Darlington is one of my most favourite places for a shopping trip. I spent many a Saturday there…read moreuntil I moved away fromhome, but visit regularly still when I go 'home' to visit my parents. On Saturday, we went to Boyes. I've always been a fan of Boyes - as a child it was the sweets and the pocket-money toys that attracted me there, as a teenager it was the clothes, shoes and make-up, when I first left home it was the DIY products, the curtains and the general bric-a-brac for the home, and now it's the craft pieces (and still the sweets). So we always spend a good half hour in here. Boyes has remained exactly the same for the last 20 years - the items are similar and they're even located in the same place as they always were. As you enter the store, there's the baby clothes and other items, the sweets, then the toys, homeware such as towels, and the knitting patterns and materials. Upstairs is the DIY stuff, the make-up and the clothes and shoes. Sadly, despite Boyes being a firm favourite, they lose a star for having part of their store inaccessible to wheelchair users. There's a small raised section devoted to materials, and although it has Stanna-type stairlifts, there is no access for people that are unable to walk. They have lifts between the ground floor and the first floor, but these are very small. Apart from that, the store offers a fantastic range of products and their prices are competitive.

Went into here looking for latch hook materials but unfortunately they only do the kit boxes. As…read morealways ended up getting some other stuff, always a bargin to be had in any Boyes store no matter where u go.

This branch of Home Bargains is located in the Castelgate Centre, at the end near Wilkinsons, sort…read moreof opposite Holland & Barratts. It's a nice little shop for a bargain. Have to admit, I prefer the branch at Coulby Newham, but maybe that's just because I'm more familiar with it. They sell all kinds of bargains, from household items and kitchenware, to toys and games. They also sell bedding, and I've been lucky and bought children's character duvet sets here for about £9.99 when they were over £15 everywhere else! They also stock food items - mostly tinned food, or coffee or biscuits, the kind of thing that doesn't really go off. You will generally find these food items are a little closer to their sell by dates than you would get in the big supermarkets, but they are nevertheless still within the dates, so ok to use, and much cheaper.

Home Bargains sells a good range of general home accessories and general food products. Range is…read moresubject to change and in general, is always different each time you visit. Service is excellent and the staff to customer ratio is good, and staff are friendly. Great place to find cheap items especially quality pans and cutlery. Choice is quite poor, but good basic items.

This is a great shop for items you never knew you needed…read more Situated in a busy shopping centre it is easily accessible and ideal fro stocking fillers. I love the staff too

This shop is a goldmine for all sorts of items for the home and garden-their prices are generally…read morevery reasonable, though it is a pile it high and flog it cheap kind of place-this is not a criticism, just a fact! with the demise of Woolworth this kind of place is well set to fill the gap in the market. It does get busy, but there has always been a good number of tills operational so whilst the queue may look long it moves quickly.

On first impressions of this shop I would never set foot in it. It looks scruffy, dated and full of…read morea complete mish mash of items. Inside however can be very different. There are the odds gems to be found in here such as cheap good quality suitcases and good quality bathroom towels. Amongst the clothes they are also some lovely bits and pieces in a good selection of sizes although most of it only suitable for older plus sized ladies. All in all I think this shop could be vastly improved by ridding themselves of their cheap logo and horrible big labels they have on everything but it's worth a quick look as there are some bargains to be had.

Bargains, bargains and more bargains is all you will find here, and who doesnt like bargains?…read moreThis store sells everything from toys to clothes to household and garden. Just window shopping is difficult to do here as they always display their biggest bargains in the windows and you can guarantee having to buy something. Their clothes are for the more elderly people among us however the range of toys they sell is fantastic, especially around christmas time, they discount all their toys further and you have to be quick to get them too.

Boyes sells a bit of everything but I go there mainly to buy material and craft bits 'n' bobs. Some…read moreof their items are bargain prices but others can be found cheaper elsewhere so it depends if you're in the mood to shop around. This particular Boyes is ok but the staff always seem a bit moody and not very willing to help (they expected me to reach up and take down a huge roll of material by myself!)

Boyes Boyes who could live without a boyes!!! Set on 2 two floors this store has the usualy…read morefantastic priced items for your home, beauty and clothing needs. Because of the amount of items the shop stocks it can be quite tight to get around the shelves but you wont be dissapointed!!! There is a great section upstairs with lots of material just perfect for dressing up needs and lots of buttons and braiding you can imagine. The health and beauty items available are such good prices and lots are well known makes! The sweets are often of offer , the children toy section is good although you never know what is going to be in. Go here and you will usually find you will not leave without opening your purse!

At around midday today 20th September I visited the Northallerton branch I asked a member of staff…read moreon the floor what the price was of some weed killer spray which was not priced up. Haughtily he said that they were too busy to help and I would have to check at the till. He then walked to the one of the tills, because there was indeed, a large queue waiting. There was nobody at this till, I thought I was to follow him, so I asked him to please price up the item. Haughtily, yet again, he said to go back to the end of the queue and wait for a price. I could not believe his attitude for such a simple request. Employing him is doing the company no favours at all, I am afraid. All I wanted was the price of some weed killer! Shame on the Company and shame on the Store Manager for employing him.

This shop is very cluttered. Anyone with a child's buggy or a wheelchair has great difficulty in…read moregaining entry into the shop due to clutter in the doorway. If you do manage to get in , the aisles in the clothing department are narrow and frequently blocked. This shop is a disabled persons nightmare. The previous two reviews are absolute twaddle - they probably have been written by staff. I have not found staff friendly & efficient - they frequently seem more interested in each other than serving customers. I have visited this shop since it opened - I will NEVER go in again (as I am a carer for an elderly relative who is wheelchair-bound I can not get in anyway). This shop is to be AVOIDED at all costs!

This is yet another of those cheap shops that have sprung up in Stockton town centre in recent…read moreyears. It's located in the Castlegate Centre, just next to Home Bargains, and sort of opposite Holland and Barratt. This shop sells all kinds of things, from toys and games to household items, hair accessories, stationery items, pet toys, tinned food etc. As the name suggests, everything costs £1. In some cases that's brilliant and you can get some real bargains at least you can if you keep an eye on prices elsewhere! I've been lucky here and bought things like a pack of about 10 badminton shuttlecocks for £1, or a pack of really pretty jewelled hair clips, six small or two large for £1. Don't be fooled, though. Sometimes they offer things at their standard cost of £1, and you get carried away thinking it's a bargain - but in fact you could probably buy it for 70p in a supermarket! A great place to grab a bargain as long as you keep your wits about you!

I'm so thankful that Billingham has this Boyes store! It's so handy and so convenient! The stock is…read moreextensive DIY, Electrical, Kitchen/Homewares, Haberdashery, Cleaning, Toiletries and whole host of other things are stocked in this 3 storey department store. The Basement even features a wide range of home furnishings, unfortunately the prices of these are often shockingly high! But for day to day purchases of household goods, Boyes is perfect.

Boyes is one of my favourite stores in Billingham town centre. It has a huge range of stock. There…read moreis a clothes section with a great choice of clothes for men, women, children and babies. They have a section for sweets which the kids love. A range of toys, stationary, household goods, kitchen items and beauty products. All of this is just downstairs. The store also has a basement with carpets, rugs and furniture on offer and upstairs there is a huge range of DIY products and craft items including fabric, wool, buttons, lace, ribbon, cross stitch items and stamps and paper crafts. The store staff are always really cheerful and helpful and the products are all very reasonably priced.