Clarks in Ards shopping centre is a lovely little place. Whilst shopping for bits and bobs in Ards…read moreShopping centre with my sister she decided to pop in and see if she could get my little niece a pair of shoes that she could wear for her 3rd birthday party. When she went into a few other shops that afternoon I decided to wait outside and mind the pram but when she mentioned Clarks I thought I would join her because this place is full of childhood nostalgia for me. It reminds me of those back to school days before when you spent your school days with your head in the toy box rather than the text book. Anyway on entry we were immediately greeted by the helpful shop assistant who asked were the shoes for my little niece, when my sister confirmed her suspicion she offered to get all the shoes they had out for her. She even offered helpful advice on which ones would be best for her tiny wee feet. The best thing about her advice is that it was honest, she was not trying to push a sale, she was just providing us with her own personal experiences in relation to each shoe. Absolutely perfect. Although my sister did not purchase any of the shoes she was shown she commented on the warmth of the shop assistant and the knowledge she had. All in all Clarks a must visit for anyone who wants to get their little one a pair of shoes or trainers, they will provide helpful advice and will even measure your child's feet.

Evans does have some really lovely items of clothing I have to admit and being at the lower end of…read moreplus sizes this shop can be very helpful. However....I find the shop very expensive!!!! I recently looked at a plain black cardigan with white hearts on it....I can't remember the exact price but it was £ 35-45 which I thought was a disgusting price. Having been in and out of Evans over the past few years I have saw that the prices have been creeping up. But on the good side it's a shop that sells I think starts from a 14-32 which is great cause the's hardly any shops in Belfast what so ever that goes past a 20 most times. The clothes depending in what you like personally is hit an miss some of the clothes are more suited for Bon Marche while others have been rather trendy. Evans haven't got much of a formal clothing range which seems a pity because if your anything past a size 18 getting a formal dress can be some what difficult. They also don't stock any bridal. Personally I find the shop over priced especially their bra's and jewelry. But I am glad of the shop being there. The staff is helpful and reasonable one or two of them I'm not quite sure of one member of staff who told me something looked good on me I bought it but had to take the item back cause it actually looked really bad on me. How ever I do like how there's up to a size 9/10 and a EEE fit in the shoes very feet friendly. Over all I'd say I'd recommend this shop to a friend but make them wary of the prices.

As I have said in other reviews, I am a boy, or a man, or whatever you want to call me. But I'm…read morepretty sure, in any case, that I'm not a female and therefore I have very little call to go into this shop. But that being said I have been in a few time so I will put my two cents in. Its a woman's clothes shop that is well laid out with plenty of up to the minute fashions and the like, a lot of which seem to be for the larger lady. I think this is a good service, and I'm sure lucrative, as a lot of shops seem to tailor for stick thin 20-somethings who just wear what celebrities wear. The staff seem dead on and laid back which is what I like, they're well informed and polite. You certainly won't have a bad experience in this shop.

Sports Direct sell a huge range of sports clothing, footwear and equipment. I called in today (15…read moreMay 2016) and was surprised at how busy it was for a Sunday. It's a well laid out store covering two floors and I spotted the 'Go Walk Memory Foam Sketchers' I wanted straight away. A helpful Sales Assistant was available immediately to get my size so I could try them on and she took my shoes to the counter for me so I could purchase them. With a 30% off sale, speedy service, a great selection of items and because I was literally in and out of the store within 10 minutes, I have to classify my shopping experience in Sports Direct as perfect.

Sports directs always has the biggest sports clothing range around…read more Can get things for great value.or you can also pay extra here if you don't compare around. It annoys me that you can never reach the things on the high rails. There are also not many staff around to help with this or shoe sizes etc. Also the changing rooms are usually locked. On top of that a lot of the stuff is my on the correct rails. So you have to hoke lots.

Good auld Joseph Rea, eh?…read more I'd bet that there's not a soul in Belfast who hasn't heard of or bought something from Joseph Rea's. They have a reputation for being able to undercut the bigger chains on prices and for that reason, have a very loyal customer base. I like it because it still has the mentality of a family-run business, and the service is great. The staff are well trained and can give you advice based on what you want, not what they want you to want!

They have two shops in the city centre. There's one in Ann Street and one in Castle Lane. I've…read morealways used the Castle Lane shop. The great thing about places like this is that they're a local, independent jewellers, which means they're much more realistic about prices and get a lot of trade from word-of-mouth and repeat customers. And because it's a long established family jewellers they very much built a reputation entrenched in older values and ideals - their attitude when they started off (at a time when Belfast was a more cash-strapped place) was obviously that if they provided a personal customer service, gave a good price and a decent discount for, say, wedding rings, then your friends and family would come to see them when they were looking for similar items. It worked, too. There are people who won't go to any other jewellers, at least until they've checked out Joseph Rea first. They have a wide selection of all kinds of jewellery, carry out repairs on watches and jewellery, and also buy scrap gold that's no good to you anymore.

As I have said in other reviews, I am not a female so there is little or nothing on offer for me in…read moreNew Look. Yes, there is a mens section but overall they are pretty rubbish and I probably wouldnt wear them if you paid me. Overall, I think New Look is a bit rubbish and this particular store doesn't exactly inspire me to change my opinion on them in general. All the clothes are a bit cheap and nasty and wouldn't really be worn by anyone that I know. Also, I think the staff always seem grumpy and a bit unapproachable. Certainly not top class.

New look is probably my girlfriend and her sister's favourite out of all the high street shops,…read morewhich means that I have been marginalised into coming into here on a number of occasions! This is a really good New look store.It may not be as large as the flagship store, but it seems to have a good ability of refining the greater amounts of undesirable clothes merely filling he big store and distilling them down to a quality selection. The staff in here have always been helpful and polite when dealing with requests for things like a top or shoes in a certain size or different colour. Another great feature about this place is that they take a student discount of 10% which is great for getting some bargains sorted out! The staff are helpful an d the store is attractive, so not much can be asked for!

Based in the Boucher Road retail park, Matalan provides affordable fashion for all ages, shapes and…read moresizes. This particular store is relatively big with a great range of stock for a variety of tastes. Matalan fashion is usually promoted in magazines, with customers seeing key pieces and rushing for their nearest stores to grab them. My advice especially with store, ring before you head down to purchase that amazing jumpsuit or winter coat as they usually have been bought up as soon as they arrive in store! It's such a pity that Matalan proves so popular. However, if you're the customer that manages to grab the bargain, it's a great reward! The store is well presented with each department being easily located. As well as this, each age range and clothing choice is separated so you know exactly where an item is placed and so can go directly to get it. The staff are friendly and on a recent trip, one girl in particular went out of her way to try and find a skirt I had seen in a recent glossy magazine. It's that little extra effort that is really appreciated by customers and has us coming back for more!

Now my mum and sister swear by Matalan. For those unaware of what category this shop plumps into,…read moreit would be like an expensive Primark. The clothes are cheaper than designer shops but more expensive than cheap shops. So for me it kind of is stuck somewhere on the fence. It is not "fancy enough" to be one of those shops that you go to for "meeting the parents" dinner clothes, but it is not cheap enough for the "going on holidays so chances are the clothes will either be covered in suncream or sand or alcohol". It's a bit of a nothing clothes shop. This store has been redesigned to give men's clothing almost an entire floor upstairs but for me it's just a bit of a bland store. But my mum and my sister swear by it so maybe it's more of a women's store than mens.

I've stressed before in another charity shop review that I don't normally shop in these places, not…read morebecause I'm a snob, but because I never honestly thought that they would be selling anything that I would want - or that would fit me. Now, while this shop didn't have any clothes that looked like my cup of tea, it has a great book selection. Anyone who knows me knows my penchant for books and pens. I'm a freak. I name my pens and my books are like children to me - and I will buy a book before I will buy food, and that's saying something! The selection in here is quite good - in fact it was so to my taste that I actually already owned most of the books already, but spotted a likely candidate nestled in the middle of one shelf, a very good perfectly unmarked clean paperback and it was only a quid. And that quid went to the hospice. You can't say fairer than that. So there.

I always knew the summer was coming to an end when we made that long trip across Belfast to go get…read moreschool shoes in Reids. It was both exciting and depressing in equal measure. This shoe shop is huge, and it's pretty old fashioned. But something must be working because it has stood the test of time. I think it must be a family business to have survived this long. Apart from school shoes, I know a lot of people that go there to get wedding shoes (my mother included) and other occasion footwear.

A true Belfast institution and famous for its selection of children's school shoes. It also sells…read moremens and ladies shoes and I think it's fair to say that you won't find anything really fashion forward here, more like traditional and good quality men's shoes like Barkers and ladies boots and shoes for the over 30s. There is a wide range of kids school shoes so even the fussiest little darling should find a pair they like here. Top marks also for the balloon and Fredo Frog that goes in the bag with every pair. A really clever and appreciated little touch that I've never found anywhere else. I'm going to go against my own selfish rules for keeping bargains to myself and share the secret of the Reids kids shoe sale. Held once a year around Hallowe'en, it has some of the best bargains I've ever seen. For example all kids Geox trainers are reduced to an unbeatable £15. Given that Geox can be up to £50 full price, that is a really great sale. Here are the essentials - go early on the first morning of the sale, take cash as they don't accept cards in the sale, sharpen your elbows and bribe the children with whatever it takes to get them to do as they're told in among the slightly crazed crowds. You'll emerge battered and exhausted but with some of the best bargains ever.