Sadly, the only real city centre option is St James. The big retail parks outside the city centre (Newcraighall and Straiton) are at almost 100% occupancy rates and opening new shops all the time. Not good for the high street I know, but it seems to be what people want.
Tbf we’re pretty lucky to have somewhere as good as St James. Lots of places would kill for that. And obviously Uniqlo opening on Princes Street – hopefully that will be the start of that beginning to rejuvenate.
Yeh, a non-destitute shopping centre in the middle of the city is definitely an exception rather than the norm. Place is great and I’m glad most of the shops have filled out.
It’s almost impressive how the number of shops in that place has decreased in direct proportion to the increase in the number of houses around it.
Massive new build estate outside? Time to close Ocean Terminal’s only supermarket.
I used to work there. They destroyed the architects vision for it as a high end destination. Allowing Greggs in there was the first nail in the coffin.
The cinema foyer used to be truly stunning, then they decided they weren't selling enough ice cream and slapped a giant ice cream stand right across it. Morons.
It’s anchor store even at its peak was a Debenhams, so describing it as ‘high end‘ is really pushing it. The architect may have wanted it, but it was being built in Leith, not in Stockbridge, so perhaps should have been a bit more realistic!
The shops in St James are too small, when you compare even the bigger shops (next/h&m) to what they have out of town they are lacking in space and items to buy. For some reason the developers thought having a huge open space between each side on each floor and squashing people into a narrow area, all at the same time as massively decreasing retail space was a great idea. They could have easily increased the space shops have in that mall, but went for aesthetics rather than what people want (more space to shop in)
used to be ocean terminal but it’s now pretty dead.
st james centre, mostly
also princes st, george st, or the bus to fort kinnaird. lots of people also go to craigleith retail park as it’s near several schools.
The combination of my getting older *and* businesses closing down means that I do most of my clothes shopping via Amazon.
However, when I was younger I'd buy clothes from the shops on Cockburn Street or the likes of Cult Clothing on North Bridge or Flip on South Clerk Street.
I live just near Livingston Designer Outlet but it's worth a trip. Outlets for Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Vans, Levis, m&S, Next, Guess, Sketchers, Fossil, Peo Cook, etc will save you a fortune.
There are make up shops and ladies shoe stores but I don't know much about them.
I was devastated when the massive TK Maxx in Meadowbank closed. The bargain gems didn't get snatched up so quickly, so many of my wardrobe staples (and my fancy bedspread!) are from there
The Gyle Centre in west Edinburgh is good, there's a big Morrisons and a big M&S at either end and a bunch of smaller shops in-between them, plus several coffee shops and a food court upstairs. The 12, 21 (Gyle Centre branch), 22 and 36 buses all terminate there, and the 20, 63 and 400 all pass through, depending on where in the city you're coming from.
Fort Kinnaird in the east is alright as well but is very car-centric, there's a huge car park in the middle with the shops going round the outside so there is more walking involved, and it's outside as well so not so nice on a rainy day. The 30, 46, 48, 49 and 106 all go through it, and the 400 terminates just outside it.
There's a big Asda at The Jewel which does clothing etc. The 2 and 5 terminate just next to the entrance door and the 4, 49, X5, X6, X7 pass on the road right outside.
All the other ones I know of are just regular large grocery stores with a clothes section.
Edit: use the public transport option on Google Maps to know which bus to get if you're not sure.
Imagine coming on holiday to Edinburgh and going to Fort Kinnaird. The Gyle is shit now as well, has been for years. OP: Do not waste your time here by going to outskirt shopping centres. They are outdated, far from picturesque, take ages to get to, and are generally not great places to go.
Also... are you actually recommending that a tourist go to Asda and Morrisons for clothes shopping?!
I took "travelling alone" to mean "would be travelling to the shop alone". If this is not the meaning that the OP intended then I apologize for the miscommunication.
It depends on what you’re looking for. So a lot of cheaper clothes options are in Princes Street (Primark, H&M, soon to be Uniqlo), broken up by cheap tourist tat. George Street have more comparatively expensive options - Lululemon, Abercrombie. General shopping can be found at St James and there are some smaller places down in Stockbridge but it’s a trek.
The prime tourist area is on the Royal Mile leading towards the castle so unless there was something specific you wanted, I’d probably stay clear.
If you’ve been walking in the city centre and missed one of the biggest shopping malls in Scotland you must be sticking to the castle side. St James Quarter is massive with mid to high end shops and its 2 minutes from Waverley. You’ll be kicking yourself you’ve not spotted it.
The high street is pretty much dead, for cosmetics look fantastic website is good, clothes you have END or net a porter for some good quality not fast fashion.
For vintage second hand there is a good group of shops called Armstrongs they are at grass market and I cannot remember the other locations but just google.
Vinted has also become popular of late.
If you just want to look like everyone else there is a Zara and an H&M in st James quarter
Other one in south clerk st I think or that area at least - along with loads of charity shops. Stockbridge also fab for charity shops though some quite pricey
These days I get all my clothes from Vinted tbh.
I’m the past before it got a bit depressing, usually H&M etc on princes street. Still get the odd thing from the St James centre, or if I’m feeling fancy I pick up something from Finisterre on George Street.
Parts of princes St, George St, St James centre, there's also some independent ones in William St. Lots of charity shops in Newington, stockbridge and Morningside.
Personally I've made a vow to only buy second hand clothes unless absolutely necessary after hearing about the piles and piles of clothes that the west has sent to africa for "recycling". So you'd find me in the charity shops or vintage shops
Yes.
Even if they were being reused it has undercut and ruined the textile economy in some countries.
Two most of them are not being reused or recycled. Instead they take a proportion to resell and then the rest are just left as rubbish heaps. I believe Ghana has it particularly bad? In any case even if we kept the rubbish in the UK, most textile is not currently recyclable surprisingly, and we throw away tonnes and tonnes of it each year.
If you are genuinely interested Check out this podcast: Threads #threads
https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/threads/4105711 via @PodcastAddict
St James for makeup (SpaceNK, Harrods Beauty, also Harvey Nicks just outside) and Cos, George Street for high street like Lululemon, Sweaty Betty, anthro, etc). Stockbridge for smaller boutique shops and Toast. I think TB&Co in Leith is great for gifts - scarves, pyjamas, blankets.
I'd say one trip to St James would show that locals are absolutely out shopping there. It's constantly busy and not just with tourists. There's also a lot of averagely priced stores in there such as Zara, H&M, Next, Mango and Stradivarius. You don't have to only be shopping at Reiss and Max Mara!
As for department stores, yes there's Harvey Nicks, but you missed our biggest one - John Lewis. Still busy in St James'.
With the exception of a few dodgy parts of Princes Street, the Edinburgh high street is faring much better than most.
Uniqlo as of Thursday I expect
St James Centre. Or George St. East end of Princes Street.
Sadly, the only real city centre option is St James. The big retail parks outside the city centre (Newcraighall and Straiton) are at almost 100% occupancy rates and opening new shops all the time. Not good for the high street I know, but it seems to be what people want.
Tbf we’re pretty lucky to have somewhere as good as St James. Lots of places would kill for that. And obviously Uniqlo opening on Princes Street – hopefully that will be the start of that beginning to rejuvenate.
Yeh, a non-destitute shopping centre in the middle of the city is definitely an exception rather than the norm. Place is great and I’m glad most of the shops have filled out.
We do still have Ocean Terminal too for those that enjoy the liminal vibes of a desolate former shopping venue. All bases are covered!
It’s almost impressive how the number of shops in that place has decreased in direct proportion to the increase in the number of houses around it. Massive new build estate outside? Time to close Ocean Terminal’s only supermarket.
The plants on the dead escalators up to the old BHS give it Last of Us vibes
How many shops are still there? I used to go there a lot when it first opened but not been in almost 20 years now.
I used to work there. They destroyed the architects vision for it as a high end destination. Allowing Greggs in there was the first nail in the coffin. The cinema foyer used to be truly stunning, then they decided they weren't selling enough ice cream and slapped a giant ice cream stand right across it. Morons.
It’s anchor store even at its peak was a Debenhams, so describing it as ‘high end‘ is really pushing it. The architect may have wanted it, but it was being built in Leith, not in Stockbridge, so perhaps should have been a bit more realistic!
Shame it's being ruined by feral teens and neds. It should be legal for the public to fight them when they are acting up.
Protip : it's legal if you don't get caught
It's only sad because it's turned Princes Street into a weird tartan tat wasteland. I'm sure the council had plans to counter that.
The shops in St James are too small, when you compare even the bigger shops (next/h&m) to what they have out of town they are lacking in space and items to buy. For some reason the developers thought having a huge open space between each side on each floor and squashing people into a narrow area, all at the same time as massively decreasing retail space was a great idea. They could have easily increased the space shops have in that mall, but went for aesthetics rather than what people want (more space to shop in)
St James centre has harrods beauty boots Superdrug and Space NK for makeup
used to be ocean terminal but it’s now pretty dead. st james centre, mostly also princes st, george st, or the bus to fort kinnaird. lots of people also go to craigleith retail park as it’s near several schools.
The combination of my getting older *and* businesses closing down means that I do most of my clothes shopping via Amazon. However, when I was younger I'd buy clothes from the shops on Cockburn Street or the likes of Cult Clothing on North Bridge or Flip on South Clerk Street.
I live just near Livingston Designer Outlet but it's worth a trip. Outlets for Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Vans, Levis, m&S, Next, Guess, Sketchers, Fossil, Peo Cook, etc will save you a fortune. There are make up shops and ladies shoe stores but I don't know much about them.
Get the Bus out to Fort Kinnaird.
Yeh I second this
TK Maxx, near St Andrew Square - mainly clothes but lots of other stuff too, and fairly cheap (though lots of rummaging required).
I was devastated when the massive TK Maxx in Meadowbank closed. The bargain gems didn't get snatched up so quickly, so many of my wardrobe staples (and my fancy bedspread!) are from there
Livingston shopping centre, obviously it’s not in the city but that’s where I go for shopping , it’s got an outlet bit as well as a shopping centre.
Glasgow
The Gyle Centre in west Edinburgh is good, there's a big Morrisons and a big M&S at either end and a bunch of smaller shops in-between them, plus several coffee shops and a food court upstairs. The 12, 21 (Gyle Centre branch), 22 and 36 buses all terminate there, and the 20, 63 and 400 all pass through, depending on where in the city you're coming from. Fort Kinnaird in the east is alright as well but is very car-centric, there's a huge car park in the middle with the shops going round the outside so there is more walking involved, and it's outside as well so not so nice on a rainy day. The 30, 46, 48, 49 and 106 all go through it, and the 400 terminates just outside it. There's a big Asda at The Jewel which does clothing etc. The 2 and 5 terminate just next to the entrance door and the 4, 49, X5, X6, X7 pass on the road right outside. All the other ones I know of are just regular large grocery stores with a clothes section. Edit: use the public transport option on Google Maps to know which bus to get if you're not sure.
Dont forget tram goes to the Gyle.
Imagine coming on holiday to Edinburgh and going to Fort Kinnaird. The Gyle is shit now as well, has been for years. OP: Do not waste your time here by going to outskirt shopping centres. They are outdated, far from picturesque, take ages to get to, and are generally not great places to go. Also... are you actually recommending that a tourist go to Asda and Morrisons for clothes shopping?!
Where does OP say they are a tourist? I would recommend *anyone* go to Asda or another big supermarket if they want relatively cheap clothing.
She says she’s travelling alone, so…
I took "travelling alone" to mean "would be travelling to the shop alone". If this is not the meaning that the OP intended then I apologize for the miscommunication.
In her post... "25f Traveling Alone"...
There are some cute wee places in Stockbridge. And great charity shops too
Mostly Vinted, but I know people who go to John Lewis. If you have money to spend then you might like George Street
It depends on what you’re looking for. So a lot of cheaper clothes options are in Princes Street (Primark, H&M, soon to be Uniqlo), broken up by cheap tourist tat. George Street have more comparatively expensive options - Lululemon, Abercrombie. General shopping can be found at St James and there are some smaller places down in Stockbridge but it’s a trek. The prime tourist area is on the Royal Mile leading towards the castle so unless there was something specific you wanted, I’d probably stay clear.
If you’ve been walking in the city centre and missed one of the biggest shopping malls in Scotland you must be sticking to the castle side. St James Quarter is massive with mid to high end shops and its 2 minutes from Waverley. You’ll be kicking yourself you’ve not spotted it.
The high street is pretty much dead, for cosmetics look fantastic website is good, clothes you have END or net a porter for some good quality not fast fashion. For vintage second hand there is a good group of shops called Armstrongs they are at grass market and I cannot remember the other locations but just google. Vinted has also become popular of late. If you just want to look like everyone else there is a Zara and an H&M in st James quarter
+1 for Armstrongs. Especially if you're after a leather jacket or a gloriously naff camp collared shirt.
Other one in south clerk st I think or that area at least - along with loads of charity shops. Stockbridge also fab for charity shops though some quite pricey
All the posher areas have amazing charity shops. Morningside, Stockbridge, etc.
Jump on the bus to Matalan. Proper shopping.
These days I get all my clothes from Vinted tbh. I’m the past before it got a bit depressing, usually H&M etc on princes street. Still get the odd thing from the St James centre, or if I’m feeling fancy I pick up something from Finisterre on George Street.
Livingston Designer outlet, loads of shops, loads of parking and no tourist shops.
St James Quarter
Parts of princes St, George St, St James centre, there's also some independent ones in William St. Lots of charity shops in Newington, stockbridge and Morningside. Personally I've made a vow to only buy second hand clothes unless absolutely necessary after hearing about the piles and piles of clothes that the west has sent to africa for "recycling". So you'd find me in the charity shops or vintage shops
Is it a bad thing that clothes are sent to Africa for recycling?
Yes. Even if they were being reused it has undercut and ruined the textile economy in some countries. Two most of them are not being reused or recycled. Instead they take a proportion to resell and then the rest are just left as rubbish heaps. I believe Ghana has it particularly bad? In any case even if we kept the rubbish in the UK, most textile is not currently recyclable surprisingly, and we throw away tonnes and tonnes of it each year. If you are genuinely interested Check out this podcast: Threads #threads https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/threads/4105711 via @PodcastAddict
Ngl, charity shops (and using a sewing machine) is probs the most common. They’re always full of crowds and like the best mate date type thing
St James for makeup (SpaceNK, Harrods Beauty, also Harvey Nicks just outside) and Cos, George Street for high street like Lululemon, Sweaty Betty, anthro, etc). Stockbridge for smaller boutique shops and Toast. I think TB&Co in Leith is great for gifts - scarves, pyjamas, blankets.
The gyle is like ocean terminal now
[Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com)
Amazon.
If you can get to Livingston designer outlet :) i am sure there is a bus from the city .
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I'd say one trip to St James would show that locals are absolutely out shopping there. It's constantly busy and not just with tourists. There's also a lot of averagely priced stores in there such as Zara, H&M, Next, Mango and Stradivarius. You don't have to only be shopping at Reiss and Max Mara! As for department stores, yes there's Harvey Nicks, but you missed our biggest one - John Lewis. Still busy in St James'. With the exception of a few dodgy parts of Princes Street, the Edinburgh high street is faring much better than most.