Review rated by 16 Ciao members on average: very helpful
This review received a counterstatement by a party concernedRead Comment
At last some clever boffins somewhere have decided that Our price shops needed an urgent make over and needed to be completly re-invented to get customers back in their stores. They have suceeded with the make over but underneath all that stainless steel and those bright colours, Our price still lives on. Sort of.
Our price stores were well known for being a little cramp, understocked and....well sweaty little venues really, so the make over has breathed life into them. Stainless steel fittings with bright, bold red colours throughout the store with ample space for customers to walk about and browse. Why didn't someone think of this earlier? V shops look V modern and futuristic but the make over to me is not enough.
The main problem is that they're still V. pricey. Most albums will still set you back around £13 and doubles still cost around £16. However they have simplified prices a little and now they no longer use the £3.99 price tags, it's put in much more simple figures like £4.00. Clever idea, and you dont get the annoying penny change. So the prices are still the same, no saving there then, but what about the selection?
This seems to have improved slightly. There does seem to be more selection and range and everything is so much easier to find. They often seem to be well stocked and have all the latest releases in. They have a top 75 album chart and a top 40 singles chart with all new releases at there side so finding the latest C.D is simplicity. All music genres are labelled clearly and methodically.
The also have a range of virgin mobile phones in an attractive display by the door. These are reasonably priced and seem V popular as they have always got phones which are sold out. Well it's either that or they can't order their stock properly. The also sell a selection of computer games and consoles but these really can be found much cheaper everywhere else, so i wouldn't bother looking in here.
They also sell the usual blank tapes, head cleaners, blank videos, spare C.D cases, headphones, C.D holders and a load of other accesories to help you part with even more of your cash.
They have nifty little computer terminals at the back of the store with comfy seats designed for you to browse the V impressive range of titles they have. It's sort of like online shopping but you pay for your goods at the till and not online. You can potentially spend ages on these things, so don't get too comfortable. And that's even if you can get one anyway as they are usually being hogged by little school kids (argos catalogues have the same effect on kids).
Around the store are listening posts with various songs to listen too and if they dont have the song that you want to listen to on one of these posts then just ask them and they will be happy to play it for you. Nice people. And speaking of the staff...they haven't changed much either. Still rude and ignorant, still unhelpful...so no money was invested in staff training obviously.
So it's been a big step for Ourprice and things can only get better. Virgin records will still play big brother but these nice, pleasantly designed shops make a nice addition to any high street. Not all towns/citys have them yet but they are popping up all over the place. Well worth looking at but if you like good value then stick to buying over the internet, because cheap is what they aint.
V. well written review :) Do you know how much extra profit they make from rounding up the prices by 1p?! A hell of a lot - that's what M&S did. I still prefer to buy CDs online - much cheaper. You can get them for £8.99 with free delivery. I don't plan to buy anymore CDs from this shop until they drop their prices. ~Deenie~
I like the idea of buying online and paying in store, but the prices are still quite high. Once you cut the gimmicks out V SHop is no real advance on Our Price.
01.05.2002 18:39
excellent op! - it deserved the "very helpful" rating!
10.09.2001 12:12
V. well written review :) Do you know how much extra profit they make from rounding up the prices by 1p?! A hell of a lot - that's what M&S did. I still prefer to buy CDs online - much cheaper. You can get them for £8.99 with free delivery. I don't plan to buy anymore CDs from this shop until they drop their prices. ~Deenie~
10.09.2001 11:57
I like the idea of buying online and paying in store, but the prices are still quite high. Once you cut the gimmicks out V SHop is no real advance on Our Price.