Static Models better than moving ones

Pros: This is a small shop in The Centre MK, and it is really seriously overcrowded inside. Its virtually impossible to get round it in a wheelchair, and I had to have assistance on three occasions because they’d stacked things in places that made it impossible for me to turn without knocking things over on to my own lap. I have to say they did move them, but they pretty much immediately put them back where they’d been after I’d gone past which just proves that they are over crowded as there just wasn’t anywhere else to put them.

Mostly the models sold in here are static models, rather than remote control ones which is what we were looking for at the time (hubby having recently taken up racing 1/18th scale model cars). There were a couple of fairly basic remote control items, but they weren’t what we were looking for.

Cons: I have to say the staff were friendly, and tried their best to be helpful, even when circumstances were against them, but they weren’t able to be of much use to us as they didn’t sell what we wanted, and we’re unlikely to shop here much in the future unless they start stocking a greater variety of remote control items and improve the store so it can be accessed a bit more easily.

Tags static models, 

Sue Ryder sells guitars??

Pros: This is quite a large charity shop – a lot bigger than most I’d say, and it’s even got a changing room so that you can try things on before you buy them which is an excellent touch as it’s something most charity shops don’t have I find.

The access into the store isn’t too bad, although the store itself is a little crowded which can be a bit of a pain if you use a wheelchair or have a pushchair with you, but the staff are very friendly and helpful if you ask and will move things so you can get round.

If you’re looking for clothes or kids toys then this place is probably a good place to look as they had a lot of good quality items in here.

Cons: However, if you’re after other things like say wool, or crochet hooks, curtains, or books, then they were a little lacking in this sort of stock – unfortunately for me, it was books and crochet bits and bobs that I was after when I went in, so I didn’t find much.

One thing that did surprise me in here was that they had quite a lot of stuff on the walls that you don’t normally see in a charity shop – things like two or three guitars, and a couple of video cameras. The odd thing here is that last time I visited this store which was some months back, I remember being struck by the same thing – the guitars on the wall, which sort of points to them not having sold them in that time which is a shame.

Oxfam - the charity shop that thinks it's better than others

Pros: I’m rather a charity shop fan, so when we go somewhere new that has a few charity shops, I like to take a look and see what they have. A trip not so long ago to Leighton Buzzard for hubby to visit a model shop gave me the chance to have a wander into a few charity shops and this was one of them. To be honest I wasn’t very impressed with it which is a shame. It almost feels like all oxfam shops are set up by someone who thinks Oxfam is above other charity shops or something.

Cons: They had quite a lot of stuff crammed into a fairly small space, and a lot of it wasn’t second hand stuff, but bits and pieces that were branded Oxfam – from chocolate to gift ideas and things. Of the second hand items, there were quite a lot of books, but again these did seem a bit overpriced to me. I don’t really expect to spend £2 for a paperback that was originally priced at £4-5 particularly when most charity shops sell paperbacks at somewhere between 20p and £1 each.

I’ve never really understood what Oxfam gain by pricing themselves higher like this, I mean there are two reasons for shopping in a charity shop for most people – the first is to get something more cheaply than you can buy it new, and the second is to support the charity while you do so. If the charity prices things so they’re too expensive for people to afford then they’re going to lose loads of customers aren’t they.

Tags charity shop,  oxfam,  second hand, 

Almost Half price sometimes

Pros: I first found this online store quite some time back, and it has remained one I use on occasion because it is very reliable to use. They are prompt in sending items out to you and they wrap things well when posting them.

They call themselves half price perfumes, but not everything is half price, and they do sell a bit more than just perfumes as they have some quite nice gift sets, and a few bits of jewellery too. Some items only come in at a £ or two under the RRP, but other things are a lot lower, and I've bought a few bits from there over the years that were well under half the RRP price.

They're pretty good at answering questions when you contact them, although they can be a little on the slow side at certain times - mostly the ones where you'd expect such as christmas etc.

They do some good special offers at times too where you can get extra discounts by using codes that they e-mail to you for a percentage off, or to get a free gift when you spend over x amount etc.

Cons: About the only bad thing I have to say about them is that the store can be a little hit and miss. Having bought something from them once doesn't mean they're going to have the same thing the next time you go to shop there which can be rather frustrating. However when I've done this I've usually found something else equally as good in it's place.

Tags fragrance,  gift sets,  perfume, 

Krispy Kreemy and Kinda expensive!

Pros: I'm a big doughnut fan! Fresh doughnuts are definitely the best and I was most upset when the doughnut van on the market in CMK vanished as they were really lovely doughnuts and you could watch them being made for you so you knew they were fresh. So, when this place opened I was pleased :) thought yay fresh doughnuts again you know.

When you walk past the place, the smell is fantastic! The shop is open fronted so you're assulted with the smell from quite some distance (a good ploy to drag people in of course!). The staff are friendly, and everything seems great.

Cons: Unfortunately the doughnuts here aren't of the same nature as the ones I used to buy. I find it hard to explain the difference, but there's something slightly processed about these doughnuts. They look right, they have the same fresh smell and the texture is good, but somehow they're just not quite up there.

I really wish they tasted as good as they smell because they ought to considering the price they charge here.

Overall, a nice treat unless you've experienced superfresh and tasty proper doughnuts in which case you might be a bit disapointed.

Tags snack,  doughnut,