Shopping Guide: The Palace Gardener
The Palace Gardener: A Shopper's Guide
Why You Should Visit
- A Charming Oasis: You'll find this garden centre a lovely spot, described as "a bit of an oasis in a busy thoroughfare," making it a pleasant break.
- Unique Items: The location offers some unique items, making it interesting to browse beyond the typical garden centre offerings. You might discover something special.
- Friendly and Helpful Staff (Generally): Shoppers can expect friendly and attentive service. Many reviewers highlight helpful and knowledgeable staff who are enthusiastic about plants and gardening.
- Expert Advice Available: The staff, like Ollie, provides great help. You can get advice on plants, such as succulents, with staff who are genuinely passionate about their work.
- Coffee Shop Convenience: The garden centre includes an in-house cafe with indoor and outdoor seating, making it a good place to relax with a coffee or a bite to eat.
- Variety of Plants and Gardening Items: You'll discover a variety of plants, seeds, gardening items, small fruit trees, and herbal plants, all arranged neatly for your browsing pleasure.
- Good for a Relaxing Visit: The atmosphere is often described as welcoming and relaxing, offering a nice place to walk around even if you aren't planning to buy anything specific.
- Christmas Cheer: They have a great selection of decorations in addition to Christmas trees.
- Helpful in the Ordering Process: They provide excellent help in ordering plants.
Why You Might Consider Alternatives
- Potential for High Prices: Be aware that the prices here are reportedly "insane," and not as cheap as outlet stores. Shop around and compare prices before committing to a purchase.
- Stock Limitations: While there's a nice variety, the range of plants isn't wide, and stocks can be low.
- Inconsistent Staff Experiences: Despite generally helpful staff, a negative experience with a rude employee, specifically a "young dark haired Spanish lady," has been reported. This could impact your visit.
- Potential for Plant Issues: You may encounter plant quality issues, even with expert advice. One experience involved plants dying after being planted by the staff despite proper care.
- Customer Service Concerns: Some customers have reported disappointment, with policies taking precedence over customer care. This may result in dissatisfaction if problems arise after a purchase.
- Inconvenient Returns Policy: The customer may be met with company policies and excuses instead of resolution when plants are unhealthy, with the offer of only partial discount and more money spent.
- Limited Facilities: The garden centre has no wifi, and no toilet.
- Inaccurate Information: There may be instances of errors in information, like the availability and the measurement of a product, causing travel to the shop only to be disappointed.
