John Lewis anyone been in since they opened?

[JinglingHellsBells]

Not exactly style and beauty but wondering if you had to queue to get in, if loos are all open as normal (no queuing etc). Thinking of Oxford St. weekdays.

It’s not just the lack of stuff on the counters, they won’t squirt any stuff on your skin for you to try so to try out their foundation the sales assistant puts it on their hand !!
Compare to the Mac store in London last week when they just give you a cotton bud to use on the eyeshadow thing to use once and put on your hand

These huge companies have massive resources to find tester pots or something to give customers

Thought it was just me! JL is my absolute favourite place and it isn't the same without the restaurant. JL have excellent safety measures in place, including strictly limiting customers. So much so that it feels totally empty!
If they were interested in what I had to say, I'd recommend they opened the restaurant, especially with the 50% off thing or the free coffee and cake voucher thing. I'd also suggest they invested in clothes steamers so they could open the changing rooms. It could possibly be done if they cleaned between customers?
I don't know how the premium skin care and make up counters will survive if they don't evolve safe methods of trying and displaying products. I think the secret is generous samples, but that's like getting blood out of a stone!
I love M&S too and their store currently has more life to it, due to the cafe I think.

@CountessFrog @Flamingolingo so happy to have facilitated some reminiscing! I also loved the old charm of Tyrrells, its squeaky floors and Grace Brothers style. It was my first intro to JL and I still have several purchases from there.
I recommend a trip to the flagship West Quay store if you’re down this way (maybe once the beauty counters, changing rooms and restaurant reopen)...

Went to John Lewis at Bluewater recently for a pre-mask shop, and it was fine.
I did not use the toilets or restaurant, so do not know if they were open or not.
There was hand sanitiser on the way in, and maybe markings on the floor, but I cannot remember.
The shopping centre itself, had arrows on the floor which I did not realise so ignored. That is, one was supposed to walk around on the left, but I saw a shop I wanted to go in on the other side, I just crossed over and went in. I have since been told there were 'crossing points'.
Inside JL, We all kept a distance when queuing up to pay. Otherwise fine.
Maybe less crowded than usual.

Oh the squeaky floors! I had forgotten!

It has such timeless class.

@CrystalTits @CountessFrog plenty of older folk or people who grew up in Soton still refer to JL as Tyrrell’s even though it hasn’t been for decades and the old shop has been flattened and the site redeveloped (as the ‘cultural quarter’).

I have big love for Southampton - came here as a student and haven’t gone very far at all!

I went to High Wycombe a couple of days after it opened and felt like a VIP .
Cheery staff directing to the queue which took no time at all . I shopped at Dior and haberdashery/ sewing machines and the 2 staff members were so attentive with all the time in the world to serve me .
Loos open and spotless .
No cafe

I've been to Nottingham a few times. Staff friendly & no barking about sanitiser. No queues, toilets open, some sale bargains in clothes section. We couldn't find anyone to help in sofa dept but that's not unusual. I expect they've still got a lot of staff on furlough. It's a tricky time - they can't bring back people from furlough because the sales aren't there but if they opened the cafe they'd get more customers and sales. Same for Waterstones. Marks & Spencer noticeably busier and cafe full, toilets open.

That makes me feel really old Flamingo.

However it’s 30 years ago, of course it feels like yesterday.

Cultural quarter?

Sorry, didn’t mean to call you old - I meant that JL bought Tyrrell’s back in the (?)1930’s. I think it moved down the road in about 2000, but I know plenty of people who call it Tyrrell’s even in the new location.

The cultural quarter is a large open square outside the Guildhall, with restaurants and bars, a theatre and an art gallery. It links the guildhall through to the park on the other side of above bar. It’s actually pretty nice and features in some of our wedding photos as we got married in the art gallery.

visitsouthampton.co.uk/guildhall-square-cultural-quarter

Wow!

It’s ok I am actually quite old.

I didn’t know about the redevelopment, haven’t been to So’ton in about 25 years. I’d love to get down there.

I went to Nottingham JL on the day it opened and it was lovely. Short queue and quiet inside and some great sale bargains.

Our local one has closed which is a real,shame

I went and it was lovely. No queues.

I won't bother going back now face coverings are required as that would spoil it for me.

Have been several times since they re-opened (it's also my happy place). All was good until face-masks were made mandatory. I had been in shops every single day since lockdown started, but I'm not going in shops now that Big Brother is making me wear a bastarding mask.

PS I just pretend to use the sanitiser. I am allergic to it, and I resent the busybody implication that my hands are unclean when I was obsessive about hand-washing long before Covid.

Also my happy place! Esp. if coffee or food involved

Though I find some of their things overpriced e.g. furniture, they do have some great one offs in design e.g. bedding, cushions

Oh for fuck’s sake stop saying it’s a happy place it’s a shop

Oh stop it, Tom. I'm having a shit time. If lurking around the bedding department makes me feel a bit better, then that's my look-out or was until the sodding face-masks appeared

Each to their own. Your happy place could be Anfield and we’d shout off ffs it’s just football.’

Been in JL at welwyn a couple of times but didn't get any of the feel-good that I used to. One assistant across whole of beauty with no stock displayed. She made a big deal of sashaying over to the bobbi brown counter and, after a cursory look for my eye liner, all I got was a 'Nope, not here'. Can't buy clothes as not a standard size and prefer to try on and they all looked a bit dejected on the rails. Disabled loos open but personally prefer a single-sex one. Will leave it a bit - JL have missed a trick here.

I've been to Oxford Street twice. Perfectly fine. Lots of stock; helpful staff. Everyone trying to make it work while following COVID restrictions. Cafe was open and lovely (doing EOtoHO while I was there).
Well worth a visit!

Ive just walked out of JL, in the market to replace my watch, so approx £2k.

The queue. The mask. The lack of staff (stood waiting for 15 mins to be attended to). The lack of choice. Being told to stand behind a screen with a slot to pass the watch through. Being told to sanitise hands and wrists. I did all that but it felt shit.

I told the girl it isn’t a pleasant place to shop any more, feels more like a prison visit. Obviously not her fault but I’ll buy my watch online.

I've been to JL Bluewater several times. The staff are very friendly and welcoming especially in the children's shoe department. I asked for advice regarding makeup and the was no problem. Ok, it is not the same as before, but nowhere is atm.

JL is one of my happy places and it still feels a happy place to me.