Debenhams are quite a large chain of department stores in the UK, on the more affordable range…read morecompared to the likes of Harvey Nichols, and Selfridges who are more high-end, and the latter actually have one of the anchor stores in the Traffor Centre it is located in, which as I recall are three department stores being John Lewis, Selfridges and Debenhams. As mentioned, being an anchor store for the intu Trafford Centre, this branch of Debenhams is quite large, with a fragrance hall as well as a selection of both male and female clothing over the two floors. I'd also like to comment, as this is such a large store in such a busy location, I'm surprised it has only received 15 reviews, most of which being in 2009 and the most recent being in 2011, I'm not going to say all the things that have happened since then, including Gary Lineker being forced to present Match Of The Day in his underpants, following Leicester City's Premier League win, previously dubbed impossible. Moving on to my original review, this is quite a nice store, it is quite large and does look quite modern, but as you go into it, it sadly feels less modern, albeit it does have quite a nice, cool staircase towards the end of the store. Sadly, most of the clothes here just seemed poor quality, and honestly look dreadful, which proves it isn't the most fashionable place to buy clothes, unless you like to buy things which look like curtains and towels. The staff here didn't seem too friendly, they just seemed average. Overall, this store is okay, it is nothing more than that but I sadly feel it hasn't done enough to earn three stars, with one of the only positives being the size and location of the store.

I don't mind Debenhams to be honest. It's a good department store. Whenever I come here it's always…read morethe men's wear department that I visit. You'll be heading down some escalators when you come in to find it. There's loads of famous fashion names on offer, like Levi, Rip Curl and many others. It's always worth a visit as well as you sometimes find things cheaper here than in the labels' own shops. One thing I would say is that it's really difficult to find the escalator to get back up out of the basement floor! I ended up wondering around for five minutes trying to find the bloody thing!

Going by their marketing materials, Timberland want us to walk into their stores and imagine big,…read morestrong, heterosexual men dressed in their classic boots, jeans and shirts chopping down trees, building houses and other 'macho' tasks. Alas, when ever I walk into this store I imagine the hordes of bears * I've seen wearing black leather chaps and tight denim cut-offs with unlaced Timberlands. Some of them might go home and build tree houses but I imagine most of them probably get upto something much more X rated with their Timberlands still on! Like the website, this particular store stocks Custom, Varsity and Campus style boots in a variety of colours. And yes, the leather is still durable and waterproof. * Bear is an affectionate name for a big, hairy, gay guy.

When I came to the Trafford Centre one evening to try and find some shoes for work that were…read moreslightly smarter than wearing skate shoes with a massive Nike tick on (which is my current work wear faux pas), I thought maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to find something suitable in Timberland. Timberland sells mostly rugged kind of outdoor clothing that's kind of fashionable and works mostly if you have a look that's akin to a Canadian lumberjack. Oh how I wish I looked just a bit like that. Basically, I was in and out of this Timberland in about 30 seconds because all their shoes were kind of like boots, and I can't really wear boots to work, no matter how much I would like to.

When you visit the Lowry complex, don't neglect to look-around the gift shop. Aside from the more…read morepredictable items on offer, there's an appealingly quirky and well-priced selection of fridge magnets including the purple- rectangular:You don't need brains to be a painter, just feelings quote from LS Lowry, himself. You'll also find a good range of notebooks and other stationery items together with jewellery and practical-but-pretty fabric bags. Children - and those harking-back to their childhood - will be tempted by the nostalgic confectionery choice (with Parma Violets as my personal highlight) accessibly priced at just 40p. It only seems fair to raid your piggy bank and make a purchase here, after your free entry to the galleries, as the money you spend will be re-invested to keep the complex going and available for all to enjoy. The staff here are helpful, approachable and happy to let you browse freely.

This will be quite a quick review…read more The gift shop does have some quality product but they are ridiculously overpriced for what they are! I am not a cheap person and this isn't a charity shop so why are the prices so high?

People reading this in London or down south will be thinking " What is Quality Save ?" Well…read more.. Quality Save is a group of discount stores, from Home Bargains, mainly in Northern England. Quality Save has 22 stores around the country, with some even stretching to Yorkshire. This store in particular is in Stretford, in the shopping centre. Starting on a negative, one thing I don't like about this store is that you have to pay to park in the arndale, which means you can't just run in this store to pick up a few "bargains", it is only somewhere you would visit when on foot or when you're visiting the mall anyway. This store is quite big and modern, and is actually quite similar to my local Middleton store. It is pretty much your average Quality Save with standard items and prices stocked here. The staff didn't seem to be too great, they were merely average and didn't seem to stand out as much as I'd of liked They is nothing much else to say really, as many people would agree with me, reviewing a shop can be hard, and this is pretty much your average one, hence a 3 star rating.

Quality Save is one of the best reasons to visit the Stretford Mall. It's bursting full of bargains…read moreto be had, and offers everything you could possibly imagine food, drink, toys, home wares, cosmetics, toiletries, medicines the list is endless! There are several other 'discount' stores in the Stretford Arndale, but Quality Save is guaranteed to be the one you find a real bargain at! Situated in the far end of the Arndale, near to the entrance by the old post office, it almost feels tucked away in a corner when it should be placed in the centre! If you're planning a trip to the mall, make sure you stop by Quality Save and pick up a bargain for me!

This is the best sewing machine shop in the world, Steve, Alan and their dad Roy are very…read moreknowledgable about any aspect of sewing machines also software for the machines. We traveled down from Durham to see a demo of a new machine and where made to feel very much at home by the boys and their staff, nothing was to much trouble, we even got fed I would recommend Bambers to anyone be it they are proffessionals or just learning for a hobby.

Walking into this Poundstretcher in Salford, which is part of the Regent Road Retail Park, could…read moreeasily be mistaken for a Costco at first glance, it just feels like a warehouse, and while not as big as a Costco, the selection is still OK for sure with a mixture of good reasonably priced items and useless tat, you'd expect to find in a pound-shop. The store was mostly clean, only one of the end aisles seemed dirty and cluttered, which is better than some. I wouldn't say there were any real pricing, with many of their items easily at a similar price within the retail park, it is worth a look around but it's nothing to get that excited about. The staff were despondent but polite. I do prefer Home Bargains next store in terms of overall selection, which also seems to have similar pricing, but this store isn't a bad alternative at all. 3*

Ah, and so the Yelposphere is a place of warm welcoming hugs when one returns from a two week…read morehiatus to visit parental units in foreign climes and attend winter weddings in Wales. It's nice to be home. And home I returned to, in between said trip to foreign climes and journey to Wales, for one night only, which inexplicably was when I decided to makeover my apartment. It wasn't even New Year yet. What the frick was wrong with me? For all the times I've told people that I'm OCD-organised, there are moments of pure spontaneity in my life. I think it must be the fact that there's a very creative side to me. Anyway, disillusioned by months of nagging the BF to 'buy a drill, put the curtain poles up, you're the man, these are your responsibilities', I abandoned by post-feminist reactionist ways and contemplated whether or not there was a way to mount this curtain pole WITHOUT the use of a drill. As it turned out, there was. (I must add I got these curtain poles for free when somebody in the block had discarded them by the bin. Thrifty? ME?) It was a success. But again, spontaneous. Prepared I was not. I actually needed some curtains. And where to trundle? To my beloved Regent Retail Park, that ultimate homeware panacea. I'd only ventured into Poundstretcher once since it became so-named for masses of Chrimble cards and decorations costing mere pennies. I swear, even if I ever have access to millions of squillions of pounds, I will never buy designer decorations. It's the principle of the thing, isn't it. Poundstretcher, formerly InStore, alongside Home Bargain is one of my ultimate favourite budget shops. It sells furniture, cupboard foods, sweets, treats, under-the-sink essentials, bathroom stuff, household goods, homeware of EVERY possible variety, pet goods and clothes for kids as well as toys, all at ridiculously low prices. I'm planning on buying a very comfortable office chair from there for £39 for example, and there are even computer desks and dining tables. I've had bathmats from here, lampshades, cushions, and of course curtains. They cost me £10 and have done the job splendidly. Believe it or not, they're nice too. There's a fridge full of cold fizzy drinks which is one thing Home Bargain severely lacks, and it contains my Holy Grail of beverages, sugar free fizzy Vimto. I could live off that stuff. I'm like Kel of Kenan and Kel fame when he goes completely plonky over orange soda. Back to the original point though, and it's amazing what a few new bits and bobs can do for your apartment. My abode now looks more homely and cosy than ever before, and I didn't break the bank. Thanks, Poundstretcher.

This is a specialist niche shop that caters for the needs of Sales dancing public, whether their…read morepreferred style is ballroom, jazz, modern or tap. Aided, no doubt, by Cadmans Dance centre directly above it, Salters is locally run and the sort of place where you're guaranteed friendly, personal service and competitive prices. I recently had cause to visit there in search of some specialist dance-sneakers that were needed for a friends daughter... I was confident that a local supplier would come-up-trumps compared to the bigger (if not better) firms in central Manchester. I was right! Not only did they stock the required article, but although they didn't have the right size in stock, they ordered some in, in a variety of likely sizes AND texted me when they came in to let me know. I call that personal service! Chances are I won't have cause to go there in the near future, but if I do, I will be there in a heartbeat!

I've only recently discovered Quiz clothing but their clothes are great. This store in the Trafford…read moreCentre is a really good size & has the full range of clothes. There are also fitting rooms. Some of the clothes are much the same as you get elsewhere but they do have some nice 'unusual' clothes - very funky. As well as clothes they have a range of accessories such as bags, shoes & costume jewellery. The staff are really nice will help you get different sizes if you need them to save you getting dressed again when using the fitting rooms. Good quality clothes at good prices.

I rate quiz 4 out of 5, the store has good layout and you can see all the clothes on offer rather…read morethan have to route through rails of clothes. The clothes are fairly cheap compared to most of the clothes store in trafford, and they are always up to date when it comes to the fashion end of the scale. There are plenty of staff around to help and are really friendly and dont follow you around mithering you which is good when your just browsing or wanting to have a rumage in the sale racks. There can be some good bargains to be had if you look in the sales racks but generally I find quiz really good if your petite or teenager as I think that is generally whom they cater for.

A pretty large, modern Next location at the Manchester Trafford Centre, while it might lack the…read morecoolness and added brands and features of the nearby flagship branch at the Manchester Arndale, it still is a decent store and features a Costa Coffee. It works better with their Home Store at the other side of the mall within Barton Square, as this branch mainly consists of clothing. Lifts are notable as they seem to be quicker and have fewer people queuing at peak-times compared to the main lifts within intu Trafford Centre. Staff seemed friendly enough. A pretty decent store, but only made better through being one of two stores within the mall, and even then it falls short compared to their larger flagship store nearby. 3*

Although not truely here just for the clothing I popped in for a quick coffee and the ability to do…read morepaperwork. The venue is clean and has Wi-Fi although is busy. The shop itself is also busy too. The staff were working as hard and fast as they could to get the drinks and food out but struggling slightly with the sheer volume of customers. Easy to find a seat though. All in all not a bad venue. The clothing side is clean and has a wide variety of clothing to suit your needs.

When I first came to Chorlton this store was really useful. I bought a washing line and loads of…read moreother household stuff that I didn't ever have the need to own as a student. One thing I couldn't find in this shop was a washing airer, so I've made do with draping my clothes over radiators and banisters ever since. Had I have asked in this shop, maybe they could have found me one out the back, or ordered one in for me. It seems like that kind of place. If you need a laundry basket, a plastic storage box, a bin, tupperware boxes or any sort of moulded plastic item, then you can probably find it outside this shop. Inside they sell tools, kitchen ware and electrical goods as well as the odd children's colouring book, sets of gel pens etc. I once went in and was browsing around when a mad drunk woman entered the shop and started abusing the man behind the counter. He dealt with her really well, even if it did involve getting the police to come over. The staff are generally friendly, and you can bargain with them if you're looking for an even bigger discount.