GIVEN how popular Bicester Village is I thought it was time to take a trip down and see if it really does live up to the hype.
I travelled to the outlet by train and hopped on the shuttle bus which took me from Bicester North Station straight to the outlet in about five minutes.
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On the way there, I noticed stewards ushering cars into two overflow car parks. I already knew the outlet would be busy, but I didn't realise it would be that busy.
As soon as I walked through the entrance, there were shoppers galore.
The main shop I wanted to go to was Gucci - one of the flagship stores - but when I approached the shop there was a sign to say there was a digital queue which I'd have to join in order to get in.
I knew about this so it wasn't a surprise, but what was shocking was that the steward said the next appointment available was at 5.30pm, meaning I'd have to wait more than two hours. Once I signed up, I was number 96 in the queue.
I wasn't too bothered about the wait because I wanted to have a good leisurely walk around the site which would take me a while and I wasn't in a rush to return home.
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But for people who were visiting from outside of Oxfordshire, I can understand why they'd be frustrated with the system.
The other stores on my list were Prada, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and The Cosmetics Company which all had digital queues.
It's recommended that people wear face masks while shopping on the grounds and some people did while others didn't.
There were also hand sanitiser stations available for people to use in shops.
As I walked around the outlet, I spotted a few brands that I was surprised to see such as Jo Malone and Le Creuset.
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I had to wait in a physical queue for about 15 minutes to get into Jo Malone because it was just a small pop-up shop.
Once inside I had a quick browse but only some products were available to buy. I bought a small red rose scented candle for £17 which looking back was a lot of money for a candle in my opinion, but it smells absolutely divine.
As a designer outlet, Bicester Village is all about buying luxury items at a discounted price.
There's a mixture of low-end and more high-end brands. Michael Kors was probably the best shop I went to for discounts as it also had a sale section with items marked down further. Vans was also a good shout.
The more high-end brands such as Gucci and Prada also had good discounts, although items were still priced very much not within the average person's budget.
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I managed to grab a few bargains and ended up buying a Christmas present for my husband.
There are plenty of places to eat at Bicester Village but I was put off by the queues at food stalls such as Crêperie Angélie and Oliphant's Bakery and I'm not really the kind of person to eat by myself at a restaurant which I probably would have had to book in advance.
Overall my trip to Bicester Village was good. Depending on which shops you want to go to, you will have a breeze of a time shopping. I plan on going back soon with friends to do some Christmas shopping.
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