Braintree Village Reviews Summary

Shopping Experience

Pros:

• "It's good to see they have taken the whole 'social distancing' seriously, limiting numbers on to the site, hand sanitizers everywhere, a one ways systems to walk around and in the toilets."
• "Reopened to shopping, covid restrictions in place with marshals ensuring the one way systems."
• "Sanitiser provided in many places along the way and also in most, if not all shops."
• "Great outlet shopping, can't believe I have only just visited, there certainly seems to be something for everyone."
• "Fantastic place to shop and I commend the staff and management of Braintree Village who have put a lot of thought into keeping everyone as safe as possible."
• "Always well kept and lots of staff to help a round the village."
• "A really good outlet village with plenty of shops for ordinary people - yes there is Super Dry etc. but also M&S."

Cons:

• "Horrible soulless place, retail theme park, full of people looking for non existent bargains."
• "Most shops are full of stuff they can't sell in normal stores and not really the latest trend."
• "Most shops only have sales in one corner of the shop, or not at all."
• "Lacks a little in atmosphere (compared to Westfield for example) and some stores have limited range of stock."
• "It's a strange place, a decent variety of shops but the place lacks a soul."
• "But walking into the 'village', you're hit by the fact it feels soulless...like on the verge of closing down."
• "Not much of a shopping experience, walked round in about half an hour, took us longer to find a parking space."

Pricing and Value

Pros:

• "Loads of 'Designer' type shops reportedly cheaper than on the High Street."
• "Good selection of outlet stores with some very good offers."
• "They also offer really good prices."
• "You can get great bargains."
• "The value of the goods is incredible."
• "Most of the stores are outlet shops which offer considerable discounts compared to the high street and they can even beat online prices at times."
• "Freeport Braintree has a range of outlet shops offering good discounts on high street prices."

Cons:

• "To me it is no longer a proper outlet. Prices/bargains are not as good as they used to be."
• "All the gear is two years old being an outlet."
• "Some of the shops like Cadburys sell their produce there dearer than on the High Street so not really pulling your average customer in."
• "Discounts pretty pants, seems priced high and then discounted - can find better deals elsewhere and online."
• "The shops don't actually give decent discounts and there aren't many good eateries inside the location itself."
• "The prices are not as cheap as I thought they would be."
• "Prices are generally not good value such that you'd prob be better shopping on the high street."

Parking and Accessibility

Pros:

• "Tough to find a parking place on a Saturday......good to remember there are 3 car parks on both sides of the units."
• "Lots of free parking so you don't need to worry about large parking costs."
• "It has plenty of parking spaces on site which are free of charge."
• "For a major shopping centre, no problems, even parking was easy!"
• "Parking is free up to 6 hours which is plenty."
• "Plenty of free parking."
• "Parking free for 6 hours."

Cons:

• "Parking costs just under £4.00 for the rest of the day after 6 hours."
• "I have received a parking fine for being 27 mins over the 6 hours allowed time."
• "It can get extremely busy and although there is masses of parking it can still be an issue getting parked."
• "Parking was a nightmare, but once inside it was okay."
• "Although the car park is fairly big, parking can be an issue and cars are often parked here, there and everywhere."
• "Finding a parking space can be a bit challenging on the weekends."
• "Car parking can be a bit tight when things get busy."

Facilities and Services

Pros:

• "A large variety of shops to fulfill anyone's clothing needs."
• "Great location if you live near, has a good selection of restaurants and has a cinema, bowling and a gym right on the doorstep."
• "Quaint village shop style layout, with plenty of space in most shops."
• "A few cafes for people to take a break from shopping. Customer toilets."
• "The facilities are mostly well kept and clean and tidy, and there is also a customer service area for any queries."
• "Really helpful map for non-frequent visitors and a great range of shops, including coffee and eateries, with public toilets clearly signposted."
• "Good range of stores and restaurants, all facilities are cleaned and maintained to a high standard, good amount of space throughout to prevent it feeling crowded even through peak times."

Cons:

• "It's not as large as Cheshire Oaks and there is a limited selection of food & drink outlets."
• "There is a large section of shops currently closed off for redevelopment."
• "Visited here on a cold day, a lot of empty units."
• "For a designer village I thought it lacked some shops as the range for me isn't as good as Ashford or some other designer outlets."
• "Hardly any places to eat in the village (why did they get rid of Burger King??)"
• "Only downside is that if it rains you are outside so going to get wet."
• "The only thing was at lunchtime the three restaurants we went to near Sunglasses Hit, weren't full staffed and we would have to wait 45-60 minutes for a table, which with kids doesn't work."