Were you one of the 300-odd souls who queued up in a car park on the Purley Way yesterday to get in to the new John Lewis store there?

Can you post a comment below to answer this simple question: Why??

We quite like John Lewis – both in terms of the “consumer offer” (that’s the thing wot they sell), but also in the manner the business is structured, with staff being part of a partnership.

So the opening of any John Lewis in Croydon, albeit in the glorified car park that is next to Sainsbury’s on Purley Way, is to be welcomed.

But queuing? And as for someone travelling up from Haywards Heath (as was claimed in the company press release), well…

Are you being served?

Are we missing something? Were there some special offers there yesterday that won’t be available today or tomorrow (remember the company motto: “Never knowingly undersold”)?

John Lewis at home Croydon is the second branch of the retailer’s “exciting” (according to the press release) new format, which focuses exclusively on furniture, furnishing accessories, homeware, electrical and home technology – and the first for London and the South East.

Apparently, the first item to be sold was a Union Jack design door-stop. Kitchen gadgets and bakeware, particularly cake tins (all probably available in Allders), were a big hit and technology proved popular with iPods and iPads selling well.

According to the company’s press release, they sold an HD TV every 20 minutes.

But the top and bottom of it all is that it is a shop. So what is the fuss all about?

One happy by-product for customers might just be seen by the behaviour of the competition. Centrale is offering free car parking over the bank holiday weekend, and the House of Fraser has up to 20 per cent off some lines over the weekend.