Jenners department store seemed to frown on me even though the staff were fantastic – Susan Morrison

It is sad to see Jenners close, but I suspect the end was inevitable.
Jenners was not Susan Morrison's idea of retail therapy even though the staff were always friendly. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty ImagesJenners was not Susan Morrison's idea of retail therapy even though the staff were always friendly. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Jenners was not Susan Morrison's idea of retail therapy even though the staff were always friendly. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

We just don’t need them any more, these flagship stores where you could buy a side of smoked salmon, an onyx coffee table and a designer blouse all in one giddy afternoon.

And I’m sorry to see a Princes Street icon vanish, but I’ve got to be honest here and admit it was not my go-to place for retail therapy, and believe me, I am a woman who takes her therapy seriously. Jenners made me edgy.

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It wasn’t the staff, who were always fantastically helpful, but the very building itself that seemed to frown upon me, as if it detected Glasgwegian DNA.

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It was almost as though the ghosts of ladies who had shopped decades ago for ensembles to grace their stubbornly unwed daughters, India-bound and husband-hunting, felt most firmly that I should have remained below stairs.

You could get lost with remarkable ease, not good for someone with my sense of direction. I swear I started out once in Perfume and Cosmetics and wound up in Soft Furnishings. In Debenhams.

To modern eyes, disabled access left a lot to be desired. Staircases just seemed to randomly appear. They tried to move with the times.

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There was a lift, but you really needed to like getting close to people. It was small. This once became a minor issue during a short ride I took with a woman and a flatulent guide dog. At least, she said it was the dog.

I’ve never been so glad to be jumped by perfume snipers on the shop floor.

The only place I felt comfortable was the toy department at Christmas when the kids were young. On Christmas Eve, I’d get there for opening.

Even first thing in the morning, it felt like Christmas. The staff made you welcome, the train ran around the top of the shelves and Santa ambled through on the way to his Grotto. They made shopping an event.

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It’s sad to see the doors close, but I hope new doors open for those friendly staff.

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