I'm wandering around the shiny bright accessories hall inside Kendals - OK, technically House of Fraser - and wondering what bargains I might be able to snap up for myself. There are "20% off everything" discount posters hanging all around the store to lure shoppers in, so I'm expecting it to be busy.
I head on up to the first floor fashion department to browse a little further before heading up to the second floor to buy myself some new shoes. It's a Thursday lunchtime, the shelves are all well stocked, and there are shop assistants milling about adding clothes onto the rails.
But there's one weird thing missing as I make my way around Manchester's once go-to shopping destination - and that's shoppers.
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As I breeze along four floors of this House of Fraser department store I can count on one hand the number of fellow shoppers I've seen. I spend a couple of hours in the store and it rarely gets busier than around ten shoppers on each floor I'm browsing - and there's certainly no queue at any till point.
I mean, it's great news for me, I get to wander around as if my Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman with whole shop floors entirely to myself and I had a brilliant shopping experience. But why is it so quiet?
I headed to the store last week after a couple of friends had also remarked about how few shoppers they'd seen on recent visits. One went on a busy Saturday afternoon in the city centre, a day you would expect all shops to be busy, and yet were stunned to see it quiet then too.
It makes me so sad when I think back to five years ago, when Kendals was at very real risk of closure, amid a breakdown of talks between House of Fraser owners and the landlord at the time. I think back to the huge outpouring from customers demanding the city centre institution be saved after House of Fraser announced they were to close the store in October 2018.
The idea of a city without Kendals, after 180 years on Deansgate, was simply unthinkable. And so the "Save Kendals" campaign began in earnest.
Back then, Manchester Council were instrumental in the campaign to bring the store owners and landlord together for talks to help "secure the future of the store". And it was a success.
Kendals staff memorably ripped down the "closing down" posters, and shoppers everywhere celebrated that their much-loved department store was saved.
So where are all those devoted Kendals shoppers, so devastated about the thought of its closure, now? Surely if that campaign taught us anything, it's that you have to use it or lose it when it comes to your favourite businesses.
Now admittedly, we've all been through a pandemic since then, and a lockdown which forced the entire nation into online shopping. Even for those who had never considered it before.
For many, now, you need a reason to go back OUT onto the high street, when we've all seen just how easily you can order what you want from the comfort of your sofa. It's why so many stores are creating so many more "experiences" inside their stores as an incentive to get people away from screens.
Since lockdown, there have also been big changes inside this House of Fraser store. There has been the permanent mothballing of the top floor, although all of the retail departments have been condensed onto the remaining floors instead.
The main loss is of the big restaurant that used to be a real destination up on the sixth floor in years gone by. Up there is also where the famous Christmas grotto used to be every December - but Covid saw the end of that as well. It has never returned even after lockdown, much to the dismay of families.
But I hadn't realised that there's been a big redesign of the children's floor, now on 3. It includes loads of toys and a big Game concession - with lots of cool stuff for kids to look at.
There's a gaming room, a huge Lego sculpture and a Pokemon trail, and computer game statues too. I was left pretty impressed, and it's a really great spot if you've not been in with your kids for a while.
There's even a cool new bar area for kids (I remember it in the more recent past as Tom's Champagne bar) branded up now as "Dungeons and Dragons". It offers a load of treats that will get kids super-excited like slushies, crisps and sweeties.
For those wanting something a bit more adult than slushies, there is a House of Fraser café remaining in the store, and that's the fourth floor Wild Mint Café. It serves up breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon teas.
I paid the Wild Mint Kitchen a visit during my leisurely afternoon here, and I have to say I thought it was marvellous. Unlike recent trips to the John Lewis café at Cheadle where I was stuck in three different queues just to buy a drink and sandwich, there was no queue at all here.
It was clean, bright and with a quirky shabby-chic decor. I was able to order from a selection of hot dishes, and there were a range of tempting looking cakes covered on the counter too.
My toasted brie and cranberry sandwich and slice of lemon cake were delicious - and my Nutella hot chocolate was also a bit different too. It was a world away from the sub-standard experience I had at John Lewis with a sandwich so dry I couldn't even eat it - and yet people queue out the door to dine in there.
But even with a great offering here, the Kendals cafe was really quiet. I was just so shocked about how few people were visiting on a lunchtime in the city centre. Has everyone forgotten that Kendals exists?
It wasn't just a quiet day in town because when I walked over to M&S on Market Street afterwards there was a huge queue at that store café. And yes, I'm well aware there's a cost of living crisis going on, but the footfall at Kendals seemed to be less than in its rivals on the day.
And yet, with Debenhams now closed, Kendals still boasts one of the city's biggest "true" department store offerings spread over six levels. That's with an entire floor of menswear underground, two floors of womenswear on 1 and 2, childrenswear and toys on 3, soft furnishings, kitchen and household goods on 4 as well as the make-up and accessories on the ground floor.
It made me wonder what are the bigger issues for this House of Fraser store now in getting customers through the door, particularly given the big changes happening outside it on Deansgate?
Because my big bugbear when visiting here is the parking situation, and roads in general, in the city centre now. The far end of Deansgate has been semi-pedestrianised and made one way, and then there's the new bus lane cutting off half of Bridge Street to motorists.
Some of the car parks I used to use when heading into the city centre, I have literally no idea how to access anymore without getting a bus gate fine. Others have been demolished for new developments.
I did manage to snake my way through to the old "Kendals car park", as I call it though. That's the big multi-storey right next to the department store.
It did used to adjoin the store if you look up, but those two bridges have now been blocked off so you can no longer get through to Kendals. The car park itself is operated by Manchester City Council, and there are plans to demolish it as part of wider redevelopment of the King Street West area.
But it's still operating for now. The pay off, if you do manage to negotiate all the road closures/one way traffic/bus gates to get in there? Well you'll get to pay a handsome £20.20 for a four hour stay, or £25.20 for the privilege of a six hour car park stay next to Kendals.
I've moaned about the price of parking in the city before, but it really is getting to be a ridiculous price to pay for people to be able to support businesses in the city centre.
I mean £25 is quite an investment to lay down for a shopping excursion, but it's what I had to pay, as I just wasn't sure how many hours I'd be in for. And, most annoyingly, you have to pay upfront on these machines.
Is it not just encouraging shoppers to head to the Trafford Centre, with its acres of free parking spaces, instead? The council are committed to a city with less cars with their plans along Deansgate, but at what price is that to the businesses along it?
Council leader Bev Craig told the M.E.N last weekend that they are committed to investing in the city's shopping districts, when we took a look at what's happening with the shops along King Street, just opposite Kendals.
She said at the time: "Future investment along Deansgate to create a pedestrian friendly destination is another example of how we are continually looking to improve and evolve our city centre to support businesses and attract visitors, ensuring that Manchester remains a must-visit city."
It's all very well to think that visitors will all be getting the train into town and then will freely walk all around to the different shopping zones, but life isn't always that simple is it? If you're a parent with a couple of kids and a pram in tow, or you can't walk all that far, or if you know you're needing to buy bigger, heavier items, then you will probably need to use your car for the trip.
And let's face it, if you need or want to drive for your shopping trip, chances are you're going to choose somewhere you can park fairly easily or cheaply. Which ain't Manchester city centre right now.
I do wonder if the cheaper car park at Manchester's other big department stores of Selfridges and M&S at the very far end of Deansgate (admittedly, also a right old struggle to get to by road these days) is another reason for those two stores appearing to be busier with shoppers. They also have a tram stop right outside of course.
I've tried to contact House of Fraser to talk about the Manchester store, and what the future holds. Plans were approved for redevelopments in and around the Kendal Milne site by the landlords Investec in 2021, but works have still not started.
Back then, Investec said House of Fraser is staying on a "rolling six month contract" at the Kendals site. House of Fraser didn't respond at the time of that article about its plans for Manchester, and it still hasn't now.
I would just love for people to know more about the good stuff that seems to be happening in the store right now, particularly as I'm one of those shoppers who hasn't been back in to shop for a while. I was impressed with what a clearly dedicated workforce are doing to keep the House of Fraser store looking impressively smart, fully stocked and shiny.
It's easy to be nostalgic about Kendals' past, and I know most people who grew up in and around Manchester will have fond memories of shopping here over the years. I just hope people haven't forgotten it's still here in the present day too.
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