... We weighed up the pro's and con's of all of the options and the one that floated to the surface screaming 'pick me, pick me' was John Lewis.
*****What's it like then*****
The John Lewis I visited was a Solihull and was only opened in 2001. The store is 3 floors, with an art gallery ... Read review
Advantages: Good stock, classier than Debenhams! Disadvantages: Not many stores around
...'pick me, pick me' was John Lewis.
*****What's it like then*****
The John Lewis I visited was a Solihull and was only opened in 2001. The store is 3 floors, with an art gallery above that has art for sale through the store. What I really appreciated was that at all entrance points to the store you should be able to find a map of the shop. Well there was a map available at the entrance that I used and I saw a few other ... ...a map for the Solihull John Lewis' as it is a large store and rather than have many floors with a few departments on them there are less floors, which occupy a larger floor area, so it's quite easy to get lost.
Armed with our map we ventured to the gift list section, which is also the area that deals with account payments and card problems. On our way we noticed that there was a gift wrapping service available too, which I thought ... more
I am getting married in March and have decided to go for a wedding list arrangement so that I don't receive 75 toasters / kettles etc, you get the picture. Also I think that it's nice to actually buy someone something they really want, rather than just crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. There were a number of shops where we could have hosted our list, or indeed we could have hosted our wedding list with a number of different stores through an online agency. We weighed up the pro's and con's of all of the options and the one that floated to the surface screaming 'pick me, pick me' was John Lewis.
*****What's it like then*****
The John Lewis I visited was a Solihull and was only opened in 2001. The store is 3 floors, with an art gallery above that has art for sale through the store. What I really appreciated was that at all entrance points to the store you should be able to find a map of the shop. Well there was a map available at the entrance that I used and I saw a few other map points at other entrances. I believe you do actually need a map for the Solihull John Lewis' as it is a large store and rather than have many floors with a few departments on them there are less floors, which occupy a larger floor area, so it's quite easy to get lost.
Armed with our map we ventured to the gift list section, which is also the area that deals with account payments and card problems. On our way we noticed that there was a gift wrapping service available too, which I thought was a nice little touch. Hopefully all our wedding gifts will come exquisitely wrapped!
*****Gift List*****
My thoughts about the store initially before visiting were that it would be old fashioned and full of expensive old fashioned items. What I found was that I was looking at the items thinking…oh, I really like that; that would be ace to get for our wedding; I wonder if someone would buy us that! So by the time we arrived to register for our gift list we were starting to get really excited.
The registration process was really easy and the lady who dealt with our query was really helpful and explained everything through really clearly. She even tripled checked our post code to see whether we were in any John Lewis free delivery area (we aren't), then asked if we had any relatives in Birmingham where we could get presents delivered to for free (we don't), so then explained that we could collect presents after the wedding, as well as selecting a few things that we could get before the wedding if we needed them for our honeymoon. Thumbs up so far on the customer service front then :o)
We were given a scanner, about the size of a Palm Pilot, which had a touch screen that you could change quantities of items on, in addition to checking what other items were in that range. That meant that you only had to scan 1 item from that range before selecting all other items from that range as well. This was a real handy feature and one that we used almost continuously. The scanner had the capability of checking your list by department, so that if you thought you had forgotten an item you could go into you list summary and double check, again this was a really handy feature.
When we registered for our list we were given a voucher for tea and pastry for 2 from the John Lewis Restaurant, this was well needed after 3 hours of wandering around Lewis's.
*****The Shop*****
John Lewis in Solihull, as I mentioned previously is 3 floors of shopping heaven. I didn't spend a massive amount of time looking at Ladies Fashions, although there was nearly a whole floor dedicated to this department (along toiletries and children's clothing). The clothes that I did see (whilst walking past) were nice looking and also looked fairly decent quality. They tended to look as if they were more suitable for the 'older' female but I'm sure with some digging you could find something for all ages. The children's clothes looked really funky and bright. There was no 'mini-adult' clothes on display which I think is a good thing. The children's clothing section also incorporated a Clarke's Shoe Shop which was busy every time we walked past, in addition to stocking a lot of branded school uniforms.
Downstairs was where the fun started to happen and is where you can find the china, glasses and silverware (a must for any wedding list), in addition to soft furnishings, lighting, clocks, art, textiles, gifts and kitchen type small appliances.
Further on downstairs was the menswear department which we didn't really look at as we had spent loads of time scanning stuff on the floor above. On this floor you will also find the audio and TV departments, large electrical appliances and seasonal items.
The range of items that you can get is fairly large, with a lot of the major names being present. The own brand John Lewis items however looked good quality and would not be something I was ashamed of buying.
One thing that did annoy me about the shop was the unrelenting heat, which made the experience slightly uncomfortable. Also the prices in the restaurant were on the astronomical side but I guess you would pay similarly for food in any major department store.
The one area in which I was pleasantly surprised was the price of the in store goods. John Lewis has always had its 'never knowingly undersold' strap line but I thought that was just for show. It seems that this pricing policy is actually adhered to. This is the reason that prices may differ from store to store as the policy only applies to locally available items.
*****What I liked about it*****
Well, there were a number of advantages about John Lewis over your typical high street department store. They allow you to purchase gifts online and you can access your list through the website. Guests can buy from your list by phoning, accessing a website or visiting a store. If they don't know what to get you they can always buy John Lewis Gift Vouchers. What also helped me choose John Lewis was that you didn't have to be restricted to things that they have in that stores stock, with a different department store I was told that I couldn't scan gifts from the main Birmingham store but could only select items from my local store (which was teensy!).
I liked the whole atmosphere of the place, and actually enjoyed shopping there (I normally hate shopping). The husband to be didn't get bored either so that was a good thing (maybe it was because we were spending other people's money!).
Feedback from other people who have hosted their lists at John Lewis was that the gifts arrived well packaged and on time. Any items that were out of stock were replaced either with vouchers or a similar item.
I know that John Lewis's can be portrayed as old fashioned and expensive, but I think that the items show good value for money. The things they sell that are readily available elsewhere tend to be decent and competitive prices and even their own brand stuff seems to compare favourable with other stores.
The staff all seemed to be cheerful and pleasant and I went away with the feeling that as a customer I was really valued. I heard a sales assistant say to a shopper that they could take the display items if they wanted (must have been the last in stock) and saw her go and fetch the box and wrap them up really securely for the chap. I haven't seen people being so nice to customers for a long time and for that John Lewis I commend you :o).
To find your nearest John Lewis Store visit johnlewis.com, for advice on pluralisation please leave me a message :o)
UPDATE - FEB 06
Well it's 5 1/2 weeks till the big day and people are starting to buy us gifts. From those that I have spoken too the process has been simple and clear (even for the slightly older relatives!). John Lewis even emailed one of my relatives who had enquired about purchasing from the list before it was open to inform them that they could now purchase things from the list :o) Ace. The website also lets you view what people have bought and what message they have left for you which somewhat spoils the surprise but is a nice addition.
Advantages: Superb department store with excellent service Disadvantages: They aren't in every high street
...experience was their purchase from John Lewis. As I believe excellent service should be praised, I just had to write this op. I shall first explain why I ended up buying my electrical goods from John Lewis and will then explain about the store in general. In doing this I will first of all discuss some of the competitors in the electrical goods market so you can see why I chose to purchase in John Lewis. ~~~My brief~~~
To buy a TV, DVD Player and ... ...thought I’d better go to John Lewis which is also in the Harlequin centre of Watford. I was immediately faced with an excellent opportunity to examine the three televisions I was particularly interested in as they just happened to be sitting side by side. I stood back and looked at all three televisions and realised that the television I really wanted was indeed the more expensive Sony model, the quality of the picture was obviously superior ...
northern_lights 11.12.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of John Lewis (Department Stores)
Advantages: John Lewis has a huge range... Disadvantages: ...weirdly laid out
...will be fighting bitterly against John Lewis.
Who El Corte Inglés are…
Many of you will whinge that you have never heard of this place, but do not fear, that is okay, for do you expect me to ramble on about something that you may not have heard of without explaining it in excessive detail.
The Spanish company have been in business for many a year and are always the top choice for the people of the Iberian peninsula. The shops are in the ... ...I am referring to the John Lewis in Kingston, Surrey. It’s not the largest store of their network but it IS the one I visit the most often therefore the one I discuss best.
And the detail you need to know on the Spanish outlet of which I speak is that it is the one in Bilbao, in northern Spain and indeed the place of which I originate [or half, anyway] so no nasty comments or indeed you are dead.
Appeal, Marketing, Parking and Attractiveness…
...
danieletheridge 28.01.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of John Lewis (Department Stores)
Advantages: Price promise, Quality, Excellent Customer Service Disadvantages: Don't do 'cheap'
...office is a branch of john Lewis. I grew up with the belief that for anything that we needed ‘to last’ could only be bought from john Lewis and my attitude has changed little since I allegedly grew up; I still feel this way. Any of you have read any of my other ops will now that I really, really love shopping. I love it so much that I have developed a bit of a talent for it, to the point that I now take girls I work with out at lunchtimes to help ... ...end of each summer holidays. John Lewis took the shop under its wing a few decades ago and it has grown steadily since; including, just a few years ago, a complete refit and expansion in size when they built over some the shabby old car park and installed a large multi-storey car park. If you can’t think where to buy something it is always worth trying bonds (as we still call it – JL dropped the name bonds only very recently and in the wilds of East ...
raeisthehippychick 19.11.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of John Lewis (Department Stores)
Advantages: Customer service, extensive range of goods, helpful staff Disadvantages: Not enough of thier stores around the country
...eight miles of their stores.
John Lewis staff will take the time & trouble to show & demonstrate goods to the customer & are usually very informative on the products they sell. Try that elsewhere!!
They also don't try & 'hard sell' warranties you don't want & never try to be pushy for a sale. Advantage John Lewis.
Of course they sell more than electrical goods, they have an extensive range of men, women's & children's clothes & footwear, haberdashery, ... ...stop working so she contacted John Lewis who passed her onto Bosch service department. They agreed a call out in 16 days time, as my mother is 81 living on her own & quite frail & ill she was concerned that she would have no cooker for 16 days. I contacted John Lewis customer services on their web site at 9pm in the evening to see what they could do for her. At 9.30am the following morning a very pleasant lady from JL offered my mother a temporary ...
ScottishWestie 04.12.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of John Lewis (Department Stores)
Advantages: Good quality, excellent range of products Disadvantages: can be more expensive (but for better quality goods)
...to start really. John Lewis is a department store, in which you can expect to find a large specialised perfume & beauty department; luggage, bags and wallets; stationary, cards and wrapping paper; games; sports equipment; clothes; haberdashery (sewing & craft stuff); electrical appliances; crockery, gifts, glasses, artwork, carpets, several clothes concessions, kitchenware, nursery things and I think that’s about it (phew, I think that's it ... ...A little history John Lewis is a part of John Lewis Partnership, with the partner being the subsidiary company Waitrose supermarkets. Last year, the annual turnover for JLP was a staggering over 4 billion with sales from the department stores accounting for £2138.0 million of that. A nice touch that the company has to make the employee feel important is not by addressing them as ‘employees’ but also as ‘partners’ and by the ...
Fishbulb 07.10.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of John Lewis (Department Stores)
Layout & presentation
Selection & range
In store customer service
Staff knowledge
Waiting / queues
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Advantages: Over eighty shops in one place Disadvantages: Teenages hang out round here
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Advantages: Convenience Disadvantages: Poor customer service
telling me (am i missing out n some kind of in joke?) i found to be very poor service.
I have never shopped there before but from now on - i think a trip to JohnLewis or a departmentstore is preferable. That or i will ask a male member of the family to sort it out just as they used to!!
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Advantages: Great range, pretty styles, reasonable prices. Disadvantages: Stores are not nationwide
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For information of those with big busts i can tell you the following:
# M&S go up to F cup but very few styles.
# La senza and Ann Summers go up to E cup.
# If money is no object, departmentstores like debenhams and Johnlewis will have a variety of styles for you.
# Don't even bother with high street stores like Dot Perks, Topshop and Miss Selfridge. They don't go higher than a D and these are rare. ...
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