John Lewis

LilElvis

DoaM said:

pallyman said:

Clothes ,home-ware and electrical items.Sell to all types.

Thanks guys.

Clothes - that's what surprised me ... if I thought about buying clothes on the high street then JL would be the last place I would think of. (My wife's comment was about not being able to feel the quality of material online).

Maybe it's just me.

In womenswear they have a fairly decent choice of brands and of much better quality than Debenhams. I sometimes buy from them in-store, but only look at their clothing online if I'm looking for a particular item - I wouldn't browse. 

With reference to their prices being high I've not found that to be true. Following were items purchased from JL in the past 12 months
- Bosch washing machine - same price as AO and others but with free delivery, installation and removal it was cheaper. Also able to deliver much quicker than other sellers.
- Dyson cordless - bought on Black Friday and cheaper than other sellers.
- JL brand barbecue - much cheaper than other branded ones of a similar quality.
- HP laptop bought Friday before lockdown - same price as Argos and Currys but JL were the only seller with any stock.
- Microwave - same price as Argos and Amazon and able to collect from local Waitrose next day.

LilElvis

Pollycat said:

DoaM said:

Thanks guys.

Clothes - that's what surprised me ... if I thought about buying clothes on the high street then JL would be the last place I would think of. (My wife's comment was about not being able to feel the quality of material online).

Maybe it's just me.

They do (or did) have a fab range of dressmaking fabrics and buttons etc.

The haberdashery department in my local store was moved, and halved in size, a couple of years ago. Very little choice now, but still better than Hobbycraft, though I've lost my favourite DMC needlepoint wool. 

JJ_Egan

Any JL stores i have been in over the last four years have not really been that busy .

Personal opinion is like many business they expand to much in the property side .

theonlywayisup

All electricals, they price match proper retailers (not the fly by nights on the web alone), bedding, towels, tableware, clothes (mens and womens) and my favourite; furniture.  Vispring beds are always on display and they have a brilliant range. 

Torry_Quine

I've always found it very expensive for clothes. Bedding, electrical items and furniture can be good value and quality. My shop not reopened yet but thankfully not closing.

Robisere

I like M&S clothes. Especially the "Blue Harbour" brand shirts and sweaters, t-shirts. I have some from a good few years ago and they always wash and wear well.

lincroft1710

Robisere said:

I like M&S clothes. Especially the "Blue Harbour" brand shirts and sweaters, t-shirts. I have some from a good few years ago and they always wash and wear well.

I have highlighted the salient point in your post. Their recent offerings are poor in comparison

Paul_Varjak

The last time I looked online for a John Lewis near us, it was over 30 miles away so its online presence has always been the important anyway. I wonder if John Lewis will be opening more outlets inside Waitrose stores? I know of one in Lincoln but is seems odd having a 'never knowingly undersold' retailer inside Waitrose which is at the more expensive end of the supermarket business.

Even before the COVID-19 lockdown they were having problems, paying the lowest dividends since the queen was crowned nearly 70 years ago. Martin Lewis (any relation?) highlighted their 'Never Knowingly Undersold' policy a couple of years ago and found that it did not quite match that promise; a promise that would most likely change for the worse in the near future given those poor dividend payments.

For me (at least a few years ago) John Lewis was synonymous with house insurance, which beat everything else on the market in terms of cover and price. Sadly, although the cover remains excellent, the price has not and I took my business elsewhere after more than ten years at the latest renewal.

Robisere

lincroft1710 said:

Robisere said:

I like M&S clothes. Especially the "Blue Harbour" brand shirts and sweaters, t-shirts. I have some from a good few years ago and they always wash and wear well.

I have highlighted the salient point in your post. Their recent offerings are poor in comparison

Define "recent". Bought 2 Blue Harbour shirts last year, quality as good as ever.

lincroft1710

Robisere said:

lincroft1710 said:

Robisere said:

I like M&S clothes. Especially the "Blue Harbour" brand shirts and sweaters, t-shirts. I have some from a good few years ago and they always wash and wear well.

I have highlighted the salient point in your post. Their recent offerings are poor in comparison

Define "recent". Bought 2 Blue Harbour shirts last year, quality as good as ever.

Up to 4/5 yrs ago. Unfortunately my experience with M&S merchandise hasn't been as good as yours. I have items from C&A (remember them?) which have outlasted the M&S equivalents bought much later.