This was my very first review but I have decided to edit it a bit here and there as Matalan has been re-vamped and needed a bit more recommendation from yours truly. I was a bit hard on the store originally but now I can safely say its well worth joining.
The two things I am good at in life as my husband says is shopping and eating, so I hope these few words of wisdom help you in your quest to hunt out a bargain in the January sales.
WHAT IS MATALAN?
Matalan first came to this country in 1985. It's an American idea that came over here courtesy of its founder John Hargreaves. Matalan claims that it "offers outstanding quality at prices that are simply unmatched".
To be honest I do agree because I haven't yet found anyone that sells Falmer Jeans so cheap.
SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
For those of you who haven't yet been there, it's a large warehouse style store. Inside the store I visit quite frequently (Hayes Middlesex), it has recently been re-fitted and though it's a long time coming, it has improved the store ten fold.
The lighting is fine, bright but not obtrusive on those horrid body parts that you don't want illuminated.
There is ample room for wheelchairs, buggies and prams to manoeuvre. One thing I like with Matalan is that you don't feel claustrophobic once inside.
You can shop by basket or as I do, take a trolley. Baskets are no good to be honest unless you are very careful with your pennies and do not wish to over spend.
I take a trolley and always fill it up (even if I just intended to go for just kiddie socks).
Most of the staff I have met are happy to help but of course there are a few that just don't give a damn if there are knickers in your size or not. At weekends the students work but they are the most polite and go out of they're way to pack your shopping with impeccable expertise.
There are clothes upon clothes here, for all shapes and sizes. Each clothes section is divided up into male, female, children and home ware categories. Sizes for men go up to XXL and the women's section is petite, Mrs Average sized 12 and then the cuddly section going up to size 28. If I don't stick to a diet I'll be using that section soon ! Clothes are varied, from the distinguished dinner suits to the casual Addidas tracksuit bottoms.
The home section is very good in that sells everything from pillowcases, perfume, and lunch boxes to glass tumblers. You can even buy DVD's, they might not be the latest Block Buster movies but they are priced around £5.
Usually the store is tidy but on a weekend it can resemble a car boot sale gone mad. Knickers are on the floor and kids lunch boxes everywhere. It doesn't look good and the staff should be more attentive. The customers are partly to blame as they should have more respect for the store and the items thrown so casually on the floor.
IS THERE CHANGING FACILITIES?
Yes, but previously the lighting was far from complementary. If you had an ounce or three of cellulite, you would shut your eyes until you have those jeans pulled over your hips.
However, since its make over the lights are more subdued, at last they listened to us not so perfect sized women.
At the weekend I have found the queue quite long outside the rooms and its really unpleasant once in a cubicle, body odours are flying around and a squirt of air freshener would not go amiss. There is an aroma of B.O. whatever time of year you enter and it makes you so paranoid you cant but help sniff out your own pits.
On one occasion I was there, I was given a cubicle in the men's department, as the ladies were so full. Ok, at least it reduced the queue but I was paranoid because the curtain did not pull right across. Since its revamp though, the curtains have been changed and do meet at either end.
IS THERE PARKING?
Well that's dependant on where you go. If you go to Reading, good luck! That's always been a nightmare and I tend not to go there any more.
If you go to Hayes then yes there is normally parking midweek. On a Saturday you must fight for a space at Hayes after midday. Try and go before then. Don't be tempted to park around the back of the Hayes store on the industrial site, you might get clamped.
You can always call the store nearest to you if you check out the website www.matalan.co.uk. This will give you the store details closer to your region and the contact number. I live in Hampshire but prefer to travel to my old local shop.
WHAT ARE THE OPENING HOURS?
From 9 am weekdays till 7 pm and on Sunday 10 till 5 pm. To be on the safe side call your store before you leave. At Christmas they usually open till late, around 9 pm closing.
HOW DO YOU PAY?
Cash, cheque or credit card. They don't have an in store credit card as far as I know. Just as well really with a spend thrift like myself.
IS THERE A TOILET AND BABY CHANGING?
On all the Matalan stores I have used, yes there are facilities.
Don't expect Harrods quality here. It's very basic and the hygiene I have seen is appalling. There must be a lot of customers in the store who have had an upset stomach on the days I visit and have no idea of how to flush a toilet. MRSA is probably thriving in the W.C. at Hayes. Both men and women have to share this one cubicle in this particular store and it really is gross.
I tend to shop until I need the toilet, thats my prompt to leave.
The baby changing is usually a fold down table on the wall with no free nappies. It's basic and nothing special, basically a port in a storm!
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO JOIN?
It used to be a £1 but now it's free. You have to sign in at the Customer Service Desk before you do that initial shop. After that procedure, you are given a card, which is your membership entitlement. The form doesn't ask for your life history, just the basics, like your address. I opted for free mailings as I find the Matalan season leaflet very useful.
SO HOW DO YOU SHOP?
After you apply for your card, just go around the store and shop. Once you have enough in your trolley, go to the check out, produce your card and they swipe it. That's all there is to it, but of course you have to pay by another means of plastic afterwards.
It's not a reward card like Tesco or Sainsbury, you wont get any points! It's just a membership entitlement.
There is no minimum requirement or maximum to your shopping. If you only spend a £1 that's ok. Bet you don't though.
The tills are numbered and there are usually a good amount of them. An automated voice calls out the next available point.
WHAT IF YOU LOOSE THE CARD?
Just tell the staff at the Customer Service desk before you shop, they will replace it free. You have to complete another application form except this time you select the replacement box instead of new member.
IS THERE A TEA BAR?
Alas no, but you might find a coke machine if you are desperate.
SO WHY SHOP THERE?
Because it's so reasonable. No jaw dropping cheap but reasonable prices. Gun Wharf in Portsmouth is " unbelievably cheap" but Matalan is "happy cheap".
You can buy Addidas sweatshirts for £15 instead of £30, or Levis for a good £14. You also get to keep the hangers which most stores take away.
Towels are priced from £3, sheets from £4 and knickers £1!
Jeff Banks has now joined the team, he has a collection for both men and women and also sells make up which is on offer from £1 upwards.
I cannot recommend the shoes, they might look good on the shelf, but a few days into wearing them, they look like they are about to fall apart. Not many leather shoes for sale, most are plastic and tacky. Even slippers are just as bad in that the seams pull away. You pay for what you get and yes the prices are under £10, but it's not worth the effort.
IS IT GOOD QUALITY?
Well the majority of goods I have bought there are of good quality. The towels seem to go on forever and never feel rough. Sheets are made from hard wearing cotton.
However, it's not all perfect in the world of Matalan. For example, if you tumble dry the kid's socks they always seem to shrink, as do the kids vests and ladies knickers. The ladies knickers I have bought always seem to break free from the elastic after a few washes, however the men's pants are pretty robust and my husband has owned his for years.
Another example is that I have just bought my boys two Darth Vader drinking cups and the black colouring came off. The lunch boxes are of strong quality and take a lot of beating.
Matalan cover just about all you need apart from groceries and wedding gowns. School bits and bobs are cheap but not too cheerful. If you hang the white school tops up as soon as you get them from the machine, they won't need ironing. At £6 for 3 white shirts, that isn't bad pricing is it?
CAN YOU CHANGE GOODS?
Normally yes as long as you have the receipt. Don't set your sights on a full refund though. You will probably get a credit note or can exchange for another item. If you get back to the store ASAP then you might receive a refund, it's down to the manager at the end of the day and what mood he or she is in.
Make sure you keep your receipt to hand as like most stores, they have that annoying alarm system that constantly goes off, even if people have only just walked in.
CAN YOU SHOP ONLINE?
No. However there is a website as I said before, www. Matalan.co.uk. This will give you details of what's on offer that month and store addresses.
SO WHY DOES MATALAN TAKE YOUR ADDRESS DETAILS?
Because they can send you their magazine once a month with prices and clear pictures of the latest offers. For example I saw a cool box on wheels in the summer 04 magazine and just purchased it the following week . It's brilliant and we have had so much use from it over the summer that's its worth the ten pounds we paid for it. If I had opted out of the mailings section, I would never know what new stock they have unless I go there direct, which isn't always possible.
SO WHAT'S YOUR CONCLUSION?
I would give this place a firm 9 out of 10. It's not perfect but it's giving you good prices. That's a bonus in itself. I'm hooked and find myself going there once a month for a bargain.
Also if you check out the website you can apply to be a mystery shopper and get paid for your trouble. I have just enrolled so can't comment yet on that.
There are shops popping up all over. So if you haven't got one yet, watch their website for details.
ANY BAD POINTS?
It's manic at Christmas and the store is often untidy at weekends. The queue is usually long at the check out but it's fast, just remember it looks worse than what it seems. I have never waited for more than 15 minutes which isn't that bad.
The January sales are a must but the stores get packed solid. Try and get there early on Boxing day, its worth being at the front of the queue. If you wait and go nearer the New Year, then the store looks a mess and only the dregs of the sale are left.
Happy shopping. Thanks for reading.
Shop till you need the toilet 
