Mountains of socks and underwear are piled up in big blue bins scattered throughout the shop that is supposedly having the very last Clerys sale.
Hastily-erected rails groan under the weight of jeans, suits and jackets taken from the Best Menswear concession at the Dublin department store which shut its doors suddenly last month.
The windows of the pop-up shop on Parnell Street, where Peats World of Electronics used to be, are covered in giant yellow posters advertising the place as a “Clerys liquidation store”, with everything said to be half price. They block out almost all the natural light and give the shop inside a gloomy and depressed air.
It seems about right.
Reluctant to talk
Staff in the shop are reluctant to talk to the press. They have been told not to by Best Menswear management, who have made it clear that none of the stock selling in the shop has been ordered in especially and insist it is all being sold at a loss.
The temporary store, which is employing 15 people from the menswear department of Clerys, is likely to remain open for the rest of the month depending on sales.
Shoppers rifle through racks of Levi jeans, Tommy Hilfiger shirts and Remus Uomo suits.
“I just saw that there was a liquidation sale so I thought I’d come in and have a look,” says Dave McCarthy from Killester after making his purchases.
He watches his new clothing being put into plain white paper bags. “Is it Clerys? I didn’t know that it was Clerys,” he says, expressing mild sadness that the department store has closed down.
Sadness offset
His sadness is offset somewhat by his purchase. “I got a suit that was 300 quid for €110 and a pair of Wranglers for €40, I’m delighted with myself,” he adds, heading off in the direction of Capel Street and Louis Copeland’s shop where he is hoping to get a suit cover to go with his new purchase.
Other shoppers are less impressed with what’s on offer. “Half off? It doesn’t look like the stuff is half price to me,” a disgruntled man mumbles as he storms through the doors past a couple of older women who are peering in curiously.
“It only has men’s clothes,” one of the women tells her friend. “Sure what good is that?”
She pulls a face when she realises the sale is of stock that was once bound for Clerys.
"It's a great shame what happened. Denis Guiney would be turning in his grave."
