Five items you should always buy at Boots – and the products to avoid
BOOTS shoppers know the chain regularly offers a whole host of beauty ranges but are some items worth your money more than others?
From skincare to gift sets, the health and beauty retailer really does have a huge selection both online and in store.
It offers various popular lines including high end designer labels and more affordable ranges too.
Plus, its numerous sales that occur throughout the year can offer as much at 90% off which means fans often go wild for its bargains.
Luckily for shoppers, Boots’ online offering stocks thousands of products too so you can head into your local branch or get your haul delivered to your house.
But what should you always be picking up from Boots and what should you leave on the shelf? We reveal all.
Perfume
In good news for perfume fans, Boots is always discounting big brand perfumes.
Sometimes designer fragrances have as much as £38 knocked off its original price.
Recently, the retailer has slashed the price of its Burberry Weekend eau de parfum to just £45 – down from £83.
Over the past few weeks shoppers have been rushing to buy a £60 bottle of Vera Wang’s Princess for just £20.
Boots also offers some cheaper alternatives to really pricey scents.
It sells Ariana Grande’s perfume for £8.25 and shoppers have said it smells exactly like Maison Francis Kurkdjian scent, which costs £215.
Presents
Every year Boots shoppers go wild for its numerous gift sets and advent calendars – with some containing hundreds of pounds worth of products but for far less.
The products inside can be the perfect gifts for Christmas or Mother’s Day.
Last Christmas, Martin Lewis revealed how to get your hands on £345 worth of beauty products for just £80 with Boots’ Showstopper Beauty Box.
The beauty retailer has released a £30 box filled with perfume, make-up, and skincare – plus a £20 perfume voucher for mums this Mother’s Day.
Plus, the highly anticipated Boots sales always see shoppers stocking up on presents for all the special people in their lives.
It’s currently hosting a massive 90% off sale including items from Ted Baker and FCUK.
Hair care
Being a health and beauty retailer it stands to reason that Boots shoppers love buying their hair care there.
Available both in store and online there’s a wide range on offer from shampoos and conditioners to hair masks and dye.
Plus, Boots shoppers armed with a Boots Advantage card can actually earn points while they shop.
Currently, you can get 4p worth of points for every £1 spent – although this is set to drop to 3p from May.
But, also from May, Boots will offer customers on the loyalty scheme 10% off on over 6,000 own-brand products – so it’s worth having a look at its own-brand hair care range too.
In the past some hair care fanatics have been able to scoop some absolute bargains in in-store sales too.
One shopper bagged 20 hair products from 20p each as part of a mega clearance at her local Boots store.
Beauty
Of course something Boots shoppers will always return to the retailer for is makeup.
The chain stocks a massive array of high-end brands from Gucci to Chanel that you can’t usually find in high street chains in the UK.
And with its regular offers and sales it means shoppers can get them for cheaper prices than if you went to the designer shop directly.
But, Boots also has exclusive ranges like Fenty too, as well as all your high street favourites.
It means that whatever you price range, there is something for everyone and you can also mix and match across different brands too.
It’s always worth keeping an eye on when the next sale is so you can take advantage of some huge bargains on makeup.
Although, always remember to shop around for the best price before you commit to a purchase.
You can use tools like Google shopping to compare costs across a range of retailers.
Skincare
True makeup fans will know how important skincare is to your beauty routine.
Luckily for Boots shoppers the chain has a whole host of products on offer too.
Each week the high street retailer offers shoppers a range of skincare, makeup and health items for just £10 for 24-hours.
This week features offers on popular beauty brands across the world of skincare, with Weleda, Mario Badescu, No 7, Nip+Fab, and L’Oreal.
It’s definitely worth putting a reminder in your calendar for the Tuesday sale if you’re looking to pick up some new skincare.
Meanwhile, looking way ahead to Christmas Boots usually offers a massive No7 gift set for skincare bits and bobs.
It includes 10 No7 skincare products and could save you £97 – so it might be worth keeping an eye out for similar deals throughout the year too.
Things to avoid
While shoppers are often spoiled for choice when they pop into a Boots store, not everything is worth your money.
Shoppers in the past have been left unimpressed by the rising price of the Boots meal deal.
The retailer upped the price of the lunchtime food and drink offer for the second time last year.
Prices have risen from £3.59 to £3.99 outside London.
Shoppers in London have also faced price hikes as meal deals now cost £4.99 – up from £4.59.
So if you’re looking for somewhere to buy your lunch on a budget, you might want to look elsewhere.
Plus, if you’re shopping on a budget too, you might want to buy your toiletries somewhere else as well.
For example, Tesco shoppers armed with a Clubcard can get a three-piece meal deal for £3.40, and Sainsbury’s fans can get one for £3.50.
Shoppers have been fuming in recent days over the “absolutely mad” price of Dove deodorant in Boots and several major supermarkets.
Customers had spotted a £6 price tag on a bottle, and although the chain said it was a mistake – the real £4.50 cost was still called “extortionate”.
It’s not the first time the retailer has been seen to have some costly prices on toiletries.
Back in 2019 it was found to be 15% more expensive than Asda for toiletries including medicines, moisturisers and hair removal.
Of course prices may differ from day to day and from store to store, but it’s always worth having a shop around before you make a purchase to ensure you’re getting the best value for money.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk