Introduction
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I first started shopping in River Island when I was about 14 years old. Back then all I could afford to buy from this store was clothes from the sale rail! But now I am older with more money I quite often buy my clothes from here, not only is it a stylish shop with clothes of high quality but it is also a pleasant experience to shop there.

The Designs
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River Island doesn't follow fashion as such as much as other high street stores. By this I mean their clothes have quite a classic look and every year they will stock similar clothes to the year before. Their clothes are generally smart looking, even their casual range is more like smart-casual. They like their glitter and sparkle at River Island, and they will often include glitter, sequins, diamonte and jewels on all types of clothes and accessories.

I love the coats and jackets at River Island, I usually buy a new winter coat from there every year as a treat for myself. They have particularly nice hooded coats which I love.

They always have a lot of different jeans at River Island, I don't really wear them but have bought 1 pair before. However, there seems to be a lot of variety if this is your thing! River Island do stock a really nice range of combat trousers, both in normal length and 'cropped' I have horrible legs so I am really fussy when it come to trousers as I want something that will flatter me rather than make them look worse and River Island always deliver!

The tops are really pretty, they have all different kinds of designs, for evening wear, casualwear, beachwear etc. I don't really think much of the knitwear they have in, it's ok but not really that attractive or stylish.

Underwear
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I've not really looked at the underwear in River Island, they don't seem to stock much so it often goes unnoticed by me. They seem to mainly sell nightwear rather than 'sexy' stuff so that doesn't interest me very much haha. Although looking at the website like many other high street stores, their bras only go upto a D cup size so they wouldn't fit me and a lot of people anyway.

Shoes
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I have never ever bought any shoes from River Island! Although they look pretty, they do look a little difficult to walk in, especially the sandals. A couple of years ago, River Island used to sell nothing but stiletto heels and trainers with nothing in the middle, which is not good for me as really tall heels intimidate me as I'm so nervous of falling ass over head! Now thankfully they sell a wider range of shoes, including heels of different heights and thickness, and flat shoes.

Belts
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The belts at River Island are amazing and probably the best thing in the whole shop! They have belts which are styled according to what's in fashion, but they also have a range of belts that are always in, normal width belts in all different colours and patterns and a jazzy looking buckle that often has a swirly design and diamonte. I find that the quality of the belts tends to vary, I've bought belts that last for years but I've also bought ones that have fallen apart really easily!

Jewellery
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The jewellery looks really pretty and sparkly and it is easy to be drawn to that part of the shop, but I know from experience that the quality of it is not very good. I've bought a variety of 'silver' coloured jewellery which has gone rusty really quickly, and as it costs quite a lot it isn't really worth it for that short amount of time. It's a shame though because the designs are really nice.

Store Atmosphere
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I have shopped in about 10 different River Island stores across the country and the layout and design of each store is always similar. The general colour schemes are usually white walls and floors with black panelling and furniture, and bright white lights. All stores therefore have quite an open, fresh and airy look, which is simple but at the same time doesn't distract you from the clothes and therefore enables you to find what you are looking for more easily. Their music is played quite loud, particularly in the big shop I usually go to in the Bullring Birmingham which can be a little bit annoying when you are trying to speak to someone and you only have a quiet voice like I do!

The changing rooms have proper doors rather than curtains, and you are also provided with a big mirror, hooks, a rail and a stool to sit on. The changing rooms again have the colour scheme of white and always look very clean. You are allowed to take upto 6 different items into the changing rooms, any more and you have to leave them outside until you have finished with the first look.

Prices
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I used to think River Island was very expensive, 5 years ago you used to be able to buy clothes of almost as good quality £10 cheaper at stores such as Miss Selfridge / Topshop, but whilst most high street stores have put their prices up River Island have stayed pretty much the same the last few years meaning that you should expect to pay about the same for better quality.

Staff
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The staff in River Island are okay, although they are never rude to you they give the impression that they smile and talk to you because they have to rather than they want to. I've been to quite a few River Island stores and it's strange the way the staff seem the same in every branch. The staff on the till often seem overworked, they have left the security tags on my clothes many times which means I've walked out, the alarms have gone off (very embarrassing) and I've had to queue up again to get them taken off. Sometimes the alarm hasn't even gone off and I've taken my clothes all the way home and had to take them back in another time.

Storecard
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People always get asked if they want to apply for a store card, the application seems to take at least 10 minutes and is done at the till which leads to bigger queues! I have a storecard, you are given £250 of credit and you have to make a minimum payment of £4 a month. They send you a letter every month along with your statement that tells you about any special offers in store and shows you some of the new stock. They used to have a points scheme similar to the Boots card where if you spent a certain amount of money they'd give you points back to spend. Sadly they no longer do this.

Overall Impression
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River Island is a well laid out shop with some lovely clothes. It's not the cheapest chain in the world but you do get good quality clothes. Some of the accessories need to be improved but on the whole it's a great place to shop!