England is a haven for shoppers. Yes, you read it right. There are too many shops in this country, and sometimes you don’t know which one to go for. When I first arrived in England, I was clueless what brands and where should I buy it from. So, I thought to make this post to help fellow Pinays, especially those who just recently arrived here in England. This post can serve as a basic guide on where to shop (I’m not an expert shopper and this is solely based on my experience).
Cosmetics
You’ll feel overwhelmed with the number of stores out there! There are Debenhams, Selfridges, Boots, Bodycare, Savers, etc. For cosmetics, it mainly depends on what you wanted to buy.
For high-end makeups, I prefer Debenhams. The products are bit expensive but if on sale, you can really save a few quid. For some brands that aren’t available in Debenhams like Nars, I go to Selfridges.
For drugstore brands, I prefer Superdrug. Why? They usually have good deals a few times in a month and the prices are a lot cheaper compared to other stores. And if there are bulk offers for let’s say cotton pads, I’ll just buy it without any hesitation. Make sure you only do it on items that don’t have any expiration dates.
In Superdrug, you can get drugstore brands like Revlon, Nivea, Maybelline, etc. Some people do prefer Boots. Basically, these 2 shops are similar but there are more high-end brands in the latter.
*Debenhams, Selfridges, Superdrug, Boots
Personal Needs
Personal needs in my book are sanitary napkins/tampons, toothpaste, soap, shampoo etc. I’d say Superdrug is a good choice as they have regular deals every so often. For things not in Superdrug, I visit Bodycare and Savers. However, I think Savers is cheaper than Bodycare on selected items.
*Superdrug, Bodycare, Savers
Food/Grocery
If you want a really good value for your money, I’d say Sainsbury’s and M&S (Marks and Spencer). The prices are a bit more compared to other shops but you won’t regret the quality of foods you get.
By the way, M&S has offers for let’s say 3 boxes of cooked chicken dishes (or you can mix it with other meats) for £10. And this would usually last for days to a week! Not too bad, eh? At least you only need to heat the food in the oven, saves you time.
For practical grocery shopping, I’d go for Lidl. This store sells a wide range of products. You can get fresh fruits and vegetables, and they also have a good selection of frozen goods (they have the best hash browns!). Aldi, Asda, Tesco, Morissons are also good alternatives.
*Sainsbury’s, M&S, Lidl, Aldi, Asda, Tesco, Morissons
Clothes/Bags/Shoes
If you want a good value for money, Debenhams on a sale period is the best option for me! I also love TK MAXX. I’ve bought a few high-end dresses for a cheap price. I got a Vince Camuto peach dress for £30 from £120!
But if you want it cheap, Primark is the best place to go! You can get a top for £4! Another brands to consider are New Look, Dorothy Perkins, H&M, River Island and Next. If you’re not too fussy and you’re happy with second hand stuffs, you can get good deals on Ebay or any charity shops in your town. On Ebay, if you want brand new stuffs, you just need to adjust your filter so only items with tags will show in the result. *Debenhams, TK MAXX, New Look, Dorothy Perkins, H&M, River Island, Next For any other things like chocolates for pasalubongs, you’ll never go wrong with Poundland!
Don’t forget to get those points cards offered by the stores. It helps when you’ve accumulated certain points because you can use them as a mode of payment.
I hope this helps. And if there’s more you can suggest, feel free to comment!
