Shopping in Cambridge (Department Stores in Cambridge)

Member Name: ginagjpy

Product:	Department Stores in Cambridge
Date:	12/12/00 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: visit the colleges and feel the ambience (with a little shopping)

Disadvantages: not for serious shopping - horrendous traffic - multi centred

Shopping in Cambridge can be rather a nighmare at times. Robert Sayles leads the way in the old centre with its old fashioned approach to the department store policy. Always a warm welcome from the staff (well 99% of the time anyway), and if there are any problems they are dealt with immediatley.

Marks and Spencers seem to be attempting to buy out the town centre having two large buildings - one of which has always been there (or so it seems) and the other at one time was a cinema. SO you can bet that you will end up in the wrong building!

Woolworths - is there as ever and now complete with a cafe - a great place to stop off if your surrounded by children.

Heffers - has changed a lot over the years - the small shop near to M&S and WOllies has gone and now there is a magnificent bookshop near to the college - wow - spend a day and get lost.

The other larger department stores are now in the Grafton Centre with Debenhams, C&A (soon to close) BHS and a large nunmber of the smaller retailers too - if it is serious shopping you want and you don't need to go to Robert Sayles then this is the stop to get off on the park and ride scheme. (especially if it is raining as it is mainly indoors!)

A number of the larger warehouse shops are sprouting up in the roads leading in to Cambridge. (This can be very annoying as Cambridge traffic is horrendous and I'm sure is lethal for the cyclists and pedestrians with all the fumes at rush hour?) The easiest way to most of these such as Staples, PCWorld, B&Q etc is by car - no park and ride stops and unless you don't mind a long hike, it can be too far to walk around them in a day.

So Cambridge - work out why you want to visit - serious shopping try Milton Keynes, Bluewater, Lakeside or even Norwich and Peterborough! To visit the colleges and feel the ambience (with a little shopping)! - Cambridge cannot be beaten!

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