Reading's Main Mall - a community center for the area This…read moreis a unique place for a lot of different reasons. It is in the heart of Reading and serves as a main community center for the area. The south side of it opens onto an area with at least 2-foot bridges over the River Kennet. On the north side you are in the heart of Broad Street, the brick-lined walking space that seems a Hallmark of the city. Inside, the mall boasts a wide selection of high-street brands, boutiques, and specialty stores, making it a shopaholic's paradise. As of September 2021, they hosted over 80 stores and restaurants. I visited recently one of their big anchor stores that was closing. It offers a plethora of dining options, from international cuisine to local delicacies. The Riverside dining area is particularly popular, providing a scenic backdrop for a meal. Their website seems to suggest that they host various events and activities throughout the year, keeping the atmosphere lively and engaging. I tried the McDonalds. It was extremely busy but it was also right off the riverside dining area and accessed from outside the main structure. Whether you're looking for a day of retail therapy, a delicious meal with a view, or a fun outing with friends and family, The Oracle shopping center in Reading offers it all. It's a vibrant hub that epitomizes modern urban living and leisure. If you can't find what you are looking for in the mall, you have the option of looking right outside along Broad Street. Enjoy!

Sometimes, you need to shop. You need to hit a mall. You need to wander from one chain store to the…read morenext, filling up your bags and emptying your wallet. If you're in Reading, the place to do that is right here at the Oracle shopping center, which sits on both sides of the River Kennet just off the Reading high street. Lots of top name shops here, including a Disney Store (they're everywhere!), Debenham's, House of Fraser and John Lewis, plus of course Boots. Plenty of restaurants and boots to pick up everything from this years selections of calendars to pictures for your phone. And on the subject of phones, they also have representation of the major mobile companies Vodaphone, Orange and more. I did find the PC World to be a little lacking of some of the lower tier items for computers, but they have high end stuff like big screen TV's and desktops. Decent hours: Mon-Fri 9.30 to 20, Sat 9 to 19 and Sun 11 to 17.

The 'other' shopping plaza in Reading, Broad Street doesn't have the glitz and glamor of the Oracle…read moreShopping Plaza a short walk away. Which isn't to say it's a poor experience, because it's good! Anchor shops like TJ Maxx and Argos, plus name brands Supercuts, GNC, Ethel Austin, Poundland and Foot Locker. There isn't a food court, but there is a nice atrium with a coffee shop and a bakery (on site baking!) making for a pleasant experience in good weather or bad. There is a staffed kiosk for the Reading bus system for questions and for buying your bus fare debit card.

Although very much the poor relation to the Oracle, there is certainly nothing wrong with The…read moreButts. It has a wide range of shops to explore and always seems very busy. Broad St Mall also has a multistorey carpark attached to it so you don't have to rely on parking at the oracle which can get gridlocked at weekends. If you need a break from shopping there are plenty of places you can get a drink or something to eat to catch your breath before you return to the bargain hunting.

They were really friendly, with a good range of clothes, and good prices! Certainly vintage and not…read morejumble sale. Staff very knowledgable. Spacious shop

This place never seems to get too many visitors hence the quick turnover of shops It's very close…read moreto the station in Reading (just next to the Vodka bar)... It does have some little gems of shops in there though. There's a high quality tobacconist specialising in cigars, an sweet shop where you can buy by weight, there are fab circus skills shop selling juggling stuff, frisbees etc, a second hand record shop (usually quite busy) and there is at least 1 antique shop. Worth a browse at least.

Harris Arcade really is the place to visit, you can't walk…read morepass without a little browse, go and support our local traders, it really is a special place to be Fabulous shops, gifts, Arts, antiques and lots more.

quality is no longer priority all clothes Chinese or Bangladeshi, sizes are awful and so is cut of…read moregarments .They also wash up poorly. many years ago they proudly displayed signs stating 90% of items sold British made. M And S will surely disappear from the high street you can't sell this rubbish for long

Marks and Sparks. I've heard so much about M&S from Mrs. K. (my wife is a Brit who moved to the…read moreStates), I had to make sure to stop by here at least once. Marks is the quintessential British department store. With departments selling everything from clothing to kitchen appliances to bed and bath soft furnishings, plus a major supermarket of food, it's possible that you could shop M&S and never need to go anywhere else. They literally sell everything but cars! Very good quality stuff. Not just the clothing (which tends to run more towards the expensive side than the moderate end), the food options are plentiful. Lots of ready-to-heat items and things that need little preparation. I managed to find exactly what I needed - a decent pair of sneakers and a warm sweater. I also stocked up on a few eats too. Yay, Marks and Sparks! I'll be back.

Massive department store on Reading's high street, John Lewis has everything. No cheap knock-offs…read morehere, it's all name brands and it's all expensive. Similar in theme to Macy's or Dillard's or Bloomingdale's in the States, the John Lewis department store is carved up into various sections for menswear, ladieswear, boys, girls, housewares, electronics, jewelry, perfumes and more. Very good service, which is what you are paying for. The electronics department includes televisions, radios and computers, priced at what I think are above PC World and Argos prices. All that said, it's a lovely store and a pleasant shopping experience. If I ever win the lottery, this is where I will blow most of my winnings.

I like John Lewis and the Reading store is one of my favourite destinations…read more Until last Saturday when the shop staff made me feel like a criminal. I was looking at their Xmas decorations along with other shoppers. First I noticed one shop assistant shadowing my every step then i went to look at the table settings and another assistant tailing me again. I looked around several times at the other shoppers and none of them appeared to be receiving the same dogged attention. This continued even after I purchased some items and moved to the cooking utensils. As the only black female on the shop floor, I left the store feeling harassed and victimised. I am still upset reliving the horrible experience. I will not be visiting again for the foreseeable future.

You can walk into this store not knowing that you need something and walk out with it, realizing…read morethat it's the doodad you've been secretly needing your entire life. This store sells tons of stuff, all sorts and too many to list. From towels to cookware to plastic laundry baskets and rubbish bins to small electronics, clothing, hardware DIY tools. I wish I could list it all so it would show up in searches. Seriously, if you're looking for something and you simply can't find it elsewhere, give this place a try before giving up.

I ventured to Reading on an excursion from Uxbridge expecting to find a fairly monotonous, dull…read moretown. That's what I found in all honesty except for one or two gems. This place was one of the gems. More specifically than Oxfam it is an Oxfam Music Shop and it's really one of the best offerings Oxfam has. There are boxes filled with records of all genres from bluegrass to techno and a good selection of CDs and music books too. The prices are much better than you'd find in London and more akin to a charity shop than a record store. For me the best part was the classical music selection. 10 records for £5. That's 50p for an LP. Insane. I was giddy, I couldn't take too many back with me but I managed to find 10 with some supremely awesome arrangements and wonderfully designed covers. At 50p you can just pick 10 random records and take them home to listen to, if you don't like it you can redonate it at no really great loss and if you do then it's a bonus. I really wish I lived closer so I could go back time and time again. Also, erm, the staff were supremely hot. I mean it's kind of a cliché that hot indie types would work in an Oxfam music store but they do. Seriously.

This interesting charity shop is set just off Broad Street and sells primarily CDs, DVDs, sheet…read moremusic, LPs, EPs and other vinyls. Sometimes there can be some real classics to purchase, and when I was in there a customer enquired about an Iron Maiden LP which I think was priced around £35, so some collectors items can be had. I bought two pieces of sheet music which they priced at 99p each (both single songs). They have music for piano, recorder, organ, keyboard, double bass and guitar. I was very tempted by a Placebo CD for £3.99 in excellent condition although I refrained. Definitely worth a look if you're into music, and also want to help a worthwhile cause.

Focused completely on books and music, with all sorts of unique and unusual titles. An excellent…read moreplace for a browse as the merchandise tends to change often enough. Friendly staff are knowledgeable at what's in stock. The best part is that you can feel no guilt about spending money here as it goes to support a very good cause.

This is a great branch of the British Heart Foundation - I've never seen one like it before, I've…read moreonly seen the one with clothes in it as well. It's located on West Street, right near that big church and as the name suggests, it sells only multimedia stuff and books. But there are loads of book bargains to be had here. There is literally a whole wall of books all carefully arranged into sections - some which look pretty new and hardly read at all. If like me, you're into your books, you'll find this is quite a good place to stop off as there are quite a few recent books, current top sellers that they sell off for around £3 - much better than paying £7.99 in shops! The music section sadly isn't all that great, most of the stuff tends to be a little outdated and too old for my tastes, it's also all well used and while I don't mind buying pre read books I tend to be a little fussy on scratched, cracked and dusty tape cases, especially as I don't have a tape player! However if you're looking for something old and daft this might be a good place to pick it up. Overall you have the added bonus that the money you hand over is going to charity.