Over the years, I have enjoyed many trips to various TK Maxx stores to browse for bargains. I…read moreespecially like the home section where you can find lots of baking tools and the "Mod Box" racks where I have found myself a good number of discounted David & Goliath t-shirts and cute Yumi dresses. TK Maxx is definitely a place to visit if you have a spare afternoon to go through the many racks for hidden gems in a big store. I was particularly excited to see a TK Maxx so close by and was eager to check it out. The store is spread over two floors with ladies fashion, accessories, children, shoes and toys on the the bottom floor and home and mens upstairs. It isn't a busy store so it is quite tidy. The pet section is spread out with the dog toys nicely organised (found a huge rope tug of war toy for the dogs for £4.99 that was very easy to get to) but strangely there are no poop bags in this section until you go to the tills downstairs. The clearance section was dissappointing; it was unnecessarily large for the few items that were there. Not only was it very empty, many of the discounted items were broken but still quite expensive. Although this store does stock similar items to the larger stores, the sizing is limited and the other departments in the store are also quite small. However, small doesn't mean bad! It's a good size as it wouldn't take that long to browse the store in its entirety, so it is still worth a visit if you have an hour to kill. Conveniently, it is right next to other similar discount stores such as SportsDirect, and if you get hungry, McDonald's is right outside. Plus, it is really easy to get to by car, public transport or walking from the nearby areas. Even though I am a big fan of TK Maxx and levitate towards the big red stores, I would however warn of the poor customer service provided at this particular branch. On both occassions, staff have been much more interested in talking amongst each other despite seeing you waiting to be served. When they do eventually serve you, they are completely disinterested in their job and are obviously annoyed by you tearing them away from their chit-chat. I'm not sure if these are just isolated incidents due to the times I visited but I do know that TK Maxx store assistants from other locations have been at least minimally friendly and customer servce assistants from the Kingston Park area are mainly nice. It's a shame but I won't be going there anytime soon. I hope the hiring manager recruits better staff for their Christmas temps they are currently hiring for.

Ive bought a few things from here in the past, but ever time I go in, I always think the clothes…read moreracks are clutterred with far too much stuff on each rail. Thats the mens and womens clothing depts. You can, if you're prepared to spend the time, find some good stuff here. Whether clothing or furniture, orniments or kitchen and bathroom stuff. This shop could improve by having stuff better displayed, so its not like a jumble sale.

This branch of Primark is located in the Gateshead Metrocentre, I called in here while visting the…read moreTyne and Wear region, with this bus being around 10 minutes from the Gateshead Interchange, around half a mile from the Hilton hotel in Gateshead, I stayed at during my trip. In my opinion, when comparing this store and the branch in Newcastle, perhaps even adding the branches of Primark in both Oldham and Manchester city centre, closer to my home into the mix, this is one of my favourite stores. The sign is modern and it does have some slightly modern features, and it also seemed less busy than most other city centre stores such as Manchester on my trip. I found the staff to be friendly, we got chatting about technology and Apple pay, I was served quite quickly despite there being a queue, it seemed to be well-managed which was good. The product range was quite satisfactory but mainly summer-based, for example, I found it quite difficult to get long sleeve t-shirts away from their suits and smart range, which was a shame. For a clothes shop, this is probably slightly above average, some of the products in all honesty are just junk and things you would wear once and seem to be of the lower quality, but some things from here are okay, and I feel as one of the better Primark stores I have visited, this store deserves a three star rating.

Is it just me or is Primark expensive nowadays with the quality just the same as the cheaper days?…read moreNevertheless, Primark is a great place to get staples at a cheap-ish price. Can't really say it's all that different to the other branches: crowded, hot, clothes everywhere etc... but bigger. Still a great place to get PJs though!

Situated on busy Hylton Road, the pram shop is excellent for all your baby needs. The prams and…read morecots are situated up a flight of stairs which maybe a little too much for a very pregnant lady. I know that you can put a deposit on items and pay for them weekly. The only downside I would say is lack of parking spaces, if you are purchasing something, most people park outside the shop if they are picking up something but that is on a bus stop and i've seen many an irate bus driver.

Absolutely huge toy store with most of the things you want here! If not you can reserve in as…read morelittle as 20 minutes which is great to go for a coffee at well known eating place next door and come back! The staff are quite helpful and friendly however there has been a little bad press lately as they do not crb check staff, so that is something to think about! For those who are not familiar with the layout at the Intu Metro Centre it could be seen as quite complicated to get to, but don't let that put you off! The final thing I would mention is that although the store is huge, and has free parking etc it can often be more expensive than the other well known toy stores Smyths, The Entertainer etc but you can also pick up the occasional bargain!

Huge toy store that's an absolute kids paradise! Toys, bikes, computer games, baby and nursery…read moreitems, it's all here. Enormous selection, mayhem at Christmas time. Staff were very helpful on several occasions though it gets very busy - I was overcharged substantially on one occasion as the prices displayed and the scanned barcodes didn't match but customer service staff cheerfully sorted it out, though it did take a while. This store is located in the retail park across the road from the main Metrocentre site but it's easier to get to now that the intersection is traffic light controlled. I love browsing in the Lego selection, it's enormous.

H&M in the Bridges is my favourite branch of H&M - last time I visited the one in Newcastle they…read morewere installing new lighting and making it look 'underground' and cool I came out feeling like I had been in a sauna, so would never ever visit it again! This branch of H&M stocks all the different lines including the popular 'Divided' young trend line. They have recently change the layout of the stop so that the Divided range and childrenswear is upstairs, and the ordinary ladieswear and menswear is downstairs. I do love H&M - although I find their trousers are never really long enough for me and the sizing of all their ladieswear generally runs small, there are lots of little bargains to be had by all. The childrenswear is particularly good value, especially the packs of tops and dresses which are great for the upcoming party season. All in all H&M clothes are decent quality, stylish, wash well and not too pricey so good for those of us who wear their clothes for one season then dump them at the back of the wardrobe!

I am unsure about how I feel on this store. I am 18 and I feel like the adult section is too old…read morefor me, but the teen section is not my sense of style. However, I do like the basics eg vest tops as they are good quality (last years) and are a great fit. I also love the accessories, I recently found a small hat with mesh, which was perfect for my Gwen Stefani fancy dress, I was so happy when I found it and have not seen anything like it anywhere else.

Little Gems is right on the bottom corner of King St just before it turns into Ocean Rd. This is…read moreright next to Asda, the shop itself is a medium sized shop that stocks kids clothes and also specialises in school uniforms for all the major school in South Tyneside. The prices are very reasonable and the quality of the clothes is very good and we always get the kids uniforms from here at the start of each year. The staff are very helpful and cannot do enough for you and always have a smile on their face. In short if you are looking for proper school uniforms for nearly all schools in STMBC then this is the place for you.

Ladies clothes, children's clothes, shoes and accessories in this branch of a nationwide chain. The…read moreprices are higher than in other fashion shops in the shopping centre but they do have some very nice children's clothes. They tend to be of the traditional boy=blue, girl=pink designs but they usually have unisex clothing in yellow/beige/white as well. There's a good selection of accessories as well as a range of women's clothing. You don't tend to see many trendy young people in the store but a lot of the clothes are good classic pieces that are very suitable for work. Staff are pleasant and chatty.

A mid priced range of clothing comprising ladies and childrens wear. Most of the clothing is…read moretraditional wear as opposed to high fashion and is aimed at a more mature market. The quality of the clothes is good however and their childrenswear is lovely, especially the baby clothes of which they have a good range. The shop is easy to get around, even with a buggy and they have changing facilities.

This is a small charity shop that sells most of the general things such as clothing, shoes, toys,…read morebrick a brack, videos, dvds and household goods, etc. The stock is not always well organised and it can be difficult to find what you want, however it is a small shop so that really can't be helped. Great place to grab a bargain and for a good cause too!

All the usual things you may expect to find in a charity shop here. Large selection of books, both…read moreadults and children. Clothing (although very little children's clothing usually), household bits and bobs and sometimes so larger items of furniture. If you see sets or collections of items it is worth asking about a special price for if you buy the whole lot. I have done this before with sets of books and the manager has always been happy to give me a small discount to take them all away. The changing area is very small and just has a curtain door. This is very close to where the toys are and I think you need to take care getting changed here. Certainly not as big as some of the charity shops on this streeet but well worth a look all the same.