I Do Miss…..

BHS
C&A
Richards
Bon Marche
Oh dear I see a theme here! No I'm not a clothes shopaholic, in fact I have things in my wardrobe that are donkeys years old.

Debenhams passing is a sad tale. I often wonder where all the older ladies/chaps who just want to get an ordinary raincoat/ shirt/jacket/nightie/ skirt/blouse/ jumper at a reasonable price and good quality will now shop? The people who have taken over are ALL online and selling off old stock for a pittance just to get rid! Their replacements are utter trash! Modelled by what look like either anorexic druggies or ten Bob tarts! Appallingly bad move. Everything nowadays is aimed at the young disposable plastic fantastic generation, I was shocked to learn they think nothing of wearing stuff ONCE then chucking it!!! When it costs a fiver, what's stopping them?

As a teenager my friend and I went to Woolies for our tights and makeup. Then to the top floor canteen for a cheap lunch. If we had any money left we'd go into the photo booth and take daft photos.

I thought Bon Marché had closed down, but shopping in Eastleigh recently-there it was. Evidently lots of their stores are still open.

I loved both C & A and BHS. Go to stores for Clothes, bedding and household goods.

Blimey that a major generalisation gabrielle and a nasty comments about the models Maybe not to your taste but why the bitter vitriol
I don’t think there needs to be ‘old peoples’ shops I don’t much like M and S but surely that’s the sort of clothes you’re talking about isn’t it and they re still around We ve never had a Debenhams so nothing to miss for me there We have had two big stores close down though
Probably the reason I get most of mine from charity shops
We have New Look M and S still got Bon Marche and peacocks otherwise it’s off to the nearest city which has more shops or else buy online
I totally disagree with you thinking the young people buy things for a fiver it doesn’t happen in my family for sure they are the once spending the money on very expensive stuff

My DH was a manager at several Woolworths, and got out before they went bust. It was clear that they had lost their niche in the market. Other shops, such as the supermarkets, Wilko, Superdrug, etc, were selling many of the products that people would once have gone straight to Woolies to buy.

During my DH's time, there were a couple of attempts to revamp their image and find a niche. One was "What Debbie wants", with the idea of stocking products which would appeal to their typical customer - the imaginary Debbie, a young working mum with 2 kids. Evidently Debbie didn't want what Woolies was offering, as profits kept declining. Then they decided to go for the niche market of party supplies. That didn't work either.

It became obvious that their days were numbered. When my DH got the chance to get another job, he took it, and others were doing the same. Woolies just lost its place in the market. Too many others had encroached on its turf.

I think everyone misses the pick'n'mix, though.

Beware of Debenhams' "sale"

Having been a customer for years I bought some sportswear for the DGC earlier this year.
It seemed good quality and was reduced although not cheap.

Afterwards I saw the identical items on the Next site far cheaper and apparently not reduced either! Debenhams must have hiked up the price artificially and their complaints department was just not interested.
I know I should have shopped round but I trusted Debenhams.

I worked as a Saturday girl in Woolies, Western Road, Brighton and in the school holidays. I was on the shoe counter so we sold flip flops ( I can still smell the rubber) , plimsolls, shoe laces, polish etc. If you worked on the biscuit counter you could eat the broken biscuits and you earned “ dirt money” on the fruit and veg counter! It was a great learning curve plus a subsidised canteen ! Great memories in 1965-7

Such small pleasures in life but well recall a saturday morning standing in a queue at a local market stall with my eightteen year old cousin while she hoped to be one of the fortunate few who managed to buy such a rarity as 'nylon' stockings. 'I was very patient what ever the weather with the promise of an 'ice lolly' .

I live in California and really miss Mervyn’s. It was like a very upscale Target.

I remember when I got pregnant a girl I worked with said “you have years of presents from Woolies ahead of you “ funny
memory.

Galaxy

This is really tragic but I miss Little Chef, I never see them in the motorway anymore.

Little Chef pancakes!! Never found any that taste as good.

A few years ago just as Little Chef was about to hit the fan, I was driving my son back to Manchester University. We were on the M6 and it was coming up to lunchtime. We decided to have a final Little Chef cooked breakfast. All the other cafes at the service station were packed. Not Little Chef. They cooked to order but it was fresh, hot and delicious.

C and A great store.
Laura Ashley.
Fish and chips cooked in lard.

I loved Woolies we had a huge store in Liverpool,I think it was the first Woolworths store in the UK,it was a fabulous store for everyone.

Agree, sad that Woolworths went, also Debenhams and C&A and BHS too.
Anyone here remember Gamages ( in Holborn) ?

StephLP

Galaxy

This is really tragic but I miss Little Chef, I never see them in the motorway anymore.

Little Chef pancakes!! Never found any that taste as good.

Yes, our children all loved a ‘pancake stop’ on our journeys.

inishowen

As a teenager my friend and I went to Woolies for our tights and makeup. Then to the top floor canteen for a cheap lunch. If we had any money left we'd go into the photo booth and take daft photos.

I think you must have been my friend in the 1960’s ?
The tights were always American Tan.

Hi there
I think that Wilkinson's is pretty similar

I can remember when Woolies sold food as well; there was a deli counter at the one where I lived when I was a young adult.

Woolworths still thrives in Australia as a supermarket and they still have Big W too which is like our old Woolworths.

I remember being taken to Kardomah Cafe for tea as a big treat when out shopping with Mum and Grandma when I was little.
Bought DD’s school uniform from Woolies till she went to secondary school and they had a green uniform which Woolies didn’t stock, we had to go to a named stockist, such a rip-off.
I miss the old-style shoe shops where someone who knew about shoes would measure your feet and bring out ones which might suit. They have closed one by one around here, though I think there are still a couple in the city, don’t go there often, it’s a bit of a traipse.
Anyone else remember “loose” salted butter from the grocer’s and biscuits loose in large cube-shaped tins?

Habitat - I used to think that it was the bees knees in my early 20s. I longed to be married and choose wine glasses and other furnishings. Instead I made do with buying gifts for my friend's weddings from there.
Eventually I did marry but sadly couldn't afford to shop there once I had to give up working.

Lyons corner shop. I used to frequent the Lyons in a lovely building when I first started work in the city centre. Something nice and old fashioned about it.

Our old Woolies was great, it is now a Factory Shop but it isn’t the same. I loved their roses. You could get anything from Woolies, I often go into the FS and come out without anything.