Chas Ohlson is half Ikea and half Argos with maybe a shmear of sporting goods and stationery store…read morethrown in. They don't have everything, but they do have lots of stuff you simply will not find elsewhere. Cleanly organized with computers available to do searching, the departments are easily laid out by category and the items are clearly priced and displayed nicely. Not like the usual department store lay out or even like a supermarket lay out, it's got that Ikea flavor where the shopping space is laid out in a large oval with different offshoots. Like Ikea. Too many departments to accurately describe, you probably should just look at their web page. I saw paper shredders and tents and even two man inflatable boats, plus hardware and tools, home appliances and an amazing assortment of tv cables.

On a recent trip back, stopped in here to check out what my Dad was on about. It's deceiving from…read morethe front. It's a pretty big store. When you look inside they have everything for everyone. Like on of those stores where everyone could find something to buy if they so desired. It reminds a bit of pound land and dollar stores but with a bit nicer goods, so perhaps a 2 poundland. Worth a gander if you need to pick up something cheap or have some time to kill.

There's a clear market for Dollar stores in the UK but they obviously don't use dollars. So what do…read morethey have? Poundland, where everything's a pound (around $1.66)! The store is a block away from Reading Station and it has everything you would expect in a widely discounted variety, from cookies and biscuits, cans of soda, stuff for your car, dishes and cups, silverware, kitchen appliances, office supplies, even over-the-counter medicines like cold and flu stuff. Way too much to list here. You do have to be aware of the prices. I've seen some items that were £1 at Poundland for less than that at Asda or Tesco, but the opposite is true too: there are some great bargains to be had. The aisles are rather narrow - too narrow for trolleys - but they have a big stack of carry baskets. Shoppers seem friendly enough to step aside so you can pass. The lines can tend to be long and it blocks one of the aisles. Maybe it's not so busy the rest of the year, but lots of people are looking for Christmas bargains now. And yes, it's exactly a pound. The price includes tax (they call it VAT over here).

Full of complete and utter junk in my opinion Hate it. The staff are pretty much incompetent and…read moreit's crammed full of garbage. I imagine if you knew what you wanted it could save you a bit of money, but frankly I can't stand being in there long enough to find out

Probably not the kind of store you go into constantly, but when you need nice stuff for your home,…read morethis is the spot. Great selections of linens and towels and curtains! It seems like there's always a "sale" on of one sort or another, so I don't know if they do actually lower the prices or what. But when I needed a set of bed linens and some bathroom rugs, this was the place to go. Good quality and I did find some options that were reasonably priced (as opposed to some stuff that was 'arm and a leg').

being a ponden home store manager myself we do lower the prices....."sale" stock is widely…read moreavailable as stock is being reduced to make way for new designs as like the seasons ranges of colours etc change constantly?eg winter is normally darker colours,spring is pastel shades sunmmer and autumn are warm colours!!hope this clarifies everything for you from a ponden home scottish store manager :)

The Range has a large range of household stuff. There are some well known brands available but not…read moreall stuff is branded. Of particular note is the large arts and crafts section. The sticker section alone is massive. Well worth a visit.

Focused completely on books and music, with all sorts of unique and unusual titles. An excellent…read moreplace for a browse as the merchandise tends to change often enough. Friendly staff are knowledgeable at what's in stock. The best part is that you can feel no guilt about spending money here as it goes to support a very good cause.

This is a great branch of the British Heart Foundation - I've never seen one like it before, I've…read moreonly seen the one with clothes in it as well. It's located on West Street, right near that big church and as the name suggests, it sells only multimedia stuff and books. But there are loads of book bargains to be had here. There is literally a whole wall of books all carefully arranged into sections - some which look pretty new and hardly read at all. If like me, you're into your books, you'll find this is quite a good place to stop off as there are quite a few recent books, current top sellers that they sell off for around £3 - much better than paying £7.99 in shops! The music section sadly isn't all that great, most of the stuff tends to be a little outdated and too old for my tastes, it's also all well used and while I don't mind buying pre read books I tend to be a little fussy on scratched, cracked and dusty tape cases, especially as I don't have a tape player! However if you're looking for something old and daft this might be a good place to pick it up. Overall you have the added bonus that the money you hand over is going to charity.

Called in for first time in few years to buy a fan the other day. Shocked. The picture on the site…read moreis not a fair representation of the shop as it is now. Cold, unwelcoming, fat guy in a box who was rude to me, couldnt see anything I wanted. Drove out the estate and saw a sign for Reading Hydroponics. Thought I'd try them and thank God I did. Totally different experience. Well stocked, loads of new stuff I had not seen before and very friendly, knowledgeable guys. Customer for life

Have to agree with the other reviews. I been shopping at 3CH for years, but not of out of choice…read more So glad Reading Hydroponics has opened up. They literally piss all over 3CH. They got full ranges of everything in stock and they are real nice guys who know what they are talking about. They got Plant Magic which 3CH dont for some bizarre reason and DutchPro and House and Garden and Advanced Nutrients. I was like a kid in a candy shop and didnt know what to buy as there was just so many great products which as others have pointed out, I could actually see. Refreshing!

Good for nearly everything D.I.Y,but I go there for the Bird Food,Good Deals.If you like a proper…read moreold style DIY Shop this is it..If you can't find what you want I think it would be here,Recomended.

Sadly now in adminstration, roseby's is that store where you can find anything for the bedroom…read more It isn't particularly fancy, or modern, but for sheets, towels, simple duvet covers, you can't go wrong with Roseby's. They had a constant sale going on, which probably put people off going as they thought it was a tacky shop. I got a few good duvet covers and cushions from there and haven't been disappointed with the quality. They are still open as at 28th Jan 09 so still a chance to grab a bargain. Ironically, the store suffered a fire about 3 years ago, moved to the other side of the street and is now back in the same original spot, only to now go into administration. And they say lightning never strikes twice.