to love John Lewis?

[Mintyy]

I'm not, am I?

I was there today. It was flipping lovely. I unleashed my hidden materialistic self. I had a brief fantasy about what it would be like to have so much money that I could totally John Lewis my entire life.

Oh, and I bought four items.

I happily stand corrected.
What a happy thread

Ooooh, our paths crossed peppermintcreams! I was in the basement too. What excitement.

I have a love-hate relationship with JL. Hate because they are a pain in the arse to supply to and I also hate hate hate the Milton Keynes store re-fit. Its my nearest store but they've made it impossible to get around, making you dodge around displays and its a llittle claustrophobic.

But I love buying things from there and seeing my products on display

I have never been in a John lewis. They were always miles away when I was growing up. Still don't live anywhere near one.

Presumably it's like a great big jumped up Waitrose.

I'm excited about the new one opening soon in Birmingham but I've spent so many times wondering round the digital section on the top floor at the Oxford Street branch dying for someone to help me. Had a similar experience at the one in Reading and Peter Jones in Sloane Square. I love their products and ethics, though. Never been to any of the other branches yet.

Friend of my best friend was driving around with her two very young children in the back of the car. She was having a good old middle class mummy general chat with them and she said to her boy who was about 5 "do you know who the Prime Minister of England is?" and little fella said "John Lewis?"

I always think of that whenever I go there .

Do they have the same slightly perturbing Stepford wife customer service ethic as Waitrose as well? (In other words TELL me where the coffee is, I don't need to be led by the hand)

O
M
G

Getorf!

I love them I ordered some size 12 shorts they arrived and are too big! For that reason alone they are my favourite.

mintyy

I just had to have a look at where my nearest one is. Cribbs Causeway -well I never go there, not being a masochist and all, and next nearest is Solihull, miles away.

i presume they have them in London but who goes to London and visits John Lewis when all the other shops exist?

I love it too!i spent much of my maternity leave walking around JL with DD, couldn't get enough of it!the staff are always lovely too.

Love it,could spend whole day there with a coffee break and lunch break...bliss....would prob spend quite a bit,though. And the staff are great.

Getorf they do that in Tesco too.

The cafe is a rip off, if I wanted to spend £25 on lunch I wouldn't spend it in a JL cafe.

I had a stale scone from Waitrose once.

I took it back and said 'this is not what I expect from Waitrose'

I sounded like a ghastly snob but if you can't beat them, join them.

Ridiculously expensive for a supermarket cafe. Especially considering it is in the middle of Cheltenham and loads of decent restaurants where you can have a decent lunch with waitresses etc.

I like JL. I think their stuff varies in price - I recently got 2 really nice pillowcases. Thery weren't reduced, but were only £3 each anyway. They obv have hugely expensive stuff but there's good value quality stuff as well.

I had a £20 gift card for JL I couldn't find anything to buy. I spent it in waitrose in the end on a loaf of bread and a bottle of Smirnoff.

I love them, too.

They took over Heelas in Reading many years ago - it is still called Heelas; they never changed the name.

For years, they were closed on a Monday - because the staff wanted to keep their Monday day off.

It was always known as the place to work because they were so considerate of their staff.

I used to love wandering around it. The displays were fantastic, the quality first class. The staff were always helpful.

The JL at West Quay in Southampton is fecking enormous and well worth a diversion if you are in the locale.

Four floors of fabulousness - the top floor cafe has floor-to-ceiling windows along one side with panoramic views of cruise and cargo ships coming and going.

I've spent tens of thousands in John Lewis and Waitrose over many years. I find the shops muchg more civilized than many others.

But what I like particularly is that it is a partnership and that during the last Conservative government, when everything was being privatised, the Tory press used to say how much better it would be if JLP was a proper plc with shareholders rather than partners. Judging by the success of the partnership over the last 20 years, and what has happened to some other stores including M & S, they were very wrong!

I spend JL vouchers on waitrose food as well.
Only makes sense.

I have never had a stale scone in JL getorfmoiland. Their fruit scones and a pot of tea is one of lifes little pleasures

Agree with others that the food places are generally overpriced, and not the sort of food I'm keen on.

Kids clothes last forever though.

I had a cheese scone and a coffee for my breakfast in The Place To Eat.

Such a decadent day.

Another huge fan - Heelas was my home store as well, and we used to go to ride the bubble lifts.