WHSmith Website Review

Started by Henry Walton Smith and his wife as a newsstand in 1792, WHSmith has grown to become one of UK’s biggest retailers. They’ve also grown their catalogue to include books (they are among UK’s biggest book retailers), greeting cards, office supplies, art and craft and more.

This is an in-depth review of the WHSmith official website, what they sell and everything else you need to know about ordering from them.

WHSmith Website Review

About WHSmith

WHSmith has been around for over 200 years. Henry Smith and his wife, Anna, started the business in 1792. Then, it was a simple news vendor. The newsstand expanded to several railway stations and later even operated a library and publishing service.

A couple centuries later, WHSmith has over 600 high street outlets and over 800 travel outlets located at railway stations, airports, hospitals and businesses. In addition, they run a large online store stocked with an ever increasing variety of items.

What Do They Sell?

Books

Books were one of the earliest products WHSmith sold. Fun fact: WHSmith invented the ISBN system, which is used worldwide to identify books.

Today, WHSmith is one of the largest book retailers in the UK. Their online book catalogue covers everything from popular fiction to biographies, auto-biographies and other non-fiction books. You can also order kids books, graphic novels, travel guides, educational books and more.

Stationery & Office Supplies

WHSmith sells a wide range of home, office and school stationery. Products include student essentials like pencils and pens and everyday stationery like notebooks, diaries and calendars and office stationery such as folders and printer papers.

WHSmith actually has an entire category just for office supplies. In addition to stationery, you can order office machines like printers and shredders, gadgets like bluetooth speakers and USB adapters, and office storage solutions.

Art & Crafts

Their art and craft section includes painting supplies, colouring tools, kids crafts and everything you need for your crafts and hobbies whether it’s knitting, scrapbooking or jewellery making.

One thing to note is that WHSmith’s art and craft category, at least on their website, is geared heavily towards kids, hobbyists and amateurs. If you are a professional painter or you are looking for professional-grade knitting gear, WHSmith is probably not the best place to shop.

Magazines & Newspaper Subscriptions

You can still get a physical newspaper at most WHSmith outlets, as well as magazines. Alternatively, just get an online subscription to your favourite newspapers and magazines and have them delivered to your home.

Currently, WHSmith online newspaper subscriptions are limited but they include both local and international publications.

There are a lot more magazine subscriptions to choose from. These include news magazines like The Spectator, entertainment magazines, gardening and lifestyle subscriptions and more. For most of the magazines, you can choose between a 6-month or 12-month subscription.

Music, Movies & TV Shows

Sure, we now have Netflix, Prime Video and a gazillion other streaming services. But there’s nothing like having your favourite movie or TV show always on hand, ready to watch at any time without having to pay for any service.

WHSmith stocks a wide range of movies and TV shows on DVD and Blu-Ray. These include popular titles like Doctor Who, Harry Potter, One Piece and more. They also have newer titles like Dune (Part 1 and 2), Barbie, and Oppenheimer. They also have a nice selection of kids TV and film DVDs.

If you also like your music the old fashioned way, WHSmith offers over 78,000 music CDs and vinyls from just about every genre.

By the way, you can order a radio, turntable, headphones and other gadgets to go along with your music, film and TV shows.

Toys & Games

WHSmith is a great place to shop for different kinds of toys and games. They have board games, jigsaw puzzles, educational toys, LEGOs, trading cards and more.

Some of our favourite toys are their science kits like the baking soda rocket, slime robot and volcano kit.

Gifts & Cards

WHSmith outlets are some of the best places to buy gifts and cards for different occasions. Their online store also stocks a wide range of gift ideas.

You can get physical gifts like books, games, phone cases, mugs and water bottles. You can even choose gift experiences such as a getaway, glamping weekend, a spa day and more. If you are not sure what to get your loved one, you can always get a WHSmith gift card and let them choose what they want.

To complete your special occasion, WHSmith also sells cards, decorations and wrapping paper.

How Easy Is It To Order from WHSmith?

One of the things you’ll notice is that the WHSmith website is incredibly easy to navigate, despite having hundreds of thousands of products. The website provides easy ways and suggestions to help you find what you are looking for.

This is especially helpful in the gift section where they have excellent gift ideas for different types of people, budget and occasions.

Once you place an order, there are several delivery options to choose from. Standard Delivery and Click & Collect are free when you spend over £25. Express Delivery starts at £5.99.

WHSmith Return Policy

WHSmith offers a generous return period of 30 days. If you change your mind or a product is defective, you can send it back to WHSmith via several ways.

Note that for unwanted items, you will be responsible for the return cost.

Conclusion

The WHSmith online store is a great place to shop if you want to access a wider variety than you would at one of their outlets. It’s easy to browse their numerous products, delivery is easy and fast and you get 30 days to return unwanted items.