Thursday morning is market day at Kempton Park Race course near Sunbury. There are terrific bargains to be had there and when I can I pop over to see what I can find.
I had a Thursday free so decided to endulge in a spot of retail therapy. First stop was Tescos to use up my petrol discount for April/May which was due to expire. A whole 4p off a litre. Every little helps right?. I also cashed in the voucher Tesco sent me for free cheese. I felt like Anthony Worrell Thompson, leaving Tesco without paying for cheese. Anyway as I got back in my car and drove off I realised I'd forgotten to use the cash machine, one of the main reasons I went to Tesco in the first place. On route to Kempton I stopped at Sunbury Cross shopping complex. I can park there for an hour for free which is fab. I decided to have a wonder around M&S as you do. I was after one of their fish and chip pies I saw advertised, no such luck, but I did pick up a reduced Quiche. The cashier remarked that she was going to have one of them for tea tonight too, clearly I made a good choice then. (It was the mushroom quiche and It was yummy!) Quality from Marks and Sparks and great customer service. By way of a contrast, I ventured across the way to a shop called Farm Foods. Oh my God!! This is an experience. It is cheap which is great, but its full of lifes un desirables, teenagers asking to borrow 20p so they can buy a bag of sweets. (My response is I won't see you again so its not technicly lending, more giving) Also smokers congregating round the front door. Think a lower class Iceland and your get the general idea. A million miles from M&S next door. This was bargain basement - a sense of being cheap but also a bit nasty. The cashier bearly giving me eye contact as I qued up for an age to buy onions and yogurts. They offered me a bag.. I declined and whipped out my M&S bag. I felt so posh for all of 5 mins :-). I'm not a snob... honest.
So to Market I went! It was very busy being half term lots of yummy mummys with huge push chairs snd even bigger hair extensions. Lots of tracksuit bottoms and so on adorning the stalls. I didnt buy much this time just some grocceries and tomatoes. I got a bowl of tomms l for a quid which is much better than any supermarket.
Then onto Hounslow AKA bargain town! Lots of cheap shops here. I got 2 punnets of strawberries for a quid and 3 punnets of rasberries for another quid from a market stall. But the real bargain came in "Sams 99p store". This is a shop that looks very like Tesco but its not. Everything is 99p now theres a suprise huh.. I needed lunch box drinks and saw 2 for 99p on 6 pack cartons. Only It wasnt 2 packs it was 2 cases for 99p 36 cartons in each case. I was'nt the only one who got confused here. It was a case of it cant be 2 cases for a quid can it? They are all best before end of May but I ignore Best Before dates so snapped these up.
Then, I picked up my mum we went to Kingston and had free coffee and cake at John Lewis (the My John Lewis card gives you this once a month) And a trip to Lidal as my mum wanted croissants. I love Lidal and Aldi. Lovely products and fab prices. They even have bakeries in store now. The waft of fresh bread as we walked in was very inviting indeed. The only thing I don't like is the way they give you no time to pack your shop and sort your self out at the till. Its all very rushed.
I did enjoy my croissants the next morning, I had fun unpacking all my goodies, and finding room in my cupboards and fridge. A busy but fun way to spend a day off.
I had a Thursday free so decided to endulge in a spot of retail therapy. First stop was Tescos to use up my petrol discount for April/May which was due to expire. A whole 4p off a litre. Every little helps right?. I also cashed in the voucher Tesco sent me for free cheese. I felt like Anthony Worrell Thompson, leaving Tesco without paying for cheese. Anyway as I got back in my car and drove off I realised I'd forgotten to use the cash machine, one of the main reasons I went to Tesco in the first place. On route to Kempton I stopped at Sunbury Cross shopping complex. I can park there for an hour for free which is fab. I decided to have a wonder around M&S as you do. I was after one of their fish and chip pies I saw advertised, no such luck, but I did pick up a reduced Quiche. The cashier remarked that she was going to have one of them for tea tonight too, clearly I made a good choice then. (It was the mushroom quiche and It was yummy!) Quality from Marks and Sparks and great customer service. By way of a contrast, I ventured across the way to a shop called Farm Foods. Oh my God!! This is an experience. It is cheap which is great, but its full of lifes un desirables, teenagers asking to borrow 20p so they can buy a bag of sweets. (My response is I won't see you again so its not technicly lending, more giving) Also smokers congregating round the front door. Think a lower class Iceland and your get the general idea. A million miles from M&S next door. This was bargain basement - a sense of being cheap but also a bit nasty. The cashier bearly giving me eye contact as I qued up for an age to buy onions and yogurts. They offered me a bag.. I declined and whipped out my M&S bag. I felt so posh for all of 5 mins :-). I'm not a snob... honest.
So to Market I went! It was very busy being half term lots of yummy mummys with huge push chairs snd even bigger hair extensions. Lots of tracksuit bottoms and so on adorning the stalls. I didnt buy much this time just some grocceries and tomatoes. I got a bowl of tomms l for a quid which is much better than any supermarket.
Then onto Hounslow AKA bargain town! Lots of cheap shops here. I got 2 punnets of strawberries for a quid and 3 punnets of rasberries for another quid from a market stall. But the real bargain came in "Sams 99p store". This is a shop that looks very like Tesco but its not. Everything is 99p now theres a suprise huh.. I needed lunch box drinks and saw 2 for 99p on 6 pack cartons. Only It wasnt 2 packs it was 2 cases for 99p 36 cartons in each case. I was'nt the only one who got confused here. It was a case of it cant be 2 cases for a quid can it? They are all best before end of May but I ignore Best Before dates so snapped these up.
Then, I picked up my mum we went to Kingston and had free coffee and cake at John Lewis (the My John Lewis card gives you this once a month) And a trip to Lidal as my mum wanted croissants. I love Lidal and Aldi. Lovely products and fab prices. They even have bakeries in store now. The waft of fresh bread as we walked in was very inviting indeed. The only thing I don't like is the way they give you no time to pack your shop and sort your self out at the till. Its all very rushed.
I did enjoy my croissants the next morning, I had fun unpacking all my goodies, and finding room in my cupboards and fridge. A busy but fun way to spend a day off.