Debenhams do it right (Debenhams)

Member Name: Leolover

Product:	Debenhams
Date:	03/12/01 (214 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good quality , pleasant environment, somewhere to eat/drink

Disadvantages: expensive

A satisfying shopping experience for me is due to a combination of factors – how pleasant the atmosphere in which I’m shopping is, the level of stress I come away with, how pleased I am with my purchases - and whether there’s access to somewhere I can retreat to for a cappucino when I’ve worn out my patience and my feet are throbbing!

In my opinion. Debenhams gets all these factors just right.

PRICES

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. In comparison to other department stores like BHS and Littlewoods, Debenhams is quite expensive, so if you’re on a strict budget, it’s possibly not the best choice. The quality of the goods on offer in Debenhams is, however, far superior to what you can buy in these other stores. Compare Debenhams bed linen with BHS, for example, and there really is no comparison. Debenhams’ is made from better materials, the workmanship is of a far higher quality and the designs and colours are more fashionable and appealing.

WHAT THEY SELL

Debenhams have a good selection of homewares, clothes, toys, jewellery, beauty products and accessories. The clothes selection ranges from designers such as Pierce Fionda and Jasper Conran to Debenhams’ own range, which is also very good.

I buy all my kitchen equipment and homewares from Debenhams, because I know I can rely on them and like the designs. The soft furnishings are equally hard wearing and attractive.

Debenhams’ Christmas range is always exquisite – this year I bought some gorgeous tree decorations, candles and ornaments. I haven’t seen anything as beautiful or well made anywhere else.

Many larger Debenhams’ stores boast a hairdressers and/or beauty salon, usually one which uses Clarins or Clinique products, as these are big sellers within the store itself. I have had my hair cut and coloured at one of these salons a couple of time
s, and was pleased with the result.


STORE LAYOUT

All of the Debenhams stores have a similar layout. Perfumes, beauty products and jewellery on the ground floor, clothes on the second/third floor, home goods and soft furnishings on the third/fourth and toys and electrical goods on the fourth/fifth. This means that the shopper isn’t continually confused by changing displays, a devious ploy by the stores to get us to browse more and spend more money, and one which I can’t stand.

The stores are generally spacious and well lit, shoppers can browse happily without having to squeeze past untidy displays and barge each other out of the way.


REFRESHMENTS

Most Debenhams stores have both a coffee shop and a restaurant. The coffee shops are usually on the first floor; small open plan arrangements where customers can get a quick pick me up. They serve coffee, tea and soft drinks along with cakes, chocolate and a small selection of sandwiches. There’s usually a TV in the area so that shoppers can catch the latest news bulletins. The coffee shops are a good place to arrange to meet friends.

The restaurants are much larger and usually situated on the third or fourth floor. They serve hot meals, drinks and snacks.


CUSTOMER SERVICE

I have always found Debenhams customer service to be faultless. On rare occasions I have had a problem with a purchase, they have replaced the item with an apology and without unnecessary questions – I can’t stand shops where they treat you like a criminal just because you’re not happy with something and want to return it. Debenhams is one of those rare institutions where the customer is still always right. Good customer service is so rare these days that when I find it, I believe in sticking with it.

GOLD CARD PRIVILEGES

If you have a Debenhams card and you spend a certain amount each year, you might b
e presented with a gold card. This is an upgraded store card, which entitles you to certain privileges such as free gift wrapping, free home delivery, 20% off all restaurant and coffee shop bills and special reductions on goldcard shoppers evenings. In some stores, they even provide a little lounge for gold card holders with free tea or coffee. It all makes the shopping experience a little easier and nicer.

So there you have it, my favourite store, and one which makes shopping so easy and enjoyable thatI’ve managed to do 90% of my Christmas shopping already – a minor miracle! I recommend you give it a go. It beats the other high street department stores by a mile!

Happy spending!

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