Gap is a good place to shop if you are after some latest trends, but it can be over priced for the…read morequality on offer but the sales are good - you can always pick up a bargain throughout the year and the discounts aren't just on at Christmas or summer sales time. Having said that the women's section seems to have better sales than the mens department. Sometimes it is worth waiting for the price to come down even further. For example, a £40 pair of jeans might get reduced to £30 but if it doens't sell well they will get reduced further in a few weeks time - sometimes up to 50% off, if not more. Staff are oevrly helpful - it does get annoying when they always ask if you need help, especially if you want to browse in peace!

I have made purchases of essentials from Gap over the years that have lasted a long time and this…read moreis a testament to the good quality. They do some lovely kids clothing and I always look in store when there is a sale on and buy things to save up for birthdays! The staff are warm and friendly. I used to revel in the fact that my favourite pair of trousers I had from here had the american size only written on the label which just happens to be 2 sizes smaller than the uk! The store is well lit, clean and spacious. The space makes it feel welcoming and like you have time just to browse, the staff have approached me when I have entered a few times but just to say if there is anything I need to give them a shout - which I like as it makes you feel like you can easily ask for assistance

Although I walk down Cannon Street every week, I never really stop to look at the shops therein…read more It's never been a conscious thing, I just didn't think that these places would stock anything of interest to me and thus didn't bother to have a look at them. It took a Christmas shopping event last night to show me the error of my ways and change my mind... So, I spotted on Twitter this week that "Shopping in Birmingham" was putting on an event in the City. With a free RSVP through their website, you could gain little perks in many of the stores situated on Cannon Street (including mulled wine, Christmas snacks, discounts and competitions). As I was in town on the Thursday I though, "what's not to lose?" and RSVP'd for myself and Elite's Caroline C and Emma S to go and have a mooch. After battling through the crowds of the German market, we met at the Studio where we were given our VIP discount cards, a glass of mulled wine and a little shopping bag and let loose on the street. We popped into White Stuff as it was offering 20% off all purchases on the night, as well as a little contest and festive drinks and snacks. On arrival we were immediately welcomed by a very friendly member of staff who poured us some sparkling wine and invited us to try our hand at "hook a duck" for £2 (with all proceeds going to charity). We all won a little White Stuff goodybag with a gift from the store, a little bar of chocolate and a discount voucher for Naked wines. So far, so good. Again, I have never stepped foot in this shop so didn't really know what to expect. There is a good range of small gifts (I picked up some fantastic cookie cutters), socks and sundries and clothes on offer in this "looks smaller from the outside" unit. Downstairs is mostly menswear at the front with a range of popular women's items at the back and upstairs is all ladies clothing. It's all nicely laid out and the price tag reflects the quality you can expect. Small gifts start from around £3.50 in this shop, although other novelty items reached up to around £16. The dresses and clothing certainly wasn't cheap, but there were scarves and tights for a "not entirely unreasonable" price for a nice gift (starting at £16 - £25). The staff were definitely the star of the show. All of them were welcoming, smiley and genuinely were going out of their way to help shoppers with questions about items in store or seeking out sizes that weren't on the racks. I don't know if it was the fake snow falling on the street or the loud Michael Buble soundtrack, but I was rather charmed by this shop. Yes, it's not independent. Yes, the designs are a little too colourful for my taste, but I will definitely be back to peruse their scarves, accessories and gifts in the future.

This shop is hidden away down a side street just off the main shopping strip of New Street but I…read morealways make a point of going here as I love it so much! The shop window is always inviting and the staff are very pleasant and helpful. It's reasonable sized, I went in the other day and they had changed the layout. It's now women's I the left, and men's on the right as you enter downstairs. You can also go upstairs where they stock shoes and children's clothes. It's also where the fitting rooms are by the way! The stock changes regularly and when the sales are on (not at the time of writing) they are really good. Also, there tends to be rack of 'last chance' offers, which are reduced down but lack the full array of sizes. They do gift tokens and are happy to exchange/refund on items when required. Overall, I love this store and the clothes, get yourself there!

Cult clothing has moved around several times since I first moved to Birmingham, first swapping its…read moremodestly-sized original store for a much larger unit nearby, and then migrating to the Bull Ring when that opened. While they've always stocked the trendier end of alternative and skater fashion, as the years have worn on their gear has grown more generic while the prices have continued to climb. There are racks and racks of shirts, trousers and shoes in this latest incarnation of the store, but you'll be lucky to find anything that doesn't have the Super Dry brand name plastered all over it. I don't know about you, but I prefer my alternative clothing to have a little less of a uniform feel to it. The clothing is pretty high quality and there are some really funky designs if you're willing to have a bit of a dig through, but at the prices Cult charge you're better off shopping elsewhere for your skater/surf wear.

I remember the original Cult Clothing store just off New Street - it then moved to bigger premises…read morejust up the road, and finally fell to the lure of the Bullring as did most stores that were outside that precious boundary! The new store is average really. Split over two levels, I've always found the clothes quite close together and it quite difficult to manoeuvre around the store. The staff at this new store (whether it's the change of premises affecting their mood, or new staff) seem to be much ruder than before, and in my experience have been quite reluctant to assist! The range of clothes, however, is quite good, and the store is a decent size. A bigger shoe department might be beneficial. At the moment it quite lets the shop down.

I visited Primark Birmingham, service was excellent staff helpful. Due to customer being taken ill…read morewe were directed to other side of pay area. this was done efficiently by first aider. Jayne served me, very polite and helpful, even though I mis-layed my card and had to find it. I was so impressed with the whole experience I spoke to Sharon, saying how enjoyable my shopping had been. Thanks Primark, Birmingham. Clothing is reasonably priced, washes well and caters to all tastes. Range and quality much improved, I used to buy only vest tops and T shirts Also enjoyed a coffee and sandwich at instore Greggs outlet.

I always enjoy stopping by a Primark when I feel like finding something fun to wear. Especially for…read morea special event like Christmas Sweaters and Summer Festivals. Primark offers a wide range of clothing and accessories for every age; male and female! This location is really good with numerous floors of hidden gems. There are also cash tills all over the store, so if one queue is super long, just head to another level and find one that isn't. The customer service here is either really great or good. But I've never experienced anyone who didn't care about me or was rude. There are no toilets, but the Starbucks across the way might let you use theirs. Some hidden seating for The Spouse... but best to go alone or have them meet you towards the end of your shop. I tend to get carried away with all the cheap and discount deals and could be there for hours!

Stratford Road has no shortage of fabric stores that specialise in Asian unstitched outfits…read more However, there are comparatively few stores that offer readymade clothing. Aashiqui is one of the latter and has been a well-established business in the local area. It specialises in bright and "bulky" fashion, by which I mean the embroidery is quite garish and bold with plastic stonework, which I am not a fan of. I felt their clothing was overpriced for the lack of quality in fabric and detail. The clothes look very generic and lack style. They sell sarees, lenghas, salwar suits and some trouser suits. It's a family business so there's an informal style to their customer service. They are very accommodating and helpful. If you mention what you're looking for and your budget, they'll point you in the right direction without up-selling higher priced items.

Nice store ideally located in the town centre of Cannock, staff always friendly and on hand for…read morehelp. Nice selection of clothing including a petite range and also a large range of womens shoes

Surprisingly, for a small store, they stock a wide range of styles and sizes, suiting ladies who…read moreare petite or, like me, on the large side. They also stock a good selection of shoes and accessories. Satff are friendly and the store is well laid out. They have a couple of changing rooms but never seems to be a queue.

The Candy Store is one of Birmingham's best kept secrets…read more This shop wont fail to surprise you, and has some great quirky t-shirts. The decor is tasteful and the shop is fitted out well. You can find several trendy pieces in here which is great for an independent outlet with a mixed price range. Friends or relatives can lounge in the large comfy sofa's whilst they wait., or just admire the store & furniture. I'd recommend The Candy Store to anyone visiting Birmingham. Spend some time in here and you will find something that catches your eye. The staff are very helpful, and also told me about the tailoring on some of the t-shirts I was admiring. Worth a visit!!

"Genuine Street Goodness" is the tag line for this urban apparel shop, but I think that's wrong. I…read morethink The Candy Store is more than goodness, I believe it's one of Birmingham's best stores and something to be proud of. Established in 2007 The Candy Store has been a beacon in independent street brands, stocking items that might not appear on any other high street rail. Stocking some of the best street brands in the world such as: 10 Deep The Hundreds Jilted royalty (owners brand) Crooks & Castles Diamond supply Fame Benny Gold The shop itself is slick and tidy; each brand has its own section/rails with select items laid on shelves to catch attention. There are some cool bikes and a great sound system in there always playing interesting and fresh urban music. Though it can sometimes be hard to tell the staff apart from the people hanging in the store, everyone has been friendly and happy to help whenever I have been in. An independent urban clothing store could be quite intimidating for a mom to pop into to buy her kid something, I've seen It happen, but the staff here have all the time in the world for anyone who might not have the insider knowledge on what's cool and what's not. The prices range from £15 for a tshirt upto £85 for a shirt it all depends on the brand/season of the item that you have selected. They take card and have an online store too. The sales are known to be really good so keep checking back at their website and inshore. http://www.thecandystoreclothing.com/

Matalan, Matalan, Matalan! The poor office drudge's favourite shop!…read more For inexpensive, decent quality office attire, no one does it better than Matalan. £6 pairs of skinny leg black trousers, £4 button down shirts, and £10 smart jackets -- you too can look like a train conductor, for under £20! In the past few years, Matalan have started branching out to include lots of fun party wear, at a slightly higher quality and cost, and have some really fun and unique going out items. If you like sequins, and don't mind everyone knowing it, shop for your clubbing gear at Matalan. Matalan also do a nice range for the "sophisticated" (read: old) lady, including some nice jacket and skirt sets, and some good gardening wear for the retired lady. The Matalan in Birmingham near the Cite Centre is massive. It's kind of a Brum landmark, with its enormous Mosque-style dome, and absolutely enormous lay-out. This place is the size of a football field, if not bigger, and it has EVERYTHING. If Matalan carries it, the Brum outlet has it. Most of the stock in the Matalanverse is here. The staff are helpful, and there are a lot of them, spread throughout the store, so it's pretty easy to find what you are looking for. There are a lot of tills, but you'll still need to queue for awhile, as there are even more shoppers! The selection of lingerie here is very good, with a big, fine selection of bras for the larger busted lady, at reasonable prices (nothing worse than being forced to shop luxury brands simply because you're larger in the chest!). The selection of clothing at Matalan is never going to win any awards for being trendy, cutting-edge or wonderful, but they are cheap, accessible, and a short bus ride from most anywhere in Brum!

This is my favourite branch of Matalan because it's such a huge shop that I can always find…read moresomething for me and the kids and everything is always in stock in every size. There is plenty of room to move in the shop and aisles are wide enough that you don't have to worry about constantly bumping into other shoppers, I've usually got the pram with me and have no trouble at all getting around even though they provide trolleys which everyone seems to get even if they're only popping in for one t-shirt! There are plenty of changing rooms for you to try the clothes on and I have never had to queue up for a changing room even when the shop is busy. The changing rooms have those annoying curtains rather than doors, which I hate as trying to get changed in such an enclosed environment means I worry about flapping the curtain up on accident and flashing my bits to people outside! The ladies clothes are great and I always find them to be an excellent fit and accurate to the size on the label, particularly the bootcut jeans which fit perfectly even though I am quite short. Some jumpers come smaller than you think they are going to so it's important to try these on even if you know your size down to the last millimetre. The kids clothes are great, a nice mix of trendy and traditional clothes which are reasonably priced compared to most of the kids clothes shops in Town. Again the sizes are accurate and I can easily go in and buy my daughters' something off the shelf without them being there and be sure it's all going to fit when I get home. I don't really buy mens clothes from in here as my fella likes sporty clothes which Matalan don't seem to sell often, but I've had a browse and they sell a lot of jumpers and jeans along with t-shirts and socks. The prices for mens clothes is quite a lot higher than the womens section, but it all looks to be of excellent quality so if you like this style of clothes then you should be ok.