Whilst shopping on Oxford street I visiting four separate beauty halls within department stores.
I visited; John Lewis, House Of Fraser and Debenhams and basically they are next to one another. The brands they offer are much of a muchness and as the prices are fixed by the counter, so which do you choose?
Now this may seem like a rather unusual blog post, but being a buyer in my day job, retail and all aspects of the shopping experience captivate me. And while I walked these halls I wondered which shopping experience I enjoyed the most.
Firstly - John Lewis
This is definitely the most glamorous and comprehensive of the three. And having undergone a make over last year which included a launch event, I was hardly surprised that this hall would win the style stakes.
Certain brands have specific areas, more like shop in shop concepts than just consignments e.g Jo Malone.
I was greeted by a number of people handing out perfume samples, which I happily took.
I also hovered around a few brands stands to see which brands would approach me.
Now the store was busy, it was Saturday afternoon after all, but the staff did not seem approachable nor helpful and while I browsed one brand, three staff members chatted not once looking up to acknowledge me. At this point I should add that nothing annoys me more than this.
The additional space that this hall offered too smaller sections which were sat in product category e.g nail polishes was great and key brands were featured which is just what you need from a department store. - I will point out that the reason I was particularly impressed by the nail polish is because in my local John Lewis (Cardiff) the product is so poorly displayed it almost seems like a local pharmacy where they have just plonked it on and end and forgotten about it.
Another great point was that they included electrical beauty product within the beauty hall including hair straighteners, this is something I've not seen executed well before so was a definite bonus!
Next Stop - House Of Fraser
This store also seemed to have had a face lift since my previous visit.
It was not as large or as impressive as John Lewis but the staff were second to none.
Each brand I looked at had a helpful and polite member of staff offering help and advice on products, even when staff were busy with other customers I was still acknowledged.
The brands were very similar to John Lewis, but in terms of the type of brands that appealed to me, it had an Urban Decay counter which John Lewis did not. (this could be down to customer profile, I would imagine John Lewis and House of Fraser have a very similar overall customer profile, but in terms of fashion and beauty may be slightly younger - just my opinion)
Finally - Debenhams.
Now I guess this was just poor timing,-Debenhams were in the midst of a beauty hall face lift (understandable in order to keep up with their neighbours) So it is a little hard to judge it on appearance. However, I will add that as I mentioned I was impressed that John Lewis had featured electrical in amongst beauty product, Debenhams very randomly had a hair concession in the middle of their shoe department!????
Now I will let Debenhams off with their appearance as it is unfair to judge them in the middle of renovations, and I'm sure it will eventually look fab as Cardiff store has definitely improved.
What I will not forgive Debenhams for is their customer service or lack of it.
Despite walking around and taking an interest in certain brands I was only acknowledged an approached by one brand - Benefit.
This is very disappointing.
Which would I choose?
Tough call, as they are all much of a muchness in terms of product offering. But if I could combine the John Lewis shop floor with the level of service I received in House of Fraser it would be perfect!
If I was purchasing a brand which was on all three stores, I would purchase at House Of Fraser - it's all very well and good to have a beautiful beauty hall but if the customer service level isn't there it just doesn't appeal to me.
So well done House of Fraser you won me over due to service.
Rhian Xx
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