Part 2 You will hear a journalist talking on the radio about a personal shopping service she has used recently. First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14.
I'd never have considered getting a personal shopper to help me shop for new clothes, until I was shown some photos of myself at the office party. I was wearing a dress I'd had for nearly a decade, and compared to my colleagues, I looked stuck in a time warp. Time for some professional advice.
I contacted Miriam Hayes, who runs The Silver Slipper, one of the largest personal shopping services in the country. Miriam advised me to go for the standard personal makeover service. I had no idea what to expect.
I wasn't sure if a bossy stylist was going to arrive at my house and demand to see inside my wardrobe, which would have been awful. But thankfully, I just had to fill in a questionnaire and send in a few photos ahead of the shopping day. Penny, my stylist, was really helpful, and I had a brilliant day, the first shopping experience I've ever enjoyed.
I came back with a whole new look and lots of sensible advice. As part of the deal, Penny also gave me an information booklet which explains how to make fashion work for you. Now I just need to do something about my hair.
For me, this service was a more useful experience than I could have imagined. Miriam claims that one of the greatest benefits is that it's a cost-effective way of shopping, because you don't waste money on things you'll never wear, especially on expensive work clothes. But the great thing for me was that I feel good about myself again, and I don't worry about my clothes like I used to.
I don't think I'll ever be the sort of person who follows every new fashion, but now at least I know what works for me. The other thing is that I bought everything I needed for the next six months in one day, so no need to waste endless hours shopping online. Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20.
Now listen and answer questions 15 to 20. But these days, you don't have to hire your own personal shopper. You can just use an in-store personal shopping service, which most of the large stores now provide for free.
Halbury provides an exclusive service for its high-end customers. Although there's no obligation to buy anything, it does cost £15 per hour, but that includes refreshments in a luxurious private room. You can book in advance, but there's usually appointments free on the day, so you can take a chance.
Rivero's service is so popular that they've had to restrict people to appointments of just one hour, so you need to know the kind of thing you're looking for in advance. And if you use one of their smaller stores, you'll find there isn't the same range on offer as in the big city stores. Justine's is a good place to go if you need a suit for the office, and if, like me, you always find the trousers are too long, don't worry, the personal shopper at Justine's will get them shortened for you at no extra charge.
Blank & White can help you choose the right dress for that special occasion. The great thing about their service is that you can get ready for your night out in-store, as the personal shopping suite contains two luxury shower rooms with all the facilities you'd expect. When they move to their new, larger store, they'll also have a hairdresser and make-up artist on site.
Wave found that their personal shopping service was so popular that female customers were frequently asking if they could send their husbands along for a makeover, so this is something they've recently introduced. What surprised the personal shopping team was how popular this has been. Dizzy's caters mainly for teenagers and young adults of both sexes.
You can get the services of a personal shopper from one to three hours, but you'll need to make your appointment at least one month before. So no more excuses for feeling... That is the end of part two. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part two.