Dune (Shop)

...>>>>>The Shop<<<<<

Dune shops are located in most major towns and cities across the UK, to find your nearest store just click on www.dune.co.uk. I have visited several different locations, and they are all pretty similar. When you visit a Dune outlet you can expect a bright, modern, funky environment where the merchandise is displayed sparingly and tastefully throughout the store. This is great if you’re ...
...stores since I first discovered Dune some time ago, and the service varies quite a bit. I have come across the ‘can’t be bothered’ weekend shop assistant, who looks as though you’ve just asked her if you can amputate her leg when you ask if she has this one in a size six, the ‘you don’t belong here’ shop assistant who looks down her nose at you and clearly disapproves of my desire to shop in jeans and trainers, ... more

As most of my friends will tell you, I love shoes!! Just call me Imelda. I have a pair for every occasion and several pairs for some occasions! Therefore, shoe shopping is something very close to my heart, which is why I feel compelled to give you my opinion on Dune.

>>>>>The Shop<<<<<

Dune shops are located in most major towns and cities across the UK, to find your nearest store just click on www.dune.co.uk. I have visited several different locations, and they are all pretty similar. When you visit a Dune outlet you can expect a bright, modern, funky environment where the merchandise is displayed sparingly and tastefully throughout the store. This is great if you’re a lazy shopper like me, as it means that you can walk in and quickly view the range available without having to trawl through rows of racks jammed with shoes to find something you like.

>>>>>The Service<<<<<

To be honest I’ve visited various stores since I first discovered Dune some time ago, and the service varies quite a bit. I have come across the ‘can’t be bothered’ weekend shop assistant, who looks as though you’ve just asked her if you can amputate her leg when you ask if she has this one in a size six, the ‘you don’t belong here’ shop assistant who looks down her nose at you and clearly disapproves of my desire to shop in jeans and trainers, but quickly changes her mind when I fork out £100 for a pair of shoes and a bag!, to the ‘here because I have to be’ shop assistant, who goes through the motions, but doesn’t even bother to ask for my receipt when I make an exchange. To be fair I have come across some pleasant shop assistants as well, but Dune’s success is definitely not down to the outstanding customer service they provide and a bit of training in this area certainly wouldn’t go amiss.

On a more positive note, I did buy a lovely bag which was quite delicate and had beading all over it, the bag then proceeded to lose said beads on it’s first outing out. Now admittedly, the label on the bag did warn that the product was delicate and that beads could come lose, however, I didn’t really think it was acceptable to lose a whole string of them two days after I bought it, even though it had been on a hen do!. I therefore decided to take back the bag for an exchange; I made my way to the shop ready for an argument, expecting to be told that the label warned some beads may come lose and that I couldn’t exchange it. However, to my delight the shop assistant didn’t quibble and immediately exchanged the bag for a new one, merely pointing out to me that it was a delicate product and needed to be treated with care.

This is actually typical of Dune’s exchange policy; they give you 14 days to exchange any items if you change your mind about them, as long as they are unused, regardless of whether they are faulty or not and don't insist you have a credit note. This is really handy if like me you’re an impulse buyer and then feel guilty when you get home and realise how much you’ve spent and that you couldn’t really afford it!

>>>>>The Shoes<<<<<

Now the important bit! WOW!! I think that Dune really offers something different to most other high street shoe shops, they have a fabulous range of stunning shoes which make you feel a million dollars (...for the first hour until they make you feel like hacking your feet off with a blunt axe as it would hurt less! However, this is no different to most fashion shoes).

The range caters for both men and women and I have had countless compliments about my shoes when wearing a pair from Dune. These shoes really are catwalk designs at high street prices, but please beware, these shoes are designed to be fashionable, not functional. I have a fabulous pair of black strappy sandals with silver heels, but they fall off my feet in 15 seconds and are crippling me in 15 minutes. However, I did realise this after I got them home, before I wore them out and could have taken them back as per the refund / exchange policy – but I chose not to because they are REALLY nice, so the said pain is my own fault and can’t really be attributed to Dune.

The range of shoes in Dune is fabulous and keeps up with all the latest catwalk trends, they can be a little pricey, my last two pairs were £50 and £65 and I bought a bag for £35, but if you’re looking for something a little bit different then this is the place to go. They also provide nice little extra’s with some products, for example, I bought a pair of pointy beaded shoes and got spare beads and spare heels with them which I thought was a fab idea! The range definitely beats that of competitors such as Ravel and Office in my view and the chain actually won the Best Multiple Retailer Category at the Footwear Awards Ceremony in 2002.

>>>>>The Accessories<<<<<

Dune also offers a small range of accessories, this is mainly bags but they also have some other things which vary from season to season like sunglasses etc. The bags are as fabulous as the shoes, and they do lots of matching combo’s which are great finishing off an outfit for a special occasion. The above mentioned beaded bag and shoes were bought for a day at the races and complimented my outfit perfectly.

All in all, I feel that Dune is definitely my favourite shoe shop to go to, I always visit all the other high street shops as well when looking for a new pair of shoes (which is quite often), but usually end up coming back to Dune. If they could sort out the service as well I’d definitely be in shoe heaven!
 

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