Frenchgate Shopping Centre is a modern-day "Fawlty Tower's" and is one of the worst indoor shopping…read morecentres, I've seen serving a large town or city. The mall had a kind of sad atmosphere, many units were left empty or abandoned, with many of the store's that remain being small/poor stores, such as a Sainsbury's where I couldn't find anything which I needed. The security staff seemed unhelpful and lazy, they didn't care or stop children running around and playing ball games, shouting and screaming around the centre, it felt like a place for unruly troublesome thugs than a place to shop. The mobile signal in and around the centre is also non-existent, despite Doncaster having 5G, and my iPhone 12 Pro Max supporting this, I was barely able to access 3G! I also think it was frustrating that the majority of stores within the mall close at around 17:30, which is pretty early, even Sainsbury's shuts at 7 pm. There was some construction around the mall, which seemed unsafe and many lifts were not in working order. They did have a small number of eateries, but a lack of big brands in that regard, with Nando's and a pizza joint (such as Pizza Express) missing. 1* - A big letdown for the people of Doncaster, if you need a shopping centre in Doncaster, head to the train station outside the mall and head to Meadowhall, which is a twenty-minute journey.

The Frenchgate centre was revamped and massively extended a couple of years ago, and the difference…read moreis enormous. There's loads of parking (although it is a little on the pricey side), good access to the railway and bus station and loads of the usual High Street names. It can be a bit confusing to navigate around - I still get a bit confused as to which way I'm heading when I'm in there, and take careful note of where you've parked as if you go back up the wrong stairs you may never see your car again! There's not much of a foodcourt but right at the end of one of the sections there are several eateries - you need to be looking for it though, you won't just find it as you're passing as you'd expect in most shopping centres. Watch out for the loos - last time I tried to use them they wanted to charge for the priveledge! Not a chance!

Debenhams: the shop that you walk through to get to the car park! But they really do try their…read morehardest to make the most of that status, as there are heavily painted ladies at each corner ready to spritz you with any number of fragrances, and big promotional displays as far as the eye can see. If you do venture further into the store, it's actually quite good, especially if there's a sale on. They've got loads of concessions instore and many of what I call almost-designer brands such as John Rocha, Jasper Conran, Ben Sherman and the likes. These are definitely overpriced, but when they've knocked the obligatory 50% and 20% blue cross discount on top then they're not bad at all.

Debenhams is one of my absolute favourite shops in Doncaster as it sells so much and every so often…read moreit has a sales event where everything is up to 20% off, a huge saving on some of the more expensive items like occasion wear and shoes. I purchased my bridesmaids dresses from there, originally £80 each picked them up for £32 each, total bargain as well as shoes down from £90 to £40. There is a lovely cafe called style cafe which does meals and there are some great jewellery and cosmetics counters to browse and try.

I was visiting my parents in Doncaster for the Weekend and we decided to visit the local Outlet…read moreshopping centre, It has all the usual Outlets from M&S to NEXT, It also has a Costa Coffee shop which gets really busy as this is the only Coffee shop based here, Its a pretty nice place to just stroll around and take a look in the many shops what it has to offer. There is also free parking.

This is a fantastic place to shop if its clothes you are after,theres not much choice if your…read morelooking for anything else,if you have children then the clarks shop is ideal,you still have the expertise of trained staff measuring and fitting their shoes,but the prices are usually at least half price and quite often you can pick up top of the range shoes for a fiver,sometimes there is not a lot to choose from in some sizes but usually there is plenty,it depends on the day. For adults there is loads of designer shops which all have top quality clothes for a fraction of the recommended retail price .its a pleasant place to shop,with a huge free car park I would definatly recomment anybody wanting kids shoes or clothes to try here first

Typical department store, but the loss of the alcohol section has lost one of it's unique features…read more The Caffe Nero is very good though, with very pleasant staff.

When doing research at places I know pretty well and do go and spend time at, I thought I have to…read morewrite my review for 'House of Fraser' I can't speak for anyone else about this one, but I really love it, their have been some changes over the years to the store, some good, some not so good, but all in all, it's your typical department store where you can go, you can enjoy looking around, their is a Caffe Nero there that is very good and though out the departments, a wide range of fashion, home, furniture and food..etc.. You name it. The staff are very friendly and pleasant, always on hand to help. I myself am saving up for Xmas (coming to quick) and they have some great ideas for presents too. My advice, save up a bit, put some money aside and go and treat yourself from time to time. At 'House of Fraser' their is something there for everyone!

This is a nice place to visit if you've got an hour or two to kill and you're looking for…read moreinspiration for your home. There's a good selection of home accessories like mirrors, cushions, curtains, furniture, candles and the likes, plus garden stuff, seasonal things, some toys and a large craft section. Prices are reasonable but be warned that a lot of the things they sell are available in other places for less. As a general rule, if The Range have it for a tenner you can get it on Ebay for a fiver - but if you just want to go out, look around and take something home with you today then it's a pretty good place to visit.

Just outside of the Doncaster the Range offers a good range of home wares and toys. It has an cafe…read moreinside too, but most impressively is the Arts and Crafts selection. For anyone who enjoys arts and crafts this is definitely worth a visit. Arts and Crafts materials and tools cover a wide range of specialisms including papercraft, drawing, painting, embroidery, scrapbooking. Highly recommended.

This is the place where I used to get all my colourful shirts from during the time I spent in…read moreSheffield. I kept popping in regularly, because their range constantly changes. But they also do other stuff from the Seventies, e.g. flared trousers, leather jackets, wigs, nose glasses and other party attire. The staff is always very friendly, too.

An excellent shop for anyone who is into vintage/retro clothing. They shop stocks an extensive…read morerange of second hand (yet of good quality), jeans, shirts, jackets etcat very reasonable prices. A good pair of Levi's will set you back just £20!

This is a M&S Clearance store, so totally different from the normal High Street branches…read more Everything instore is discounted - often heavily, and it's a bit messier than a normal store, but that makes it all the better for bargain hunting in! Some items are pretty poor, either with very little discount or really badly designed and you can see why they're cheap. But there are some real gems there and you can get some complete bargains. I got a gorgeous pair of chocolate winter cords the other day for £2.99, a kids hoodie for £1.99 and a bra for 99p. Look out for the rails of final clearance stock - these are the best value. They have fitting rooms like normal M&S stores, and the staff at the checkouts are always very friendly and polite as you'd expect. They mainly have womens clothing, with different ranges including Per Una and lingerie. There is a decent mens section as well, and a small childrenswear area to the back beside the fitting rooms. They so sell some homewares but only minimal and it is mostly towels, pot pourri and that sort of thing. This shop and Next clearance are the main reasons that a lot of people bother making a trip to the outlet in the first place. If M&S wasn't there I know I wouldn't bother half as often. Highly recommended for bargain hunters!

My wife is always dragging me to Lakeside (the Yorkshire Outlet) just to go to this shop. The 5*…read morerating is therefore based more on her opinion than mine! It's good mainly because it's cheap. There's nowhere near the selection you get in the normal M&S stores, but what they do have is discounted quite a bit off the normal store price. They also have 'special purchase' items which are only sold in their outlet stores, sometimes because they're slightly lesser quality, other timesjust because! The best bit is the clearance section that you find at the back of the store. I got a pair of work trousers in there for £2.99 that had originally been £45, and they're really good quality. Also lots of kids things in there for 50p and £1, so it's well worth a good look. Great for pressies for elderly aunties!

Quite a large department store with loads of different departments to suit yourself and your home…read more The prices are quite high but the products are of good quality. There is a multi storey car park provided.

John Lewis & Partners' location in Sheffield is a nice brand to have in the city and one of the…read morecity's largest department stores, it is basically opposite the Town Hall so it's in a good central location, just a few minutes walk away from Orchard Square, The Moor, Cathedral and Fargate. The store goes back to the 1800's back when it was owned by the Cole Brothers, one thing I like about many department store chains including this one is how they look back to their history and who used to own the stores before the big chains established themselves in the department store game. The store isn't modern, it feels a little bare and definitely in need of a refurb, and sadly nearly four and a half years since this place was last reviewed it still seems to be facing the same problems. The scruffed floor still hasn't changed or improved and adds to the overall woes of the store. The store is a decent size but again follows the older look, layout and feel in the John Lewis chain which really is a shame as some of there newer stores such as at Westfield London and beyond are much nicer, bolder and cooler. The technology section was small. A useful brand to have in the city and a large size although the overall selection in most areas and feel of the store is below average at best. 2*

Excellent guidance from the staff in the home appliances department earlier this week. I needed a…read morenew tumble dryer, and went with the intent to purchase a German brand machine. The sales assistant asked where the machine was to be located. He then proceeded to explain why I shouldn't purchase the one I had in mind but that I should buy a cheaper model that was more suited to being in the cold environment it would be located in I.e. the basement. I left the store having spent less than 40% of my original budget. The machine has been delivered, to the basement and they even moved the old broken machine upstairs for me. Excellent service, thank you. Your reputation was correct.

Quality clothing brands like CP Company, Stone Island, Diesel, Hugo Boss, Paul & Sharkread more