The more 'classy' shopping centre in Oxford, the Clarendon carries a number of designer labels…read moreunlike it's counterpart - the Westgate. The centre is small, with the list of shops in the review below. Note though, that it is open 7 days a week, not 5 as stated below. There are often promotional staff situated in the centre - Paintballing, Sky and Cars seem to be common themes. There is minimal seating available.

The Clarendon shopping centre is more modern and brighter than its slightly poorer cousin across…read morethe road (Westgate centre). Some fabulous shops including: French Connection lovely clothes with ladies downstairs and mens (not so good) upstairs Body shop smells yummy and very nice helpful staff Office - my favourite shoe shop River Island again ladies downstairs and men upstairs (not great, a bit unfashionable) Zara classy and elegant with helpful staff. Great ladies on the ground floor with mens and childrens upstairs. Quite a large size store too Gap good for those basics A lovely little boutique whose name escapes me just now they sell gorgeous ladies clothes and handbags The Christmas decorations this year are a bit dodgy though nice lights but one very strange looking santa riding a reindeer My only complaint about this centre is that is has absolutely no seats for tired boyfriends waiting for us girls to stop shopping!

While on a trip to London we made a quick stop here to purchase a delightful umbrella for my wife…read moreto use during our travels. Fair price, helpful customer service reps, and a clean, well-lit store... I've got no complaints at all and we would gladly go back again if we ever visit Oxford again - hopefully we will.

I love this shop. It used to be a real rabbit warren of a place, a bit like an old fashioned…read moredepartment store. (Think 'Are you being served') It was gutted a few years back and although the building looks the same on the outside inside it's a totally different place. There are three floors (as per usual) which are jam packed full of things to peruse and buy! The womenswear floor is large with a wide range of items for women of any taste. They have a Coast branch inside and a big collection of fancy dresses to suit. The homeware floor is big as well with quite a decent range of kitchen utensils which is nice because a lot of stores skimp on things like this. All in all the store is nice and bright, it can get a bit congested on the escalators and in the lobby though so be careful.

This shopping centre is full of cheap shops and quite roomy and it comfortable to walk around…read moreinside. The fact that it is indoors (aside from a few outdoor shops) makes it convenient in winter. Many national chain stores are here, but many of these are low-end stores of retail brands normally associated with low-budget shoppers. Parking costs, but is inexpensive and plentiful in the multi-story car park - but be sure to lock your car and keep valuables out of the way. There are foodstores and snack shops here, too. It loses a star in this review because the atmosphere is slightly depressing and has the feel of a somewhat impoverished area. Additionally, there is no toilet in the baby changing room and you need to get a key for that room from the centre office which is inconvenient. Their website is at: http://www.templarssquare.com

Definitely the budget shopping centre of Oxford, the Templars Square carries a number of bargain…read moreshops. The Wilkinsons is especially useful and there is parking available behind the center at reasonable cost. There is a constant turnover of some of the shops. Of note, the only Woolworths in Oxford is located here. As mentioned above, the atmosphere is slightly darker than the rest of Oxford and it is situated in the more impoverished part of the city. Nevertheless, if there's shopping to be done, it's up to the job! Of note, there is a retail park across the road with a B&Q, Halfords and TK Maxx as well as a furniture store.

TK Maxx: The not so surprisingly secret behind so many people's designer clothes…read more The good: - You can get some real bargains - It stocks a brilliant range of clothing, from ball gowns to trekking boots. - It's not just clothes: check out their shoes, bags, sunglasses and accessories. - You never know what you're going to get - Often it's reduced just because there's new stock in the main stores now; most of it is good quality The bad: - Sometimes it's obvious why nobody's bought it - some of the items here are hideous! - Sometimes there's the perfect item but only in the wrong size. - Clothes are arranged according to size, but as there's such a variety of brands, the sizing isn't very consistent - It can feel like permanently hunting through sales bargains, including loads of clothes strewn all over the place and people barging their way around competitively.

TK Maxx - what can you say. Cut price fashion, but its not for everyone. You do have to search…read morearound for things, but you can really find some excellent bargins. You have to make sure you visit after they have had a delivery as some of the shelves (esp shoes) can be a bit bare. Look for the clearance areas and have a good rumage. Always confirm sizing on the garment as the tags can sometimes be wrong.

This store has got so many bad reviews that decided to exit Google, so you can't find any Google…read morereviews for this shop anymore. Those reviews here belong to a long time ago when an old lady was managing the store and customers were happy. As long as Abdul, the new agent is running the store, it is awful! In fact the current seller of this shop is not a normal person at all. The shop pretends to be a cheap place, while has some bad quality stuff with triple the price of similar stuff in other shops and never cuts a key which can work at all. The man in the bright day light takes your money without any shame and then accuses you of racism! He charged me £7 to cut 2 keys, not working. twice I took them to the shop for a refund. The third time he refunded me on my debit card. The next day I checked and realized rather than refunding he had taken another £7! I went there, burst into anger and asked for my £14 or will call the police! He was laughing at me what did the police do? When he noticed I was serious, refunded me in cash. There was a CCTV there, recording all that happened. He lied to the police I spat on him and called him a bad name! It is now recorded in the police station. In the future, be aware if he wants to play the race card, he has at least one record in this regard at the police station BE MINDFUL WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD, HE GETS MONEY OUT OF IT WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT AND WITH NO SHAME, IN THE BRIGHT DAYLIGHT!

This shop pretends to be a cheap place, while has some bad quality stuff with triple the price of…read moresimilar stuff in other shops. Also can't believe someone has cut a key here and it ever worked! The seller is not a normal person at all. as in the broad daylight took my money and then started labelling me. He charged me £7 to cut 2 keys, which none of them worked. Twice I wanted for refund and he just put them in the machine, pretending correcting them, still didn't work. Third time I seriously asked for the refund and he said he refunded me on my debit card Checking my account next day I realized rather than refunding me, he has taken another £7 from my account! I was there, burst with anger and asked him for my £14 or will call the police! He was laughing at me that what the police can do? When he noticed police is coming, refunded me in cash, There was a CCTV, recording all happened. He lied to the police It is now recorded in the police station and I am following the case, also will make a complaint against this business. BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD, HE MIGHT CHARGE YOU WITHOUT ANY NOTICE!!!

When in the UK I always make sure to do some shopping at M&S. Besides the amazing food sections…read more(and the M&S Foodhalls all over the country), it's the loungewear that gets my attention. Quality is there, it lasts for years and years. This store here had a very good and wide selection of both loungewear and underwear. Lots of other great stuff in this store. Found what I looked for and bought a whole bunch of them. Prices were quite a bit higher than three years ago when I last visited. But still a lot better - especially given the quality - than in my country. Surely a place to come back to when back in the UK.

Every day is a darn good coffee day. We've taken more and more to go into environmentally conscious…read moreM&S cafes as we spend a month touring England. They are bright, clean and spacious, and the seating areas and toilets are kept clean. We more and more opt to avoid the big coffee players like Starbucks, Nero, Costa and importantly for us we trust M&S to ensure that the food and drinks we buy aren't crap laden. They choose their own fair-trade coffee beans and have a coffee on their Cafe menu that they advertise as Magic (Spanish cortado style) which is £3.15 and it's darn good coffee. It's coffee we want. Simples. We don't really want these Starbucks drinks (other chains do exist) that flog you coffee so full of cheap sugar, topped with cream, swirled with some vegetable oil based topping that you means that you are consuming a full days worth of calories in a sickly sweet overpriced cupful. The seating is spacious, the staff are real friendly and the free WiFi is fast. There's always a decent selection of hot and cold food but it's cake for us, usually Victoria sponge and they usually have it. It's become more and more value for money too. Another advantage is that there's a large retail store attached to the cafe - what a great concept and it means I can get an Eccles cake for later from their in-store. Sheer buttery perfection is M&S Eccles cake.

Great store, lots of variety. I bought too much in UK and needed an extra suitcase for the trip…read morehome and found a very nice on sale at a very reasonable price. Sales people were helpful and polite as would be expected in UK. Last time I was in Oxford ('08) I also bought a bag so it is my place to go for luggage type purchases, although they have other things as well.

Boswells is a GREAT department store where you can find so many varying things that you can do a…read morewhole load of shopping all at once. From bed linin to plates, from shampoo to hankies, from alarm clocks to pen knives.... it really does have everything. The kitchen dept. is pretty large doing some really unique cutlery, place mats and odds n bobs. At christmas time it also sells alot of christmas decorations and candy goods etc. The staff are helpful and their are quite a few tills which is good as it can be quite busy. The goods are cheaper than most other department stores and so for that reason alone are worth a browse!

Of all the sights to see when visiting Oxford, this store should also be on your list. I had the…read moremisfortune of my luggage being lost on a trip to Oxford and by chance happen to walk past this store. I live in the United States and if they had a store near me... I would likely visit them at least once a month. When you walk in, it might seem small. They have quite a bit to choose from downstairs from dress shirts to dress shoes. But go upstairs and you will find everything you could possibly need for a men's wardrobe. My first time visiting Walters, I needed everything since all of my luggage was lost. Everything from a suit down to the shoes, socks and belt. But this isn't any kind of department store clothing shop. Here you will only find the highest quality material and if you have the time, get it custom made. On my first visit, I just needed something to wear for the next day and was able to get an off the rack jacket, trousers, dress shirts, shoes, belt and socks. They are more than happy to help you pick out an ensemble if you want help. I first met Sara when I discovered they can have family crests made to put on a jacket. For years I have tried and tried other places but the crest always comes out looking nothing like the original graphic. But I saw some examples and she was able to get some made. It was as simple as uploading an image of the crest and what I received back, looked exactly like the photo but it looks hand stitched and of the highest quality I have ever seen. When I had the patch, I decided to get a custom fitted jacket. In addition to a wonderful selection of jackets you can buy off the rack, they have an extensive selection of materials you can chose from and get a custom fitted suit and/or jacket. I was fortunate to be helped by Tom Shirley who measured me completely for the jacket and took care of all the details. I have jackets made in places like Hong Kong but never with this much detail put into it. Not only was there a wide array of buttons to choose from, but this was the first time I have ever picked the lining and the lining under the collar. There was no detail too small when it came to designing my jacket. I have been back to Oxford several times and each time, I always stop off to see Tom and see what else I can add to my wardrobe. Although a men's store, I was so pleased with the jacket displaying my family crest, on the last visit, my daughter was able to get fitted for jackets bearing the crest as well. Of course London is know for high quality men's shops, but if you are in Oxford, and you enjoy quality clothing, you will want to make time to stop by here.

I received excellent service from Walters of Oxford. I…read morerented my wedding suit online, with follow-up emails to a member of staff called Ben. I travelled from Ireland to Oxford the day before the wedding only to discover the suit trousers didn't fit. Martin, the General Manager of the store organised new trousers to be delivered from another store the next morning. Once the trousers arrived Martin rang & emailed me. I collected them and the wedding went off without a hitch! HUGE THANKS to both Ben & Martin for all their assistance!

If you shop at Argos at a less busy time they are quite happy to unpack the goods and let you…read moreinspect them - I once had a long discussion with a very helpful lady about kettles. We unpacked three before we found one with a spout wide enough to go under the tap so you can fill the kettle without lifting the lid which, strangely wasn't something the catlogue description had mentioned. They'll swap things without quibbling. You can use the web to check if they have things in stock and to reserve them so you can pick them up later. And the reason they get the 5 stars is that today the staff were all very understanding when I asked if I could bring my bike into the shop. I'd left half my bike lock at home and needed a new one but I didn't have anywhere safe to leave the bike while I bought the lock. The staff didn't mind. In fact they even tried to speed up the purchase by finding the catalogue page with the bike locks for me.

Argos is fun because of the novelty of ordering from a catalogue. For those who've never…read moreexperienced the way it works, it's a relatively small shop containing mainly catalogues. You find the item you want, type its number into a little calculator gadget which tells you how many are in stock, then pay for it and wait for your order number to come up on a TV screen, at which point you run to the till, triumphantly brandishing your receipt, to collect your prize, which is usually in an obscure box or package, making you look really mysterious. They've got pretty much everything here, from furniture to toys, to electronics, sports equipment, jewellery and gadgets. There's usually a good range for each product, meaning several hours of painstaking decisions between 10 sorts of kettle. The descriptions aren't as good as seeing the items themselves, but it's just about worth it for the fun of waiting for your number to come up. For some products, you can get a good deal, such as MP3 players and games consoles; for others, such as camping gear, Argos is definitely a budget brand and should be approached with caution. The Oxford store is quite scruffy with pages coming out of the catalogues and always, inexplicably, hundreds of pushchairs and whole families standing around arguing.