When's the last time you went in an actual Debenham's store?

[1stDecember]

It was half a decade ago for me. I don't buy from them online either.

They don't seem to have moved with the times?

Exactly 5 years ago. I got married in 2015. We had vouchers as gifts and used them at Christmas that year.

I last went in about five years ago. Something awful had happened to it. The staff had stopped caring, loads of tills were unstaffed, the whole place was untidy and claustrophobic and it was a pain in the ass to try to find somewhere to actually pay for something.

They subsequently started booming out crap music through massive speakers propped on plastic chairs at the main doors, like a cheap and tacky club, and not just at Xmas. The local council had to given them a warning in the end as there were noise nuisance complaints from other shops and shoppers.

The thought of having to scurry past a million decibels of Mariah Carey's finest falsetto to get inside Debenhams wasn't the least enticing, given they don't sell headache pills.

I bought a top for my dh when I went in last week.

Years ago, when the one most local to me as a Principles

About 15 years ago maybe even more.

I usually walk through Debenhams when I park in the multi storey attached to our shopping centre, if I'm with the DC and park in the P&C bays. Never, ever buy anything. Too expensive.

I've only bought one thing in there that I remember (a fancy umbrella), and that was only because someone gave me a gift card. Technically my bridesmaids' dresses were from Debenhams but we got them second hand.

A PP has reminded me that our TV came from Debenhams. We did our wedding list with them in 2012 (DM and MIL insisted we needed one), and because we'd lived together for ages before getting married, we didn't need anything for the house. So people gave us vouchers. We didn't know what to do with them until we needed a new TV, in 2015!

My first job, aged 16 in the late 90s, was in Debenhams. I last went to that branch when I was visiting my mum several years ago, so 15yrs or so after I'd worked there, and it had not changed. It was grim. Wasn't particularly stylish or well-organised (or clean!) when I worked there, and still exactly the same 15yrs later... but grubbier and a lot more tatty around the edges. I said to my mum at the time that I was amazed they were still open.

The branches local to where I live now have the same feel - tatty, grubby beige, outdated, crap lay-out, not good value... nothing going for them really. I've only set foot in them when killing time, and found it a rather frustrating experience because the layouts were universally poor. It's a shame another high street retailer is collapsing, but not remotely surprising as they've not moved with the times at all.

A year or two ago. I quite liked the Blackpool store but the Sheffield one was like a ghost town every time I went in!

Been a couple off years I think, as already mentioned the Nottingham one is awful, over 5 floors and just confusing. Found it too stressful to shop there especially for clothes.

It's in a beautiful building on the outside and don't want to see it empty. But most likely the bottom level will be turned into shops,restaurants and upper levels, offices or flats.

I do worry for the high street, not been into town since March and was never a big fan off shopping anyway. But did like to clothes shop as easier to shop in person then online.

@AgeLikeWine

Last year. I ventured into the Nottingham store, on the Old Market Square. It was a tatty, run-down dump. The place looked like it hadn’t had a penny spent on maintenance or decor, never mind refurbishment, since the 90s. The layout was a mess, the stock was poor. It was just depressing and hopeless.

I’m not in the least surprised that Debenhams has reached the end of the road. I sympathise with the staff, obviously, but businesses need to move with the times. They didn’t, and they deserved to fail.

The Nottingham store is a bloody maze - I can never work out which floor I'm on

Probably about 1979.

The Nottingham store is in a lovely building though if I remember rightly, I wonder what they will do with it.

October.

A couple of years ago I reckon. The one in the town where I grew up was lovely, but where I live now was an absolute dive. Had a weird cosy feeling about it, but it was a dump, very dated, always overpriced, and I could never figure out which staff worked on which department, or if they just worked everywhere. It really wasn’t a customer friendly shop in my opinion.

Hideous place - like something out of 'Are You Being Served?'. Went in once and it smelt of cabbage despite a hundred perfume women plastered in bad makeup.

Gifgaf😂so true!

John Lewis took over the old Debenhams store in my city. It’s a lovely building now.

The brand new one Debenhams moved to is rubbish. Not sure how they managed that.

I did join in the hype today and bought half price cashmere on line.

I did buy a bag in store in October.

Like others have said, it was like a jumble sale in store!

The last time was just before the first lockdown.
I haven't been in to a shop other than a supermarket for food since then.

September and I bought some foundation (does using a gift card count?).

I love(d?) the mantaray range, but I'd only shop online because I hate going into my local town.

In the last year but only because a close friend worked there and had offered to get me something with their discount. They did it was a gorgeous Wallis coat.

And once last Xmas abs I bought dreading gowns for the dds in the sale and they are sumptuous. It was a random cheap gift but they liked they so much they believed them a significant present. I'm a bit sad they won't get another one.

I used to buy baby clothes from blue zoo too.

Just before lockdown. The one in my city is really nice, will be a shame if it goes.

What always struck me about Debenhams was the cafe was always packed, but the store itself was pretty empty.

Apart from when I have walked through the Chelmsford one on my way through to the High Street, it was about 5 years ago.

That was actually during a holiday in Cyprus (they had branches there) and DH decided that he could do with getting another couple of pairs of new shorts.

I've been just been on the website and ordered myself a new and much needed waxed jacket for half price and the virtual queue system was a total pain in the arse. It put me back into the queue at almost every cut and turn. When I had selected my size it did it again. When I was putting it into my basket too. It even threw me back into the queue when I was trying to pay and yet again while I was just waiting for the transaction to go through. Then it took so long to put up the confirmation page that it timed me out. Shitty system.

Apparently I have paid though and they have my order, but I only know that from the confirmation email which I will guard carefully for now. I've paid by credit card so that I hopefully have some protection. Hopefully it will be alright though. It was a very good jacket at way below market price.

I think the main problem with Debenhams was it's lack of ability to adapt. It seemed stuck in a time warp and wasn't agile enough to sufficiently embrace online shopping in the way that some of it's rivals have (JL & M & S even though they have been having their own difficulties).

I would hope that something can be salvaged and improved on. You never know, it could possibly be cherry-picked. BHS was and still trades online, lights and lamps mainly by the look of it, and the products look quite good. Better than they did in the stores.