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Which high Street shops do you miss the most past /present

(185 Posts)
TrendyNannie6 Tue 12-Jan-21 20:45:55

I’m meaning before covid! I think mine will always be woolies, Bhs, C&A

Lookout01 Wed 13-Jan-21 10:58:49

I also bought my wedding dress in C&A Tanith ? also Woolies, I bought alot of my children's clothes from Ladybird late 80s/90s

cc Wed 13-Jan-21 10:58:04

I used to like Sainsbury's in the 1970s, they had all sorts of nice food in fairly small packs. I was a student, had just left home and was living in a bed sitter and I loved to go there in the late afternoon to buy something interesting to cook on my Baby Belling! They did inexpensive packs of raw rice with different herbs and spices, including curried which was delicious. Their stores are all anonymous and dull now.
We used to love Woolies for different reasons, my DH liked the small DIY section, my DC the pick 'n mix, the make up, toys and little bits of jewellery. I liked the small collection of childrens' clothes and the household bits and pieces. I still have some small stainless steel waste bins which were sold as kitchen canisters with lids and some lovely rich dark blue mugs.
I remember buying my mother a bracelet from there when I was very small and was touched to find it amongst her possessions when she died.
My first forrays into gardening were packs of seeds and some loose snowdrop bulbs from there.

Mamma66 Wed 13-Jan-21 10:57:48

Laura Ashley ?

whatkatydid Wed 13-Jan-21 10:56:10

Annma

Going way back in time Chelsea Girl was a great teen fashion shop. Timothy Whites ,Richards Shop, C and A,East, Habitat,there are so many stores that are no longer with us.
.

My first job was in Chelsea Girl, I was a Saturday girl earning the princely sum of £4.50! I remember trousers being priced between £2.99 and £7.49, the price went up depending on the width of the flare. We lived in a town with a lot of factories, and the factory girls finished early on a Friday and flocked to the shops to buy something to go out in for the evening; if anything was returned on a Saturday, the manageress would make us check them thoroughly and sniff them for signs of make-up or perfume (or worse -ugh) as she was convinced they wore the clothes once then brought them back for a refund! I did love working there otherwise, though. smile

polnan Wed 13-Jan-21 10:55:51

I still have a couple of jumpers and a jacket from BHS
lovely cafe also...
miss most of all the shops mentioned here... or is it the quality of the clothes....????

Froglady Wed 13-Jan-21 10:55:17

Past Times is a shop I miss.

Froglady Wed 13-Jan-21 10:54:01

I miss Borders the book shop. I also miss independent book shops as well.

Lindaylou55 Wed 13-Jan-21 10:44:50

I really miss C&A I still have a fur duffel coat I bought there years ago. Also BHS and Woolworths. Woolies was where I used to spend my Saturday afternoons when I was young.

Riggie Wed 13-Jan-21 10:44:17

Woolies - although I guess Wilko and various other places have filled the gap.

Our BHS had gone downhill a lot so I miss it from its heyday but not from how it had become iyswim.

Lexisgranny Wed 13-Jan-21 10:43:10

Any shop where you could sit down and an assistant would listen to your needs and bring clothes for you to look at whilst you sat in comfortable chairs. There’s a blast from the past!

I admit to hours of boredom shopping this way with my mother when I was young, but would really appreciate it now. (The extremely smart ladies bringing the clothes never asked your size, but assessed it. They were seldom wrong, but if anything needed a slight adjustment, a dressmaker immediately appeared to attend to it)

I admit that this still happens in some high end shops, and others have personal shoppers, but this seemed to be quite normal even in small town shops in the distant past.

Daffydilly Wed 13-Jan-21 10:42:29

I miss Faith. I'm a heels girl and spent so much in there that the manager used to give me her staff discount. I think they have an online presence but it's not the same as going in and trying on.

Diggingdoris Wed 13-Jan-21 10:42:19

C and A was my fave, long gone in my town. Though I did have a spending spree in their branch in Bruges while on holiday some years ago. Richards was my go to shop for something special. I agree with you all about the lack of shoe shops nowadays.

Jang Wed 13-Jan-21 10:41:20

Oh yes pretty much all the above specially miss BHS they sold brilliant swimming costumes that just fitted my size and shape! Woolies C&A, Principles and will miss Debenhams when it goes!

crazyH Wed 13-Jan-21 10:39:16

BHS

littleflo Wed 13-Jan-21 10:37:36

M&S for food. Although they are still open, they are a bus ride away.

mar76 Wed 13-Jan-21 10:37:36

Laura Ashley. Its rumoured is opening again in Next store, Metrocentre, Gateshead.

annab275 Wed 13-Jan-21 10:37:11

if we are going back decades then I miss Biba, and Bus Stop. Now I usually buy clothes from Peacocks and EWM. Looks like they will be going soon.

Mumskimumski Wed 13-Jan-21 10:35:24

Shopping in Richards andC and A buying a dress then out that night wearing it!Fab Days!

Lizzle10 Wed 13-Jan-21 10:34:33

I really miss woollies remember as a kid spending ages wandering round with my mum. They had a miner bird in a cage which swore at everyone which made it more fun ! And even when my kids were little I loved the ladybird clothes . I don’t think Poundland or anything else could replace Woollies.

Frankie51 Wed 13-Jan-21 10:32:30

I'm going to miss Debenhams. I loved their Mantaray range and Red Herring.

Janeea Wed 13-Jan-21 10:30:54

C & A in Germany too

dracool Wed 13-Jan-21 10:29:43

c&a still open in parts of spain.still good quality too

timetogo2016 Wed 13-Jan-21 10:29:38

Woolies and BHS for food.

NannyDaft Wed 13-Jan-21 10:29:27

BHS before Covid !

jaylucy Wed 13-Jan-21 10:29:20

Woolies, Littlewoods, BHS (their bras were often better than M&S especially if you stocked up in the sale) we have no M&S in our town centre,so that has to be added, Mothercare any shoe shops like Dolcis, Freeman,Hardy and Willis, Brentford Linen ( used to be great to just walk in to a shop to get just one type of thing rather than having to wander aimlessly round a multi section store that has a small range of expensive items.
Although I do shop online, as far as clothes are concerned, I like to be able to pick up , feel and see the quality as well as the sizing. I have a wardrobe full of clothes that have been bought online not been happy with and not bothered to return! Same with shoes !