Talk to me about the whole John Lewis thing

[notreallyuponJL]

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?

I use John Lewis as I like that I can pick up at Waitrose next day, anything I want to return I can return to Waitrose easily. They sell many different brands. I also use Next for similar reasons

I love John Lewis; the cooperative model, the ambience of the stores, the customer service. But as a teacher, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've been able to afford buying something from there in a 25 year career.

Love a mooch around JL although my nearest is 50 miles away so it doesn’t happen very often. Often buy gadgets from there as they’ll often have a better warranty period than many places.
I do miss the haberdashery department from my nearest one which had disappeared last time I went.

I also like to visit JL but MK is my nearest at 25 miles away and I rarely go there now as I have a local retail park for my shopping so visits to JL are very few and far between nowadays, unfortunately.

I shop in John Lewis as I like the fact it is a British company owned by its employees with above average working conditions for employees. It also tends to sell good quality items and I would rather spend a bit more to have items that will last. I also like having proper old fashioned customer service on the shop floor and whilst JL is not as good as it used to be for this normally I can find someone to ask. Eg I had been struggling to find a smart outfit for an occasion and so got on the train to London and went to John Lewis (Peter Jones) and at first couldn’t see any dresses I liked. However the assistant then suggested a few things and one of the dresses that wasn’t my normal colours looked amazing on and was under £100 so I could then find shoes and handbag to go with it in the same store. I avoid Amazon if at all possible. I also enjoy walking round John Lewis shops and having coffee or lunch there.
Unfortunately a lot of people would rather buy a large quantity of clothing from Primark than fewer clothes from more ethical shops my dd included.
On the home furnishings front John Lewis can be frustrating and I don’t feel the service is what it was. They also use some foreign call centres and it is impossible to just phone ones local jl and ask advice on a particular item. It is a race to the bottom like air travel because people think of the short term and what is cheapest.

What a PP said. I feel they have curated their products and chosen the best ones. If I wanted to buy a can opener or candle or sheet I would find the best ones there.

Remember Carrie Johnson saying Downing Street was a John Lewis nightmare or something when the Camerons moved out. So out of touch! Us plebs would be delighted to inherit good quality unobjectionable furnishings but she had to have elite bespoke and top end designer stuff.

Don’t get the love at all. Messed up my wedding list, half the stuff was broken, had to return in store, which was a complete ball ache. Rude staff when we did return! One guy looked at my new DH as I attempted to return some damaged gifts and said, ‘I’ve got one like her at home.’ And rolled his eyes! As if I was the problem!!! So incredibly insulting. Other orders and deliveries of furniture messed up over the years, haven’t bought from them in a long time now for big stuff. I didn’t some clothes recently but the sizing was all off so they all went back.

Oh yeah, and despite never changing my name when we got married, all the wedding list stuff came addressed to Mr and Mrs DH’s name. I’d spoken to them about the list in my name, but they’d decided unilaterally to eradicate that and call me by DH’s. Twats.

their products are solid, even if you buy the cheapest version of the things they are selling you know its going to be reliable.

bed cribs
washing machines
etc

My city centre has become increasingly shabby over the past decade. Lots of the better shops have closed. JL is the last bastion of quality and loveliness. I'd feel very sad/end of an era if it closed.
I like their business model too and I'd shop there based on that alone.

I love John Lewis. It’s the only shop I’ll actually visit as I do everything else online.

I’ve never had anything other than excellent service. We buy all our household stuff from there, from stemware to washing machines and furniture.

Plus, I can take my dog.

The shops are well laid out, calm and spacious, the staff are lovely and helpful, prices are matched, huge choice, what's not to like? Oh and I avail myself of personal shoppers, free coffee and cake from time to time.

I’m guessing you live in Nottingham?

If the one in Nottingham Victoria Centre ever closes, I think it will be the End of Days.

However, if people start calling it Johnny Lou Lou’s like PP, we might have to think again.

Three generations in my family have shopped/do shop in JL, though the first was more loyal in custom. I’ve had a quibbled return, found the same item almost half the price online yet remain a regular at the Waitrose collection point.
(The comments about JL offering a “sensual” experience have reminded me of my A-level English teacher who liked to focus on the difference between this word and sensory.)

Because so many people assume it's a rip off, and so many people have so much money they don't need to buy in the sale, you can get some great bargains at John Lewis.

Also, next day delivery, easy returns, same price as stuff on amazon and as a PP said you know it's not going to be complete rubbish.

Peter Jones was the first of the current John Lewis shops. Spedan Lewis fell out with his dad who ran a drapers (John Lewis, different company) and went to work for Peter Jones, eventually Spedan Lewis took over Peter Jones and then inherited his fathers business too - from there it grew.

Spedan was a clever business man and set up the "partnership" idea to insulate the company from takeover attempts by its rivals, mainly Selfridges and Harvey Nicholls which both had more stores than JL (and now both only have 1). I reality the partnership structure doesn't convey anything to staff, they haven't had a dividend in years, but has protected the business against all and every takeover attempt.

They grew exponentially after the war, taking over a lot of provincial department stores from Selfridges who had run into trouble and were selling off branches.

Editing myself, Harvey Nichols still have 7, Selfridges 4, (UK / Ireland)) both many less than at their peak and a lot less than JL

I absolutely love John Lewis, but unfortunately there isn't a branch near me, so I always make a beeline for it if I'm in a town where there is one. I only fairly rarely order from them online, as it's the shopping experience I like. Really good department stores are the best place to shop for clothes imo. It's a shame they are becoming less popular.

Best for: (at least Oxford Street where there is very knowledgeable staff who will demonstrate item & tell pro & con )
shopping for new baby & car seats etc
appliances
Sewing machines
luggage
swim suits
lampshades
efc

sales .. in appliances can often get a customer return or floor sample at good discount … washing machines. Furniture w £££ discount etc. But you must ask.

I like it. It's a nice shop. I like their partnership model and that the staff aren't being ground into dust just to save me 9p on a shelving unit. The goods are decent, good quality and reasonably priced. It's just moderate and reliable in its ways and I appreciate that.

Amazon, I do buy from too, because of the convenience of delivery. But it's not convenient to get absolutely no quality control and end up with fakes and random shite all the time. Also tbh my neighbour's house burned down due to a battery they bought on Amazon and ever since I've been leery of electronics from there. It's £2 cheaper but also might kill your dad? Lately I've been keener to pay a little more and risk a little less.

Decently priced, good quality, good service, good delivery and returns, nice stores.

Apart from that it’s shit.

This is a really important one - they are selective about what they sell, so I trust the quality of the product.

I don’t have a John Lewis near me now, but if I need homewares, they are my first online search, or I will make a two hour round trip to check out the nearest branch. I’ve never been disappointed. My mother-of-the-groom outfit was from JL too, on the advice of friends who are better at that stuff than me. My hyper-critical designer-clothes-wearing sister told me I looked lovely, so that’s all the validation I need 😂

I've never thought of it as a 'posh' department store. It offers a good range of brand at different price points. I always try there first when clothes shopping as it's got plenty of choice all under one roof. We've also had some furniture and home appliances from there after comparing prices with other places.

Excellent customer service, good returns policy, nice haberdashery to mooch in.
If we're making an major purchase our two go-to options are JL and Costco, both for the returns/guarantee policies.