Holland & Barrett (Shop)

I've been dipping in and out of Holland and Barrett shops for some eyars now - mostly Gloucester and Redditch. Their range is impressive, and if you like healthy stuff or want some unusual consumable item, they aren't a bad place to start.

It's amazing what you can find in there - this list is by no means exhaustive, but they do all sorts of dietry suppliments in capsual and oil form, diabetic stuff, vegetarien stuff, glutton free stuff, fruit and herb teas, dried fruit and nuts, skin and hair cleaning products, essential oils, skin cream, and all sorts of foodstuffs.

Their products for people with food allergies are very good indeed - I've been in buying jam for a diabetic granny, and uncovnentional herb teas for myself. I've been in for multi-vitamins and for essential oils. Where prices are concerned, they compare well - comparable products in the Body Shop can be many times the price, and they are one of the few places I've encountered doing bulk buys of vitamin pills. Much of this stuff isn't cheap, but compared to many stockists, its not a bad buy.

I find the staff very good indeed - reliably, they know what the stock is and where it is (helpful, there's so much in these shops it can take a while to track down something specific). Some of them know more than this, having a good awareness of various products that might suit your needs. While it isn't professional advice, it is often informed and can be helpful. On the health and wellbeing side I'd have no qualms about trusting their judgement, if you are dealing with a specifi ailment, especially a more serious one, you may well want to consult someone with more expertise.

My only problem with Holland and Barrett is that they tend to go (from expereince to date) for narrow aisles. The upshot of this is that if you are hugely pregnant, excessivley rotund, wheelchair bound or have a buggy, it can be a bit of a squeeze getting round the shop.

All that said, I've had nothing but good expereinces in this shop - friendly, helpful staff, products that tend to fit my requirements and are at a liveable-with price. I go there perhaps a few times in a year, I get what I want and more often than not it works reasonably well. Every so often they'll have something at a bargin price, so it is worth keeping an eye out for that. If you like health products, they are well worth a try.