Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
World
Rachael Davis

Shopper does £10 challenge in Primark, Peacocks and Tu but can only get full outfit in one

A British journalist, and fashion fan, took £10 to three bargain clothing chains to see if she could afford a full outfit in any.

Rachael Davis took on the shopping challenge at favourites Primark, Tu at Sainsbury's and Peacocks, but could only pull together an entire look in one of the stores.

READ MORE - Scottish best man's speech leaves bride red faced and 'wanting to change her name'

The shopper, who works at our sister title MyLondon, shares her experience:

Rachael's story

I'm never one to pass up a challenge, especially one that involves hunting for a bargain, but I must admit I was doubtful when I set out to try and find an entire outfit for £10 - even at shops like Primark, Peacocks and a supermarket. Clothes, like everything else, just seem to be getting more and more expensive, and the prospect of finding a whole look for a tenner was daunting.

A while ago I went to Primark to try and get a whole outfit for £20 and found it really difficult, so I was almost certain I'd fail at getting one for £10. I wondered if I might have more hope in a supermarket like Sainsbury's, picking up some basics for a cheap and cheerful look that doesn't break the bank.

I set out on my mission to try and get a whole outfit basically for free in some budget high street stores, keeping an open mind as to what I might find. As I predicted, it was almost impossible - almost, but not completely.

Primark

My first stop was Primark, pushing through the crowds at Westfield on the hunt for a bargain. The last time I tried to do this it was the middle of winter, and I found that the staples I was after like jumpers and jeans were way out of budget. However, Primark's spring/summer range is now in store, and I was delighted to find the lighter fabrics and less need for layers meant a full outfit for under a tenner was actually achievable.

I found a stand with some cute mini tea dresses in a wide range of patterns, from block pastel colours to floral prints, for just £7. Their elasticated necklines mean you can wear them on or off the shoulder for alternative looks, and you could easily add a belt to cinch in the waist if the skirt felt too flowy.

At £7 this spring Primark dress was a steal - and very much within budget (Image: MyLondon)

A dress is an easy way to build an outfit cheaply - you only need one item after all - and I was left with £3 to spend on a pair of shoes to complete the look.

Even in Primark, finding a pair of shoes for under a fiver was tough. They had their trusty 90p flip flops, but that wasn't quite right to go with this dress for a springtime outfit.

Some £3 shoes to complete the look (Image: MyLondon)

Eventually I found the other quintessential Primark item: the cheap plimsolls. I picked up a pair in white for exactly £3, which went nicely with the pastel colours of the tea dress.

I was off to a good start and feeling quite proud of myself. A whole outfit for exactly £10.

Peacocks

Next up was Peacocks, a shop that seems to exclusively be found on dying high streets and only shopped in when there's no where else to go. Because of this, I thought the clothes might be quite cheap, but was surprised to find their prices to be closer to that of New Look or H&M than Primark.

Peacock's clothes were not as cheap as I'd thought they'd be (Image: MyLondon)

It quickly became apparent that I wasn't going to get a whole outfit for under £10, or even under £20. Peacocks' dresses cost around £20 and its jeans £25, and even the tops and jumpers were £15 or more.

This still isn't a bad price, and the materials felt of a decent quality. There were some pretty spring pieces in store as well, with plenty of pastels and florals for the new season.

However, this didn't work for the purposes of my challenge, and sadly I left Peacocks empty handed.

£25 jeans were very much not in budget (Image: MyLondon)

Tu at Sainsbury's

My last stop was a classic supermarket clothes section, Tu at Sainsbury's. The Tu range often has some really nice pieces, but they're not always known for being cheap, and I thought looking for basics would be my best bet.

Sainsbury's clothing section had some really nice items (Image: MyLondon)

Sure enough, Sainsbury's had some classic t-shirts for £5 each, which is very reasonable. Some were printed with slogans and patterns, while others were just plain, giving shoppers plenty of options for a budget buy.

Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox

Sainsbury's had loads of cute clothes, from spring jumpers to floral skirts and blouses, fun printed denim to slogan sweatshirts, but sadly nothing else in my very limited £10 budget.

Tu at Sainsbury's had some very cute clothes for spring, but sadly not cheap enough for this challenge (Image: MyLondon)

It was still reasonably priced, with jeans for less than £20, dresses for £30 and under and long-sleeve tops for less than £20, and there was a really nice range of options from casual to workwear to choose from.

Unfortunately, though, I had to leave without buying anything: £10 didn't go too far here either.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.