I’ll be honest, I am more of a Home Bargains girl.
Well, to me it will always be Home and Bargains, but I’ll admit to breaking rank and venturing into a B&M and a Poundland, even a Poundstretcher, on occasion. So I think I know my way around the budget shops pretty well and I do enjoy visiting a new one and nudging my husband when I see a new product.
“Oh, they don’t have these in the New Brighton one.” Or “Oh, this one doesn’t have the biscuits we like.” Basically, my life is one wild ride and my other half is a lucky man to join me on the adventure.
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So when Poundland named its new Speke store as "best in town" as part of its annual Christmas competition I thought ‘Date Night!’ Told you, he's a lucky man.
Housed in the former M&S clothing store on the New Mersey Retail Park, this Poundland opened in October and since then the company has decided it fits all its criteria for best in town which includes appearance, customer service, cleanliness, stock levels and the commitment of colleagues. But would it tick my criteria?
In terms of appearance, the lights are shockingly white and bright so much so that the make up I decided to buy looked a completely different shade when I got home (I’m impulsive and watched a TikTok about Poundland make up, I think that explains all you need to know).
Coupled with the high ceiling, however, it was airy and looked clean almost to a sterile level. The store has also been singled out for the presentation of its PEP&CO clothing range, one of the fastest-growing clothing brands in the UK, so Poundland tells me.
From cosy jumpers and coats to glitzy dresses and fluffy pyjamas, I have seen sections of their clothing range before but never did I think people would be ringing in the New Year in a silver, sequined mini dress from Poundland (reduced to £15). It was as if I had walked through a Poundland wardrobe into a winter fashion Narnia, which felt a bit like Peacocks to be fair, and something Poundland’s director of retail Darren Kay calls a "shop-in-shop".
Got to say I was tempted but resisted a jumper but I did get a festive vest and a dungaree set in the sale for my two-year-old. From the pieces I looked at, they seemed good quality and at very low prices. But that’s my opinion and I haven’t been ‘in style’ since, well… never mind.
And it was not just the clothes that were well stocked, the make up section was great. Limited shades but it had a full section unlike my other favourite haunt, Home Bargains. In fact, all the aisles were full with the Christmas section already condensed to one set of shelves, all reduced, and rows of food staples, snacks, frozen goods and fridges full of milk, cheese and butter - a section that is currently in 300 stores and is set to rise to more than 500 over the next two years following its acquisition of Fultons Foods and a £25m investment.
Poundland has around 4,000 stores in 19 territories including the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Spain and across the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region, employing 43,000 people. One of them is our friendly sales assistant at the till, Fransico, who was wonderfully chatty and genuinely seemed happy to be there on a chilly Wednesday evening in December. It always makes a difference when you are greeted with a smile.
I did note that products being stocked often cost more than a pound, perhaps a combination of inflation and the company trying to evolve and extend their ranges (sometimes in a very creative way, remember the Valentine's dinner?) in the always competitive budget shop market.
But, of the 29 items I bought, just half (14 items) cost £1. And I appreciate that will be different for everyone and depend on what you went in to buy in the first place, but it made me realised how these types of stores have changed a lot.
I asked Poundland about the prices and a spokesperson told me: "We've had items at prices above and below £1 for more than five years, and our regular customers know that’s brilliant because they can now find more of what they need at Poundland, at the amazing value it promises.
"Since 2017 we've been extending ranges so that we offer more items under one roof, from clothing to frozen food to homewares, and that means we've been a fully "simple price" retailer for some time. We haven’t had a magic trick up our sleeves to counter inflation but we’ve been working flat out to keep our promise of amazing value on everything we offer - whatever its price - and that’s more important than ever."
Even so, it did make me think back to a time when I remember you would buy unfamiliar brands from other countries or less well known companies (Highlander crisps anyone?) in budget shops like Poundland and Home Bargains. And sometimes a UK favourite would appear but only with their old, out of date labels.
They have come a long way since the 1990s, now competing with the supermarkets and savvy shoppers hunting for the best price in everything from packets of ham to homeware. And it is a multi-million pound industry with legions of loyal fans in part thanks to social media influencers like Mrs Hinch.
This leads me on to my haul - because we all love having a nose at other people’s shopping so judge away...
Rennie 12 pack - £1.25
Snacking mix tray - £1
Four pints of milk - £1.65
Beige setting powder - £1
Epsom bath salts x2 at £1 each - £2
Picnic chocolate bars snack pack - £1.25
Pretzels x2 at £1.25 each - £2.50
Blusher - £1
Baby powder - £1.50
Foundation - £3
Lotus biscuits - £1
Wallpaper scrappers x2 at £1 each - £2
Long reach grabber - £1.50 (think like a litter picker, my son wanted it and I’m soft)
Contour brush - £3
Blusher brush - £3
Bacon Frazzles - £1.25
All purpose glue - £1
Kabanos dried meat - £1.50
Child’s Christmas vest - £3
Child’s dungaree set - £5
Body Shop body butter - £2
Lollipops - £1
Lipstick - £1
Eyebrow stick - £1
Photo frame x2 at £1 each - £2
Total - £47.90
So is it ‘best in town’? It certainly fulfilled all the criteria. But, as with all the competing shops, there are some things you can get in Poundland you can’t get in Home Bargains or B&M, and vice versa, so while I can tick it off my list of Poundlands I have visited, I won’t be making it my main stomping ground.
Partly because I have one closer to my house. But if I was at the retail park again and I needed a sparkly evening dress, I would know where to go.
And best of luck to manager Lindsey Morgan-Hanglin and all the team as they head into 2023.
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