Joules has been a favourite brand in the Thrifty household for many years.
So, imagine our excitement when it was announced that a Joules would be opening in our nearest shopping outlet Gloucester Quays!
We love Gloucester Quays for its discounted clothing and homeware shops, fantastic baby feeding/changing facilities and family friendly restaurants so this news was an extra bonus!
Joules emailed everyone on their mailing list with a Gloucestershire postcode to explain that 21 gift cards (1x £200, 10x £100, 10x £50) would be available on the day for the first 21 people in the queue alongside other freebies!
Never one to shy away from a bargain to be had, I bundled Thrifty Bubba into the car and made sure that we arrived nice and early. We parked in a nearby village (free parking ✅) and enjoyed the quiet canalside walk across to the Quays.
On arrival it became clear that we weren’t the only ones excited for the store to open. One hardcore Joules addict informed me that she had queued since 3am to guarantee herself a gift card!
The Joules staff were very friendly and appreciative of people queuing to support the store. They spoke to everyone in the queue, handed out flags for children to wave and even took orders for free teas, coffees and hot chocolates!
As opening time neared, a guitarist played well-known lively songs and staff took photographs for use on the Joules social media accounts before we did a countdown – Joules Gloucester was declared open!
Once inside goody bags for women, men and children were handed out. The women’s bag contained a pair of Joules fluffy socks (RRP £7.95) which are perfect for this time of year and the men’s bag also contained a pair of socks. The children’s bags were filled with different accessories. I was lucky enough to be given a boy’s glow-in-the-dark drawstring bag (RRP £14.95) which will make a perfect Christmas present. People who spent over £40 were also gifted a free scarf!
I’m pleased to say the double fronted store is well laid out with plenty of space for prams and is child friendly. There is a wide range of items at outlet prices similar to those on the Joules eBay shop so it is definitely worth having a look.
I have to applaud the Gloucester Quays security department and the Joules staff for the professional way in which they handled the event. They are a credit to the Gloucester Quays team.
Readers, you’ll be pleased to know that I didn’t impulse buy anything (and it was hard to resist temptation) but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I’m absolutely delighted with the freebies I received.
Have you ever been to a store opening? Would you wait overnight for a store to open? Which brands would you happily queue for? Comment below and let me know!
Love, Thrifty Mumma X
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