We all love a bargain, and this time of year is the time to find one - but some of our high street favourites have long since disappeared.
The Boxing Day/January sales once saw us head out in droves to hunt for a good deal, at spots such as Jenners or the Virgin Megastore. Sadly, many of the best spots have gone from the streets.
We're looking back at some of Edinburgh's much-loved stores that try as we might, we just can't forget.
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C&A
It wasn’t exactly a thrilling trip as a child, but we were all dragged there against our will at some point.
The clothing department was beyond huge, and the severe lack of toys made shopping at C&A pretty dull. This wasn’t made any better by the fact that it was the place to buy all your back to school goods, which was equally dull.
BHS
Edinburgh lost its BHS in 2016, and young ones across the city breathed a sigh of relief.
With everything from clothing to household and electrical items, everyone's mum loved raking through the sales at this store. The fact that it had a cafe meant trips to BHS could last what felt like an eternity.
Debenhams
With a huge selection of festive gifts that usually got slashed in price for the sales, this one was a popular stop after Christmas was over.
Most of us can still recall the wall of fragrances that would hit you like a brick when walking in their doors, but we haven’t had that experience since Debenhams closed their stores back in 2021.
Frasers
This Princes Street giant was a regular feature of sales shopping, though still a little pricey.
The lack of escalators saw us climbing a seemingly never-ending flight of stairs, and usually leaving the store with very little (or nothing) purchased. The iconic department store closed in 2018.
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Jenners
Closing in 2021, Jenners sat on Princes Street for 183 years.
Sometimes, it felt like much of those years were spent with mum raking through the sales aisle to find a bargain. While the usual price tags in Jenners were eye-watering, the occasional deal could be found at this time of year.
John Menzies
With an amazing array of magazines, comic, stationary, toys and games - a trip to Menzies was an absolute treat.
We lost this iconic store in 1998, and no trip to the sales has been the same since.
Virgin Megastore
The stuff of dreams for any child of the ‘90s, you could get all the best CDs, posters and games at Virgin. Boxing Day sales were pretty intense here, with teens turning up in droves to get the latest bargain.
Littlewoods
Pretty boring as a kid, the only saving grace at Littlewoods was the pick n’ mix counter.
Littlewoods disappeared in the ‘00s, but somehow many of us recovered quickly from the loss.
Woolworths
For decades, Woolies was the place to go for a whole range of goods - toys, books, sweets, and household items.
As we all know, nothing lasts forever - and we’re still reeling from the loss of this high street favourite.
Disney Store
This Princes Street store was a firm favourite after Christmas, a great spot to splash the cash you just received from your gran.
Sadly, any Disney goods would have to be bought online in Edinburgh these days with all their stores now closed.
Binns
First opening in Edinburgh in 1931, Binns occupied a prime location in the West End - which was taken over by Frasers in 1953.
If you’re lucky enough to remember Binns, you may recall their three course lunches for as little as three shillings - or afternoon tea for just two shillings and sixpence. Once upon a time, long before mobile phones, the Binns clock was a popular meeting spot.
At Christmas time, the lower floor of Binns was transformed into a winter wonderland - with moving gnomes working in the grotto as children waited to sit on Santa’s lap. This was of course followed by the January sales, which would see young folks getting dragged by mum to trawl up and down the aisles yet again.
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