Debenhams - another shop from my past gone.

Fanni I've been in the area since 1976.! Bealsons I had forgotten about! In the last four years so much has disappeared Mark's and Spencer's, Beales. House of Fraser is now owned by Sports Direct. BHS disappeared. Then there are the other stores that are smaller such as Clinton's,Thorntons, Evan's. I havent been there this year but it's hard to visualise what left,well apart from a massive Primark and the usual coffee chains.!
I remember when House of Fraser was Dingles and it had the most amazing food department with what seemed incredibly exotic items! I was saddest to see Beales close, I knew people over the years who worked there and it seemed a lovely place.
I suppose for many of us there is so much nostalgia. Department stores were special places. One of my earliest memories is of going to the one where I grew up ,I remember the joy of their book department and having a milkshake float.
As an adult the good ones were for if you needed something special or good quality.
Still I suppose they cant survive on fond memories. Trends have changed.
I use Amazon a lot,and also Ebay. Amazon causes me so much conflict in just about every area of how it works.
In reality its invaluable to me, even more so this year. The choice is unbeatable and the prices competitive. When my father was alive and had dementia I was able to source local history books of where he grew up. I wouldnt have been able to get locally.
For a few years now I have tried to source items locally,and just cant find them.
At the beginning of the year I wanted a bath toy for my grandsons birthday. I looked with increasing desperation around my local town. Nothing. Of course there are no toy shops,but even Boots which used to have a good baby department had nothing!
I sat on a bench and logged on to Amazon. In less than a minute I found a lovely tug boat that not only was a totally reasonable price but was made using non toxic totally recycled and recyclable materials. Everything about it was ethical. It arrived within 24 hours.
When I looked up I saw a row of Amazon lockers where you can deposit or collect items. It felt rather like an omen.
For me this year Amazon has gone from a useful resource to an absolute necessity. I been able to send Easter eggs and advent calendars directly to my daughter and her family. I've even sent this years Christmas presents to her in case they cant visit. I've bought birthday cards,books,craft items. Everything I'm unable to get to the shops for,and to be honest would struggle to find if could. Items are competitively priced,arrive without fail and I'm always pleased with the quality.
It does worry me. This year is very different. I dont drive and taking a bus to find cotton for a craft project just not going to happen. I wouldnt want anyone else to have to go to the shops on my behalf for anything that isnt vital. Online shopping had kept me independent.
As some have suggested it is concerning the monopoly Amazon has and how that could be abused.
When we did emerge from this crisis I do wonder what it will be to.
The loss of jobs is tragic and I'm never quite sure what any government says when they bang on about job creation. What are we creating?

Growing up in Bournemouth, I remember Brights, Bobby's, Plummers, Beales and Bealesons. All, I think, were department stores. Anybody else remember?

Petalpop

CarlyD7 I am trying to visualise what animal he will come back as. Some animals can look fierce but be quite cute. Not him.

A slug - food for hedgehogs.

I remember when it was Debenham and Freebody, but I don’t think I’ve ever shopped there.

luluaugust I've had some lovely things from Eve & Ranshaw as well, I hope they survive, I haven't been able to visit for the last year.

I always loved my favourite shop, Debenhams. So sorry it's gone.?

Debenham’s has been going downhill for years. I’ve often wondered how they managed to struggle on.

It is always sad when people lose their jobs but especially so when it is just before Christmas. You have to feel for them

Having said that I shall not miss Debenhams one bit. I always felt it was a fusty, dowdy sort of shop and in the 40-plus years I have lived here I cannot recall having bought anything there and in fact the only reason I ever go
in is to use their loos which are always immaculately clean, unlike the rest of the shop. I do wonder what will become of the building which is a prime position overlooking the river and would make wonderful flats,

I still miss Woolworths and Timothy Whites, and Dickins and Jones in Regent Street.

Urmstongran

Soon high streets will be for ‘experiences’ only - anything that can’t be bought on line - coffee shops, nail bars, hairdressers, bars & restaurants, ice cream parlours and chip shops!

My son lives in Urmston, Urmstongran.
Lovely place

Debenhams has been on the cards not just for a while but for a few years. So no big surprise at all. I always thought it was so outdated and over priced. All the franchise stalls will either go on line or it could start a revival of small shops on the high street. But that is a risk. I stopped shopping in Debenhams years ago it was always just too much and seemed so expensive. Sorry for the 12000 staff though but nothing can be done it is what the future is becoming. No big stores anymore as too expensive too run because of greedy landlords which have also helped to kill the high street.

Why are people mentioning Philip Green when he has nothing to do with the demise of Debenhams. This post is about Debenhams and he is the chairman not the owner of Arcadia Group, a retail company that includes Topshop, Topman, Wallis, Evans, Burton, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and Outfit. So as so many have brought this man to light, no he has no legal duty to fill the pension hole. But like most people I to feel that he should as he has made millions if not a billion out of this company.

Phillip Greed is precisely right. But what do we do about it except grumble. People who were being applauded not so many weeks ago, for their bravery keeping us alive during the pandemic, are now being told they are so important to the country they can have a pay freeze but friends of the government are being given colossal handouts of millions of pounds. And what do we do about it? Absolutely nothing at all. We should be ashamed of our government.

I feel so sorry for those whose jobs are going, and the majority will be women.
The Mirror Pensions debacle was late 80s, why are pension funds not properly protected 30 years later?

Just heard on the news that Bon Marche has gone into liquidation for the second time. They were going to go in with Edinburgh Woolen Mill, so it looks like it might fall through.

Bon Marche are the only shop which sells trousers which fit my leg length, will be sorry to see them go.

Even thirty years ago, I found Debenhams very old fashioned

Sodapop you have bought back happy memories of Louth, I remember finding all sorts of different things in Eve & Ranshaw.
I feel so sorry for all the staff losing their jobs, our local Debenhams is quite small and was on the list to keep going, the staff were so pleased. It had a lovely small cafe which was popular with the locals. We do have quite a few small shops but will they ever reopen?

Urmstongran Completely agree with you. There was a time when most British women wanted to look elegant and well dressed and the wide variety of shops/stores provided choices for every purse. On line shopping has dramatically changed shopping habits in every way and IMHO many have come to accept much of the cheap and poorly made clothing that is imported. Our textile industry died because of lack of investment and the Made In Britain on labelling is virtually non existent. So the collapse of our High Streets can be attributed to many reasons. But the continuing loss of jobs is heartbreaking and many people will have no idea how they are going to live.

Yes Paper, I could only remember Dickens and Jones. Was there an Alders at one point?

MissChateline

My first job at 15 was in the Richmond-upon-Thames Debenhams in the coffee shop. Then ag 16 after being expelled from my boarding school i did a training management scheme in Marshall and snellgrove on Oxford st. I sold clocks and watches than cruise wear. Also did a stint in gloves. Had to do months in arrivals in the basement. The stores were linked by underground tunnels. It was good fun. Stores became old fashioned and lost their way.

Which shop in Richmond was Debenhams? Was it the one that used to be Wrights? (And then was Habitat later on, now Tesco Metro).
Until recently we had House of Fraser (formerly Dickins & Jones) in Richmond but sadly that has now closed down and is boarded up. Such a shame - the real flagship store in the town and now it's just vacant. I assume our Top Shop will now go too. Richmond is an affluent town but is starting to look very run-down with so many empty shops, something that started even before the pandemic.

I feel that these large department stores, like Debenhams are partly to blame for their failure. Many years ago you; the customer, would go to Debenhams, be welcomed at the door with samples of perfume or the latest products. Every floor would have beautiful displays of products, cheerful assistants would be waiting to help and you, the customer, was made to feel special and important. I always bought something and had a great day out too.
I went to Selfridges in Oxford street, as a special Christmas treat, a few years ago. There was no one at the door, none even spoke to me. I wondered from floor to floor, there were long queues to pay. Assistants, if you could find one were too busy talking amongst themselves. The displays were more like a jumble sale and the place felt they didn't care if you spent your money or not, so I left. I feel many of the high shops including Debenhams have gone this way.
The problem is I can get this sort of treatment from the internet. I get my shopping at my convenience by browsing the goods on offer, can compare prices with other providers, talk to none but have a ' chat' assistant if needed, no car parking fees, no queues and its delivered to my door.
Very sterile way of shopping but its cheaper and less hassle. If these stores cannot provide a good customer service, then they are bound for failure, much to my sadness as yet another experience becomes a memory.

Sad that Debenhams has bitten the dust along with the many other department stores, but not surprising the last few times I have shopped in ours not that far from where I live it was hunt the staff, and only a handful of shoppers were in there, I know a lady that had worked in Debenhams for several years on Estée Lauder counter and she was going round serving on the other makeup counters too as no staff on them, something which wouldn’t have happened a few years ago as they would all have had their own counters to run,

The writing has been on the wall for Debenhams for some time. My niece worked for them for years but moved jobs just before lockdown. She could see what was likely to happen. So sorry for those losing their jobs. I hope Philip Green honours their pension pots.

So sad to see such a huge number of people losing jobs. No doubt many of the stores will be turned into high end city centre flats with even more pubs coffee outlets, gyms, nailbars and hairdressers on the street level. With the amount of unemployment I don't know how so many can afford to use these types of businesses.

Amazon Prime is expensive, and it's easy to get signed up by mistake. But remember a Prime membership can be shared, by several people at several different addresses.

The only time I go into Debenhams in Harrogate is to use the loo and even that was pretty run down. Occasionally have a look at the clothes but nothing inspires.

I agree Galaxy- there are some nice good things to be found online- especially on etsy which is made up of smaller businesses.Also the high streets online websites- and Boots.com for good quality make up!-and my son agrees with you on the parking charges compared to paying delivery costs.(he drives me there) true you can't feel the fabrics on clothes but most have free returns now.Or courier pick ups to save you leaving the house.Its really a better (safer) choice to shop from home in a pandemic- even though i used to love a mooch around a store before christmas??