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Original poster

To think Smiggle is ridiculous....

79 replies

Gingersay · 04/08/2021 16:46

Back to school shopping with my dc today, youngest dd is just on the cusp of being to old but we ended up having a look in smiggle and bought a few things very over priced bits and pieces.
While in the queue to pay I couldn't believe the money people were spending on stationary, first woman 2 wee girls came to £166 and a man with a boy about 7 £98, obviously it's their money and none of my business but I think I would be sick if I spent that on pens and pencils!! Am I just old and miserable.....

OP posts:
Nohomemadecandles · 04/08/2021 17:15

Ds2 loved it. His backpack lasted about 3 years of daily school so I can't complain.

There's usually sales or bundles that make it more reasonable.

They do well. Good on them! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Scanner20 · 04/08/2021 17:15

I usually buy online during the sales and don't find it too bad. I have to say the water bottle has lasted the whole school year and still going!
I will buy for Christmas and birthdays in the sale for family dc and my own as it's always a big hit.

Hankunamatata · 04/08/2021 17:16

Always buy online in the sale

Mooloolabababy · 04/08/2021 17:24

I hate that it's so appealing to children and ridiculously expensive but such shit quality!! I've lost count of the amount of bags and pencil cases that I had to return due to zips breaking and fabric fraying. Glad dd is too old for it now.

KittenKong · 04/08/2021 17:27

We had a few french stationery shops nearby and they are always good (french kids buy lol their own) and not horrendously expensive (and ‘different’).

Comedycook · 04/08/2021 17:32

@KittenKong

We had a few french stationery shops nearby and they are always good (french kids buy lol their own) and not horrendously expensive (and ‘different’).
Oh this reminds me of the Chipie stationery I loved as a child... would always buy it from the French hypermarkets when we went there
FionnulaTheCooler · 04/08/2021 17:33

I'm glad my DD is coming to the end of primary school age and Smiggle stuff is no longer trendy in her age group. I don't mind buying her a pack of scented pencils or keyring, but £20 for a water bottle that costs a fiver in Primark is a total rip off. I only ever bought stuff when it was on the sale shelf and even then it was expensive.

Foolsrule · 04/08/2021 17:34

Awful quality. DD spent £15 of her birthday money on a water bottle so she’d have a similar one to her friends. It scratched so easily that it was ruined within weeks. She was devastated. I’d bought her a very similar one from Sainsbury’s for a third of the price and it’s still going strong. Was a good lesson in price/quality/value.

OldTinHat · 04/08/2021 17:37

Poundland is your friend here!

irresistibleoverwhelm · 04/08/2021 17:39

Definitely sale only! DD nagged for a backpack and I found one on eBay, new with tags for half the original price 👍

gogohm · 04/08/2021 17:40

Just go to a large asda and buy everything there, I'm taking my DD's next week though it's back to university for us rather than school

BlusteryLake · 04/08/2021 17:42

Good old WHSmith has everything mine ever need stationery wise, and much cheaper than Smiggle. What annoys me most, though, is the lack of clear pricing labels in the shop. It's really hard to see how much stuff actually is in our local branch.

Rocketpants50 · 04/08/2021 17:43

My daughter collected the stamps to get a free (crap) gift, she popped in one day when on holiday with her cousin as she had a full card of stamps, the shop refused to give her a free gift as she hadn't spent any money that day!

I must say though I got my son a backpack from there in sale 3 years ago and it is still going (maybe because he has not been at sch much last 2 years!).
Was shocked how much they charged for some items, though equally could say the same for other retailers selling pens and pencils.

MrsToothyBitch · 04/08/2021 17:48

Our local branch died a death during lock downs, I think. Despite living in a very family friendly area, it was never very busy. I looked in there for a present for a Dd of a friend of the family there once and the prices were horrifying for the product on offer! Can only assume everyone else thought likewise.

What was the very similar brand a few years ago selling work-of-art rubbers? Blott maybe? Tinck? I think it died a death and Smiggle rose from the ashes to ensure a few more kids stayed hooked!

Martinisarebetterdirty · 04/08/2021 17:49

The sales are really good and their silicone water bottles are the only ones we can get to last longer than a few weeks because they bounce when dropped. I also have a calculator and some of their scented pencils for work - they make me smile, although the calculator would be better with more numbers on the display Grin

SkankingMopoke · 04/08/2021 17:50

Definitely only buy in the sales! It is often pretty reasonable then and comparible to cheaper brands. I stock up gel pens and other items I know will get used up in the January sales plus a few bits to stash that are suitable for birthday gifts either for my DCs or DCs' friends.
They also usually have a clearance shelf of 5 items for £5, which is great for stocking fillers and bits to bump up birthday gifts that look a bit small.

Puffinhead · 04/08/2021 17:54

My older DC were too old for it but the younger one lived it. I personally think the backpacks are lovely! But we did buy hers in the sale.

Antsinyourpanta · 04/08/2021 17:55

YANBU. Thankfully my teen has grown out of smiggle and is more money savvy now about most things and DS hates shopping and usually puts up with whatever I get him (not smiggle!!)

Weve had a few items from there in the sale or as a present though and theyve broken within days. It certainly not the sort of place I'd "stock up" on stationery. You could probably buy 1 of everything in the works for the price of 1 pencil case!🤣

billy1966 · 04/08/2021 17:56

@Hugsgalore

It's shit quality too. I bought my dd a bag there when she started school. The straps both fell apart within 2 weeks.
Absolutely agree.

I remember being absolutely gob smacked at the price of it years ago.

Similarly my youngest told me her friends said the quality was awful.

More money than sense!

SpnBaby1967 · 04/08/2021 18:04

Their sales are good, when my kids liked Smiggle I only bought then. Even so, my limit was a lunch box.

Tbf, I bought my youngest a lunch bag thingy from there and 3 years on it's still going strong despite being shoved in the washing machine 3 times a week so I cant complain.

WestendVBroadway · 04/08/2021 18:25

Only today I walked passed Smiggle in my town and thought " Thank God it didn't appear until my DD was in her late teens."

mrsrichardsglasses · 04/08/2021 18:30

MIL bought DD a smiggle rucksack for Christmas a couple of years ago and she still uses it. The zips snapped off but I threaded some keyrings on instead. Apart from that it seems sturdy and the various pockets are useful but on the other hand for that price I would expect the zips to stay on!

EveningOverRooftops · 04/08/2021 18:34

I have a lunch bag from there. Mostly because no fucker will steal a bright pink unicorn lunch bag and I work/volunteer with blokes.

SionnachRua · 04/08/2021 18:37

I'm a teacher. I hate, hate, hate Smiggle. I must have hundreds if not thousands of euro worth of their crap in my room every year. It regularly breaks and then guess who has to mop up the tears? Hmm

FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop · 04/08/2021 18:42

@SionnachRua tell me about it, a y7 boy on the first week of term one year (before we banned Smiggle) lost and broke his apparently £80 worth of Smiggle stationery and his form tutor got a furious email from the dad about how we hadn't helped him take care of his shit Hmm thank fully my colleague does not suffer fools and replied saying by by year 7 they should be well able to look after their own stuff and we are busy enough minding human beings, we can't be guardians of stationery too Grin

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