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Original poster

Talk to me about the whole John Lewis thing

126 replies

notreallyuponJL · 04/08/2025 22:40

As per the title, and inspired by another thread where someone was asking about the JL experience.

It's never been a place I would think of going to, not least because there wasn't one in my city until recent years, although other "posh" department stores very much existed. However, that store has now closed, as has the "JL At Home" which opened in 2011 and closed in 2020, and with a shift towards online shopping from a seemingly endless choice of retailers, I have to ask what the advantages of the likes of JL are.

I only ever knew one person who was a devout JL shopper, and it certainly tied into his overall arrogance & delusions of grandeur which applied to other aspects of his life...certainly the connotations (whether real or imagined) about shopping in Argos were ingrained in his mindset, principally because it came with a catalogue, which in itself had connotations of being for people who couldn't afford to buy what they wanted, and not helped that Argos was launched on the back of the success of the Greenshield stamp scheme.

My question comes from a place of genuine curiosity and not reverse snobbery, having only ordered from JL once, online, and it being an experience as good as any other right up to the point where they couldn't get stock to fulfill said order. Their customer service was horrific, and I've never used them since.

Given current trends and the uniformity that is the internet (not to mention how crowded and noisy it is), are some retailers (like JL) still able to stand out from the rest? If so, how and why?

OP posts:
BrickBiscuit · 04/08/2025 23:55

The flooring in their stores. You walk on this modular tiling system with a service void beneath. It allows them to change things around easily. A single display or a whole department can be reconfigured, changing cable runs beneath, floor coverings above, and installing hidden equipment. It's fascinating.

Also the cooperative partnership business model.

Limehawkmoth · 04/08/2025 23:56

Pippapoppalov · 04/08/2025 23:23

I recently had to furnish a room in my mother’s house (she has Alzheimers) for possible overnight carers/guests. I had already bought a few bits from Dunhelm and Homesense. I needed a load of bedding so headed for JL. I was absolutely exhausted that day, and feeling overwhelmed. An extremely kind assistant could see I was struggling and came to my rescue, pushing the trolley and helped me buy everything well within our budget. I really rate this shop highly. It is also somewhere I take my mother for a little outing as the staff are very understanding of her needs, and she enjoys a little treat in their café. I find the quality of the stock to be of a good standard, their ‘everyday range’ included. My parents shopped here in the 1970s.

In 1970s they had proper restaurants with Waitress service! Remeberance taking my grandad there and him being delighted with his posh Black Forest gateau for desert. It was a big treat to have a meal there

Alwaysonthebrightside08 · 04/08/2025 23:56

I’ve shopped at JL & Argos today 😆 not a regular JL shopper, have bought from there recently for nice thank you gifts, DD 11 has fallen in love with it! Lovely shopping experience nothing else like it on the high street imo. M&S for 8-14yr clothes
awful, hardly any stock of things. I know we’re in sale/holiday buying season but clothes that were there fully stocked with lots of different sizes two weeks ago, bare minimum today.

Needmorelego · 04/08/2025 23:57

I do remember wandering around the pram department several years ago and there was a bloke choosing one of the very fancy traditional Silver Cross prams. He was wearing a very dapper suit with a cravat tie and had a little mustache that curled up at the ends.
Got to admit.....you wouldn't get that in Argos 😂😂😂

Original poster
notreallyuponJL · 04/08/2025 23:58

Limehawkmoth · 04/08/2025 23:52

Some of same products. Certainly electronics. But Argos don’t sell JL type of furniture or the more upmarket kitchen, dining ware, or clothes etc.
it depends on what you’re shopping for.

Edited
Show quote history

That's interesting. I often wonder if that's why BHS lost its way before its eventual closure, because people don't seem to want quality as much these days -particularly if something has a potentially short lifespan, such as crockery which is easily broken. After all, a smashed plate has the same value, whether it came from Asda or Selfridges. But of course it has more quality when it is in one piece.

I remember buying a sofa from Argos back in 2010...I only bought it because it fitted the space in a house I was selling & I needed something very new and very cheap. The fact it fitted my new house was a complete stroke of luck. Anyway, I paid £450 for it and still had it in 2022...It was like new, if not slightly flat in one of the cushions, and I only got rid of it as someone gave me one that I liked a lot more. For a very cheap piece of furniture, it was incredibly well built. I was quite taken aback, actually.

OP posts:
Limehawkmoth · 04/08/2025 23:58

BrickBiscuit · 04/08/2025 23:55

The flooring in their stores. You walk on this modular tiling system with a service void beneath. It allows them to change things around easily. A single display or a whole department can be reconfigured, changing cable runs beneath, floor coverings above, and installing hidden equipment. It's fascinating.

Also the cooperative partnership business model.

That is, imho, the most interesting post on this thread..well I never knew that

Needmorelego · 05/08/2025 00:06

@BrickBiscuit do they have those have tubes for sending cash/messages whizzing around?

Lifeisapeach · 05/08/2025 00:10

I love JL! I’d shop there before anywhere else.

fabulous customer service…. (Replaced a double buggy following a very minor fault and I got a more up to date model as a replacement 2 years after I bought the original).

Their stores are well looked after, have a nice feel and are not run down.

they stock the best of everything, from prams to TVs to wedding attire, they have it all!

Electronics returns policy is the best I’ve seen.

Next day delivery option.

Their cafe has a lovely range of salads.

Good baby change and feeding stations in store.

Price match days

they stock some lovely brands!

Original poster
notreallyuponJL · 05/08/2025 00:11

Needmorelego · 05/08/2025 00:06

@BrickBiscuit do they have those have tubes for sending cash/messages whizzing around?

I remember those from my days at BHS. Pods they called them. Cash office used to phone down about 5pm in a right mood if we'd not "podded" our tills by then. Ditto a mood if we sent them up the "wrong" way round. They liked the end with the screw-cap pushed into the opening of the chute, not the sealed end.

OP posts:
TheGirlattheBack · 05/08/2025 00:22

We buy a lot of our electrical appliances and gadgets there because their warranty is really good and they price match.

30 years ago their homewares used to be really lovely, high quality and design led, now they are a bit run of the mill, other homeware stores have definitely overtaken them.

Like others have said, the click and collect to Waitrose is really handy.

ChocolateCinderToffee · 05/08/2025 02:05

Love JL although my local branch is one of the smaller ones. You get better service than in most other shops and being able to order their whole range online and collect the next day is SO useful.

BrickBiscuit · 05/08/2025 06:38

Limehawkmoth · 04/08/2025 23:58

That is, imho, the most interesting post on this thread..well I never knew that

Show quote history

Not being staff, I never see it happen as it does so out of hours. However, once I saw emergency repairs being done with a section or two of floor up. Among the most exciting sights of my life.

Silverbirchleaf · 05/08/2025 06:59

We had a John Lewis at Hone which I loved mooching around until it closed.

Our nearest ‘normal’ ’ John Lewis are in shopping centres. I do like their kitchen department for bits and pieces, and have ordered online for white goods. Don't tend to buy clothes, But they have a good range of shoes.

Barrenfieldoffucks · 05/08/2025 07:03

PermanentTemporary · 04/08/2025 22:44

i just like going there. I like the cooperative model, I wish there were far more cooperative business and housing options. It’s one of the remaining places it’s a sensual pleasure to shop, there are increasingly few. And my experience of their customer service is good.

Agreed, and I've never had a negative experience of their customer service either.

RosesAndHellebores · 05/08/2025 07:21

I recall John Lewis and Peter Jones in the 60s/70s. Compared to other department stores they were quite utilitarian, modest and efficient. Their by word was never knowingly undersold. I still think of them as practical and a bit utilitarian. I wouldn’t dream of buying a washing machine, hoover, or bed from anywhere else.

My grandmother and mother bought linens, curtains and carpets there, although Grannie had a penchant for the Army & Navy stores, and practical furniture like beds and white goods. I still do. Our wedding lost was at Peter Jones.

I don't think they are never knowingly undersold anymore but I still think of them as selling useful, practical things. Their school uniform. Was far better made than M&S when the DC were small.

So many other department stores have closed that they have become a go to but they were never in the league of SImpsons, Harvey Nicks, Liberty or even Dickens & Jones. They never were and still aren't what I'd call posh.

upandleftthenright · 05/08/2025 07:24

Their customer service is fantastic and the returns policy the best. Feel reassured by those two features alone.

user1497787065 · 05/08/2025 07:26

I do a 140 mile round trip for a large
JL. I still prefer shopping in person to online and it has the greatest range of goods within travelling distance. I’m in the south west and choice is limited.

1abovethead · 05/08/2025 07:27

I really like JL. It’s pretty much the only reason I go into town now. The stores have a really nice light, fresh feel and are really well laid out. The service has always been helpful and good quality in my local store, the products are good quality but if there ever were an issue I am confident I could return it without a quarrel. I also really like the cafe, and sitting watching the world go by.

Its just a really nice experience.

Confusedformer · 05/08/2025 07:29

I’m a massive JL fan. Huge. Not so much since they’ve started allowing dogs into the shop though.

I witnessed a dog cock its leg and pee on a rug in one of their stores, reported it to the till staff, who just shrugged. Absolutely shocking.

I have a dog. He manages just fine without going shopping in JL. Dogs have been managing this forever.

Gymbunny2025 · 05/08/2025 07:30

I asked for John Lewis vouchers as wedding gifts I love it so much!

PurBal · 05/08/2025 07:31

Same as @HerdMentalityand they have great customer service and returns policy, when our (£150) baby monitor broke after less than a year they refunded it and sent a replacement no questions asked. We like to buy our electronics from there if the price is right. We like their Anyday range too, I’ve bought clothes for all of us from the range, bedding, a cot mattress, all sorts. I think it’s good value.

Cynic17 · 05/08/2025 07:33

They just have everything you need, especially basics/household. I hate shopping, so if I can get away with just going to John Lewis and no other shops, that's a result.
However, the quality of their customer service has declined a lot in recent years. And stock levels are poor - recently I just wanted plain white bedding, but couldn't find what I needed amongst all tje weird colours and missing sizes. So it was back to ordering online from The White Company - that was a fail, JL!
I did have £300 worth of vouchers to spend a few weeks before and got an excellent deal on suitcase, rucksack and Longchamps bag..... but online, as none of the items were in the store.

BitOutOfPractice · 05/08/2025 07:35

One of my favourite ways to spend a cold damp afternoon is a mooch round John Lewis, then a cup of tea and a piece of cake in the cafe. It soothes my soul.

The JL Everyday range is good quality / value and i Like having more than one brand under one roof. The staff are invariably pleasant. Even the car park is nice - though I usually walk.

Thisbastardcomputer · 05/08/2025 07:36

The one in Sheffield was excellent but they closed it, it was just about the best shop left in Sheffield. Have occasionally bought online from them but never returned anything.

ScaryM0nster · 05/08/2025 07:36

They train their staff on their products - so you get actual decent advice in store.

They also vet their products - so you can be reasonably confident in the quality and function. vs the more generic online shops where you’ve got no idea whether you’re getting a high quality version or a poor quality copy.

The price match was a big thing for a long time.

The one in our city shut, but there are various things i still order online from them as know that they’ve done the research and I can’t go ‘wrong’ with one from there.