John Lewis?....A good Lewis. (John Lewis)

Member Name: B_O_M_B_A_

Product:	John Lewis
Date:	28/07/08 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of quality goods with a good floor plan.

Disadvantages: Tiring day for those dedicated husbands...

As I have written about John Lewis before in my Wedding List review I will not write a 4000 word essay, mainly because it will bore you and my fingers will fall off. I am basing all my assumptions on just the stores I have visited (around 4), of which mostly is the one in Milton Keynes.

As with most department stores the shop is huge and you could very easily spend 3-4 hours looking through the entire 3 levels of goods they have to offer. My wife loves to browse everything even if she browsed the same stuff the week before. I have to admit there is something about John Lewis that appeals to me more than most other stores like Debenhams; I think it is because their products all ooze quality.

The Store from the outside looks impressive; the window displays are always well designed and modern to keep up with the times. The John Lewis logo is proudly displayed and in full view so everyone will know they are there.

Inside the store continues to shine with its impressive collection of goods that range from TV's to spoons. I occasionally have problems in some stores knowing where to look if I go in looking for a specific item. In John Lewis however I find it exceptionally easy. All areas are well labelled and there is always a worker handy to ask if ever I can't find what I'm looking for. I also find products are well grouped, what you expect to find in the for example 'Kitchen' area you will find in there and not in another strangely named department like in some other stores I have been in.

There are both escalators and lifts available and access for the disabled is very easy. The aisles are wide enough to accommodate for large numbers of people which is a plus, some stores do not think of this in their designs and allow to much space for their products to be displayed, forgetting people actually have to get to the products in the first place.

I find purchasing an item very easy, there are adequate tills located all around the store and usually at least 2 per section, a lot of the time you don't even queue, you approach an employee and say you wish to purchase an item, they will lead you to a till close by, open it up and you can buy it there and then, very quick and efficient.

If you wish to purchase an item and pick it up later, or maybe the product is too large to carry around for the rest of your shopping they have a well placed pick up point at the base of the shop facing the car park (in MK). You are provided with a large trolley to help you carry it to your car as long as you then return it, I found this very handy when I picked up my monitor, vacuum and printer which would have meant two trips but instead only one. The process is very simple, when you pay for your goods you are handed a pick up form, simply take this to the pick up point and they will retrieve the goods for you.

One problem I would say is the lack of toilets; I have only seen two sets in the whole of the store, but if I am wrong please let me know. I have often had to walk quite a way to go to the toilet which isn't ideal.

There is a café on the top floor of the store which provides small tasty snacks and drinks to refresh you as you ready yourself for another 3 hour walk around the rest of the store. The food was delicious and reasonably priced, I had a cake and tea and it came to around £2.50. There is adequate seating and the furniture and café area is well maintained.

As I have mentioned John Lewis does offer a wedding list service but please read my wedding list review for more details, I will not repeat myself.

Although you pay a premium price for many of the John Lewis brands and in many cases other brands, when you buy from JL you know you are getting a quality good, and often they come with guarantees far longer than most other stores, they offer a 5 year guarantee on many electrical goods.

One thing I find slightly strange (although as a customer I shouldn't moan) is the excessive number of staff, there are often 2 or 3 loitering around watching you as you browse, which makes me uncomfortable and makes me feel like I don't want to buy anything.

Overall John Lewis is a great store with plenty to choose from; each item is well labelled and clearly priced so there is never any confusion. The staff are very friendly and helpful albeit there may be a few too many of them. Don't let the slightly inflated prices prevent you from buying an item you see, the likelihood is it won't break after 5 minutes like things do from other stores (who I won't name).

Summary: Great store!