A few weeks ago I was set a secret shopping mission. I love secret missions and this one was quite interesting. I was sent some vouchers to spend at Family Bargains and I had to go and do some shopping there and report my findings. Family Bargains is not a store I have been to previously, only because it is not round the corner. My nearest one is situated on the retail park near the Metro Centre, which is about ten miles from us. I took the rest of the family with me to help me shop, stopping for lunch afterwards. As it was on a Retail Park we had no problems parking.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Family Bargains. I knew it was part of the 99p store chain so was expecting reasonable prices. I was pleasantly surprised at the range of things to buy in store. There was everything from toys, to crockery, to sweets and home-ware. We also found furniture and pet things along with a range of cards and wrapping paper. We had great fun browsing and were not short of things to spend our money on. The store was easy to get round and logically laid out which helped. It was divided into different sections so you could easily find what you were looking for.

I was looking for things to help to reduce the clutter in my house so I could tidy it up before Christmas. One of the things I have been looking for for ages is a decent DVD storage rack. I found this one at £14.99 which was a bargain.

It is flat pack furniture but I am one of those strange people who loves making flat pack furniture. It was simple to make and looks nice in the corner of the room.  I now have my DVD’s nicely filed away instead of cluttering up surfaces.

I also got some useful things for my house. I really needed a new dish draining rack and this was a perfect size. I have also been looking for torches for ages and this set was perfect at a reasonable price. I will never be short of a torch again.

I was very pleased with the gravy boat. For some reason I do not have a gravy boat and this was something I had always wanted and never got round to getting. It looks really smart and was a nice price as well.

My son treated himself to some Christmas cards to send to his friends.

Then he saw a pair of pyjamas that he loved so I had to get them for him, after all they were Doctor Who.

I also found a lovely range of curtains and bedding and I picked up a sheet and some pillowcases for the spare bedroom.

I also picked up some bits and pieces for Christmas presents, including a doggy stocking for the dog but I can’t show the pictures on here in case he looks! If you have children there are plenty of toys to choose from as well which would make good stocking fillers and other presents. I couldn’t buy any was my son was with me at the time.

Having been to Family Bargains I would definitely make a point of going back. I was very impressed with the range of items in store and we spent quite a long time just browsing. I definitely got a lot for my money and the quality was good as well, which is not always the case. The only bad point was when we left we paid with vouchers, and the staff were a little bit confused as to what to do with them. It all got sorted out quickly though and we had great fun unpacking when we got home.

You can find Family Bargains on line and check where your nearest store is.

Disclosure: I was sent some voucher to go and shop in Family Bargains but I was not told what to write and my opinions are my own.