THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN (Debenhams)

Member Name: Ann J Sec

Product:	Debenhams
Date:	22/02/01 (700 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast turnover of stock

Disadvantages: Far too hot esp;ecially in summer

"Are you being served?" ......that expression and the programme it relates to always somehow brings to my mind Debenhams. On the surface this may seem to be a rather backhanded compliment, but I still feel this store retains an old fashioned charm in some respects and certainly I have never been served here with anything less than courtesy, indeed my title Jewel in the Crown I feel aptly describes the Manchester store as it is certainly the best amongst a wide variety of shops there.

Located in the heart of the City in Market Street, almost next to the Arndale Centre, Debenhams has it all. Easily accessible by car, road, rail or even the tram cars which pass immediately by it, the store caters for almost all shoppers' needs. There are five floors which can all be easily reached by the main escalator. This may seem to be a silly thing to say, but to me it is important. There is nothing worse than going up one escalator only to find that the next escalator up is located the other end of the sales floor......it is so frustrating.

Personally, my first port of call in the store is always the restaurant which is located on the top floor. It is spotlessly clean and certainly whenever I've called there the queues have been reasonable (the best time to go is first thing of a morning). It is possible to buy a reasonably priced meal here and a particularly enjoyable hot frothy coffee. The main restaurant is situated in a corner of the top floor behind a huge glass window so it is possible to sit and watch other shoppers as you eat, drink and relax for a while. The toilets are immediately next door and they too are immaculate.

Perhaps one gripe I would have with Debenhams is that it is far too hot, in fact sometimes it is so hot that it becomes impossible to shop there. This is particularly a problem in the summer, when I've on occasions had to give up looking for a specific item because of the heat inside the store, so i
f anybody from Debenhams reads this.......please take note.....you are losing a lot of money by not remedying this situation.

Before writing this, I spent some time trying to think what it is about the store that makes it so special. The conclusion I came to is firstly everything is so clean. I don't know whether other readers agree, but quite often I've entered huge department stores and found them to be well...um...grubby! ! ! This is especially the case in Manchester where stores such as Kendalls and Lewis's are also located. Kendalls in particular often stocks items which have seen far better days and appear to have been in stock for some considerable time. Considering the high prices charged, I feel this is unacceptable.

I've often spent hours in Manchester looking for white or pale coloured t-shirts in the sports shops. Almost invariably these t-shirts are grimey around the neck area after being on show for sometimes weeks on end. This is not the case in Debenhams where the stock seems to change on a regular basis. The clothes in the sports department (located by the top floor restaurant) are always immaculate and nowadays I don't bother looking for sportswear elsewhere.

I'll try to give you a guided tour now beginning in the basement. Well I have to say this is my least favourite area. It is dark and claustrophobic as is the case in many basement areas of department stores. This also seems to be the area where the rather cheap and nasty items are sold, although there is a Burtons and Top Shop area located here as well as general Mens Wear with brands such as Maine.

The ground floor contains the perfume department,as well as a shoe and handbag section and a young and trendy department is also located here. Not being young and trendy myself I am unable to give much information about this particular section, but oh....h the shoes in Debenhams are divine. There are designer shoes galore and s
uch a selection as I've never seen elsewhere,nearly all made in the finest leather available. Usually these are of course extremely expensive, but often there are bargains to be found in the blue cross sales which are held regularly. Having purchased a nice new pair of Italian leather shoes on the cheap,it is then possible to amble between the perfume counters located nearby, although unfortunately Debenhams only seems to stock the usual Designer brands (I personally would like to see brands such as Hermes stocked more extensively).

Womens wear is located on the first floor. Here there is a Principles Department which incorporates a Petite range and there is also an Ann Brookes department on this floor which also caters exclusively for the petite amongst us. In addition there is a Variations department on this floor which caters for the larger ladies. It is possible to buy casual, formal or designer wear here and there is a small section where the bridal wear is located, although I have never bothered to browse here. I have to say this is my least favourite part of the store as it is not at all spacious, probably because so much is crammed in here. I personally like to have plenty of room around me so I am better able to see what is on offer.

The next floor is perhaps my favourite as it contains household wears such as designer duvets, designer bathroom towels and beautiful porcelain goods with brands such as Wedgewood, Colclough, etc., This floor to me is like an Alladin's cave,where it is possible to find exclusive cutlery, diamond cut glass, ornaments, mirrors and pictures. This floor is spaciously set out and never seems to be too crowded, beware however it can get very very hot as I've already stated.

Moving up and finally we reach the top floor where as I've previously mentioned the restaurant is located. Also on this floor is the children's toy department (sorry another part of the store I personally don&#
39;t have reason to visit) and the computer and photography departments. There is also a small video and record department here where sometimes it is possible to obtain a bargain again during the blue cross sales although I have to say the range offered isn't extensive. Computers are set out for visitors to the store to try and the salesmen here are very helpful. Although I didn't personally purchase my computer here, I did browse in this department when considering purchase and received a lot of assistance without any obligation to buy.

The Camera and Photography department contains both the cheaper and more expensive camera equipment. I did purchase a camera from Debenhams and the salesman was very helpful and quite knowledgeable, however I later discovered Jessops in Manchester and feel I would have been able to purchase a similar camera far cheaper there had I known of that shop earlier. I also feel the staff at Jessops would have been better equipped to give advice.

As previously mentioned,the sports wear department is a must. There are brands such as Levy, Nike, Berghaus etc., all at reasonable prices. Unfortunately, however, there are not many sales staff available on this floor and I have to admit to spending considerable time waiting to pay at the tills. Another irritating aspect of this department is that the changing rooms are constantly locked. It is time consuming having to look for someone to open them and the rooms themselves are small,cramped and again hot.

Well there you are, a guided tour of Debenhams, a store that compares extremely well with others I have visited and one which I personally will carry on visiting every time I go to Manchester.

"Anyone for Basement ! ! ! ....... Mind the doors please -going down"

Summary: