B & M Bargains

B & M is a wonderful chain of bargain stores. I’m never particularly impressed by the likes of Home Bargains and especially Poundland, which can be filled with a load of tat. But B&M gets in a lot of quality stuff. Good brand names, much cheaper than supermarkets and big retailers. Before Christmas, they were selling Ben 10 and WWE toys at half the price Toys R Us were charging!
The Heybarnes branch is situated on a small retail park, with an Argos next door and an ASDA across the road. I’d always recommend going to B&M first, because it’s always going to beat the other two for price even if it doesn’t sell most of the stuff (ie groceries that Asda has, wide range of toys and electronics in Argos). The stuff that it does sell will be cheaper there than elsewhere.

B&M Bargains bought out the homeware chain Au Naturale a short while ago, and has rebranded some of its outlets. This branch is situated on a small retail park alongside Next and Argos. It is just off the Asda roundabout on the Coventry Road, and has a large free carpark.
The rebranded B&M store carries less homeware than Au Naturale, and has filled the space with food and drink. Gone are the simple and good quality decorative items that made Au Naturale such a great store — ok, maybe not gone altogether, but you have less chance of finding the real bargains such as a tall hurricane lamp for a tenner and a good quality plain cream rug at the same price.
You can still find a good selection of cushions, lamps, small pieces of furniture, bed linen and towels upstairs.
Downstairs, B&M has a big selection of food items, mostly of the treats and chocolate variety, but also canned goods and jars. Some of these are great value, and sell-​by dates are normally good too. There are also cheap soft drinks, some interesting beers, and diet-​busting amounts of chocolate and sweets. You’ll also find shower gels and toiletries, although some of these are not cheaper than on the high street.
Checkout staff are pleasant, although the store itself can be a bit of a free for all at peak times.