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Original poster

I still miss Debenhams

65 replies

ssd · 19/10/2023 10:51

Especially at Christmas time, wandering around all the lovely displays, seeing the gift sets and the sparkly tops

Its such a shame its gone. M&S and john lewis are nice but they aren't as Christmassy as Debenhams. Not that I'm shopping for Christmas yet but i was just thinking how Debbie always put me in the mood. Online just isn't the same.

OP posts:
Beebumble2 · 19/10/2023 13:20

I’m another one. It was my go to store when others had failed to come up with the goods.
Easy Christmas shopping as it had everything. I used to park my teenage son in the restaurant, with his phone and coffee, then go to different departments to buy and then leave the bags with him.
When I’d finished he could help carry everything.

Original poster
ssd · 19/10/2023 13:25

I loved all the magic of their Christmas displays and the lovely window displays. Whatever happened to them, why did they close, my local one was always busy.

OP posts:
PopSocksRock · 19/10/2023 13:33

I miss it too.it drew people to the town feeding into other shops
Town centre is dead now

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General shopping
Swishswish26 · 19/10/2023 13:43

I too miss Debenhams and their clothing concessions, beauty counter and Christmas gifts. Also missing Paperchase in the run up to this Christmas as I realised I bought most of my gift wrap and cards there.

ErrolTheDragon · 19/10/2023 13:46

Now the Debenhams is gone, most of the time I might as well go to the out of town retail park for nearly everything

Original poster
ssd · 19/10/2023 19:54

Its funny how one store signified Christmas to me, and it was definitely Debenhams. The one in Glasgow was enormous and there is a massive wasted store just lying there. Its such a shame, i don't think anyone enjoys online shopping half as much.

OP posts:
IncompleteSenten · 19/10/2023 19:58

I miss c&a, childhood memories of going every year for a new wardrobe.
Also Littlewoods. Mainly for the chips in their cafe. Best chips ever

C1N1C · 19/10/2023 20:01

Army and Navy. Top that.

Jethia · 19/10/2023 20:05

Debenhams was for life not just for Christmas!
My favourite store and I really miss it

JustKen · 19/10/2023 20:08

It was the go-to place for posh frocks, especially weddings & proms. I got my wedding outfit in Debenhams. Also loved it for kitchenware & Christmas bits. Shame.

booksandbrooks · 19/10/2023 20:12

It's all so sad isn't it. And not quite the same but wilkos too. Have such nostalgic joy of BHS Christmas section, loved Debenhams after having kids. The high street is dire these days. I went to John Lewis for a cardigan for DD and couldn't find one that wasn't overpriced acrylic crap. The worse it gets the more you end up online exacerbating the issue.

My kids still learn about the high street and shops in school. It's starting to feel like a history topic.

DinosaurOfFire · 20/10/2023 08:06

I also miss Debenhams! I loved Red Herring and Mantaray, and the Christmas bits and bobs were fab. Their underwear section was lovely too- they had lots of fun themed underwear sets in the floozie range, rather than just black/ nude/ red/ pink/ white offerings. And being able to get literally everything under one roof- makeup, outfit and acccessories for a fancy "do", baby clothes and a winter outfit for me, new hanbag etc. The cafe as well, I don't think anywhere really meets the Debenhams niche and I do miss it! Our (small!) city centre is dead without it, the only department store we have now is Marks and Spencers.

Cubic · 20/10/2023 08:10

I loved Debenhams and Lewis's in Manchester. Christmas shopping and just shopping in general isn't the same. Going in on thr ground floors and getting sprayed then wondering around the concessions and their own brands. Debenhams for underwear and Lewis's toy floor.

MaidOfSteel · 20/10/2023 08:12

I miss the busy high street days. You could spend all day in town, having a good browse around. We had Debenhams (miss it loads, though the website now is quite good) House of Fraser, M & S, Woolies, Littlewoods and BHS. Those were the days, eh!

SheKeepsWhisperingYourName · 20/10/2023 08:16

I miss Debenhams but I also think Debbie would have been an excellent nickname for the store 😂

IncompleteSenten · 20/10/2023 08:28

We all say we miss the high street etc but enough people stopped using them that the shops went out of business.

I wonder how many lamenting their loss switched to the retail parks etc and were part of what ended up replacing them.

I did. I was a massive hypocrite. I loved the idea of the traditional high street, wandering the shops all day, meat from the butcher, veg from the greengrocers, bread from the bakery etc (in fact we have those three shops in my village and you'll see more Tesco home delivery vans than locals in any of those shops, the tourists keep them going )

but I used to use the big supermarkets and the retail parks instead because they were more convenient and now I use home delivery and Amazon.

kingkongs · 20/10/2023 08:36

And me. The one in our local town only opened about ten years ago in a lovely listed building, with floor to ceiling windows on one side. It looks so depressing when you walk past now. It's just a graveyard of shop fittings and coat hangers.

YogaLite · 20/10/2023 11:17

Me too! Those were happy days.
Also C&A, when I am in Europe I seek out C&A, they still exist on the continent.

SingingSands · 20/10/2023 12:16

My mum was a Debenhams die-hard. Everything came from Debenhams, I think she'd nip in most days. She'd meet friends for coffee and cake in the cafe. She was always gifting us things she'd picked up there - every birthday, Christmas, during the sales. She was devastated when it closed.

The family joke used to be that when she died, we'd scatter her ashes on the escalator.

Mistressanne · 20/10/2023 12:21

I’ve spent many a happy afternoon in Debenhams.
I loved Jasper Conran clothing.
Used my card to get 10% off coffees and bought so many bargains for dc and dgc.
M&S have moved into the Liverpool Debenhams.

ErrolTheDragon · 20/10/2023 12:29

M&S have moved into the Liverpool Debenhams.

I think they're doing this at the Trafford Centre too.
I like m&s but it's not like a proper multi brand department store.

Mrsjayy · 20/10/2023 12:44

Our Debenhams is just a massive empty space in the shopping centre they put some fancy ad boards in front of the window and few benches it's sad that there isn't department stores like there used to be, I know that makes me sound ancient 😀

SirChenjins · 20/10/2023 12:48

Me too - I loved Debenhams, used to love wandering about our one in Edinburgh. So many wonderful department stores gone now.

GonnaGetGoingReturns · 20/10/2023 12:48

I’m in a minority as I always found my local Debenhams to be awful - not the right stock or what I needed but having said that their homeware was good and they did bras in narrow back sizes (30) which was handy. I’ve got a friend who used to love Debenhams, especially for occasion wear and footwear as it was all under one roof.

I’m fairly lucky as not too far away is Kingston which has Bentalls and JL. Bentalls Christmas dept is good.

IDidntKnowMyOwnStrength · 20/10/2023 12:51

Make the most of other stores because it's only a question of time. I used to feel sorry for the staff in Debenhams they always looked bored stiff, our store was desolate most of the time, it was a bit busier at weekends. Even in the big out of the way retail parks half the stores are stood empty.

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