Primark: ‘I tried the new womenswear click and collect service and there’s three key things you need to know’

There seems to be a Primark on every high street in the country, so wherever you are it’s likely there will be one nearby, so I’m not saying it’s not easy to shop there full stop, quite the opposite. But, for us millennials and Gen Zs who are used to doing everything online now, we’d spent years crying out for Primark to give us a website where we could actually see their products and buy them.

Last year, the Primark bosses finally listened and introduced a click and collect service for the first time. This meant shoppers could browse a selection of their products online, buy and then go to their chosen store to collect at a later date. However, only items from their kids lines were available at that time, so the service couldn’t be utilised by all shoppers.

Then, earlier in September, Primark delighted fans by announcing that they were introducing selected womenswear products to their click and collect offering. All of a sudden, this meant that the service was opened to hundreds of thousands more customers - myself included.

‘It’s easy to find something you will like’

On the day the service launched, I visited the Primark website to make a purchase. It was easy to navigate to the products available, thanks to a banner at the top of the website which proudly shouted about the service - and rightly so. Upon clicking through to the relevant section, I was pleasantly surprised to find there were many filter options available to help me find something I would like among the collection.

Filters were available for product type, size, colour, character collaboration and more. It was extremely easy for me to narrow down the products to find one that I may like. I also appreciated that I could select more than one filter at once, making my process of selection even more streamlined. It’s ideal for a shopper - like me - who has very specific tastes.

If you have read my previous opinion piece about my love of all things pink, it will come as no surprise to you to know that I chose my filter based on my favourite colour, pink. This brought up a range of items to choose from including nightwear, footwear, accessories and tops. There isn’t a huge amount of items to choose from as only certain products are available via click and collect, but there’s still plenty of choice. 

I pondered my choice for a while and eventually settled on a Hello Kitty snoodie. For those that don’t know, a snoodie is an oversized blanket and hoodie rolled into one. They’re not the most glamorous of fashion items, but they are extremely comfy and warm. I was given one last year, when the hype around them began, and was sceptical at first - but I surprised myself with how much I loved it. In fact, during the cold autumn and winter days last year I wore it pretty much daily. This posed a problem, however, when I needed to wash it as I was left having to wait for it to dry before I could get cosy again. Somehow normal hoodies just don’t cut it anymore, once you’ve had a snoodie.

So, now autumn is very much here and the temperatures are dropping, I decided that a second snoodie would be a great idea. That way I will be able to rotate them and always have one to wear and one in the wash. Perfect.

‘I have some recommendations for improvement’

The process of adding the product to the basket and checking out was easy and straight-forward, exactly the same as what we have come to expect from an online shopping experience. I met the criteria of minimum £10 spend to qualify for click and collect, which meant I could put in my postcode and I was then presented with a list of stores which were closest to me with a click and collect station, as the service is not available at all Primark stores, and then I was able to select the shop I wanted to collect from. I live in Barnsley so the closest store for me was Meadowhall shopping centre, Sheffield.

One thing I would say is that it was a little tricky choosing the size. Most items I found had sizes ‘XS, S, M or L’ or dual sizes. Any Primark shopper will know that you have to pay close attention when shopping with the brand as sometimes an XS/S, for example, can be a size 6/8, but for another product it can be a 8/10, so you always have to read the label. Of course, this isn’t an option when shopping online, so if you are unsure I would advise buying two sizes if you can. It’s better to try on and then return one on the day you collect, rather than take a risk and find you’ve chosen incorrectly. A size guide is available on the website, but it’s not tailored to individual products so I didn’t find it particularly helpful.

Another thing is that you need to be quite sure when you will be able to collect the item. I ordered late on a Wednesday evening and was pleased to find that the earliest collection date was less than two days later, Friday at 12pm. I could also select any other date after this in the immediate future. I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to go so I just selected the earliest possible date, assuming that - in similarity to the policies used by other brands - my item would be saved for me if I wasn’t able to go on that specific day. I did look to see if I could find information relating to how long my item would be held for me on the website but I couldn’t find any details. I would recommend that this detail is added to the FAQ section because I can’t be the only one left wondering.

‘Confusing communication’

Overall, I was happy with the communication that Primark sent me while my order progressed. I received a text and an email informing me when my order had left the warehouse and then again when it was ready to collect. When I hadn’t collected my order within 24 hours of it being delivered to the store, I received another email, politely reminding me to pick up my order and informing me that I had until 9pm on Thursday to collect, otherwise my order would be returned to the warehouse and I would receive a refund. 

This is why I say that you need to be as sure as you can when you will be able to collect as items only appear to be held for six days. I was expecting it to be held for at least a week as this is the experience I have had with other retailers - in fact, a lot will even hold items for two weeks. I don’t know why Primark only offers a handful of days for collection, of course, but I’d encourage bosses to extend this if they can to give their customers more flexibility. We all know that sometimes life throws up things we weren’t expecting and we feel like we blink and then a week has passed!

Another thing to add here is that communication became somewhat confusing from Primark at this point. A text also sent 24 hours after my order was ready told me that my item would only be held for “a few more days”, and didn’t give the specific date and time deadline provided in the email. So, I would advise providing all your contact information at the point of check out and looking at both, not just one. Then, on Wednesday morning at 8am, I received a text and an email telling me the item would only be held for 24 hours. Again, the text didn’t provide any further information but the email reiterated I had until 9pm on Thursday to collect - actually 37 hours away at that point, not 24. So, this was quite misleading.

As it happened, I was planning on visiting the store that afternoon so I knew I would be well within the timeframe for collection, but I would have been concerned that there was a chance my item could have been sent back if I was planning on collecting on Thursday afternoon as the information seemed a little unclear. So, another recommendation for Primark from me would be to only send the ‘you’ve got 24 hours left’ text and email when that actually applies, or you may cause unnecessary stress to your customers.

The process of collecting the item was quite straight-forward. When I arrived at the store, having caught the train to Meadowhall, there were big signs in the doorway informing shoppers that click and collect was now available in-store. What it didn’t tell me, however, was which desk to go to to get my item. The emails I’d received asked me to let them know when I’d arrived, which was a simple click of a button once I’d stepped over the threshold, and then to go to the designated click and collect counter. But, I didn’t know where to go to find that. I ended up asking a member of staff, and was then able to easily find it with her directions.

There wasn’t a member of staff at the desk when I approached, but there was a button to press for attention and a worker quickly appeared. She scanned the barcode in my email, checked my name, and then went to find my package. She re-appeared moments later with a signature brown paper Primark bag, neatly packaged with carry handles, and handed it over to me. As I’d ordered a lounge item that is meant to be oversized I didn’t feel the need to try on, but I am sure if you wanted to try on before you left the store this would be an option. You do have to cut the bag below the carry handles to open it, but I’m sure if you did this and then wanted to keep the item the staff would give you another bag to carry your item home in.

All elements considered, I’d give Primark a 7/10 for their click and collect service. Like anything new, there are some small teething problems with it, but these aren’t things that have a negative impact on the experience overall. I would still highly recommend using it, especially if there’s an item you fall in love with which you want to guarantee will be there for you when you get there.