Can't access Ciao through Uni (ARRGGGHH!) so that's why it's been quiet around these parts - when I ...
Can't access Ciao through Uni (ARRGGGHH!) so that's why it's been quiet around these parts - when I get home I'm too knackered to Ciao!
Member since:04.04.2001
Reviews:75
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Now, Meadowhall shoppers can be roughly categorised into two major groups – the Shoppers and the Husbands* . The Shoppers will dash around the hundreds of stores collecting a wide array of bags of varying sizes and colours. The Husbands invariably get to carry this wide array of bags fulfilling a valuable service, but as the numbers increase their good mood diminishes. In fact Shopper Happiness levels seem to be inversely proportional to Husband Happiness levels – an interesting phenomenon that should be more closely studied by University researchers across the globe.
The History Bit
Meadowhall opened on September 4th 1990, amid a fair few complaints from Sheffield shop keepers and customers alike. At this time the main shopping area in Sheffield was The Moor and Fargate in the city centre – these areas had been suffering from lack of trade and many shops had been shutting. Many people felt that this out-of-town shopping centre would attract all the major High street names leaving the city centre to die. This prophecy of doom didn’t quite come true. Many big High street names (Dorothy Perkins, New Look, Woolworths, M&S, HMV) simply opened another branch, and thanks to a large student population from the two universities and a major cash injection from the council, the city centre didn’t suffer too much. So why choose to shop at Meadowhall rather than the City centre?
Getting There
Meadowhall is situated just off Junction 34 of the M1, and has it’s own rail, bus and tram stops/stations. The website (www.meadowhall.co.uk) even has an AA route planner so you can find your way there. The one thing you really need to remember when travelling to Meadowhall is REMEMBER WHICH CAR PARK YOU ARE IN! It’s incredible easy to get totally disorientated in Meadowhall, and with over 12,000 car parking spaces it would be pretty difficult to find where you parked if you got lost. The Car parks are given colours (and flowers!) and inside Meadowhall,
exits to certain colour car parks are frequently signposted.
I tend to travel by train. It’s very easy to reach Meadowhall by train from the whole country. If you are coming from the South (as I do) you would probably go to Sheffield Station and then get a connecting train to Meadowhall – these Sheffield-Meadowhall trains run frequently (every 20 minutes or so) and although they aren’t the nicest looking trains, they are pretty reliable.
There are also frequent buses and trams which run to the centre. The bus tends to be slow, but they are pretty frequent. The trams used to be very expensive but are now much better value for money and are a good option if you are staying in the city centre (The Meadowhall tram is on the Yellow Route).
Shopping – The Best Bit!
The shopping centre has two floors and is laid out in a number of ‘streets’ – High Street, Market Street, The Arcade, Park Lane. The streets will NOT help! I have been going to Meadowhall since it first opened and I couldn’t tell you which street a shop was on. The best idea if you are new to Meadowhall is to pick up a map (these can be found at various information points around the centre) or you can just wander around aimlessly, because the major stores are sign-posted (Debenhams, M&S, House of Fraser) and are easy to find.
While most of the stores are randomly laid out (i.e all the book stores aren’t next to each other) certain parts of Meadowhall do have certain types of shops. Park Lane on the upper level has many of the more up-market, expensive clothes shops – here you can find Karen Millen, Jacques Vert, Principles and Jaeger. On the lower level, Park Lane mainly has ‘gift’ shops such as The Gadget Shop, Past Times, The Discovery Store, Warner Bros. Studio Store etc..
Another area of interest is The Lanes which has a number of very interesting shops. I love Cleopatra which sells ethnic clothing, inexpensive jewellery, incense and other interesting things. One of the best places to buy film and TV memorabilia is also in The Lanes area of Meadowhall – The Last Picture Show (TLPS). In the olden days (well about 5 years ago!) Area 51 was by far the better memorabilia shop but it then moved to a tiny unit and contained about 1/5th the amount of stock of TLPS. There you can but graphic novels, Buffy T-Shirts and figures, Futurama stuff as well as a range of posters and postcards.
A Few Shops in Detail – Feel Free to Skip!
New Look (Upper and Lower levels, Market Street)
This New Look is one of the more recent additions to Meadowhall and it’s absolutely huge (it’s actually in Burger King’s old unit – they moved across the street into a much smaller unit). On the upper floor is the ‘normal’ range (i.e sizes up to 18) and everything is laid out into sections – Evening Wear, Casual, Smart – so it’s easy to find what you want. The choice is tremendous – I particularly like the logo T-Shirts they do (including Rainbow ones!) which are inexpensive and decent quality. The changing rooms on the upper floor are spacious with good mirrors, but there is often a long wait if you go at busy times. On the lower floor they have the Inspire range (sizes 18-26), the 9-15 range (for kids), Home stuff (cushions and other such goodies) and the jewellery and accessories. The Inspire range, considering the size of the store, is pretty small and could do with expanding (luckily I’m a size 18 so I get to shop from both the ‘normal’ range and Inspire).
H&M (Lower level, Market Street, on the way to Sainburys!)
Another even newer addition to Meadowhall in H&M and I have to admit I’m a big fan. This is apparently the North’s largest H&M (according to the website) and certainly seems to be more roomy than some I’ve been in – it’s hard to move in the Birmingham store because it’s so packed full of clothes! H&M sell clothes which are often cheaper than New Look, but are also better quality. They stock a range of women’s, women’s over size 16 (called Big Is Beautiful), Men’s and Children’s clothes. This store has THE best changing rooms I’ve ever been in. You can change the light in the individual changing rooms from a warm soft light, to a more realistic ‘natural’ light. This often marks an amazing difference to how you look in the clothes and explains why shops pay so much attention to lighting (and why you can buy things that you hate when you get them home!).
HMV (Lower Level, High Street)
HMV is the biggest music shop in Meadowhall by a long way and was expanded a few years ago. Surprisingly, they didn’t expand sideways, they went backwards into what was once presumably the stock room (I have no idea where they keep all the stock now!). It stock a very wide range of music CDs, DVDs Videos, Singles T-Shirts, Books and some Vinyl. HMV always seem to be in the middle of a sale so you can pick up a few bargains if you try, but remember that CDs are often cheaper on the net.
Feeling a Bit Peckish?
Most of the food stores are situated in The Oasis (a notable absence is the aforementioned Burger King which is near Sainbury’s). There is a central eating area which you can use no matter which restaurant/fast food place you decide to use, but this is very busy at peak times. Some places have their own seating (McDonalds, Bradwell’s English Restaurant, Thyme etc) but this is often very limited. You can find something to satisfy most members of the family or even the pickiest boyfriend though! There is good old fashioned English (Bradwell’s, Potatobakehouse), American Fastfood (McDonalds, KFC), Italian (Mama Amalfi, Pizza Hut), Chinese (Singapore Sam) and even Mexican (Three Amigos). Food can be expensive, but is usually pretty good. Beware of mothers leaving children guarding all the seats though, as it can be very difficult to find a place to sit down and eat.
Kids getting on you nerves?
There is a supervised Creche in The Lanes which you can leave your little brats… I mean darling children… at if you need a break. All staff are qualified and they also cater for children with special needs although you do need to book in advance. Also children under 3 can only stay for a maximum of three hours. Prices can be found on the website (look under customer services).
Go Shop!
Yes, I realise I’ve already told you about the shops – Go Shop is a new card that Meadowhall have introduced which allows you to get discounts, free gifts, information etc. You can apply for a free card at a stand on the Upper Arcade (near Dorothy Perkins) by filling out a simple form. The card takes around three to four weeks to arrive and you pick it up from the customer service desk (until then, they give you a temporary card) This card can then be used at one of 20 kiosks around the centre (kind of like Boots Advantage Kiosks) to find out information (including Cinema times) and get coupons for discounts. I applied today and the machines didn’t seem to be working too well, but it’s early days and I’m sure it will improve. You can also apply via the website – if you do this they will send the card to your home (I wish I knew that before I filled the form in in the centre!!!)
The Cinema – Anyone Still With Me?!
Only a brief word, because this really should be an op by itself, the cinema is situated in The Oasis and has 11 screens. It’s a Warner Cinema and so ticket prices aren’t the cheapest, but they do have nice popcorn! Be warned though, Meadowhall in general is usually quite warm, but in the cinema they are very enthusiastic with the air-conditioning system. I have been so cold in the cinema that I’ve shivered through the whole film, so it’s best to take a jumper!
Verdict
I have been going to Meadowhall for years (so long in fact, I can actually repeat word for word some of the PA announcements – “Would Meadowhall customers losing family or friends, please meet them by the statues at Market Street”) and I have a love-hate relationship with it. I love the shops, I hate the people who stop directly in front of you when you are walking. I love the fact all the high street names are all in one place, I hate the screaming kids. I love the huge versions of my favourite shops, I hate the queues. Going anywhere near Christmas is like taking your life into your own hands because the place is filled to bursting with people all desperately trying to buy the same ‘must-have’ toy for their children. It’s impossible to go anywhere quickly in Meadowhall and so it’s not the best place for impatient people (i.e most Husbands), but Shoppers will love the many stores. I like the fact that they are some out of the ordinary shops for those people sick of the sight of M&S, and there are plenty of toilets and places you sit down for a bit.
I find that Meadowhall is a very tiring place to be compared to the city centre (partly due to the hash lighting), but it does have a wider range of big name shops. However Meadowhall doesn’t have some of the Sheffield shops that I love (Lush, Evolution, Fopp) so I think there’s room for both in a city as big as Sheffield.
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Advantages: all the usual high street names, plenty of restaurants for evening entertainment - and a Cinema Disadvantages: you might run out of money - so take 'him' along!
Advantages: Masses of Shops, Everything you would need under one roof, Excellent Customer services Disadvantages: Very busy saturdays, I get very bored there
Sep 11th, 2001
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