TJ Hughes

I recently moved to a new apartment and thus the need for things such as plates and pillows all of a sudden became important to my summer. I went to TJ Huges because its almost a one stop shop for all these items and frankly, I’m a lazy man! The store itself is a bit messy but not so much that you need to hunt for everything. When I was there they had a sale on all kitchenware which came in very handy. I got set of pots and pans that was reduced from £90 to £30, leaving a sizeable change purse for beer. A happy Conor.

Unlike the other reviewers I am not a fan of TJ Hughes, whilst at University in England I encountered TJ Hughes in nearly every city I visited and to be honest it is all the same. It is a shop I would always avoid not just because the tat they sold but also because of the clientele TJ Hughes attracted.
After hearing TJ Hughes had opened in Belfast I thought I would give it another chance to impress me.
But no, it failed again! It offers big brands at cheap prices, but these big brands are usually three years out of style, for instance I stumbled across some Shilpa Shetty perfume. Many people may so who is she? But that is exactly the point I am trying to make.
If you ask me TJ Hughes is just a poor mans Primark. I suppose if you were looking for something useful like a suitcase set for your holiday, it would not hurt to go into TJ Hughes but I would steer clear especially if you are a male because there is not much in there for us.

I kept hearing about «that TJ Hughes place is a great store for bargains’, or ‘Jenny got some great cheap bras and socks in TJ Hughes’, so on a recent trip to the cinema (located upstairs from said shop), me and the other half called in to see if we could get him any bargains for an upcoming holiday. He was looking for some trousers, a shirt and some swimming shorts. Once you get over the feeling that you are in some sort of sad B&Q type aircraft hangar, you quickly realise that there are bargains to be had here. I’m not going to stand up and say that the clothes are of good quality, but I will say that depending on what you are buying, be it DVDs, drinking glasses, garden chairs or name-​brand makeup — those things are worth looking at. One thing that really grated on my nerves though, was the APPALLING music they play, its very obviously karaōke-​imitation versions of real songs, people pretending to be Alicia Keys or Cheryl Cole, and it’s mind-​numbingly bad. TJ Hughes, pay some copyright for some good music, and I may go back.

Bargains, bargains, bargains. And in an organised fashion too. Happy days.
As Paula (the previous reviewer) mentioned, TJ Hughes made its appearance in Northern Ireland in March of this year, and is therefore a very new experience for much of its customers. It fills the (massive) gap in the Cityside Mall where Woolworths previously lay, and is a more than welcome introduction to the shopping centre.
To be honest, I had never even heard of TJ Hughes before its coming here, but where there’s a bargain… there’s a Lynne. So yesterday, I decided to hoof it from the city centre (a 10 – 15 minute walk) to Cityside Mall to see what I could find.
It is pretty substantial in terms of size and discounted stock. With nearly everything you could possibly think of squeezed into one floor of bargainous commodities, it really takes you to have a few hours in order to truly explore everything. Which I didn’t have.
Scanning the shop for the cosmetic /​beauty department, I discovered, to my delight, that everything was well-​laid out and easy to find. None of this hoking through a load of junk to find that hidden gem and wasting precious hours of shopping time! In no time at all, I found some ‘Batiste’ Dry Shampoo at the outrageously low price of £1.39, and dashed to the counter via the sweetie section. I was greeted by a pleasantly cheerful sales assistant, with whom I had a good natter about her false nails. And off I went, happy as Larry. If Larry was a dry shampoo fan, that is.
There are endless bargains to be had in TJ Hughes. Really decent perfume for a fraction of the RRP, cameras with tens of pounds off them, fabulously cheap shoes, to name but a few. Definitely one to check out!

Worth a mention as the first and only branch in Northern Ireland. It opened to great fanfare in spring 2010, billed as a mecca for those looking for designer bargains. Hmmmm, not so sure about the designer part but I did still find some things worth buying. ‘Quelle surprise’ said the husband.
I went to TJ Hughes expecting a very TX Maxx experience. Which I didn’t get. There was none of the rummaging for one off finds that you have to do in TK Maxx which is both good and bad for obvious reasons. What you will find however is piles and piles of genuine bargains for the home, the kids and some clothes which are wearable. Some of the clothes are just not wearable however.
For the house, I picked up some crystal wine glasses at £2 each. Amazing quality and value. Also some crockery for everyday use. Again amazing value and good quality.
I also bought a pair of leggings/​jeggings/​treggings/​whatever they’re called for £8 which I have worn loads. There were some high heeled sandals and gladiator sandals which were nice too and it seems to be a good spot for casual and sports clothes like hoodies and track suit bottoms. Prices are rock bottom and you will recognise the labels — Fred Perry, Nike, etc so all good.