the-counter'.

The entrance

I have to mention the entrances because it can be very important for some disabled customers who can find it really hard to enter some shops because of the limitation of disability access. Normally there are automatic doors and a special access for disabled persons and wheelchair users. The doors are quite wide which is a good advantage for mums and children with prams or pushchairs or simply for bigger people as I saw some other very well known shops with smaller doors and some people got stuck or had to enter sideways!

Security alarms and security tags

The first thing to face you when you enter most shops is the giant posts with security alarms. Although they are a good idea to keep shoplifting at the minimum, I find it annoying sometimes, especially when the security alarm starts to beep when you pass them after making a purchase, so that you have to go back and let the security guy (who is normally looks scary and unfriendly) search your things, even if you show him your receipt. That's not all: there are also CCTV cameras installed in nearly every corner as if we are in big brother; not forgetting store detectives as well. I still wonder . . . with all these security measures there . . . how can some people manage to continue shoplifting?

The store size

Most of them are good sized; there are some small stores, convenient for quick purchases; some really huge superstores; and some with extra facilities including 'mother & baby' rooms for changing the baby or even breastfeeding; if you are lucky enough there might be a play area for your kids so you can shop 'hassle-free' (if it was me, though, I would not feel safe leaving my kid alone: I would rather drag them with me and suffer their boredom!).

Departments

You will find that different sized shops will have more or less departments but most have areas devoted to these items.

The main departments are:

• Baby department, it has everything you need from baby clothing, food to nappies.
• Beauty and toiletries, my favourite department, it has a wide range of skin care, hair and body care and a lot more interesting stuff.
• Electrical, beauty electronic, like hair dryers, hair straighter, shavers but some other things like camera, mps and gaming, health care equipments and many more to explore.
• Fragrances, there are a great selection of very famous and very expensive perfumes, samples are displayed nicely in small kiosk or disk for you to try, I like sampling perfumes; I found that the smell stick better than the main bottle!
• pharmacy, you can dispense your own prescription here, buy on the counter and what I liked most that the fact that they have their own experienced pharmacist who are more than happy to give you an advice on most topics and offer you help and support.

Larger Stores may have:

• Opticians (only available in biggest stores), with very thorough checks and some very new equipment, you will find boots opticians a very reliable and trusted place to get your eyes checked; they have a nice range of designer glasses, plus contact lenses. The only downside of their service is their fee: £18 for a full check-up . . . but you can have it for half price if you have an advantage card . . . you can simply print the discount voucher from the extra value kiosk in that store.
• Toys - a Problem for some! If your child get glued to every single toy he sees, it's better not to come near that department. There is so much to look at - from babies' toys through Pre School; some brain teasers and educational toys for older children; plus some good books about baby.
• Photo services: you can get your photos developed and printed at Boots; if you are in a hurry, they have one-hour express (of course for extra); also they have a kiosk for instant printing. You can even buy cameras (film and digital), films, batteries, memory cards, frames and albums.
• Food and drink, you can find most drinks there from milky to fizzy and some sandwiches with healthy options plus some confectionery as well. A main item, drink and snack item is a 'meal deal' at up to £2.99 (£3.49 in London and other 'premier' locations).
• Gifts - You can see these temporary departments appear before special occasions like Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas & New Years, Easter, and Valentine's Day (I almost forgot about it) (followed by a sale).

Boots Own Brands and Ranges.

Boots has its own cosmetic brand, the famous No.7 and No.17 for cosmetics and skin care; also a few others, such as the Mediterranean; plants extract (botanic); natural remedies, and lots more. They also extended their brand to produce their own medications, confectionery, and baby products. They almost cover everything.

Now . . . to the most important part of Boots, the Advantage Card.

Of course I have one of these cards, as do many other shoppers, but some people may not yet.

What is Advantage card?

It is considered to be one of the largest loyalty card and rewarding systems. It was launched in 1997 almost 11 years ago. Last year they celebrated 10 years by giving lucky members free points!

It gives you 4 points for every one pound spent which is equivalent to 4p when you spend them. These points can be redeemed for almost anything in the store excluding prescriptions and stamps. Look for the * on the price card on the shelf edge. The points can pile up easily, especially with extra points with your purchase, with promotions (in certain departments, or via extra-value vouchers); sometimes it can be up to 1000 points (£10) on purchasing certain items in store or online offers; sometimes through special Christmas evenings which can be very tempting!

How to apply for an advantage card.

Signing up for an advantage card is very easy. There are two ways to apply.

• In store, you can find an application form, very easy to fill in with some basic information (name and address etc; after filling the form you can post it in the store through specially made boxes; then it will be collected by staff members who pass on the application. It may take up to between 2-3 weeks for your card to be posted to you.
• For an easier way . . . via the internet is a very effective and very fast way to apply, I applied through the internet, filling in a simple form, providing my e-mail address; then I waited for the confirmation email which I received in less than 20 minutes. The card was in my letterbox in less than 14 days, with 250 points as a 'thank you' bonus and some free offers as well.

Advantage card benefits.

There are many good points for owning an advantage card.

• Earn points for every pound you spend and you can redeem points for goods.
• Free glossy magazine which is normally sold for £1, you can have it free with your card. This magazine is full of useful information on beauty, food and drink, looking after your kids and family and few other different topics. At the end of the magazine you find some very useful coupons, some of them are really good value and some coupons are for free products, so don't miss your copy!
• Free clubs: health club and parents club.
• Free points and products, through their extra value kiosk machines. You insert your card exactly like you do at the cash point and follow the instructions. You can find special offers and discount vouchers, free competitions entry, prize draws and sometimes they are really generous, giving free products - some of them up to the value of £5! So keep checking.

Special offers.

Every time I visit the store I visit the Extra Value machine first. I check my balance and look for new offers; they change their offers every month and some times twice a month depending on the occasions. The most frequently known offer is for No 7: 3 for 2, or free gifts (like the No7 beauty bag which was worth over £33 - containing products to try - I found them really handy . . . sometimes when you spend £5 you get a £5 voucher and spending that amount at Boots can be done easily and fast!

You can also benefit from half price offers, 20% and buy one get one free which I really like!

Boots Clubs

There are quite few clubs at Boots; suiting nearly every taste and age group.

Parenting club.

Launched four years ago, it's for pregnant and new mums. There is no joining fee and you get lots of free gifts over the value of £100 including a changing bag, a book of valuable coupons with some pampering product for the mum to be, a glossy magazine for every stage from pregnancy until the baby is 2 years, plus every month or so you get new coupons and special offers on baby's food and nappies, it is a very rewarding club. You can join in store or via www.Boots.com; generally you get your welcome pack when you bring your expected date of confinement card.

Health club.

I joined this club because I was suffering from hay fever for years; I found their tips are very useful. This club gives you automatic discounts at the checkout on certain health promoting products.

They have quite a few categories, from which I'm sure you can find one or more interesting topics. The categories are: Weight loss, healthy heart, kids health, vitamins and supplements, women's health, pain relief, stop smoking and allergies.

When joining the club you can choose up to 3 different topics of special interest and you will receive a colourful mini magazine for each (quarterly) with interesting information and helpful tips, plus a free eye test at the value of £18; half price on selected products including hey fever medication which I was glad to have and if you are over 60; you will get 10% off Boots own brand products.

Insurance and other services!!!

What are they like? Not a beauty company or a chemist only but an insurance company as well! I have to say that I haven't tried their services; I didn't know about it, before; I only discovered through their online home page but I think it is worth mentioning. They are covering Health insurance, dental plans, travel insurance, Airport parking, currency and even a child trust fund! Of course, when you join, you will receive advantage card points as well.The other brilliant services they have are:

• Boots flowers
• Boots TENS maternity rental
• Boots BUPA health check
• And, surprisingly, Boots kitchen appliances; you can find nearly everything you need.

For more information you can always visit www.boots.com which is their online site.

Customer Services

Customer services are not that good really in the shops I have used; some of the staff are rude and others are clueless and don't know anything about their jobs! Perhaps if you had better experiences you can comment about your store.

Conclusion

Boots is not 'just a chemist' any more; surely it has had changes since 1849 to cover nearly everything.

I personally like Boots and I am a loyal customer as well, I like most of their offers especially with No 7, free points and gifts, but I don't buy just anything and everything as I always shop around.

As for their own brand, I totally trust their own brand in medication and cosmetics.

Would I recommend this store? I can say yes, there are a lot of things to enjoy, not just shopping.

Over all rate 9/10 (it loses 10% for the high pricing) . . . still . . . I love Boots!

I hope that I gave you a brief idea about Boots the multifunctional store (for the newcomers who didn't know about it) and for the customers who already knew…I must have reminded you of something! So grab your bag and get shopping (but not on Saturday) and don't forget your partner . . . and his credit card.

Thank you for reading

© Karimkha . . . . . . September 2008