Topshop and Arcadia

[Peachy9]

Aww this thread has made me feel really nostalgic I'm in my thirties now and haven't shopped there for a good 4 years or so, but used to genuinely love some of their clothes- they always seemed to do quite cool dresses for a night out, nice ankle boots and decent jeans.

Recently though it's been tit-really poor quality and even if something did look remotely wearable, you'd view the back and it would have a massive hole cut out so your bra would be on show, or a random slogan like 'that's hot' or something equally cringe

Feel sorry for all the staff though - where are 13k people in retail going to get work at a time like this

 

[soymilk]

Online shopping seems to be encouraged these days. I find it it a pain, especially with clothing, order, pay, pay postage, eventually arrives, looks nothing like photo , doesn’t fit, repackage, schlep to post office, return and wait forever for my money back!
When things reopen sopping centres will be almost empty with so many stores now closed. I was never a fan of Debenhams it wasn’t a pleasant shopping experience and didn’t sell anything of quality or that you couldn’t get elsewhere but another large department store on the high street that will probably never be filled.

I really hope the future of shopping isn't online, it may be more convenient these days but it's definitely not the same!

 

[Tinkerbell cat]

I really hope the future of shopping isn't online, it may be more convenient these days but it's definitely not the same!

I really need to try clothes on, its such a pain ordering stuff then it looking crap or not fitting and then having to send it back.. i hate online shopping for clothes

 

[Pixipoppy]

I really need to try clothes on, its such a pain ordering stuff then it looking crap or not fitting and then having to send it back.. i hate online shopping for clothes

Same, I don’t mind it if I’m just browsing for stuff I don’t need quickly, but if I need something that night I always pop into town! Plus I loathe paying delivery costs.

 

[Readread]

I like Topshop but Philip Green ran it into the ground. If he wasn't such a selfish twit he could've saved it.

 

[Tinkerbell cat]

Same, I don’t mind it if I’m just browsing for stuff I don’t need quickly, but if I need something that night I always pop into town! Plus I loathe paying delivery costs.

Yes I do the same, I actually miss last minute dashes into town for something. I end up now having to buy two of everything because my size differs between different shops, then the hassle of returning one of them, waiting on a refund etc.. I hate paying delivery too, i literally trawl google looking for discount codes or i use my little sisters student discount for 10% off then don't feel so bad that the delivery ends up about £1.50 lol.

 

[GreenStar]

Small world, you must be local to me! I remember the one at Great Yarmouth!

I have never really been a fan of Topshop, always found it to be quite expensive tbh. I've only ever bought things out of there if they were in the sale. I also found the sizing to be a bit weird, sometimes I'd be a 12 in there where in other shops I was an 8. It always knocked my confidence a bit having to buy bigger sizes there

Another local here "Teeny tiny Topshop" I called it!

 

[soymilk]

same! I would rather wait 30 minutes in a sweaty queue on a Saturday than pay £5 for next day delivery and have to send half of it back

@Tinkerbell cat

 

[Sw4]

I used to spend hours in the Oxford Street Topshop with my sister trawling through the sales racks with the loud music pumping away. In the last few years the styles and quality really went downhill but I'll still miss it! High streets are changing so much!

 

[Kim Mild]

I remember department stores having Topshop concessions too . I think I bought more there than the actual big Topshop.

I think I preferred Miss Selfridge.

 

[WilmaHun]

Despite not being a huge Topshop fan, I can't deny I do think it's such a shame all these massive high street chains closing. Just in my hometown, I think there's probably more empty shops in our town centre than there are occupied and I think it's only bound to get worse as the years go on. Obviously the pandemic hasn't helped, but there doesn't seem to be anything to encourage people to the high street anymore. Speaking solely in relation to my local area, it's quite expensive to park if you want to head into town, but we have 2 retail parks with free parking and plenty of shops. Why would anyone pay to visit a town centre with loads of empty units when you could head into a bustling retail park, with lots of choice for shops and not have to pay to park?

I'll be gutted if New Look closes as I really like that shop, amongst a few others such as Quiz, Select etc it's one of the last left. It's such a shame. I used to love being a teenager going into town to look round the clothes shops with my pocket money/saved birthday money. The experience of going into town just isn't the same anymore as it used to be and it's a damn shame.

 

[Shutterbug99]

The High Streets are going to be empty soon: Debenhams, Warehouse, Oasis and now Topshop all gone. I used to buy a lot of my clothes in Oasis and Warehouse, but unfortunately they've now been acquired by Boohoo and from what I've seen the quality is just not the same. I bought a dress from Warehouse about a month ago and the quality was terrible. It was a cord dress, but the material was really thin and cheap (price was not cheap, though!) Also, I've been wearing Warehouse stuff for years and always buy the same size, but this dress was so tiny I could barely get it on! I sent it back, but if I had decided to keep it, I would definitely have had to size up.

I used to shop loads in Topshop years back, but lately the quality hasn't been great, while the prices keep rising. Asos will be stocking the full range, though, so I guess it will still be easy enough to get Topshop stuff for those who want to.

 

[lime]

My first job was part time in Topshop in summer 2007. Kate Moss had her own line of jeans in there at the time. It was THE coolest shop on the high street (maybe rivalled by Zara, who were next door). I met friends for life there. So many fond memories. Looking back we all thought we were way cooler than we were because we worked in Topshop but that's just how cool it was in the 2000s lol. Over the years it just seemed to fall behind... over priced, not as much variety, strange styles, couldn't find its "look" like it did in the 2000s. As others mentioned the sizing was horrific too, which you don't realise until you aren't a rail thin teenager anymore. The last time I bought something from there was 2013. I had spilled something down my top before a concert and ran in to get a replacement and it was some hideous basketball style top that was about 5-10 years too young for me but the shop was full to the brim with them as I'm guessing that's what they thought was on trend.

 

[LinaLamont]

Oh I was obsessed with Topshop back in the day when I thought I was Pixie Lott but it just hasn’t evolved over the years. I had a look at their range on asos as and everything looks like H&M bargain bin rejects but still with the Topshop price tag! They‘ve just completely lost their identity and it’s sad because they were such an iconic brand at one point.

 

[Tinkerbell cat]

I bought a Run DMC blue cropped hoodie, black AC/DC Tee with holes in it and an oversized checked shirt thinking I was super edgy. Got some lovely dresses in it years ago and some really nice chunky boots, have skirts from there too.. which I still have. Have to agree their prices just didn't reflect the quality as of late and some of the stuff just looked so tacky.

 

[Guitarwarrior]

Haven’t bought much “topshop” brand stuff latterly but I did like they sold branded stuff in the bigger stores. The biggest let down was them changing the sizing. Yeh I’m a bit bigger now but I’ve old topshop (size 12/14) from years ago that still fits but the “16” they were stocking was tiny. I am really gutted though it’s a massive high street loss and those big units in Leeds/Manchester are going to be hard to fill.
Like many of you I despise online shopping I just won’t do it for anything with some minor exceptions (band merchandise or I’ve bought shoes online when my size hasn’t been available but I’ve tried on another colour or I’ve bought the brand before) refuse to buy on Amazon as well. Unfortunately it’s just far too easy for people load up a boohoo/ASOS/Amazon cart and use buy now pay later and send everything back than to actually leave the house and only buy what they actually truly want/need.

As for Debenhams other than a few exclusive beauty brands they had nothing to offer really at least not for me anyway. I’m surprised my local has lasted as it has its bloody awful and stinks

 

[Milliehaha123]

I was obsessed with topshop as a teen / uni student. I loved the spotty nail varnish pots and the socks with the frills on them (literally carbon copy of 4 year olds socks haha). When it was the uni shopping 20% off night we'd go mad and end up spending a good chunk of our student loan on topshop crap haha. Literally hadn't stepped foot in there for years but felt nostalgic about the whole thing - shame the owner is such a bleep isn't it!

 

[Columbo]

I was looking back on photos from my teens/early 20s and realised all my fave outfits were from Topshop. Have always bought their jeans,i have pairs that are years old and still going strong. I'll miss it

 

[Trolleydollycoffeelover]

I was obsessed with it from the ages of 12-20 then in about 2005 it seemed to shoot right up in price. Started going again the last 4-5 yrs and the whole shopping experience doesn’t feel as glam and exclusive as it did and the price label didn’t justify. The quality has defo hit rock bottom too- I still have a top from there I bought in the 90s and have only just thrown a nightie away I got for Xmas 1998 whereas the stuff I bought from there a couple of years ago is already shabby. Honestly I didn’t like it when Kate became a brand ambassador as it was just after the c Kate scandal and thought it was a bad move. I’m more upset at Miss Selfridge’s demise to be honest.
What UK retail needs to look at is where our high street went wrong and rectify it. Other countries don’t seem to have the issue. Look at Spain- their fashion chains are dominating the world at the mo with Zara, Mango. Bershka, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius. I think though the Spanish shops all look alike and are a bit samey whereas I can easily differentiate Brit brands from each other like Lipsy, RI, Miss S.

 

[under the ivy]

I hope I can still get Jamie jeans - they’re the only jeans I’ve found that fit my long legs, round bum properly! It is really sad - I remember my first Topshop purchase at 14 was a bright blue v neck jumper. I loved it so much. The quality has gone down over the years and the prices have remained quite expensive. Topshop has a massive presence on Leeds’ main shopping street where I live, I wonder what will happen to the retail space(s) now.