There are 2 Clarks shops, next door to one another.1 is the traditional shoe shop, the other is a…read morehandbag discount store. The latter had a great selection of bags, priced from £5 to £45, all with at least £5 off and some with £30 off list price. All this seasons shapes, styles and colours. Highly recommended.

Massive department store on Reading's high street, John Lewis has everything. No cheap knock-offs…read morehere, it's all name brands and it's all expensive. Similar in theme to Macy's or Dillard's or Bloomingdale's in the States, the John Lewis department store is carved up into various sections for menswear, ladieswear, boys, girls, housewares, electronics, jewelry, perfumes and more. Very good service, which is what you are paying for. The electronics department includes televisions, radios and computers, priced at what I think are above PC World and Argos prices. All that said, it's a lovely store and a pleasant shopping experience. If I ever win the lottery, this is where I will blow most of my winnings.

I like John Lewis and the Reading store is one of my favourite destinations…read more Until last Saturday when the shop staff made me feel like a criminal. I was looking at their Xmas decorations along with other shoppers. First I noticed one shop assistant shadowing my every step then i went to look at the table settings and another assistant tailing me again. I looked around several times at the other shoppers and none of them appeared to be receiving the same dogged attention. This continued even after I purchased some items and moved to the cooking utensils. As the only black female on the shop floor, I left the store feeling harassed and victimised. I am still upset reliving the horrible experience. I will not be visiting again for the foreseeable future.

An independent shoe shop and, I have to say, one of pretty good quality…read more As with everything in Henley, the shop itself is pretty small. They manage, though, to stock a range of adult shoes to cater for most tastes - for both men and women. Prices are, on the whole, reasonable. And the standard of service is very high. For adult shoes, I rate it over Clarkes any day of the week.

Very inexpensive shoes are the stock-in-trade at Jonathan James. It's not high quality, but they're…read moredecent. They are certainly cheaper than the Foot Locker at the other side of the mall, where I couldn't find one pair for less than £70. A reasonable, if not exactly broad, selection. I found what I wanted and was pleased with the price. After a few moments of walking around in the new sneakers, they felt just as good as the worn ones they are replacing. Decent service, there were 6, count 'em, 6, staffers working in the store at the time. When I pointed that out, I was told they were inventorying. Small shop, it shouldn't take long.

The shoes there are not expensive but I am not at all satisfied with the service they provide. The…read morestaff were not proffessional at all. The sales girls there make the customers feel very uncomfortable by staring and giving weird looks. It was my first and last experience there. I think there's no shortage of shoe shops in Reading to pay a visit to jonathans again. I think the staff needs more training.

Inexpensive shoes on the high street. Why spend hundreds when you can spend tens? A reasonable…read moreselection of cheap shoes and boots and accessories. It's not name brand, but so what? Staff is friendly and the shelves are well-stocked.

Just the same as "TJ Maxx" in the States, we have TK Maxx over here. They sell the same stuff, some…read moreoverpriced and some quite reasonable. I was able to pick up a jumper ('sweater' in American) and browse through some of the other menswear. Some fashionable, some quite picked over. There are also the usual other departments you would expect in a department store - shoes, women's clothing, boys and girls, gifts and housewares. Paying for your purchase is always a bit of a challenge, especially in a country that doesn't really have a service industry. A few tills ('registers'), but always a queue ('line'). There are a few good bargains here and there, but a lot of it is crap. It's all up to you and your fashion sense.

A few years ago you wouldn't have seen me dead in this place. However, I have to grudgingly admit…read morethat the range of clothing and household goods are staggering and the prices even more so. Be prepared to battle with every chav that Reading possesses as you wade through all the clothing chucked on the floor. And be prepared to queue for a very long time at the check-out. All said and done though, you will get some serious bargains here.

I like New Look clothes. Especially the shoes…read more dreams of shoes Usually though, I hate New Look customer service. In the past it's been pretty awful, with those on the tills either ignoring you or chatting away to the person on the till next to them. I've even been served in the past by someone who bitched about the last customer to her manager while I was standing there. Classy. But the last time I went in, the customer service couldn't have been better. I couldn't find my size in a pair of shoes, and one customer service assistant asked if she could help. She ended up not only running upstairs for me to get the shoes in my size, but also bringing me an alternative option. The staff in the changing rooms were friendly and helpful, and the tills were efficient and chatty. Also, the changing rooms were clean and look so much better since the revamp. Not sure whether they've had a visit from Mary Portas, but it's great to see such a positive change in customer service.

New Look located in the Oracle does have a lot of choice and all at good prices. The seperate…read moresections ie.evening wear, work wear, shoes, jewellery and bags etc makes it a lot easier to find just what you need. The staff are always helpful and polite and the changing rooms are spacious which makes shopping there a good experience!