This is a small-ish branch of Marks & Spencer so I often find that it doesn't stock what I want…read more The front of the store on the ground floor is devoted to women's clothes and the Per Una section while the back has the food and wine departments. Children's and men's departments are upstairs along with a cafe which appeared in 2007. A small area of the store is devoted to household goods such as towels and kitchenware, but the range displayed is extremely limited. Some M&S ranges (eg the Plus women's clothing range and the Big & Tall men's equivalent) aren't stocked in Staines so you have to travel further afield for these. I've also found that the most popular sizes in clothes and (particularly) in shoes sell out quickly and aren't restocked. The majority of the staff are of the standard you'd expect from M&S, but some of the weekend staff leave a bit to be desired. While I was waiting to pay last Sunday one teenage girl assistant was telling her colleague some very intimate details of a medical problem she has, while serving customers and in full hearing of a queue of around 10 people! Queues at tills tend to be long, but the staff do apologise for the wait which makes you feel a bit better. So, all in all, the Staines branch of M&S is fine for the basics, but if you need anything beyond this you'll have to make a journey to a bigger branch.

This is a small branch of the Bon Marche chain which says it specialises in clothes for the 45+…read morelady. However, I'm around that age and am generally by far the youngest person in the shop when I visit. Most of the clothes are not styles I would wear, but they're very good for basics, particular summer clothes like vest tops, linen-type trousers etc. Recently they've been selling a range designed by David Emanuel which is made up of really quite stylish pieces which you can mix and match with other items. Most of the Bon Marche range goes up to size 24 and the David Emanuel range goes up to a 22. The only real problem with the Staines branch is that there's too much in it, too many rails crammed into too small a space, so you can struggle to move around.

If you're over 25 you need to take your courage in both hands to go into New Look in Staines…read more Firstly because everyone else in there (including the staff) looks like they should still be at primary school, and secondly because there's so many clothes rails that you'll have to scrum your way through as if you're playing rugby. There's so much in here that you won't know where to start, but it is worth having a rummage as you may come up with something you like. As well as its mainstream clothes New Look does a teen range, a plus-size range, lingerie, shoes and accessories. The shoes are particularly good value as some are leather, but not as expensive as elsewhere.

Ann Harvey is a boon and a blessing for we Size 16+ ladies, and though the Staines branch is one of…read morethe smaller ones I've seen, it still has plenty to attract me in. The clothes are probably aimed at a 30 and over audience, but there are more causal things which would suit younger women. There's always a good range of swimsuits, holiday and beach clothes and their winter coats are great too. I've always found that Ann Harvey is a great place to buy suits, jackets and tops for work. There's a great choice of styles and colours, plus all the sizes seem to be in stock all the time so you'll nearly always get what you set out for. The clothes are of a good quality and last beyond a couple of washes (not always the case for some plus-size stores) though many items do need to be dry-cleaned. I've heard some shorter women say that Ann Harvey clothes are too long for them and are designed for a tall frame, but they do a Petite range as well, so everyone should be able to find something that suits them. The staff in the Staines branch are great and some have been there for a long time, so you feel like you're seeing a friendly face when you go in. Well worth a visit!

This Staines shop is a small branch of the plus-size ladies fashion chain Evans…read more It's very small, but crams a lot of clothes rails into a tight space which can make for awkward shopping, given that the clientele (including me) are of generous proportions! The security alarm goes off a lot as some of the merchandise is right up against it. There's a reasonable representation of the full Evans range here, but it seems that some sizes are more popular than others so sell out quickly and aren't replaced. This can make for a disappointing shopping trip if you've come in to look for something in particular. It's not uncommon to see something on the Evans website or in a magazine, but not be able to find it in this branch. The emphasis is on the more casual ranges, rather than office wear, and there's usually only a small amount of partywear around Christmas. There is some underwear, nightwear and shoes, along with a reasonable amount of jewellery. The jewellery range is great value and the chains etc are longer than in most shops so you can be sure it fits. There are often price reductions and sales here, which is fortunate as sometimes the quality of the merchandise isn't great. T-shirts in particular tend to look ok till you wash them and then the seams twist round and the shape goes. The staff who work in the shop during the week are great and have been there for a while so know what they're doing. The weekend staff isn't as great so things like refunds and ordering items in from other branches can take longer.