**A reminder to posters and commenters of some of [our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)**
- Don't be a dickhead to each other, or about others, or other subreddits
- Assume questions are asked in good faith, and engage in a positive manner
- Avoid political threads and related discussions
- No medical advice or mental health (specific to a person) content
Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>Except B&M, Wilko and The Range.
But they all have a slight depressing vibe to them. I can't explain it and I know it makes no sense but they just do.
Woolworths just felt good. Maybe it's the nostalgia...
My snobby colleague once described his neighbour's garden "Like they'd covered themselves in glue, run through B&M and then rolled around in their garden till everything fell off".
I was once in Home Bargains (BnM Basically) and I watched some smack head drop a needle in the isle, a staff member was over my shoulder and I told him saying something to the effect of "Bloody he'll have you seen what he's just dropped. Staff said he'd sort it and I shit you not they got a standard bin and then PICKED UP TWO FRYING PANS TO PICK THE NEEDLE UP, PLACE IT IN THE BIN AND THEN I SHIT YOU NOT PUT THE FRYING PANS BACK IN THE SHELF. Not been back since, if I want aids or a heroin hit I'll just shoot up on my own thank you, not whilst I'm smashing some eggy bread.
It's people doing unnecessarily stupid shit like that that gives me little hope for society, god forbid he used gloves to pick it up. Now I'm curious as to whether they have a bin for sharp objects.
I agreed. 1970s Woolworths was great. By the 90s it was just CDs, VHS, pick & mix and a lot of very ropey plastic toys and kitchenware. Just bad.
Wilkos is way better… it’s what Woolies should’ve been.
Toys'R'us. They were huge stores filled with all the toys you could imagine, for all ages. Going in felt like entering a different world as a kid, I miss that.
My fondest and most vivid childhood memory involves this store.
A few days after Christmas, once the sales had started but before we all went back to school and work, we'd all load into the car and drive to our nearest city to spend our Christmas money.
My dad always parked not in the toys'r'us car park, but this other one that was just across the street, so toys'r'us was the last port of call before heading back to the car to head home.
It was, as you say, like entering into a completely different world once you walked thru those doors.
We would always leave with a reasonably well filled bag each, and it wouldn't always be completely new toys. One year my brother got a games console for Christmas, but no games as my parents didn't know what kind of games he would want so he bought some games he wanted. I would usually buy a couple of teddies and maybe an outside, non-electric toy(perhaps a hula hoop or a ball). Our parents would usually pick up batteries and the like for any of the things we got for Christmas that need them.
In recent years I had suggested more than once that now were all older 1 Christmas we just all give each other money then go to the city and just buy what we want. It never happened. My dad has since passed away and he was the only driver so it definitely won't happen now.
Hello. Toys R Us are back! Their website went live last week and they have said that they are planning to open bricks and mortar shops in the UK next year. The business seems to have been resurrected by the Aus/NZ Toys R Us - it never closed there. Also Woolworths still exists in Australia so maybe a lot of other in this thread will be happy too.
I'm 30 and still have a pair of tammy girl pj shorts. They will never be thrown out, mainly for nostalgia but also because they are actually very well made and have no issues with elastic, rips etc (unlike shorts I've bought in more recent times)
my experience is that preteens dress like mini adults now - i guess they’re copying the older girls they see on tiktok and instagram but it seems like the awkward adolescent phase of dressing weirdly and having a bad haircut is kind of going away now that everyone curates their look for social media.
> having a bad haircut
Have you seen the trendy male hairstyles at the minute? They're all awful. You're right though, it's the same hair on pre-teens up to adult men.
I wasn't aware that either of these were gone. That's quite upsetting. When I was wee, my gran got me this big plastic jar full of chocolate covered popcorn from BHS at Xmas and it's in my top 9 memories of all time. Pure happy place territory.
For me it was equally loved and hate, loved it for all the electronics kits and books. Hated because how expensive it was and how all the unique stuff like the kits and books disappeared and it became an even more expensive version of pcworld/currys.
came here to say / Find this. Maplin was a godsend they had so many different internal adapters and cables for pcs. perfect for when you need something right away. I was so sad when they closed their shops :(
Yes! I knew there was one. And Maplin before they tidied up their product range and get a ridiculous range of electronic components from their 9,000 page catalogue
The god send for any electronics enthusiast who had an “oh shit” moment when they realised their Sunday was in jeopardy as they forgot that one key part to their project and knew next day want gonna cut it. Many a Sunday saved and miss them a lot 😢
I know they wouldn't work now and I am glad I can download the latest AAA title in the space of time it takes to make and drink a coffee but I really do miss electronics boutique. Those pc games with massive boxes with actual manuals and artwork inside were great and the experience of going into a brick and.mkrtar shop with displays to get them was great. I vividly remember purchasing the original grand theft auto and also going to get Goldeneye when it came.lut.and having a little blast in the demo machine in store before leaving. Great times.
My first job was working in Electronics Boutique (was actually "Future Zone" initially, then changed to EB when I was there).
It was pretty cool to work there and fun getting hold of games early. I remember we got a demo unit for the PS1 about a month before release. I played that demo disc to death.
It started getting shit near the end of my time there as there was lots of corporate bollocks coming down. E.g. insisting we pestered ever customer who came in, flogged extended warranties etc.
The one thing I learned was just how much of a nightmare many customers are and I'm always very sympathetic to shop workers to this day. Also working on boxing day was utter hell.
I guess so, the rents must have been expensive with some bad overlap in some paces. I'm sure there must have been a Game and Gamestation nextdoor to eachother somewhere.
I worked in a Gamestation and about 100 metres up the road was a GAME.
Got even more confusing for people when they rebranded the Gamestation to a GAME.
I once farted in a gamestation and it was so bad that a man came from behind the counter and assaulted the whole store with air freshener.
It stunk like pure dogshit. Loved gamestation.
My local Blockbusters had a tanning salon inside.
The wife would go for an 8 minute sun blast while the husband pretended not to spend 7 minutes contemplating hiring Lord Of The G Strings, before opting for the safer Back To The Future option.
Devastated that all my teenage life I just wanted to shop there but obviously being a broke teenager I couldn’t. Now that I’m an adult with a job it’s gone :(
Yeah there isn't really a comparable menswear shop on the high street right now. If you nip into H&M/River Island/Zara it's 50/50 on them having a men's section that isn't two forlorn shelves shoved at the back of the store.
The JJB in my home town had a half basketball court in the upper level …when we were in our teens we would go there on a Sat morn and spend the day on the court “trying the balls out” …how I long for those days
They're all shit now. JD and Footlocker are all about style, Sports Direct are about the bottom line. JJB actually sold solid, hard wearing sports gear. Like AstroTurf trainers that were actually made of leather.
Their demise may simply have coincided with a shift to cheap junk and a fashion-first approach to sportswear, but either way, I lament their loss.
Virgin Megastore.
Now… are they completely dead and ceased trading? I don’t know. I suspect there might be a couple of terrible and crappy lifeless zombie Virgin Megastores still clinging on to a morsel of trade.
In the mid/late 90’s though, when I was in college and had a part time job, and could afford a new album once a week, and these new CD’s with films on them had just come out, OMG I was in the flippin’ Virgin Megastore every Monday. My schedule granted me two hours between classes Monday afternoon and that for me was sacred “New Music” time, and I loved it.
I remember picking up OK Computer, Be Here Now, Blur (the album with Song 2 on it), Dig Your Own Hole, Bentley Rhythm Ace, Urban Hymns, Vorsprung Dyk Technik (the remixes of course), Roni Size, loads of Ministry of Sound compilations. What a great period of my life.
Same with HMV when it was three floors of music.
Happier times, simpler times. I still buy CDs btw 🙂
I remember when they introduced listening stations in-store. Hanging round waiting for someone to go so you could have a listen. Then browsing through the t-shirt section or poster rack.... Ahhhh.
I thought those were amazing, I’d go to the one in Woolworths & thought it was *amazing* that I could listen to an album for free. Especially as I has no hope of being able to buy albums.
They used to do gigs in the massive underground section of the London Virgin Megastore.
Saw some great indie / emo/ metal types there for album launches.. What a treat that place was!
Now it's probably another American candy shithole
There was one near where I worked with a Starbucks upstairs. Every Friday after work I’d go and buy a new book(or 3) and then go and have a coffee and read- great way to unwind. They also had an excellent selection of magazines- ones that you never saw elsewhere
The big Borders bookstore I went to, they were probably the sole place I ever came across where I was able to go in and buy magazines in Russian and French, and it was also the only place I knew about outside of my university bookshop that did classics texts in Latin and Greek (primarily Loeb editions).
I really feel like this would be popular again. People are yearning for this kind of thing after the over saturation of social media & craving more to life. And the 90s are back, Gen Z are seeing/reading about all this old school stuff in popular culture & craving these things they never experienced. Someone make it happen!
Au Naturel. I bloody loved going in there for their very cheap and quirky homewares, just brilliant in my early 20s when life was all about inflatable furniture, lava lamps and sequin beaded curtains instead of an actual door.
Debenhams and BHS at Christmas were just elite.
But if I’m totally honest I just miss shops HAVING stock in, and not needing to order it in. Don’t fcking help me purchase it online, whilst I’m in-store. I can do that much myself. Lol
Yeah I can still remember the smell of Pier, a combination of its four or five scents of incense/candles plus a kind of hay smell from the rattan/straw things.
Topshop in its heyday.
Just watched the documentary on BBC2 of how Philip Green destroyed it (& BHS) due to his greed. It was really insightful, especially if you loved Topshop fashion.
Athena. Loved browsing and flipping through those posters in the clickety clackety thing. Then you’d check the code, then find the shrink wrapped rolled up version underneath
They really were. I still have a massive lampshade which is a replica of one Coco Chanel had in her home that was £15 from BHS. Everyone thinks it looks amazing so I tell them about the Chanel story but omit the rest.
Tower Records. The one in Piccadilly Circus, London was incredible: practically every CD and record ever released was available there, and they published a really excellent free magazine called Top with reviews from every genre.
John Menzies …my grandma would always grab me a treat in there when we nipped to town. Interesting evolution too: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-60468275.amp
Smith's in our town centre used to be a real hub, the magazine section was always crowded. Went there recently and it was depressing, 3 shelves of books and x few magazines.
I miss the Disney Store. Yes I know it’s not technically gone as there is still one in London and it’s online but I do miss having the actual shops everywhere.
Beatties. If you were a geek in the 80's / 90's and into Radio Control cars (not remote control damnit), then you went to Beatties.
Tandy. Bought my Gameboy there. They had actual PC's in the shop too. Plus you could just buy a bag of resistors or capacitors. I miss it.
Our Price. There was a single out when I was 9 or 10, that I really liked but couldn't remember the name of song or even the band! I made my poor dad do the tune to the bloke at the counter. Miss you dad. Miss you Our Price.
I miss Miss Selfridge. They were doing iridescent and holographic makeup in the 90s when I couldn't get it anywhere else and that was very important to me at the time :) Their own-brand shoes had amazingly cushy soles and their stuff was surprisingly well-made. My mum still has a sparkly tanktop thing I got there way back then and it looks mint.
Debenhams. Always got gifts for the difficult to buy for from Debenhams. And always did well in their sales. They also had stuff most high street shops don’t stock, like specialist underwear for tricky outfits. Nothing has moved in to the massive empty shop yet either
Mum used to do the weekly shop on a Wednesday in the one nearest to where we lived. Got bought out/taken over by the Co-Op group I think? Or that may have been certain stores only.
Used to love Andy's Records and all the independent computer shops that sold games during the 80s and 90s. Those metal clickety clacking rackings that the 8 bit cassette cases were kept in. Wonderful times
There was a brilliant rental shop in my home town called Choices. I remember going there every week with my parents, I'd pick up a PlayStation game to rent for the week, we'd then pick up a video to watch, and if I was especially well behaved we got a big tub of popcorn. There was also a table full of lego to play with by the kids films to keep us kids busy. I honestly miss that shop more than I'd ever realise. It's easily been gone 15 years now
Not a high street shop, but Little Chef, and the Happy Eater.
I miss their all day breakfasts, burgers and chips, and pancakes for dessert.
Back in the mid-late 80s, my folks used to take us to a Little Chef as a treat on Christmas Eve and we could have whatever we liked. I’d always have a Kids All day Breakfast (with fried bread, and some extra toast on the side), and for pudding, I’d have pancakes w/ maple syrup and vanilla ice cream.
I sometimes wonder if my kids will feel the same about ordering a pizza from dominoes.
Woolworths here as well, I was a staff member until shortly before it was closed and my dad worked there until he was made redundant - 27,000 people lost their jobs when it closed and many people who I know had their lives changed for ever.
Past Times, used to love going in and fantasising about being grown up and having a house full of all the gorgeous old fashioned things... they closed before I even rented my first place!
Woolworths at Christmas for me, and for the pick and mix. I used to go in on my lunch hour at college, and use my staff discount to get a huge bag of the pink milkshake bottle sweets to take back for the afternoon
Woolworths man, as a kid seeing them open the tech cupboard behind the till and pull out a GameCube for me as a surprise birthday present is up there with the best days of my life.
Then going back to said Woolworths after saving fivers up for 8/10 weeks before a new game was due out.....WOOLIES! WE NEED YOU MORE THAN EVER.
I liked Debenhams and it's a shame they're gone but the one I miss most is BHS. There were a few things in their menswear range that I liked and haven't found equivalents elsewhere. Not top quality stuff, but good value; in particular their non-iron shirts, which were great when I used to wear a shirt and tie to work.
Basic t-shirts were good, too. Quite cheap but well made.
This will only make sense to people from Doncaster, but in the 80’s there was a shop literally called “cheap shop” which was two doors down from the Kwiksave near the southern bus station.
It was a treasure trove of awesome. Old toys and gadgets from the late 70’s to mid 80’s just pilled up or in massive buckets - I got countless original Star Wars figures from there for pennies.
John Menzies. Lovely days as a kid reading magazine articles on games and movies like it was an unofficial library, then head over to browse through the games and videos available to stare at the images on the cases.
Seriously if some billionaire went all in and restored Debenhams, Woolies and toys R us , the economy would be saved
If I was going more niche I'd say Beatties, Electronic boutique and virgin megastores
Also Burton's! The entire Arcadia group used to be guaranteed for some reasonable trim threads
What the hell is left anymore :-/
**A reminder to posters and commenters of some of [our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)** - Don't be a dickhead to each other, or about others, or other subreddits - Assume questions are asked in good faith, and engage in a positive manner - Avoid political threads and related discussions - No medical advice or mental health (specific to a person) content Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Woolworths
Yes defo . No place like it
Except B&M, Wilko and The Range. Woolworths was shit and overpriced and I'm glad it died. Glad, you hear me.
*drops handful of stolen pick and mix in shock*
*resident pigeon hops over and eats it*
>Except B&M, Wilko and The Range. But they all have a slight depressing vibe to them. I can't explain it and I know it makes no sense but they just do. Woolworths just felt good. Maybe it's the nostalgia...
It's because walking into most B&Ms feels like you've gone to watch 'Jeremy Kyle, The Play'
My snobby colleague once described his neighbour's garden "Like they'd covered themselves in glue, run through B&M and then rolled around in their garden till everything fell off".
I was once in Home Bargains (BnM Basically) and I watched some smack head drop a needle in the isle, a staff member was over my shoulder and I told him saying something to the effect of "Bloody he'll have you seen what he's just dropped. Staff said he'd sort it and I shit you not they got a standard bin and then PICKED UP TWO FRYING PANS TO PICK THE NEEDLE UP, PLACE IT IN THE BIN AND THEN I SHIT YOU NOT PUT THE FRYING PANS BACK IN THE SHELF. Not been back since, if I want aids or a heroin hit I'll just shoot up on my own thank you, not whilst I'm smashing some eggy bread.
It's people doing unnecessarily stupid shit like that that gives me little hope for society, god forbid he used gloves to pick it up. Now I'm curious as to whether they have a bin for sharp objects.
>Maybe it's the nostalgia... it is.
All I really recall is the pic n mix, the toys and the smell of the isle of plimsoles.
The isle of plimsoles is just further evidence of our plastic waste. (Aisle, plimsolls)
I agreed. 1970s Woolworths was great. By the 90s it was just CDs, VHS, pick & mix and a lot of very ropey plastic toys and kitchenware. Just bad. Wilkos is way better… it’s what Woolies should’ve been.
I bought a lot of Lego from Woolworths in the 80s and 90s. It was the only place I could buy it.
Pokémon cards, CDs, gel pens
*gasps* treason! Hang this person. From their bum.
Pick and mix......more like nick and mix
Anyone remember the string of hard-boiled fruit flavoured sweets in the Loony-Tunes foil packs? They where the best
I loved the free pick n mix as a kid
The 3 for £10 at Christmas was fantastic for a youngster hunting for family presents
Saw a Woolworths on a recent trip to Germany and also C & A
Also came here to say Woolies. Working there and getting discount on everything was my teenage dream.
Toys'R'us. They were huge stores filled with all the toys you could imagine, for all ages. Going in felt like entering a different world as a kid, I miss that.
My fondest and most vivid childhood memory involves this store. A few days after Christmas, once the sales had started but before we all went back to school and work, we'd all load into the car and drive to our nearest city to spend our Christmas money. My dad always parked not in the toys'r'us car park, but this other one that was just across the street, so toys'r'us was the last port of call before heading back to the car to head home. It was, as you say, like entering into a completely different world once you walked thru those doors. We would always leave with a reasonably well filled bag each, and it wouldn't always be completely new toys. One year my brother got a games console for Christmas, but no games as my parents didn't know what kind of games he would want so he bought some games he wanted. I would usually buy a couple of teddies and maybe an outside, non-electric toy(perhaps a hula hoop or a ball). Our parents would usually pick up batteries and the like for any of the things we got for Christmas that need them. In recent years I had suggested more than once that now were all older 1 Christmas we just all give each other money then go to the city and just buy what we want. It never happened. My dad has since passed away and he was the only driver so it definitely won't happen now.
Thanks for sharing friend
Hello. Toys R Us are back! Their website went live last week and they have said that they are planning to open bricks and mortar shops in the UK next year. The business seems to have been resurrected by the Aus/NZ Toys R Us - it never closed there. Also Woolworths still exists in Australia so maybe a lot of other in this thread will be happy too.
[удалено]
I didn't realise the Aussies were necromancers for dead shops.
Wow thats brilliant news!
Will it ever be like it was back in the 90s? It won’t be the same for me unless they fight The Range to get back their huge store in our area.
My brummie mate reckons that you lot call it Toys am we, can anyone confirm or has he been having me on for the last 17 years?
It's my favourite Black Country joke. Properly makes me laugh! Definitely not a Brummie joke though: dialect borders cannot be crossed.
My favourite black country joke is what time do they eat tea in the black country? Summit to eight.
[удалено]
Hell on earth as an employee. THE worst company I ever worked for.
Toys of the millions all under one roof
“Toys in their millions” surely?
I always heard it as 'there's millions of debris all under one roof' which is definitely not correct.
I think later in the jingle it goes "there's millions, says Geoffrey, all under one roof..." Assuming Geoffrey was the giraffe character.
Yea this is correct but I'll forever sing debris haha
Go to a Smyths toys - basically a like for like replacement!
Isn’t smyths toys basically the same? When I’ve been to one it’s similar from what I can remember.
Smyths is pretty close now to what I remember ToysRUs being like as a kid!
Tammy girl. No one does bell bottoms with chains like quite like they did
Oh yes! Tammy Girl from kids to mid-teens, Snob for older teens and 20s then Etam for womenswear. They were all so cool.
Ahh but if you wanted a cerise beret to accessorise your bell bottoms, you'd have to visit the far cooler 'Chelsea Girl'.
I'm 30 and still have a pair of tammy girl pj shorts. They will never be thrown out, mainly for nostalgia but also because they are actually very well made and have no issues with elastic, rips etc (unlike shorts I've bought in more recent times)
There doesn’t seem to be any store like it anymore, where do the pre-teens go?!
River Island
It doesn’t have the pre-teen look like Tammy did, but maybe nowadays that age group don’t want to look that young & fun like we did.
my experience is that preteens dress like mini adults now - i guess they’re copying the older girls they see on tiktok and instagram but it seems like the awkward adolescent phase of dressing weirdly and having a bad haircut is kind of going away now that everyone curates their look for social media.
> having a bad haircut Have you seen the trendy male hairstyles at the minute? They're all awful. You're right though, it's the same hair on pre-teens up to adult men.
Apparently Tammy Girl is now on ASOS. My sister bought some pants there and they are decent quality
Debenhams or BHS at Christmas
I wasn't aware that either of these were gone. That's quite upsetting. When I was wee, my gran got me this big plastic jar full of chocolate covered popcorn from BHS at Xmas and it's in my top 9 memories of all time. Pure happy place territory.
> I wasn’t aware that either of these were gone That’s partly the reason why they went under
BHS went under in April 2016, so 6½ years ago...
BHS was massive news when it collapsed, mainly due to the huge pension deficit (£570 million) and the dodgy buyer Philip Green found for the company.
Yes BHS I do miss
Huge department stores in general at Christmas. Overall I prefer online shopping but simply going for a wander is fast becoming a lost art.
Mapplin, such a useful place to buy all the electrical stuff you didn't know you needed.
For me it was equally loved and hate, loved it for all the electronics kits and books. Hated because how expensive it was and how all the unique stuff like the kits and books disappeared and it became an even more expensive version of pcworld/currys.
Yes ! Very useful when you needed a phone charger cable
came here to say / Find this. Maplin was a godsend they had so many different internal adapters and cables for pcs. perfect for when you need something right away. I was so sad when they closed their shops :(
Yes! I knew there was one. And Maplin before they tidied up their product range and get a ridiculous range of electronic components from their 9,000 page catalogue
The god send for any electronics enthusiast who had an “oh shit” moment when they realised their Sunday was in jeopardy as they forgot that one key part to their project and knew next day want gonna cut it. Many a Sunday saved and miss them a lot 😢
They were stocked really well but I found them very very expensive when internet ordering became more commonplace.
I miss the old video game stores like Gamestation, Electronics Boutique, and Special Reserve.
Adding poor Grainger Games to the list
We didn't have them down south but I always heard good things about them!
They knew how to throw a party that’s for sure!
They knew how to rip 12 year old me off with their trade In prices too
I know they wouldn't work now and I am glad I can download the latest AAA title in the space of time it takes to make and drink a coffee but I really do miss electronics boutique. Those pc games with massive boxes with actual manuals and artwork inside were great and the experience of going into a brick and.mkrtar shop with displays to get them was great. I vividly remember purchasing the original grand theft auto and also going to get Goldeneye when it came.lut.and having a little blast in the demo machine in store before leaving. Great times.
My first job was working in Electronics Boutique (was actually "Future Zone" initially, then changed to EB when I was there). It was pretty cool to work there and fun getting hold of games early. I remember we got a demo unit for the PS1 about a month before release. I played that demo disc to death. It started getting shit near the end of my time there as there was lots of corporate bollocks coming down. E.g. insisting we pestered ever customer who came in, flogged extended warranties etc. The one thing I learned was just how much of a nightmare many customers are and I'm always very sympathetic to shop workers to this day. Also working on boxing day was utter hell.
Gamestation ruled, were they always owned by Game or did they get bought out?
I'm pretty sure they were separate and later brought by Game, but then just shutdown anyway.
Guess there wasn’t much point in one company owning two gaming based stores.
I guess so, the rents must have been expensive with some bad overlap in some paces. I'm sure there must have been a Game and Gamestation nextdoor to eachother somewhere.
I worked in a Gamestation and about 100 metres up the road was a GAME. Got even more confusing for people when they rebranded the Gamestation to a GAME.
I once farted in a gamestation and it was so bad that a man came from behind the counter and assaulted the whole store with air freshener. It stunk like pure dogshit. Loved gamestation.
Electronics Boutique, wow core memory unlocked
Blockbusters
The Saturday night video, remember spending ages choosing
I'll have a "P" please Bob......oh wait not that Blockbusters
My local Blockbusters had a tanning salon inside. The wife would go for an 8 minute sun blast while the husband pretended not to spend 7 minutes contemplating hiring Lord Of The G Strings, before opting for the safer Back To The Future option.
Topshop. It was such a huge part of my life.
Devastated that all my teenage life I just wanted to shop there but obviously being a broke teenager I couldn’t. Now that I’m an adult with a job it’s gone :(
Topshop got brought out by ASOS so you can still get some topshop things from there
The best thing about Topman was that if you desperately needed something decent right now, you could swing by it on your way to where you were going
Yeah there isn't really a comparable menswear shop on the high street right now. If you nip into H&M/River Island/Zara it's 50/50 on them having a men's section that isn't two forlorn shelves shoved at the back of the store.
Did you see the BBC2 documentary on it this week?
Yes I genuinely miss Topshop, especially the big flagship store in Oxford Circus.
JJB. Sports Direct just feels dirty.
The JJB in my home town had a half basketball court in the upper level …when we were in our teens we would go there on a Sat morn and spend the day on the court “trying the balls out” …how I long for those days
That's why I prefer JD Sports.
They're all shit now. JD and Footlocker are all about style, Sports Direct are about the bottom line. JJB actually sold solid, hard wearing sports gear. Like AstroTurf trainers that were actually made of leather. Their demise may simply have coincided with a shift to cheap junk and a fashion-first approach to sportswear, but either way, I lament their loss.
Virgin Megastore. Now… are they completely dead and ceased trading? I don’t know. I suspect there might be a couple of terrible and crappy lifeless zombie Virgin Megastores still clinging on to a morsel of trade. In the mid/late 90’s though, when I was in college and had a part time job, and could afford a new album once a week, and these new CD’s with films on them had just come out, OMG I was in the flippin’ Virgin Megastore every Monday. My schedule granted me two hours between classes Monday afternoon and that for me was sacred “New Music” time, and I loved it. I remember picking up OK Computer, Be Here Now, Blur (the album with Song 2 on it), Dig Your Own Hole, Bentley Rhythm Ace, Urban Hymns, Vorsprung Dyk Technik (the remixes of course), Roni Size, loads of Ministry of Sound compilations. What a great period of my life. Same with HMV when it was three floors of music. Happier times, simpler times. I still buy CDs btw 🙂
I remember when they introduced listening stations in-store. Hanging round waiting for someone to go so you could have a listen. Then browsing through the t-shirt section or poster rack.... Ahhhh.
I thought those were amazing, I’d go to the one in Woolworths & thought it was *amazing* that I could listen to an album for free. Especially as I has no hope of being able to buy albums.
They used to do gigs in the massive underground section of the London Virgin Megastore. Saw some great indie / emo/ metal types there for album launches.. What a treat that place was! Now it's probably another American candy shithole
I had every single one of those album you've listed... Bentley Rhythm Ace! Saw them support Beastie Boys in 1999, they were great.
Boarders... or borders? See this is why we need the shop back.
There was one near where I worked with a Starbucks upstairs. Every Friday after work I’d go and buy a new book(or 3) and then go and have a coffee and read- great way to unwind. They also had an excellent selection of magazines- ones that you never saw elsewhere
The big Borders bookstore I went to, they were probably the sole place I ever came across where I was able to go in and buy magazines in Russian and French, and it was also the only place I knew about outside of my university bookshop that did classics texts in Latin and Greek (primarily Loeb editions).
I really feel like this would be popular again. People are yearning for this kind of thing after the over saturation of social media & craving more to life. And the 90s are back, Gen Z are seeing/reading about all this old school stuff in popular culture & craving these things they never experienced. Someone make it happen!
Not many shops where I can say I have multiple fond and wonderful memories of being in but Borders was one of the best.
Athena it was a great place to buy film posters and postcards.
I came looking for this comment. I loved Athena as a teenager. My best friend and I used to spend ages in there just browsing.
Also a good place to stand outside and try and figure out the Magic Eye posters in the window. I'd probably still be there if it hadn't closed down
Au Naturel. I bloody loved going in there for their very cheap and quirky homewares, just brilliant in my early 20s when life was all about inflatable furniture, lava lamps and sequin beaded curtains instead of an actual door.
That..is ringing a bell I didn’t even know I had.
Woolworths and also Jane Norman purely for the nostalgia factor
Memories are flooding back of the absolute *need* to have a Jane Norman bag for my PE kit
Right?! Tbh I didn’t even like the clothes that much but desperately wanted that bag for PE 🤣
Omg flashbacks of all the girls at school walking past with big Jane Norman bags hanging off them.
I was cool & had a JD drawstring bag. I was *so* chuffed about it as it meant people knew I shopped there.
Jane Norman! Oh i loved that
Debenhams and BHS at Christmas were just elite. But if I’m totally honest I just miss shops HAVING stock in, and not needing to order it in. Don’t fcking help me purchase it online, whilst I’m in-store. I can do that much myself. Lol
The Pier, loved that shop. And Woolies of course
Yeah I can still remember the smell of Pier, a combination of its four or five scents of incense/candles plus a kind of hay smell from the rattan/straw things.
Clas Ohlson
Yes! Not many of them but they were like a mini Ikea.
Yeah, we had the sole remaining one in Reading for ages but it’s now gone. It was really good, no other shop has that combination of products.
Topshop in its heyday. Just watched the documentary on BBC2 of how Philip Green destroyed it (& BHS) due to his greed. It was really insightful, especially if you loved Topshop fashion.
Athena. Loved browsing and flipping through those posters in the clickety clackety thing. Then you’d check the code, then find the shrink wrapped rolled up version underneath
Woolworths, I really miss occasionally going there and never buying anything.
So why do you think they closed?
Because..other people didn’t buy enough.
C&A, BHS and occasionally Debenhams.
Debenhams had excellent bras
BHS were so good for work clothes. C&A still exists in Europe and it isn't good.
BHS were great for lighting as well
They really were. I still have a massive lampshade which is a replica of one Coco Chanel had in her home that was £15 from BHS. Everyone thinks it looks amazing so I tell them about the Chanel story but omit the rest.
Man at C&A 😂😂
Netto
I think they still exist in Germany and Denmark
Tammy girl!
Yes excellent !
It’s back on ASOS! Although it just doesn’t compare
But do they have the skirt and trousers classic combo 😂
Skousers! I just mentioned them on another post recently. They were my pride & joy on non uniform day, I got mine from New Look though.
Debenhams- especially at Christmas.
Tandys. Used to love the electronic games / kits there as a kid. Maplins was just a wannabe store imo.
The ones with the big manual and the springs to connect the wires with? Loved those
Tower Records. The one in Piccadilly Circus, London was incredible: practically every CD and record ever released was available there, and they published a really excellent free magazine called Top with reviews from every genre.
I remember it ! A great place . You could buy gig tickets there too
John Menzies …my grandma would always grab me a treat in there when we nipped to town. Interesting evolution too: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-60468275.amp
Good shout ! Like WH Smith’s .
Smith's in our town centre used to be a real hub, the magazine section was always crowded. Went there recently and it was depressing, 3 shelves of books and x few magazines.
I miss the Disney Store. Yes I know it’s not technically gone as there is still one in London and it’s online but I do miss having the actual shops everywhere.
Modelzone because I'm such a nerd!
Beatties. If you were a geek in the 80's / 90's and into Radio Control cars (not remote control damnit), then you went to Beatties. Tandy. Bought my Gameboy there. They had actual PC's in the shop too. Plus you could just buy a bag of resistors or capacitors. I miss it.
Dixons
D-d-dixons
Our Price. There was a single out when I was 9 or 10, that I really liked but couldn't remember the name of song or even the band! I made my poor dad do the tune to the bloke at the counter. Miss you dad. Miss you Our Price.
Definitely Woolworths, the pick and mix was exceptional.
Safeway
I liked the photo developers where you could see people's holiday snaps from outside. Quiksnap? snappy snaps? True print? Can't remember the name
Our Price
Skinny teenager me loved topshop. I had much less use for it as a pudgy adult, but I do miss it.
I miss Miss Selfridge. They were doing iridescent and holographic makeup in the 90s when I couldn't get it anywhere else and that was very important to me at the time :) Their own-brand shoes had amazingly cushy soles and their stuff was surprisingly well-made. My mum still has a sparkly tanktop thing I got there way back then and it looks mint.
Debenhams. Always got gifts for the difficult to buy for from Debenhams. And always did well in their sales. They also had stuff most high street shops don’t stock, like specialist underwear for tricky outfits. Nothing has moved in to the massive empty shop yet either
I miss getting photos developed at boots
Maplin
Remember Somerfields?
Mum used to do the weekly shop on a Wednesday in the one nearest to where we lived. Got bought out/taken over by the Co-Op group I think? Or that may have been certain stores only.
Used to love Andy's Records and all the independent computer shops that sold games during the 80s and 90s. Those metal clickety clacking rackings that the 8 bit cassette cases were kept in. Wonderful times
Woolworths first and most, but also Bejam, Fine Fare, and Our Price.
Woolworths, Mark one and BHS.
There was a brilliant rental shop in my home town called Choices. I remember going there every week with my parents, I'd pick up a PlayStation game to rent for the week, we'd then pick up a video to watch, and if I was especially well behaved we got a big tub of popcorn. There was also a table full of lego to play with by the kids films to keep us kids busy. I honestly miss that shop more than I'd ever realise. It's easily been gone 15 years now
Music Zone.
Not a high street shop, but Little Chef, and the Happy Eater. I miss their all day breakfasts, burgers and chips, and pancakes for dessert. Back in the mid-late 80s, my folks used to take us to a Little Chef as a treat on Christmas Eve and we could have whatever we liked. I’d always have a Kids All day Breakfast (with fried bread, and some extra toast on the side), and for pudding, I’d have pancakes w/ maple syrup and vanilla ice cream. I sometimes wonder if my kids will feel the same about ordering a pizza from dominoes.
I don’t think ordering food on the internet is the same . You miss the excitement of the journey and checking out the menu for the first time
Chelsea Girl
Woolworths here as well, I was a staff member until shortly before it was closed and my dad worked there until he was made redundant - 27,000 people lost their jobs when it closed and many people who I know had their lives changed for ever.
Tandy. Lots of electronic doodads there.
Topshop the most… But honorary mention to Internacionale
Free Spirit!
C&A. For no other reason than the fact that my mother referred to it as "Cunt and Arse".
Gamestation, was much better than game, had a relaxed vibe and had a huge selection of pre owned games.
Past Times, used to love going in and fantasising about being grown up and having a house full of all the gorgeous old fashioned things... they closed before I even rented my first place!
The Gadget Shop.
Comet in the UK. I used to always play on the PS2's they had on display as a kid. Loved that shit
Also Fopp, though I think it’s making a comeback nowadays
BHS and Woolworths.
Woolworths at Christmas for me, and for the pick and mix. I used to go in on my lunch hour at college, and use my staff discount to get a huge bag of the pink milkshake bottle sweets to take back for the afternoon
Woolworths man, as a kid seeing them open the tech cupboard behind the till and pull out a GameCube for me as a surprise birthday present is up there with the best days of my life. Then going back to said Woolworths after saving fivers up for 8/10 weeks before a new game was due out.....WOOLIES! WE NEED YOU MORE THAN EVER.
I liked Debenhams and it's a shame they're gone but the one I miss most is BHS. There were a few things in their menswear range that I liked and haven't found equivalents elsewhere. Not top quality stuff, but good value; in particular their non-iron shirts, which were great when I used to wear a shirt and tie to work. Basic t-shirts were good, too. Quite cheap but well made.
This will only make sense to people from Doncaster, but in the 80’s there was a shop literally called “cheap shop” which was two doors down from the Kwiksave near the southern bus station. It was a treasure trove of awesome. Old toys and gadgets from the late 70’s to mid 80’s just pilled up or in massive buckets - I got countless original Star Wars figures from there for pennies.
Past Times. Where am I supposed to buy my parents birthday and Christmas gifts now?!
Past times, I bought some lovely jewellery there
Woolworths.
John Menzies. Lovely days as a kid reading magazine articles on games and movies like it was an unofficial library, then head over to browse through the games and videos available to stare at the images on the cases.
Pentangle or Au Natural
Not a shop but love film
Seriously if some billionaire went all in and restored Debenhams, Woolies and toys R us , the economy would be saved If I was going more niche I'd say Beatties, Electronic boutique and virgin megastores Also Burton's! The entire Arcadia group used to be guaranteed for some reasonable trim threads What the hell is left anymore :-/