Are Garden Centres the new department stores?

Yes I think they are except you need a car to get to our nearest one 5 miles away out of town. No regular bus or train. Apart from the actual gardening stuff, everything else you would have bought in a store in town such as Debenhams. I don't think thwy have caused the demise of the High Street, but have benefited from it
Our one is very big. The queues for the checkout are enormous. I rarely go, even though the outside plant section is wonderful, as it exhausts me and the large car park is always busy. Probably haven't been for 4 years.

I have a friend who had a gift shop on the same site as one if these huge "garden centres". She was absolutely furious that during Lockdown she wasn't allowed to open but the Garden centre was - and was allowed to carry on selling all the non-gardening items which included lots of gifts similar to what she sold.

We have such a one local to us too. I don’t know why they still call it a garden centre - anything garden related is pretty much an afterthought now, and a very expensive one. They will be very busy at the moment turning it into a Winter Wonderland. I don’t go there very often - proper garden centres are available - but they do have a decent shoe shop.

I enjoy mooching round a Garden Centre, always have a good wonder at the other stuff before getting down to the serious plant buying.

Tasty cafe/bistro’s a bonus.

My Sis in Law lives near Bridgemere Garden Centre.
It’s vast and seems to sell hust about everything! I’ve been once and loved it. Nothing like that here…
My nearest garden centre is tiny, only plants and compost, but the cafe does a roaring trade.
Next nearest is a small family run place, on the expensive side, then the rest are Dobbies, so all alike.
I think the free parking is part of the attraction and at Dobbies there are often tables where people are having vocational meetings.

I think garden centres have evolved to become the new ‘leisure hubs’ for people who want to get out for a few hours and mooch around, look at nice things and find bits to enhance their homes and gardens, which we spend most time in these days. They haven’t replaced department stores in the sense of buy everything you need here, and you wouldn’t go to them for the best price on anything, but they fill what would otherwise be a leisure void. My local one is excellent, it wins lots of awards, and best of all I think is that in a very rural area it provides a good number of people with jobs. All power to them.

I do so hope they don't. Can't think of anything worse.
My local one, family owned since the 1700, grow their own plants and haven't gone the way of clothing, it's my haven, lovely cafe, outside plenty of well stocked healthy plants and all things gardening, both in and out. They do put on a lovely Christmas display too. Always a popular meeting place for old and the young, staffed by local people, and I hope it stays that way.

Yes I suspect you’re correct MOnica. The demise of the department store left a huge gap and the big garden centres have stepped right into it.
It’s hard now to find a traditional garden centre, where the owners grow most of their produce and can give good advice

I can’t stand those huge garden centres stuffed with Chinese made tat. The one I like best is a proper nursery selling plants they’ve grown themselves or from local growers, not bought in bulk from the Netherlands. They’ve got a nice cafe and a tiny shop just selling seeds and bulbs and basic gardening stuff. The prices of the plants are far cheaper than those huge centres too.

ones near us sell pets and pet supplies; posh salvage at inflated prices; gift items like Sass and Belle, oh and those lovely Wrendale which are way too expensive; posh food at inflated prices; there is loads of furniture not just the humble deckchair more stuff to go outside than inside; yes and loads of cafes one has an outside one which is nice but a bit chaotic, another inside which has nice bar stools to sit on which I cannot get on! cramped little one with benches; another where they only do smoked salmon for breakfast no fry ups; more books calendars and diaries taking over slowly at this time of year along with cakes puddings sweets chocs all manner of festive food

I’m with you vegansrock I also like staff who are knowledgeable about plants, a proper nursery, we have one very local and one a few miles away.

We have a large (and the original!) Dobbies near us which sells almost everything - with other 'stores' like Lakeland, Cotton Traders, Mountain Warehouse etc in a separate area to the rear, and it's always very busy. We are lucky, however, to still have some very good little family-run plant nurseries and garden centres nearby too, which offer a good selection of plants and also advice on hand too. Best of both worlds, I guess you could say.

My local one used to be family owned with lots of knowledgeable staff but sadly it's now become a homogenised Dobies.. such a shame and I long for an old fashioned one.. even our local ironmonger which had been going for over a 100 years and where I could buy small quantities of things I needed from expert staff. has recently closed..

There are several relatively near us, all with pet accessories, decorative items and garden furniture as well as plants and trees. All have cafes or restaurants. Some have a clothing outlet, some have toys, books and jewellery. I love the Christmas displays.

vegansrock

I can’t stand those huge garden centres stuffed with Chinese made tat. The one I like best is a proper nursery selling plants they’ve grown themselves or from local growers, not bought in bulk from the Netherlands. They’ve got a nice cafe and a tiny shop just selling seeds and bulbs and basic gardening stuff. The prices of the plants are far cheaper than those huge centres too.

Our local Garden Centres promote UK products and produce.

We also have some excellent nurseries all home grown plants, without any fripperies or cafes.

I think they are Monica! Ours aren’t huge like Dobbies and are family owned but with all trimmings like gift shops, clothing and the like.

One does a lovely small breakfast 🍳 for £4 and with proper thick bacon and a tasty “hostage” 😉!

I would love to have a proper garden centre near me, stocked with just plants, no such luck, just overpriced, struggle to get through tat “department stores” I miss the smell of a proper nursery☹️

Yes you could definitely have a day out at some of the larger garden centres, we have two excellent ones that sell, like many now, a multitude of products apart from garden related stuff. Clothes, food, inside the home related goods, toys, games and puzzles. It would probably be as good a place as any to pick up Christmas gifts. One favoured local one gave us vouchers for half price afternoon teas back in the summer after buying some flowers for the garden. We used them on our next visit for a pot of tea and scone with jam and cream, a bargain at £3.50, the scone was magnificent and had a really light texture. The other garden centre we use also has a tea room with some delicious home made cakes, just too tempting and a larger restaurant for hot meals, most do these days.

I have one about a mile away. I hate the way you are forced to walk through so many areas to get to the garden items! But for leisure mooching it is good. I ignore the perfumed candles and bath bombs which fill a huge area, but enjoy looking at kitchenalia and clothes. I have just bought a couple of tops there at a very reasonable price. Lovely spacious fitting rooms with a chair too.
The restaurant is always busy, overpriced and so noisy as it is in a cavernous area which magnifies the noise.

For plants, there is a proper nursery just opposite, a long-standing family business, much better.

We had a lovely garden centre where the staff were helped by volunteers and special needs groups would go there to spend a few hours learning about plants and how to care for them. We bought several small fruit trees and plants from there, with expert advice given.
Now is one of these big commercial centres, where you take your plant to a person on a till who knows nothing about the plants except the price of them. There are different departments selling all kinds of things and an overpriced cafe at the back.
No thank you.

I live near four garden centres .
Only one of them offers garden advice and courses the others are frankly massive gift shops selling expensive tat with children's play areas .
They are very popular and bursting at the seams at weekends .
I guess that it's what people want .

I think we’re divided here? Maybe the distinction should be between a plant nursery and a garden centre. For the green fingered it’s all about the plants, but for those like me, who doesn’t know a begonia from a bar of soap, I love the big outlets with all the trimmings. DD’s Dobbies has a fresh meat counter and a Waitrose!

“A tasty hostage” !
Love it Pantglas2 !

I have been so sorry to see the gradual demise of department stores over the years. Thank goodness good old John Lewis is bucking the trend.

Yes, I do think large garden centres have kind of filled the gap, although of course they are still predominantly garden and plant related.

As others have said they are invariably busy regardless of the time of day, especially the ubiquitous cafe!

I do admit to making for the Burford Garden Co. when in the Cotswolds; such a lovely experience any time of the year and you will get stuff there that's not sold in many garden centres.

Daylesford is worth a look but you need serious money to shop there!