Although mainly know as a fashion clothing catalogue, like many home shopping services they have expanded to cover a huge range of extra products including everything from garden furniture to iPods. Their range is actually quite good containing the major gear you would actually want and the benefit of their "Try before you buy" offers means that you no longer have to trawl around town to get a look at what you might be getting because, let's be honest, these graphics you see on online shopping websites don't always match up to what comes through the post! With the many retailers out there like Currys and Comet that generally refuse to take back even the most justified returns it's refreshing to see a firm that will deliver it to your door, take it away again if you don't want it AND give you credit so you can buy the better version now.
Their website is available at www.additionsdirect.co.uk though www.additions.co.uk works too if you're really lazy (www.additions.com is owned by a different company). There they have all the latest fashions for holiday wear, shoes, dresses, shirts, boots, underwear, suits, hats and all other types of apparel. In addition they have an ever-expanding electricals section which is mostly up to date but we weren't too fond of their desktop and laptop selections. For the price you can find a more up-to-date product off the high street shelf but that is mainly due to the fast moving nature of the computer industry rather than any stinginess on Addition's part. To find the products you want quickly and easily on the website use the search box at the top of their pages. You can search by keyword - enter a brief description such as "Nike Trainers" or "Womens Stretch Jeans". You can search by catalogue number online by entering the exact catalogue number of the product you wish to find. You can refine your product searches by entering the product size, colour, material or price. For pages beyond the home page there is a dedicated navigation area on the left of the page that gives you access to other ranges of products and allows you to filter your browsing to particular types of items. The location of their navigation links is consistent and provides a useful way of browsing for products. If using a text-speech converter you can skip over their navigation by using the access keys 'alt+s'. You can search using phrases rather than just simple keywords: For example, you can ask for 'blue Levi jeans for men' rather than just Levi jeans - this enables you to get to the products you want faster. All images are fully marked up with alternative text. You can check the contents of your Shopping Basket at any time by clicking on the Shopping Basket button if you do not want an item any more simply click the "Remove Item" button. You can add items to your on line Shopping Basket by entering your clothes catalogue numbers.
The Additions Direct Plus Account allows all current account holders to try before they buy through their mail order service. For their top shoppers they offer a VIP club which provides a dedicated order enquiry line, exclusive online previews, offer rewind facilities and an exclusive VIP area on their website. They even have seven different ways to pay for your goods: Online, at the Post Office, by Direct Debit, at your Bank, using PayPoint, Home Banking, by Phone or by Post. There is generally a delivery charge for your items but watch out as from time to time they do display free delivery voucher codes on their website or on leaflets stuffed inside your statements when they come through. As an account holder you will often get mini sale catalogues in the post too showing the latest promotions.
Strangely enough, despite that fact that they are part of the Littlewoods Shop Direct Group, and has been for several years, many people still refer to it as "Argos Additions" as that is how it was know years ago when it was the clothing arm of Argos' Stores. If you type www.argosadditions.com or www.argosadditions.co.uk into your web browser you will normally be directed to the Argos website, not the Additions site. Note should also be made that although Additions own www.additiondirect.co.uk and www.additions-direct.com, they do not own www.additiondirect.com, www.additions-direct.co.uk or even www.additionsdirect.com so make sure you are on the right site before entering your personal information and bookmark the site to avoid any problems in the future.
2003 News: They and other brands are dropped from the GUS group and become Shop Direct owned by brothers Sir David Barclay and Sir Frederick Barclay.
2004 News: A deal is struck with Boots for 300 of their 1,400+ stores nationwide to stock the AdditionsDirect fashion catalogue.
2005 News: As part of Shop Direct, (who also own Abound, Great Universal, Marshall Ward, Choice and Kays), the group merged with Littlewoods to become Littlewoods Shop Direct. The Barclay brothers retained 95% ownership of the group with the Bank of Scotland owning the other 5%.
2008 News: In the beginning of 2008 Littlewoods Shop Direct changed their name to the Shop Direct Group. The current individual brands of Littlewoods, Littlewoods Direct, Additions Direct, Marshall Ward, Kays, Great Universal, Choice and Empire will apparently all remain the same.
In January, the Advertising Standards Agency found that the mailshot of some 75,000+ leaflets that were sent to customers encouraging them to use credit to purchase items was in violation of responsible lending guidelines. With a typical APR of 29.8% displaying credit usage as fun was considered to be encouraging irresponsible behaviour. But, Shop Direct Group's financial services department stated that they had done nothing wrong legally and that their leaflet was simply aimed to portray the fun of their products, not that being in debt was something easy to manage.
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