I was loyal to David Jones. If only they’d been loyal to me

November 9, 2026 — 11:30am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

No gift articles left

You've used all of your gift articles. 3 more will become available on the 1st of every month.

When David Jones entered voluntary administration, I felt a sadness I hadn’t expected. I’ve shopped there for more than 30 years, so the possibility of losing it felt personal. Yet for the past couple of years, I’ve walked through its stores ready to buy and left empty-handed. That’s the contradiction I can’t shake. How does a retailer with 188 years of history end up here while customers like me are still trying to hand it our money?

I am in my 50s. I want contemporary clothes and beautiful shoes. I have no interest in dressing as though my best years are behind me. But increasingly, I walk through the fashion floors and feel as though the store is looking past me, towards a younger woman it would rather attract.

Meanwhile, I am the customer still walking in. I am the one choosing David Jones when I could buy the same thing elsewhere. Yet the more I look, the more I wonder why so little of what it stocks seems chosen with me in mind.

The premium fit-outs look beautiful. But........

© The Age