"Shh..Keep it To Yourself!" (Department Stores in general)

Member Name: jusophine

Product:	Department Stores in general
Date:	20/09/01 (2705 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: All under one roof., Great selection for baby's and kids.

Disadvantages: May spend far to long in there!

When I was a kid, we lived about a fifteen minute walk from the local toy shop. ‘Retlaws’ wasn’t terribly large from the outside, and it didn’t belong to one of the chain’s of toy shops that exist today. It stood proudly on our local high street, the towns one and only toy shop, and what a toy shop. The front of the shop was full of bikes of all sizes, gleaming new, giving off wafts of spray paint and the smell of black rubber tyres. Further back, the ceiling suddenly vaulted, and the shop seemed to multiply in size. There was nothing you couldn’t buy, and buy I did, every Saturday morning with my pocket money, which I seem to remember started at 10p, rising to 50p and much later on, a hefty £1.00!

It didn’t matter how much money you had, you could always find something you liked, whether it be a little fake ruby ring, or a matchbox car, or perhaps a little bottle of milk to feed to your baby dolly, the kind that when tipped up, seemed to empty as if by magic. Those were the days, when you could buy skipping ropes, rubber creatures on springs that seconds after compressing, sprung up making you jump. Or little fabric bags containing sets of Jacks(do you remember those), or ‘Ghostie’ marbles to swap at school, and jigsaws that kids still found exciting. Once I even remember them selling ‘jumping’ beans, we thought they were magic. One could while a way a whole Saturday morning in that shop, before heading down to the Wimpey for a glass of milkshake.

Ah, those were the days, they’ll never come back you know. These days it’s all order in bulk over the internet, to save leaving the house, or popping down to your local branch of a well known American ‘learning centre’, for some inpersonal service. If only there was somewhere like Retlaws still. Somewhere you could take your kids where they wouldn’t require obscene amounts of money to purchase a toy from a li
mited range of merchandise. Well there is, and if you promise to keep it to your self, I’ll tell you about it, but you must promise now, I mean it!

‘Daniel’ department store. O.K, it’s out. Yes I know many of you will have heard of it, but for those who haven’t, I’m going to continue. Daniel’s store in Windsor has to be one of my all time favourite shops, although I must confess, before I had kids I would not have bothered with it. It used to resemble ‘Grace Brother’s’, of ‘Are You Being Served’ fame, mixed with a bargain basement kind of feel. Then about 5 years ago, they had a massive make over. Briefly, the basement stocks haberdashery, kitchen appliances, furniture and lighting. The ground floor stocks stationary, luggage, toiletries, a hair dressers, and various franchises of high street fashion stores, such as Miss Selfridge, Warehouse, and Dorothy Perkins. There is also a French style coffee shop. Lift access takes you to the first floor.

The first floor contains a fantastic baby department, which stocks numerous brands of push chairs, buggies, prams and travel systems, a good range of car seats, cots, cot beds, high chairs, changing mats, baby bedding(such as Mamma’s and Pappa’s, Zorbit ect), home safety devices, feeding bottles, bowls and utensils, cot mobiles, baby toys and loads more besides.

There is a good range of children’s clothing, although some is on the more expensive side. There is always a huge selection of reduced bibs, vests and baby grows on offer, and you can pick these up for as little as 50p an item. Oh, and this it 'the' place to buy that special out fit for your child's christening, there's an amazing selection of silk gowns and two piece little sailor out fits, slippers and socks.

Both departments seem to have frequent sales, in which you can often pick up some great buys, such a reduced cot mat
tresses, prams, car seats, and baby chairs. I bought a pretty Mammas and Pappas baby seat that matched a high chair I already had for £35, reduced from £50. I also brought my 2 in 1 pram here and was able to order the exact colour of fabric and chassis that I wanted. My order came reasonably quickly and was delivered free of charge.

Now, on to the toy department. It’s huge, and they reckon it’s the largest toy department outside London, excluding the likes of ‘Toys-R-Us’ of course. This is the kind of toy shop I would have loved as a kid, there seems to be nothing that they don’t have. A huge selection of toy train sets, from Hornby, to themed ones such as the ‘Thomas’ range.’ Scalelectrix’(is that how you spell it?), model planes and cars, and every ‘airfix’ colour paint pot you could possibly imagine. Although a little unusual, I loved ‘air fix’ planes when I was young, especially the transfers and paint job at the end.

There is a large selection of board games for all the family, and jigsaw puzzle that look as if they would need the space of a whole floor to complete. There are loads of excellent ideas for crafts too, from glass painting, to bakery and model making. It’s not just for kids either. Daniels stock a great range of craft supplies, unusual metallic paints, glues, water colour paints and paper, brushes, crayons, pens and poster paints, indeed, the choice seems to be endless.

They have a full range of toys for the 0-3 age group, Tommy, Fisher Price ect, as well as some lesser known brands. I bought Fergus a little dust pan and brush once as he was mad about ours, they cost less than £2. On one occasion, before I had Fergus, I was making my way to the loo, as one does several times per shopping trip whist pregnant, when I came across a little boy with his mum. He was having a full scale tantrum. The conversation between him and his mum went like
this;

"I want an ironing board!"Stomping his feet and looking as if he was about to take off.
"I've told you, you can have an iron, but your not having an ironing board!"

Bless. He'll be embarassed about that oneday.

They also have a range of dressing up out fits for boys and girls, and hats such as Bob The Builders and Policeman’s. I love the choice of fairy outfits and accessories, I wish they did them in a size 14!

Little girls will go wild for the choice of dolls and doll’s clothes on offer, and there is a large selection of soft toys including all the latest characters such as Disney, Bear In The Big Blue House, and Elmer, as well as beautifully made traditional style 'Teddies'.

There are larger items on offer for the out doors, from swings and paddling pools, to tennis rackets, Go-Carts and push along toys, and even climbing frames.

Lego fans will not be disappointed, they have a full range from ‘Duplo’ to the ‘Bionicle’ range. But for kids that must have high tech toys, there are of course computer games, Gameboys, and all the latest consoles.

The best section which I love to root through, is that I would describe as the ‘pocket money’ section. Here you can buy toy cars of a decent size for as little as £1, rubber balls, pencil cases, transfers, unusual rubber’s, and of course, beautiful fake ruby rings!! I find myself turning back into a little girl eager to spend her pocket money.

All in all, it’s a great toy shop. There is also a baby changing facility on this floor next to the toilets, and a feeding room which contains a bottle warmer.

After a good shop with my toddler and baby, I’m ready for a cup of tea, and always head over to the ‘Rendevous Café’. Here I like to indulge in a pot of tea, and two slices of breakfast ‘Rarebit’, Welsh Rarebit, wi
th a huge mountain of mushrooms and bacon tumbling from the top, served with a garnish of tomato salad. Of course one can’t just sit and eat while the kids look on, saliva dripping furiously, but that’s no problem. Daniels provide nice sturdy wooden high chairs, and a special children’s menu, not to mention providing crayons in a tin and a picture to colour in while they waie. Oh and did I mention..no I didn't, I'll whisper.They do a scrumptious selection of cakes and continental slices, and loads of different delicious coffees.

If your in Windsor and have kids, Daniels is a must. If your not, don’t worry, there are Daniels department stores in Ealing,Ebbw Vale, Newbury and Chiswick. Daniel of Windsor can be accessed from the main high street, Peascot Street, that starts at the top of the hill across the road from the Castle, or from King Edwards Court at the back of the shop, where you will also find King Edwards Court car park, although beware, after 3 hours, the price to park jumps steeply. Don't get caught out. The shop has ramps and lifts, so access is easy.

So, next time your in the area, take your pocket money down to Daniel's!

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