Retail therapy

Advantages: Bargains everywhere!
Disadvantages: Can get busy

...I'm only 40 mins from Cheshire Oaks and I've been visiting it pretty much since it opened so I know it quite well now. It's one of those places that really isn't the same visit twice as the shops change their stock on such a regular basis...and the centre changes it's shops quite a bit as well!! First rule....be prepared for crowds in school holidays and weekends. I got lucky today as it was half term for my kids but apparently not for all schools in that area. Saturdays and Sundays I try to avoid if I want to have a real good nosey round all stores. But if you go on a weekday, especially early on it's wonderful. Though guess who managed to roll up very smugly one morning, all pleased with herself to be one of the first there...got my pick of the car park spaces right by my favourite shop at 9.15am....and then realised it all...

ellay864 12.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of Cheshire Oaks Outlet Park (Shopping Centre)

Private Outlet - my worst shopping experience in a long time

Advantages: Good brands at discount prices
Disadvantages: Terrible customer service, no contact telephone, not based in UK

...Private Outlet - what is it? Private Outlet is an online members only shopping site that has short (e.g. 5 day) sales for premium brand fashion at discount prices. Once you are signed up, you receive emails informing you when the sales are on for specific brands. My Experience There are a few of these sites that have started up lately and I thought that it was quite a good concept. The brands that they sell appeal to me as I normally couldn't afford to buy them at full price. I had used a similar site before and all was fine so I thought that I would try Private Outlet. I purchased three items from a menswear brand. The first warning sign was that when I made my purchase, the delivery timescale given was around one month. I decided to carry on, as I wasn't in a hurry to receive the items. When I finally received...

HoveActually 14.12.2009 · Read review
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Review of Private Outlet

Galleria Outlet Centre

Advantages: bargains, refreshments, lots of choice
Disadvantages: busy and very hot inside

...The Galleria is in the middle of Hatfield, Herts. It is very easily accessible, well signposted, and not far away from the M25. The building itself is built on top of the HatfieldTunnel. ~Parking~ Lots and lots of space. There is a multistory car park to the back when you drive in, or as you drive in there is a HUGE outdoor parking area. Unfortunately, they have recently introduced these as Pay and Display areas. It costs a pound to park, even on Sundays, and unlike some places, you do not get a refund on your parking if you purchase something, which is a bit of a pain. Nevermind. ~Access to the Outlet Centre~ Very easily accessible. Lifts, escalators and steps. ~Shops~ They shops are over two levels, again there are lifts/escalators and steps. Toy shops, department stores, shoe shops, sports shops, book shops...

charkai 01.07.2005 · Read review
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Review of Hatfield Galleria (London)

The Centre MK

Advantages: Vast range of stores
Disadvantages: Some duplicate stores

...do want variety and options. Opticians ------------- They do have many opticians as well which is good I think because you can book an eye test whilst out shopping so I find that a great idea. They have boots, Specsavers, Vision Express and some more there also. They are never huge stores so they are just basically an eye testing centre with some frames to choose from, I think the vision express store is the biggest and offers the biggest choice of frames to choose from as well. Mobile Phones --------------------- Well without doubt one of the busiest parts they have in the entire centre is the mobile trading stores. You have got the big names of O2, Orange, Vodafone, T Mobile and many more of the other retailers who provide us contracts and phones. I think though there are a few problems because there are two O2 stores, Carphone...

tink-er-bell 25.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of MK Shopping Centre (Milton Keynes)

Retailing To The Max

Advantages: Paid to shop
Disadvantages: Have to know your own schedule and work out if you can fit jobs in quickly

...After reading review upon review about mystery shopping I decided to take the plunge and apply to a few companies myself. I always wondered whether I?d be convincing enough as a mystery shopper ? I?m not very good at lying and thought I?d go bright red and get flustered. But it appears I?m a better liar than I thought and mystery shopping is my new, paid hobby. I enquired and applied to 8 companies but Retail Maxim stand head and shoulders above the competition for me. Since I was accepted in August I?ve had 10 jobs sent my way which I am very impressed with. At the moment I?m in almost weekly contact with them. ~ ~ ~ Applying ~ ~ ~ From the very beginning Retail Maxim struck me as being a professional outfit. The first stage of the application process is straightforward and can be done online at www.retail...

AnitaM 10.10.2004 · Read review
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Review of Retail Maxim

  Shopping Paradise (shops updated)

Advantages: Great Discounts
Disadvantages: Can get busy during holiday periods

...Pasta and Nando's to name just a few. In the middle area C, there is a food court, like many food courts in places such as Manchester's Trafford Centre, it house many food retailers including: MacDonalds, Spudulike, Harry Ramsdens, Fresh, Singapore Sam and Villa Pizza. Scattered around the outlet are Starbucks, BB's, Costa Coffee, and Millie's Cookies as well as other cafes and ice cream carts. ~~~~DIRECTIONS~~~~ Situated off the A5117 south of Ellesmere Port. Although this review is under shopping in Liverpool, it isn't there. It's located the south side of the Wirral, close to Chester. From M6, join the M56 to Chester and North Wales. Exit junction 15 which is signposted on to the M53. Stay in the slip road which will take you off the M53. Left at first roundabout and right at next into the complex. From Liverpool...

RClure 09.03.2005 (17.02.2006) · Read review
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Review of Cheshire Oaks Outlet Park (Shopping Centre)

Retail Maxim - Mystery Shopping !

Advantages: Fun way to earn some extra money, get paid for expenses such as petrol and parking etc
Disadvantages: Work is not guaranteed and you have to have the money to hand and will be reimbursed later.

...OK, for those of you who read my recent review about Retail Eyes - Mystery Shopping, this review is going to be very similar except with different aspects as I believe this company to be slightly better! Again I'll start by telling you what exactly Mystery Shopping entails: What is Mystery Shopping? Being a mystery shopper is all about being paid to eat out/shop/purchase items/evaluate a service very discreetly without the selected company realising what you are doing. For example, you could be paid to go to a shop and evaluate the service you receive and the cleanliness of the store and maybe even purchase something. Then after the visit you have to fill in a questionnaire all about your experience and submit it to the shopper company (in this case retail maxim). How do I register? Registration is dealt with via...

ellebee 02.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Retail Maxim

Superb shopping

Advantages: Shopping and food
Disadvantages: Not closer to Liverpool

...I?m a sucker for shopping, whether it is online or offline, so when my boyfriend mentioned wanting to go to Cheshire Oaks I was eager to accompany him, whether he liked it or not! HISTORY Cheshire Oaks (McArthur Glen Designer Outlet Village) opened in April1995 as a joint venture between developers BAA McArthur/Glen. They sold 75% of Cheshire Oaks in 1998. GETTING THERE - Car: If you?re travelling by car, Cheshire Oaks is adjacent to junction 10 of the M53 (you?ll see it as you exit the motorway) and a mile from junction 15 of the M56. - Train: Nearest train station is Ellesmere Port, which is a short bus/taxi ride from the shopping outlet. - Bus: There are regular bus services from Ellesmere Port PARKING Well, I have to say I was impressed. We went during the school holidays (half term) and we still found...

pixiedon 14.11.2002 · Read review
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Review of Cheshire Oaks Outlet Park (Shopping Centre)

Fancy a spot of retail therapy?

Advantages: Mostly under one roof so ideal for shopping in bad weather
Disadvantages: Mostly just chain stores so not the one-off shops you find in town

...are the retail opening hours. On Sundays some stores (such as Woolworth) open half an hour before for browsing but cannot sell goods during this time. The food outlets in the Food Court, Mediterranean Village and around the leisure attractions open till around 11.00pm. If you have never been to the Metrocentre I would recommend a visit. It is especially popular with coach parties from Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the Scottish borders who are not well served by major shopping centres and it also gets many visitors from Scandinavia who come across the North Sea by ferry to take advantage of the cheaper prices, particularly at Christmas. However I prefer to shop in town even if the weather is bad and you get wet walking between the shops. When you're stuck inside a mall there is no interesting architecture to see and there are none...

fizzytom 23.02.2004 (24.02.2004) · Read review
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Review of Metro Centre

Victoria Centre Nottingham

Advantages: -
Disadvantages: -

...Nottingham has two large shopping centres, the Broadmarsh Centre and the Victoria Centre, situated at opposite ends of the city centre .The Victoria Centre is the bigger of the two, containing 120 shops (not counting all the various stalls in the market area.) Getting there is easy - if you drive, there's parking for over 2700 cars . If you don't drive, don't worry - almost all the Nottingham City Transport buses stop either directly outside the Victoria Centre, or within a few minutes walk of it . Other bus companies from slightly further afield, such as Trent Barton , terminate at the local coach station within the centre . If you're walking, the centre is signposted from various points in the city centre, and at the end of the day when you're weighed down with shopping, there are 2 taxi ranks directly outside the main entrance...

Thehonesttruth 02.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Victoria Centre, Nottingham