It’s 20 years since Jo and Richard Hill bought anything in Rotherham city centre. Why have they and so many locals abandoned it for the nearest retail park – and what would it take to change their minds?

On 22 May 1987, retail history was made in Rotherham. Parkgate Retail World, thought at the time to be the UK’s largest open-air shopping centre, welcomed shoppers for some one-stop retail therapy. The official opening was marked in swanky fashion with a “breathtaking” display from Marlboro’s red-and-white branded biplanes, followed by a “spectacular” laser show, the first in South Yorkshire. Helen Worth – Coronation Street’s Gail Platt – cut the ribbon before jovial local people jostled to fill their car boots with goods from Comet, Jolly Giant and Poundstretcher.

Almost 40 years on, the razzle is a bit less dazzling. Parkgate, as the retail park is called now, looks like any large big-box outdoor shopping centre you might find on urban fringes. There’s a Primark, a Sports Direct and a Matalan, plus (of course) a Frankie & Benny’s. Shoppers still seem to love it. “I think it’s ideal. It’s got everything here,” says Robert Gordon. The 66-year-old retired factory production manager had popped to Pets at Home to get a cupcake and toy for his dog Bruno’s fourth birthday.

Gap, M&S, Topshop and more are taking a leaf from luxury label playbooks to satisfy savvier generation of shoppers

High street brands that boomed in the noughties before the squeeze of both sustainably minded consumers and the rise of ultra-cheap online labels are staging a comeback.

This time, rather than focusing solely on trend-led affordable designs, the names familiar to any shopper are courting luxury fashion, A-list collaborations and enhanced services in an attempt to engage consumers.

Social media-driven craze puts ‘squishies’ up there with evergreen favourites such as Lego and Barbie, Hamleys says

A cartoonish banana so addictively squidgy that it is “really difficult to put down” is tipped to be among the must-have toys this Christmas, according to expert buyers at Hamleys.

The £10 “slow-rise, squeezable, sensory” fruit taps into the “squishies” craze that is fuelling a high street boom in toy sales. In the coming weeks, Hamleys expects to sell thousands of the Big Squij toys, which come in a variety of food and animal shapes filled with a flour-based compound.

For true patriots with short memories and cash to waste, his limited-edition bling might be an ideal gift

America’s 250th anniversary celebrations are not exactly going to plan. A wealth of acts have pulled out of semiquincentennial concerts. An mock-up of Donald Trump’s planned Triumphal Arch at the Great American State Fair is visibly oozing. Some of Disney’s celebratory Americana apparel range was found to have been made in China. But, as ever, things could be worse. After all, you could have chosen to spend the anniversary wearing a Kevin Spacey ring.

Because, in a sentence that nobody could have ever expected to read, Kevin Spacey is selling a special edition signet ring to commemorate America’s independence.

Spending can be exciting – but how do you function outside of it? Experts share their tips for paring down buying

For years, I have been caught in a tiresome, expensive cycle: when I’m bored (or sad, or insecure) I scroll through my phone, looking for stuff to buy. In those moments, it feels like the right purchase will relieve me of ennui or unpleasantness. These shoes will make my life more glamorous! This face wash will make me feel forever beautiful!

Sometimes this rush lasts up to two days after I receive my item. But the excitement fades – sometimes as soon as I click “confirm purchase” – and I inevitably think: “Why did I do that?”

For decades, Wildings was the poshest shop in town. But since it closed down in 2019, the storied building has fallen into disrepair and been commandeered as a drug den and a skate park. What happened?

I’m standing outside a lift in a department store in Newport, Wales, looking at the sign, wondering where to go. Stay on the ground floor for shoes, giftware and presents, ladies’ accessories and Estée Lauder? Or up to the first floor for furniture and ladies’ fashions – Annabelle, Tigi-Wear, Autonomy? It’s the second floor for cookshop and homeware. Lingerie is on three, plus Alfred’s coffee shop and tea room. Maybe I’ll go straight there for a cappuccino and a ponder …

But nothing happens when I press the button. The panel is hanging from the wall by its wires and doesn’t look safe. I’d be nervous about stepping into this lift. Plus, it’s dark. I’m using the torch on my phone to read the sign. There’s no giftware on this floor, no presents, no cosmetics counter. Once, this floor would have smelled of perfume; now, it’s musty, cold and empty. Because, on 19 January 2019, after 144 years of trading, this department store, Wildings, closed its doors for ever.

This pricey infrared therapy mat claims to help mood, sleep and muscle recovery. It felt more like a glorified heating pad

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• Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things

I have a $1,400 mat stashed under my pink velvet couch.

It’s my roommate’s PEMF and infrared therapy mat, and yes, it costs nearly as much as my monthly rent. Measuring 6ft in length, made of vegan leather, layered with bright-blue amethyst and obsidian crystals and weighing as much as a Siberian husky, the HigherDose mat makes my basic yoga mat feel like a flimsy slab of cardboard.

Whether it was a solo trip to a cafe, a nice lipstick or merely wandering around a shop that was out of her price range, my mum showed me that a little luxury goes a long way

My mum’s best advice was “You’re allowed to enjoy nice things.” Both elements – the nice things and being allowed them – were equally important. She was a fervent believer in the restorative power of a treat, taking herself out for solo breakfasts most weeks (a bacon muffin and a cup of coffee in the cosseted calm of Bettys Tea Rooms), ordering chips at the slightest provocation, staying in chic hotels she had a pre-internet gift for ferreting out and being coaxed by department store salesladies into buying expensive unguents.

She was even keener on treating others, including me. During my teens and early 20s, when I was ill and unhappy in my body, she took me for lavish lunches, booked me massages and accompanied me on spa trips. I recently found a note she had sent me when I was slogging, lonely and sad, through my finals, which had obviously come with some cash. “Buy yourself something frivolous darling,” it read. “A nice nail polish?”

Pretty coloured eggs from fancy breeds can now cost as much as £4.50 for half a dozen. But some people have found a sneaky way to avoid paying a premium

Name: Posh eggs.

Age: Best before three weeks from now.

From the comfiest sleep hoodie to one of the fanciest face masks, reviewers share what actually helps them hit the hay

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• Five common sleep problems, solved by experts

• Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things

Getting a good night’s sleep is a personal struggle for many of us. Here at the Filter US, we noticed that a lot of you are interested in all things sleep. From our coverage of the best sleep masks to these Coop adjustable pillows, many readers are obsessing about the best products to help them get some shuteye.

To help fuel this not-so-drowsy enthusiasm, we asked a bunch of our contributing writers about the products they rely on to get some rest. What we got were some personal insights into some of the sleep hangups we all face, and some fantastic tools to help, including comfy pillows, white noise machines (sound machines), earbuds, face masks and more. There’s even a Snuggie-like wearable blanket on the list.

No, your communications don’t make me feel valued as an individual. A ‘Dear’ or ‘Sir’ wouldn’t hurt once in a while

How do you feel when big corporations address you directly? (In other words, when they use the second-person pronoun “you” in their communications.) Do you feel like you’re valued? That you’re being treated as an individual? Or does it make you want to grab their CEO by the scruff of the neck and tell them to shut up?

It’s impossible nowadays to buy food, walk down the street or even open your emails without businesses trying to chat you up. A carton of Alpro oat milk shouts “Hey you!” from the dairy aisle. A restaurant you visited once sends a circular with “We miss you!” in the subject line. You get a bill from Octopus Energy with 41 uses of this cursed pronoun, but it never once addresses you with “Dear”.

Max Fletcher is a London-based writer

You really want me to review my buy? Yes, it was fine. But that is where I would like our relationship to end

When I buy something online, I don’t want to receive more than two emails: one to confirm my order has been received, and another to tell me when it will be delivered. The numerous notifications we receive while browsing, buying and then waiting for delivery are presumably meant to be reassuring. But since when is harassment reassuring?

Imagine a world in which the second you walk into a shop, someone taps you on the shoulder and asks: “Can I help you today?” Then someone asks for your email address in exchange for a 5% discount. When you find what you are looking for and place it in your basket, this instigates more nuisance. “Hurry! Twenty-one other people have this in their basket too!” Of course 21 other people have this in their basket, it’s shower gel and a significant number of people shower. This doesn’t make you rush. It makes you thrilled that the consensus remains in favour of personal hygiene. You wander around the shop a bit more. Someone grabs your arm. “There is still an item in your basket. Don’t forget to check out!”

Athena Kugblenu is a comedian and writer