Always my go-to when in need of essentials. Nice affordable…read moreclothing selection (at select stores) Food is very reasonably priced and good selection.

In keeping with our pattern of behaviour on our tour of England it's M&S cafes for great coffee and…read morecake, WiFi, clean toilets, iced drinking water and air con which was useful today as the weather improved a tad. Another two weeks touring ahead. Hey ho.

Yes the store is VERY nice and very upmarket. The Selfridges store (huge!) in London's Oxford St is…read moreIconic in many ways - it was the FIRST department store in the UK and founded by an American who wasn't able to do his thing in the US - there is a TV series about it. It was the first store where women of the day felt comfortable and safe shopping alone.... Growing up in the UK my parents would take me there at least once a year (almost every time we visited London actually - so maybe 3-4 times a year. Yes there were upmarket things, and recently we were there and sure there are many expensive brands with absurd prices. But there are also more "normal" goods for sale. Not so much in Manchester - all Louis Vuitton and simile booths all around. A good friend who knows London very well explained that the smaller Selfridges don't have the room for affordable goods and it is all for the very affluent. So come prepared to go home broke or enjoy a window shop! Even the restaurant upstairs seemed very toffee nosed to be honest- not fun :( Review #4 2020

This is a large Selfridges store, although I do prefer their Birmingham location and their flagship…read moreLondon Oxford Street location (this location appears to be much more basic and laid back than those two, which are both in stunning buildings which stand out massively). I do think this is a good department store, it is one of the largest and more high-end department stores in the city centre, which is a fading game with Debenhams on Market Street closing and House of Fraser on Deansgate soon to follow. The store looks pretty good and is opposite Marks and Spencer in the Manchester Arndale, sadly Selfridges doesn't have a Food Hall similar to their other branches, at this location, this is a real shame - perhaps that is due to the Basement level of Marks and Spencer (a different business) having a large food section? There are two different San Carlo restaurants in terms of eating or drinking inside, I would have loved to see at least a different brand to add something a little more different, similar to what you see in other department stores such as Harrods etc. They do have some unique experiences here occasionally, Manchester City did bring the Premier League and Carabao Cup trophies here a couple of years ago which was super exciting for me as a big City fan. It can be pretty difficult to navigate at first, but they do have a store plan which is somewhat helpful, the store remains modern and clean. Some of the staff seemed a little snobbish and unhelpful, this was mixed as other staff members seemed great and happy to help. 4*

Harvey Nichols is a chain of department stores, founded in 1831 in London, home of their flagship…read morebranch, they now have 16 stores around the country, including this rather nice branch on New Cathedral Street, alongside many other high end stores such as Hugo Boss, it is easy to find from Manchester City centre, being fairly close to Exchange Square and Manchester's other high end department store - Selfridge and Co. The store is really nice, with a big tall cylinder on the end of the actual store, which I presume to be the restaurant, alongside the food hall they have a really nice, posh restaurant which can be found as soon as you get out the lift on the second floor. This store is really nice and high end, as you walk in from New Cathedral Street, they is a very small level and then a staircase onto the main shop floor, or a lift available which is quite hidden, located near one of the other exits and a small staircase. This branch of Harvey Nichols does something not many stores do, even the lifts are really cool, with shiny silver plates around the lift, to make it quite a cool place and not your typical old fashioned lift, most stores already have. I've been stuck in lifts before, and had so much trouble with them, being stuck in 6 lifts for around the hour, but this lift is actually nice and I was amazed, walking into it for the first time. On the second floor, there is a Bar and Brassere, which is located right after you come out of the lift, and is your typical high-end place with Afternoon Tea available, or you can just come in for drinks. Also on the second floor is a menswear section and a Foodmarket. All the food here seems very nice and high end, with a large amount of posh coffees, with Monin flavouring syrups, and other, less well known brands and other types of coffee and drinks. They even had a small piece of chocolate which was latte macchiato flavour, which looked pretty cool, although through looking at it and the packaging, it was hard to tell what it was. The staff here seemed quite friendly, and they did greet me to make sure I was okay, they seemed to know the brand very well and told me, they didn't stock the Pots & Co, a high-end, premium, moose-like dessert, and he told me, they'd probably only stock it in their flagship Knightsbridge branch, which is a similar situation to nearby Selfridges who also only stock it in their flagship London branch, which is a little frustrating. This store had a nice feel to it, with some really nice products and the store was a nice place to walk around and have a look, although the food market was slightly smaller than Selfridges at the Trafford Centre and Bullring, I still feel it is quite a nice, more modern place and overall a nicer department store, to most other department stores I have visited across the country, including nearby stores such as Marks and Spencer, House Of Fraser and Selfridges and due to this, I feel Harvey Nichols deserves a strong 4 stars as it is a nice place to shop, and with only few locations in the UK, and then around the world, it is well worth taking a look in, if you're a tourist in Manchester, or even a local. UPDATE: The store just feels to me to have declined a bit in terms of Food Hall selection and I feel originally I was amazed as the store was all new to me, but now the novelty seems to have faded and now I feel this store is barely average and instead warrants around a two star rating rather than two.

Staying on the subject of decadence, I decided to do a bit of role playing on Saturday and wander…read morearound Harvey Nicks imagining I was one of the cast of Desperate Housewives. Getting into the part I picked out the following: Christopher Kane high volume dress Mary Katrantzou silk whisky dress Matthew Williamson silk party dress Richard Nicoll panelled wool dress Erdem embroidered alvita dress Vivienne Westwood cowl neck dress & Alexander McQueen dogtooth skirt and jacket Alas, when I looked at the price tags and noticed that they were all between £350-£3,000 I gasped with horror and politely handed them back to a member of staff. Imagine if I'd ripped one whilst trying them on? The only way to have avoided a hefty bill and damaged dress would have been if I'd had Eva Longoria's face and body!

House of Fraser is one of Manchester's oldest and most iconic department stores, it was founded in…read more1836 and the huge, impressive building on the heart of Deansgate is still going strong to its' day, despite being part of the House of Fraser group since the 1950s, and having its' current name since 2005, I like how they've stayed true to the roots and history of the store, by having its old name "Kendal, Milne and Co", still being clearly visible at the store's entrances, or Kendalls as it was known to locals. At Christmas, the decorations help light up and add to all of Deansgate, bringing a festive feel which even a Scrouge like myself can appreciate (but come on, just not in November - that's too early!) The facilities inside the store are good, for me with the fragrances, and high-end brands, as well as multiple lifts in the lobby, this feels like one of the Big American department stores, which I've only ever seen before in NYC, and London. The store isn't as good as it used to be, with some facilities/businesses located inside here closed, including a whole floor. With The Restaurant at House of Fraser gone, all that remains is a San Carlo Cichetti, which strangely is located directly opposite their main location in the city on King Street West. 4* - Pretty cool department store, it is sad to see the store deteriorating up until the inevitable closure which has been talked about for the past couple of years. This is currently one of the few branches remaining with many HOF stores closing down.

There's a touch of 1970s sitcom Are You Being Served? about House of Fraser. It's not just the fact…read moreit's the oldest and grandest department store in the city, it's the slow elevators, the confusing floor layouts and the fact you have to buy your clothes from the area you picked them up rather than any till. Trust me, I've tried and failed on different occasions! The thing that really makes me feel I'm wandering around Grace Brothers department store however, is the staff. They're not quite as camp or witty as Captain Peacock, Mrs Slocombe or Mr Humphries but there's definitely an element of disdain and snootiness when you approach them. This might infuriate some people but it always tickles me and makes me wonder if it's part of the staff training! There's beauty products on the ground floor, furniture and electronics on the top floors and lots of men, womens and childrenswear inbetween. Some of it I wouldn't be seen dead in but I usually see at least half a dozen things I like from one of their emerging or established designers. The only problem is, is there anyone to serve me?!

I always come to wilko when i need small household goods…read morequality is not bad and they sell a range of lots of house hold items from plates to picture frames to cleaning products and pet products. prices are reasonable too. i came in here the other day and only got a small item and the lady on the counter gave me the evil eye when i asked for a bag to put it in otherwise staff are usual plesant enough. will carry on shopping in here if something is needed.

Not a whole bunch to write about with Wilko but I popped in the other day for the first time as I…read moreneeded some bits and bobs for an event and they had everything I needed! The thing I like best about Wilko is the prices! As I say I'd never been in before but I was pleasantly surprised at what they had and the prices! All your household goods, stationary and other office style stuff you may need! Wilko could be a one stop shop for pre events now ;)

Poundland in Manchester Arndale, on the lower level, next to Costa and opposite Deichmann is one of…read morethe few pound-shops remaining in the city centre, following rival chain Poundworld collapsing, it is a pretty good store, it was refurbished since my last review in 2016, so the store does look better. They have a decent selection of items, it's a typical pound-shop, you're not going to find something too exciting, but you can spend a couple of quid and hopefully get something useful. The store was a little like a jumble-store, without much organisation, that is typical in pound-shops but with it being hard to find a staff member too, it made it even harder to find the batteries I came in for. Self-service tills for ease of checkout. I would say some items can be found cheaper elsewhere if on offer occasionally, but all in all, it's a decent store which sells basic and mostly cheap items, but most items operate on limited stock when they're gone, they're gone. 3*

I worked in an office in Spinningfields once. I apologise, regular followers (those of you that…read morethere are...?) as you've probably heard this about eleventy billion times already but one day I made myself the most popular girl in my department. How did I achieve such an accolade? Occasionally a staff member would pop out at lunchtime and bring back goodies for everyone. This usually involved those mini Swiss rolls and caramel shortcakes you get in Sainsbury's. One day I was trundling around Poundworld in the Arndale Centre and came across a 'chewy selection' for, of course, a quid, with Drumstick lollies and Snap n' Crackle chews and Refresher bars. I grabbed a few and brought them back to the office, declaring, 'There's retro sweets for everyone.' They were gone within seconds. You forget how much people like to regress to childhood. The next time I added a bag of mini Wham bars into the mix, again, a mere quid. These made the whole thing even more successful. For this reason and many others, I love Poundworld. One of the nicer side effects of the recession, shops like this have been cropping up all over the place in Manchester and they're a welcome addition. I've never had a single problem with a single household product from there, including multipacks loo roll and kitchen cleaners. I bought an enormous Tupperware from there too, great for transporting my amazing cakes. I am a talented baker and will not be modest about my creations. You can save a lot of money in here. That goes without saying. But its easy location and large size make for a very good shopping experience. And what clinched it for me? Four cans of sugar free fizzy Vimto for a quid. Be still my beating heart. No wonder I'm such a regular here. So should you be.

Daisy and Tom is a lovely 'nursery/children's ' store for parents to be and already parents alike…read more It stocks clothing, footwear, toys and prams etc with eye catching professional displays and very knowledgeable staff. Children are encouraged to play, there is even a free carousel which operates several times a day plus a playhouse, pirate ship and play train so it's very hands on and excitable for children who may have otherwise been very bored shopping with mum and dad!. A cafe sells a wide variety of food and if you eat there, kids get a fifteen minute free ticket for the play area so it all seems pretty fair, though trying to extricate your child without a tantrum from this play area after 15 minutes may be a bit of a challenge, i don't blame them really though even i'd like to play there! This store really has thought of everything, they have a floor dedicated to clothing and to fancy dress even incorporating a childs hair salon! Granted this isn't at all the cheapest or affordable store around, but what they do have is a whole 'experience' to offer you and quality.

Absolutely brilliant service, will definately order again with this company, thanks againread more

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