Matalan

Coming from the states, I loved this spot! Great clothes for a reasonable price. I love the quality and available selection — if only they could bring this to the states. Much better than both Primark and Top Shop.

I do like Matalan for some of the basics but this branch is pretty dire.
It feels as if all the life has been sucked out of it and then someone has come in, looted the shop and not cleared up afterwards. I’ve never been in the store when it hasn’t been full of some of the most awful people ever to walk the earth and who can’t control their kids and I’ve experienced some of the worst customer service in there too.
It’s awful which is a shame as in other branches, the entire experience is, thankfully the complete opposite and also as it’s conveniently located close to the DLR and train station in Lewisham.

As chains go, this is not one of the worst out there, but this one… hmmm!
One of the bigger stores, but there just wasn’t anything in there! I know that might sound a little odd, and I don’t mean that it was empty, but there was nothing worth even looking at, no less purchasing.
That said I wouldn’t not go in another branch, but one, this particular shops was a mess and two, it was not forthcoming in the children’s school shirts department for which, we visited in there in the first place!
My intention is not to put anybody off all Matalans, as it’s not a bad place for basic essentials like cheap hosiery, however be sure to only pop into this one if you have exhausted all other resources.

Perhaps it’s because I’m here on a day of a tube strike, but this place is a lot less crowded and a heck of a lot more organised than I expected! They sell a wide range of home items and the entire ground floor is devoted to women’s fashion. All are priced pretty reasonably — in between Primark and TK Maxx — and it’s definitely a great place for getting affordable items which will probably only last one to two years at the most (i.e. for those who are renting).

i last shopped at Matalan, and thought they were absolutely awful. However i have had to have a change of heart– they were the only people to actually have gotten what i wanted! (trousers for 12 pounds, and two shirts with tie also for 12 pounds– dec 08). Matalan have changed quite a lot since they first set out– mainly due to the discount stores popping up left right and centre! this store, though, is a decent one– the idea of having a sample rack of shirts to try is bloody genius!!, no other store has thought of this– how many times have you walken into a store, just to walk out angry and frustrated? me, quite a few. Matalan are different– for a start they don’t have clothes lying all over the floor, or in a sorry heap on some grotty looking table. what they do have is clothes that are actually placed where you would expect (i.e trousers not near the short sleeved shirt section!!!) all the items are in one place so you can find them. i never normally say this– but i actually find shopping at Matalan pleasant. The staff are very helpful and friendly as well– i never found asking them a question a chore, as a matter of fact they went out of their way to help me! the stores are nice and clean and airy– unlike some shops i have been to. The prices are actually quite pleasing– hell, you can get a tailor made suit for under 50 quid! hows that for a bargain. All in all a good experience– i will definately be going to Matalan again

The Lewisham branch of Matalan is tucked away on a small business part, close to the DLR and main railway station. A large store, you can generally find most of what interests you on the Matalan website here, a failing of smaller branches.
I’m particularly impressed by the huge range of womenswear, how different a lot of it is (most other high street retailers seem to use identikit boring as their clothing template), and how well it washes and wears. Whether you need something smart for work, or something more casual and funky for the weekend, you’ll find it here.
The homewares section always seems in need of a good sort out and tidy up, but I suspect this is indicative of just how popular and well-​used this section is. Bargain buys include sturdy three postcard sized photoframes (which were a fiver each and similar to some in Habitat that were £50), and some berry red fairy lights which look a treat in the kitchen.
But I have to save most of my praise for the staff. I don’t know if they’re supplied with happy pills along with their wages, or they have a hitherto unpublished graduate training scheme, but I’ve never come across so many bright, friendly, chatty, helpful, and efficient people. It’s as if they’ve got them all, and the rest of Lewisham’s retail businesses can go whistle