A visit to HomeSense actually makes great financial sense – Review

Yesterday I headed to Watford to visit the new HomeSense store as part of the Sensology Panel, after a nightmare journey and my Tom Tom refusing to acknowledge the postcode and no-one in Watford being able to direct me I finally made it to the store to meet Aaron (one of my favourite PR’s – the loveliest person you were to ever meet).

A hug and a giggle stopped me from my rage and calmed me down and off we went inside.

Those of you who haven’t come across HomeSense yet may not know it is actually the sister company to TK Maxx.  As you can probably work out from the name HomeSense sells homeware and furnishings.

The difference between this store and TK Maxx is that it is laid out in sections and colour-coded, so everything is really easy to find. I just love the HomeSense Homeware section as you can find everything you could possibly want and much more.

The store is designed to work your senses from the moment you enter – highly fragranced it helps you to concentrate on a lovely shopping experience, forget your worries, or in my case my rage and you could find yourself lost in the store jut wandering aimlessly amongst the bargains and wonders.

It has all items at around 60% off so you can pick up some great bargains and many are one off pieces – if you see something you really like then grab it as the chances are it won’t be there next week.

The Watford store had a huge Ethnic vibe going on currently, with lots of pieces from Japan and Thailand, as the buyers had recently been to those places.

I was eying up some wonderful wooden Elephant carved statues and an amazing stack of elephants; however, I had to think about where I would find to put them, so I stopped myself from buying them.

Armed with a £50 gift card to spend off I went and it was incredibly easy to find things I just needed to have.

Having completed the HomeSense Facebook app I had discovered that my shopping style was Conversationalist – meaning I tend to pick out items which can be talked about…but was it right?

Here is the amazing haul I came away with:

I chose practical items which were actually needed and would be used and was amazed how far £50 could go (I did the typical Clare style of shopping – grabbed what I wanted without adding up the prices, this was deliberate as I wanted to see if my instincts were right and get a surprise at the till!)

I managed to get it bang on target impressively – this haul came to £49.94! and I honestly think that is amazing value for money.  The quality of all the items is amazing and I love them all.

I chose:

• 4 Tulip Mixer glasses – £4.99
• A set of 6 Bedtime stories for Harry – £3.99
• A large grey basket with a beautifully purple decorated lining – £12.99 (this is being used at the bottom of my stairs as I always have a collection of items which gather there waiting to be found homes for upstairs)
• A new bath mat – £7.99.  I spend a large amount of time sitting on the bathroom floor while my 2 frolic in the water – this has a very deep pile and is perfect for sitting or kneeling on
• 4 chicken egg cups & spoons – £6.99
• A large decorated washing basket – £12.99

I think I have to agree with the Facebook app – all the items I chose have a conversational element to them, all pretty, decorated or just cute.

I can’t wait to visit again and see what bargains I can get next time, although maybe I go to the Lakeside store instead.

You can find your local HomeSense by visiting the website – www.homesense.com or you can follow on Facebook or Twitter

Disclaimer: I was provided with the vouchers for being on the Sensology panel however all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.