Homebase

Painting your house? Come to Homebase.
Planting your garden? Come to Homebase.
Need a new plug? Come to Homebase.
Sending a greetings card? … Erm, yeah, come to Homebase.
Despite its location in a very American-​style retail park, which most North Londoners abhor, just off the A41, Homebase has a surprisingly good selection of products at very affordable prices. Over the years, this Homebase has expanded its… erm… base, into things like greetings cards, alongside the usual homewares we expect.
The staff are more informed about things like paint and tap fixtures than things like garden furniture, but they are relatively friendly and do try to find someone who knows the answer to your question if they can’t help you directly.
I’ve always found the checkout to be a bit of a nightmare here — far too small considering the size of products customers are purchasing, and there simply aren’t enough checkouts or checkout people at any one time. It’s also a little confusing, because the customer service desk is right next to the checkout area, and often its line converges with the other lines, resulting in mix-​ups at the checkout and further delays.
It’s also a little strange that this Homebase continues to promote its garden nursery at the back, when the plant selection is never very wide, the plants are themselves very overpriced, and the garden is itself right next to the motorway which makes both plants and plant-​purchasers feel slightly ill.
Nonetheless, if structure, paint and hardware are your thing, this is a very handy place to visit.