Are you a shopper?

We go to the supermarket early on Thursday mornings and buy provisions for the week ahead. I top up if necessary in our lovely little harbour town, which still has independent shops. We have two butchers, a fishmonger, a green grocer, a bakery and a Co-op and Tesco metro. Oh and two pharmacies and an ironmongers. There is also a farmer's market once a month.

I cannot stand shopping malls and echo posters above who share my dislike of them. I do like pottering in charity shops and have found some great bargains in them. We have several to choose from and I do my rounds when I go for something like the library or to collect a prescription.

I buy all my clothes and gifts online and enjoy searching for both. So much choice with no real effort involved. I don't even mind paying postage as the car parking fees would cost the same or more if I shopped in person.

trisher locally it was considered a very good shop in its day..and it meant you did not have to go to Oxford St!

Re Bentalls: Wasn't there also a pianist at a grand piano at the top of the escalator?

I've never heard of Bentalls.

My late MIL only ever went for the best PECS. It was so long ago I had almost forgotten until the name came up on this thread. I think she was looking for wedding and Christmas presents and so we were steered through the household section looking at cutlery and Le Crueset stuff (which was then very trendy and up-market).

nanthewiser are you a Kingston girl? I worked in the small department store in Wimbledon, called Elys.

No, not really a Kingston girl PECS, about 6 or 7 miles away. I used to go to Elys years ago, very good for home wares etc., but went off it a bit after it underwent modernisation.

I loathe shopping malls - the air always feels as though it's been breathed by too many other people before it gets to me. I don't enjoy supermarket shopping either and order most of what we need online.
However, I do like a good farm shop or a deli and always enjoy a visit to our lovely local butchers.

Lovely to read all the Bentall's reminiscences (if that's a word

See you there on Wednesday Purpledaffodil

We shall be the visiting celebs Grannyknot?
Twinkle went to your school PECS ? Wow! Friend at school lived next door to one of the Yardbirds. We thought that was so cool!

I used to live in Hounslow, and my first job was at Ealing Town Hall, so Bentalls was familiar back in the days. There was also a lovely china shop, Lawleys, in one of the side streets, where I bought our first dinner set, Spode, and some of it is still being used today.

I hate shopping too and we can't be alone in that. That's why Amazon etc are doing so well.

I love to browse and don't necessarily have to buy anything. I love looking around Lakeland stores and Fortnum and Mason as well as John Lewis.
I also love smaller specialist stores, Hobbycraft and local craft shops (including haberdashers).

Ah JessK a girl after my own heart? I also love Liberty, the very building it is housed in is beautiful, all twisty steps, hidden rooms, the overseas merchandise and oriental carpets are wonderful, wish I were going today.......

I like shopping but do find the shopping centres much too hot and the heat wears me out. Both the big centres near me have shops out in the High Street and surrounding roads as well which I prefer.

Did any of you Bentalls shoppers shop in Croydon? When I was young the Whitgift centre was one of the first shopping centres and I thought it was very futuristic and went there regularly.

Not until I was older and living closer on Merton/ Tooting borders! Always gravitated back to Kingston ..more familiar!

purple And Sandy Denny and Jacqueline Wilson???

Oh and Anne Packer the athlete taught me PE!!

Crikey PECS. That must make you a celeb by association at the very least! ?