Bicester Village Shopping Review

One thing my friends know about me is that prior to any trip, lunch date or holiday I will have googled the venue/destination to death finding out all I can and gorging on as much information as possible. The same approach was adopted for Bicester Village at the weekend despite having been on numerous occasions. What surprised me when I stumbled across some reviews on Tripadvisor was the expectations some people had on visiting, no you will not find a Prada bag for £50, and how little they had looked into stores available, no you will not find Marks and Spencer at Bicester Village so I thought it made sense for me to provide a review for anyone planning the trip to Oxford.

Before you even decide to make the trip, take a look at the brands on offer. If you've treated yourself to a Karen Millen dress or Lacoste polo shirt in the past then the trip may be worth your visit and if you have a special event coming up and would love a dress from Coast but the cost is restrictive you may well find one for the sort of price you're looking to pay. Similarly if you've dreamed of owning a Prada bag but the thought of spending thousands of pounds on one is just a dream but you would consider treating yourself to a purse at a couple of hundred pounds then you could get lucky at Bicester Village

Here are my three tips for your trip.

1. Go early
I have been to Bicester four times in the past year, with the one exception always on a Saturday and always arrive for it's opening at 9am. This will give you an hour or two to shop in relative peace because by lunchtime you will find you have to queue to get in stores (they tend to move quickly) and you will be battling with tourists. Ben wanted to go Ralph Lauren for some holiday clothes so it was the store we hit first on Saturday and as you can see from the queue when we left at 3pm was glad we did. Ralph Lauren's multiple stores are extremely popular with the crowds so cross them off the list as soon as you can.

2. Be prepared to come home empty handed
Anyone who has been to shopping outlets before will know that you never know what you will find and I have been once before and came home empty handed. This is not the sort of place you visit with a shopping list. Whilst I visited Saturday I had in mind 'will I get lucky and find the Anya Hindmarch flight bag that went in the sale' I was fully prepared that they may be sold out - and they were. I've also visited wanting a Lulu Guinness suitcase and they were sold out but last weekend they had a selection on offer so it pays to be open minded.

3. Be prepared to spend some serious cash
Many people are surprised at how expensive prices are at Bicester Village but who really expects to walk in Mulberry and pay £50 for a bag that was retailing for £1000? On Saturday they had a beautiful pink Bayswater bag for £600, originally £1000, that's nearly half price and whilst a lot of money if I'd been in the market for a new Mulberry handbag this would be a great price to pay and I very nearly did snap it up! That said mum picked up this Michael Kors bag which had originally been approx £250, reduced at the outlet to £125 and then gone into their sale so she paid about £60 for it so it's not all about the bank breaking prices.

I love the Bicester Village shopping experience, for a shopping village it's lovely, especially in the sunshine and if you're prepared to go early and aren't phased by crowds you should enjoy a visit. Some people complain about 'made for outlet' items and last season stock but I've always been impressed by how much the ranges reflect the current season and tend to use it as a cheaper way to treat myself to some nice things.

It's well laid out, easy to navigate and has some of the best toilets I've seen in a public place - although ladies, of course there's always a queue. If you've been to Bicester Village before or know of any other outlets worth a visit pop your tips in the comments below.