Hollister

I've been going to this shop since I was 17, the service here is always top notch. Absolutely…read morenowhere do I get so accepted and celebrated than in this shop. The staff give 100% always, and they know the stock so well! Today I was seen by Lilly for fitting, she was spot on with the kind of bra I needed, I told her issues I often encounter with my bras and found the perfect bra very quickly giving me loads of similar options. She was just great at not being pushy and overwhelming but also being there, listening to me and respecting my privacy. Also a note to the cashier (young lady with long braids) was really lovely and friendly. Congratulations to Bravissimo u have the best staff set I've met.

Considering the sizes this store caters for, it's quite a disservice that the store itself is so…read moresmall. It means that you can only fit about three customers at a time in here. And if you're a six foot three bloke with that haggard look in your eyes that says "why have you brought me here?!", you tend to stick out like a giant, awkward sore thumb. There's an affliction that is common to shopping with a ladyfriend that is known to us men as They Don't Have What I Want So Now I'm Angry At You Syndrome. It's an affliction that takes the lives of several dozen men a year, as they are bombarded with stilettos coupled with screams of "I ASKED FOR LIGHT CREAM, NOT DIRTY WHITE! GRAGGGH!" However, shops like Bravissimo should be applauded. They take the pain out of TDHWIWSNIAAY Syndrome by stocking very, very specific sizes. If you're in their band, they've got what you need ensuring no more men have to suffer the wrath of a disappointed ladyfriend.

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Union Shop

3.8(4 reviews)

0.5 mi

•££

I love this little shop. You can pop in for a sandwich, for a drink, for some sports wear, or to…read moretop up your phone - and every time the service is fantastic. I went in for a pair of shorts and found some in cardiff university colours (all shorts are cardiff university colours but you can also buy hoodies and t-shirts in a whole range). There was a good range of sizes available. I was also looking for some jogging bottoms but they didn't have them in my size. The shorts were £10 which I felt was quite reasonable, though not cheap, because they are good quality and I'd rather pay for that than go into town and get either a cheap pair that won't last or are ridiculously expensive for the logo on them. The shop also offers a good range of vegetarian food in the chilled cabinet - worth a look!

This is one of those shops that seems to sell everything - catering well to the student union crowd…read moreof university staff and students. When I worked at Cardiff Uni, on Park Place, we always used to nip in here on milk runs for our tea breaks - picking up any chocolate requests at the same time. You can also grab birthday cards, a drink or some lunch, some cigarettes, university sports hoodies and t-shirts, phone top ups, the odd toiletries, and more. The service is always efficient and friendly, and even when there's a queue it goes down quickly - but watch out on the opening times because it closes at 4pm and is only open weekdays.

Photos from http://www.cardiffstudents.com"

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Leia

4.0(1 review)

2.9 mi

A really, really good specialist bra shop! The bras in this store range from the practical, too the…read morepretty, too the very sexy, and what's particularly great about Leia is that they cater for all bust sizes. The staff are all most professional, and the measuring service is very accurate. The store also sells swimwear, sportswear, and even nightwear based on not only you're clothing size but your bra size as well. This store is absolutely ideal for those with bigger bust sizes but who still want to purchase pretty underwear, however whatever your size Leia's unquestionably worth a visit.

Freespirit

4.0(6 reviews)

It's been a long time since I last went into this store in the centre of Cardiff. When I was a…read moreteenager I was really into this type of surfer style (right before my black phase), and so this was one of my favourite stores. Despite the price tags. Happily, upon a re-visit, I saw that through the years nothing mush has changed and Freespirit still offer a good range of stylish and practical clothes for men, women and children. Upstairs there is a particularly good shoe section where everyone who wants comfortable toes without going into the dreaded JJB Sports will be well catered for. There is also a good range of swimwear and accessories, particularly belts and wallets and that kind of practical gear. This is a fun shop that's likely to please most people under the age of 35, and everyone else who still enjoys the odd spot of sun, or hike in the Welsh countryside.

If you're shopping for a beach holiday, or if you're into surfing, Freespirit will probably be…read moreright up your street. It stocks loads of lovely surfer-style clothes and footwear, including premium surf and skate brands such as Roxy, Animal, Vans, Oakley and O'Neill - which have a fairly premium price tag to match. Spread over two floors in a shop on St John Street, there's also room for plenty of accessories such as casual bags, belts, sunglasses and watches. The clothing ranges cater for kids, men and women - and for us girls there are some lovely beach dresses, t-shirts, vests, pumps, sandals and flip flops. Definitely gets you in that holiday mood!

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Primark

3.7(36 reviews)

•£

I'm pleased to offer a much needed review for this store, as it sadly has gone without one for a…read morelength of time which would be exactly 7 months on Tuesday, considering this is a city center location and one of the busiest shops on Queen Street and in St David's, I'm surprised to see this. My local branch of Primark in Manchester has in a way put me off the brand alltogether, being such a big store filled with huge queues and just smelling and feeling cheap, and sweaty, but this store feels nicer than that, and is still a decent size and still follows a typical layout which one would expect from a Primark, a large clothing company based in Ireland. They did stock a decent range of stuff here especiallmY y in the mens department on the -1 Floor, and there are multiple other floors as well, as far as I'm aware there are 4 floors, with kids clothing on the top and the ground floor having an enterence onto Queens Street and also into the St David's mall. The staff also seemed quite friendly, at the till and also in the store, trying to get the lifts moving as quick as possible. The signal throughout the floor can be a little poor, but for a large store with a basement, this has to be expected especially with my poor signal from O2. My server also didn't mind me paying with lose change, and it did seem quiet enough, as in short queues to do that and even made jokes about it. Overall, this is a decent branch of Primark, a typical Primark in a way and deserves a solid three stars.

I too love Primark but will now only ever go in this store during the week because its just far to…read morestressful on a weekend, or in the school holidays. There is never enough space to have a good look at what's on offer unless your willing to go to war with a handful of other determined shoppers and then when you find something you have to wait ages to try it on and even longer to buy it. Yes this store is huge, and full of all the usual bargains. It has an especially large section of accessories and sun glasses at the moment. Is it worth the stress? Not always. Primark please, please open another store in the city centre to take the pressure off this poor place!

Store guide

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Pussy Galore

3.3(8 reviews)

Pussy Galore simply screams WAG to me, though I love what Tiffany said about Katie Price (she'd…read morecertainly feel at home in here). The clothes in my opinion are rather tacky and agree with Laura that they're fairly pricey compared to the high street. Despite all this however, I have a slight soft spot for this place. Whilst I would categorically never buy anything from here (let alone wear anything), many a time I've dragged a friend in here, as everything from the clothes to the very name of this boutique, simply amuses me. Trust me if you're after a laugh visit this store, you won't quite be able to believe that people actually wear and pay for these clothes.

Ah, this shop has not gone down well with my fellow female Yelpers. Yeah, I will admit that when I…read moreused to walk by the window and saw the clothes on display, I usually just kept walking. But then, one day, knee-deep in my closest mate's closet, I kept pulling out exquisite dresses in emerald, subdued silver and rich onyx colours, and I kept asking, "Where did you get this?!" And strangely, they were all bought from Pussy Galore (she kindly let me borrow one for a work summer ball and it was nice to wear something a bit more unique that wasn't seen on three other ladies). Admittedly, you have to hunt to find a few that aren't covered in embellishments you often see on one of those ridiculous dog outfits, but I'm going to go against the anti-Pussy tide and say there is quite a nice, albeit small, selection of beautiful, well-made dresses in that shop. And I like the shop name, actually. I admire boldness, even if it borders on tacky and obscene. I think that trumps a boring, unimaginative retail name like "Dorothy Perkins" any day.

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Fat Face

3.6(11 reviews)

0.1 mi

I don't really get Fat Face, my friends love the place but I can't really ever justify the cost of…read moretheir hoodies although there was a very good looking man working there the last time I went so thats worth checking out! SO basically its a store that sells beachy, surf type clothing that is really nice and good quality too. Its a quieter version of Fat Face now that the other one has opened up in St David's 2 so its good if the one doesn't have something in your size!

There is no real reason why you should go into this shop over any other in Cardiff, as there are…read moremany shops which are cheaper and quite a few which stock the same style clothes. I went in looking for a jumper, looking for one of those snuggly huggly jumpers that you put on when you've got home from a long wet walk and just want to huddle in front of the television with a hot chocolate. I was quite happy with the range of jumpers that were on offer in terms of style but when I looked at the prices (most of them seemed to be around £45 and upwards) I was a little disappointed because there wasn't a great deal of substance. Having said that, popping in here on a sunny day to find bikinis, flip flops and the like does make me feel as though I might be heading down to Cornwall soon, mostly because of the surfer decor. And that makes me happy.

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Sturff

3.8(6 reviews)

2.9 mi

This store seems to be in a little bit of an odd location, off the Penarth beaten track, and…read moreprobably suffers because of it. If this clothes shop was on the main road, it would most likely be buzzing, but as it is, I've not seen all that many people frequent its premises. Sturff is a surf and outdoors clothing retailer, with a shop in Penarth and another in Monmouth. They sell all the familiar brands that you could ask for: Animal, Rip Curl, Weird Fish, Billabong, Quicksilver, Reef, Kangaroo Poo, Saltrock and O'Niell. The prices can be a tad extravagant, but this is the trend with these brands, and is to be expected. Although the range is actually pretty good, this is a very small shop that can tend to feel a little bit claustrophobic and amateur. But is you like this type of 'lifestyle clothing' it's a great place to check out.

With the large number of beaches within only a few miles of Cardiff and surrounding areas, Sturff…read moreprovides a number of essential products for surfing and other similar recreational activities. As well as practical goods like 'board wax', Sturfff is home to a wide selection of stylish garments for men, women and children. Whilst there are a number of shops in Central Cardiff likely to stock the same thing, Sturff possesses a more local and consumer friendly feel, with less intimidating volumes of stock and sizes. That's not to say the selection of clothes here is necessarily poorer, instead it is perhaps more true that Sturff selects its stock more carefully, providing a really nice range of products. Whilst it's fair to say Sturff isn't exactly brimming full of customers, even at the best of times, the friendly staff and nice selection of goods make this nice, authentic feeling retailer a good place to go.

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TK Maxx

3.8(14 reviews)

0.1 mi

•££

I'm surprised I'm only getting round to reviewing TK Maxx in Cardiff, having visited around a month…read moreago now in Mid-August but I'm pleased to make this a landmark review in my way, which is my 443rd this year of 1099th in total, finally beating my review total of what I conducted in 2015, just 270 days into 2016. Moving on to my review now, away from all personal statistics, this TK Maxx store is located in The Hayes in Cardiff, one of the welsh capital's main shopping streets, really close to the St David's shopping complex. This branch is set over 4 floors, but in some ways the layout is quite confusing, with the ground floor and a slightly raised level on the other side, accessed by a total different lift which is both quite unusual and confusing. It is worth noting that the Men's section is on the top or second floor, with home in the basement. As mentioned in other reviews, it is in a way like a "treasure hunt", with mainly one of every product in each size or at least very few, at least in the clothing, so if you see something you can only pray it is your size, which is really annoying. I class myself as a lazy shopper, I like things being done for me so I strongly dislike the format of TK Maxx, and the staff didn't seem too helpful either, and other than on the ground floor, they basically were so few in number. The store in general was quiet, it felt like a jumble sale due to the layout and didn't have a good vibe. It was also frustrating one of two lifts was out of order, which would cause a slight delay if you needed to use it. Another unusual practice used was that the store opened earlier than it should, I entered on a Sunday and I wanted to checkout and buy something, limited on time as I had a train to catch in a few hours, I was shocked when he said he couldn't serve me, probably due to the Sunday Trading hours (Big shout-out to the SNP who voted against Sunday trading hours being lifted in England despite being able to open when they want in Scotland) - This probably isn't the store's fault but there was no sign for this, and for someone who wants to get in and out of the shop, this was just a stupid policy to have, and with no prior warning was misleading. Sadly due to unusual practices of both this store and the brand in general, I sadly feel this store deserves a single one star.

I came here with my partner to get him a new and affordable winter coat as his had a huge tear in…read moreit. After browsing for 10 minutes, we managed to purchase a very warm wind-proof coat at a great price! ~ Atmosphere: TK Maxx is HUGE but despite its size, it's also very crowded. Granted, we did come during a weekend close to Christmas-time. Still, I can imagine TK Maxx being constantly crowded as I'm sure it's a very popular place to shop given both its location in the heart of Cardiff's city centre as well as the prices. ~ Variety: There's plenty of variety here in TK Maxx. Their section for mens coats was MASSIVE in itself and could amount to a small retail shop on its own! Combined with the fact that it has multiple stories, you'd probably be hard pressed to find something you *don't* like here. ~ Customer Service: Not bad at all. Despite how busy it was, it still didn't take too long to queue up and pay. The employees were decently friendly and efficient as well. --- TK Maxx definitely does the job if you're looking for fashion on a budget, without skimping on quality either. My partner loves his coat so much that it's hard to believe it only cost £50!