Quayside IKEA store…read more I did not plan go to IKEA, but I saw the store from the marine terminal in Southampton. I had already had breakfast but needed a layover, so to speak, between disembarkation and heading to the train station for a Gatwick bound train. That said, I just had a snack and hot tea. I'm not going to question how well this IKEA does its job. I'm sure it does. However, as one approaches it, it's sort of a weird store. It's propped up, with parking underneath it. However, as you make your way through the parking, you go through areas with conventional parking and these more industrial looking parking or delivery areas. Mind you, this was coming from the side fronting the marine terminals. Upon leaving, it became apparent that there's a swath between office buildings going toward the underwhelming train station in Southampton. They seem to have all the typical IKEA goods. And people were having their purchased upholstered and case goods being loaded up for them. The restaurant is large and sort of deep. This way, they placed more windows at its exterior looking toward the port. The prices for the few restaurant things were somewhere between U.K. prices and IKEA prices. The service by the cashier was very friendly. However, when asked if I was an IKEA member, I said that I was and, stateside, a phone number suffices. As can be expected, the phone number did not pull up an account in the U.K. (Well, they also drive on the other side of the road here.) In Canada and Southern Europe, they just shrug as if to say, 'oh, help yourself to a cup of coffee (or tea).' This wasn't a big deal as much as it was a test of cultural norms. Here, they stick to the rules more. (That said, I've never been to an IKEA in Germany, which might be even more interesting.) The food items were okay. The restaurant was comfortable. Customers in the area were well mannered. As I was shuffling around luggage, a younger couple with two kids in tow sort of muttered under their breath to me that one of their kids said that they'd 'sure like to go on that big boat' in the harbor, referring to the cruise ship closest to and more visible from this IKEA's restaurant. They then told me that that's where they were in fact headed ... and that their kids didn't know that just yet! These seemed to be cool people and, most likely, cool parents. I hope they had a nice voyage. That said, that's what stands out the most about this IKEA - its "relationship" with the marine terminals. The rest of it is sort of boilerplate and the way it's propped up isn't as nicely done as with a lot of other stores that are also similarly placed. Hence, it's 3 stars for this store.

Another place appealing to my inner hippy! Sadly, the only place locally that also sells Yankee…read moreCandles :( Good for them though, as it seems to bring them lots of business! An amazing range of differnt sized and scented candles, and for a fairly reasonable price. The staff there are awesome, and know what they are on about too. However they are not pushy and are very helpful. I usually fail to come away from this place with nothing! Great range, well priced and good staff. What more could you want from a candle shop? :D

Only Yankee Candle outlet in Southampton…read more Yankee Candle is an American company which specializes is candles. What is different about these candles is that unlike other fragranced candles the fragrance is all the way through the candle not just in the top layer meaning you get the small smell all the way through. The candles are not cheap however they are the nicest smelling candles I have ever smelt. The range is huge and is slit into categories Fresh and Fruit Floral and World Food and Spice and Festives. Smells include Baby Powder, Vanilla Cupcake, Egg Nog, Vanilla Lime, Country Linen, Cherry Lemonade and Granny Smith to name a few. Baby Powder is one of my favorites; it has that lovely baby smell. They also do candle parties which you can book through their website, when they will come to your house with the range. They also do car airfreshners, reeds and a variety of other 'smelly' items! Worth going in even if just to smell all the lovely candles.

Handy for general household needs; cleaning supplies, small appliances, bed and bath basics, beauty…read moreproducts, small storage, paint, etc. The prices are mostly good with a lot of great bargains, but it's worth double checking since you'll find some sneaky items that will cost you more than the Sainsbury's across the street (or the same price but for a smaller version). All in all a good and convenient shop for the basics.

This is quite a big Oxfam shop which sells a very good range of furniture. It is a good place to go…read moreif you want to buy good quality second hand furniture for a good price. They are always getting new items in. Now and again very old items turn up. They will deliver furniture to you so you don't need to worry about transporting it yourself. As well as furniture they sell a very good variety of second hand books well. The prices are okay. They sell some bric a brac items as well. The staff are friendly and will help with what you are looking for.

this is a great shop you never know what you will find and they have a great selection of Music…read moreFurniture books and Bric a brac to. I like popping in when I can but I am happy to see that they know have a facebook page so I can keep updated on the things they have in the shop https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oxfam-Furniture-Southampton/1432118677046973

"An Aladdin's cave" wrote a previous reviewer, and very true…read more However customer service can be patchy. As a regular and usually satisfied customer my experience 15 Sep 2011 was distasteful. I purchased some miniature retaining chain of the sort used for key-rings or bathplugs, and sold by the metre. The till operator packed my other purchases in their supplied bag. I then placed their bag in my cycle bag for extra security. Item wasn't found when I opened the bags on returning home. The inescapable conclusion is that the missing item was never packed. A phone call elicited a response that can only be described as unhelpful. They claimed that the item was packed. I don't believe that. Had they taken some time to search the till area I'd be more inclined to believe them. However, their default position appears to be that it wasn't their error, but the customer's, even though they packed the bag. Which BTW was inspected for holes and found to be hole-free. That's a bad news day for customer satisfaction, and means in practice that they have lost a regular customer, who will shop elsewhere now. An Aladdin's cave it may be, but there are other Aladdin's Caves in the locality. That's the very nature of a free market. We hear a great deal about how difficult it is for small high street retailers to compete against the large DIY chain stores, and to some extent that explains the "Aladdin's Cave" comment. For the wide range of choices offered gives the smaller owner-operated stores a competitive advantage, and this customer welcomes that, and usually discriminates in their favour, choosing to take their custom there, rather than to the DIY chain. For the same reason I shop in the market at Salisbury, where I can find several good butchers, farmers selling direct to their market, a fishmonger, fruit & vegetables, poultry, and cheaper than supermarkets and better quality. And I have the satisfaction gained from my desire to support smaller businesses competing against supermarkets when the playing field is not a level one. Portswood Hardware has let the side down. A simple error was made, and could have been easily corrected. Instead they chose to be intransigent and unhelpful. The key word here is "chose". In choosing to be unhelpful they lost a regular customer. They might also reflect upon their need to improve their customer face-to-face communication skills. One of the key areas where they can have a competitive edge on the DIY chains. An update. After the fruitless phone conversation yesterday, I went to visit them for a face-to-face discussion. It saddens me to say that the response was to obdurately deny any error might have occurred during packing. The fact remains that they packed the bag. One item was missing on unpacking. A simple error easily made. Who of us can honestly say that we have never done something similar? Portswood Hardware can, and do! The missing property is mine. I paid for it and have the till receipt. Undoubtably, the missing item is still somewhere on the premises at Portswood Hardware. The value may only be £3.99, but the inconvenience to me has been considerable, and compounded by Portswood Hardware's bloody-minded intransigence. I want my property; the property I paid for. My next step may be to report the item missing; stolen possibly; and ask Portswood Police to inquire, and make arrests, and charge the individuals involved because there is IMO a reasonable suspicion of theft, enough to trigger arrests. All for an item worth £3.99. All for want of an admission of error, this trader's reputation is lost in seconds.

An Aladdin's cave. Whatever it is you need, they have it lurking in here somewhere. No, really -…read moreone bolt for that flatpack from IKEA? Yes. Humane mouse-trap? Yes. Straw for the guinea pig? Yup. You name it, ask the people at the till and they'll find it. Never disappointed in decades, we still think this place is awesome.

Large sofa shop located in the Hedge End retail area. Near to many other furniture shops and big…read moreretail stores. Probably the most fashionable of the sofa shops with loads of modern up to date designs. The sofas are laid out well which makes them more desirable. Lots of parking available and a large store, however the sales staff are very keen and can be quite forceful. It is also a good move to wait until a sale as you can get half price on some sofas and sales are always happening. When you get your sofa however check that they send you all the right bits and it is not damaged. I got sent the wrong pillows and my footstool was damaged so they had to fix it.