Harrod's

Sequoia · 15 Jul 2006 at 16:30

Wren said:
Thanks for the extended feedback. It sounds to me as if we Montrealers have a similar department store to Harrod's. It is geared to the wealthy, for sure...yet not everything in the store is priced too high. That store is Ogilvy's.

If when thinking Harrods, you think Saks or Neiman Marcus, you won't be too far off the mark.

For instance, if you want a Brioni or Kiton suit, there's only a limited number of places worldwide where you can be measured, and order. For Kiton, Neiman Marcus (NYC at least) is one of them (or rather, the Bergdorf Goodman division is), as is Wilkes Bashford in San Francisco, and L'Uomo in Montreal.

Oh, and I'm talking about men's clothes. You'd have to ask the wife about ladies equivalents.

Heliospherez · 15 Jul 2006 at 16:37

Harrods is crap..... sorry but its just another hyped up tourist trap of london that has the same stuff you can get on ebay somewhere at double the price. Only difference is, its displayed well - and wrapped differently.

Some of the staff are quite rude too.

Hate the place..... it should have closed down along with the demise of the yuppies and 'Loadsamoney' culture in the late 80's.

And as for charging for the toilet - whats all that about. If I want to bring back a customer ( and make his shopping experience as enjoyable as possible so he buys something ) - the last thing I should do is make him pay for using the toilet.

As well as that - its STILL the only shop in the UK that sells Fur. That says it all for me.

William · 15 Jul 2006 at 17:53

Typical London really, overpriced and very ordinary I like the Ice Cream bit though. The food hall is extortionate, as bad as Selfridges.

PsiFox · 15 Jul 2006 at 17:58

I'd rather go here.

Lots to play sorry analyse here

http://www.hamleys.co.uk/

William · 15 Jul 2006 at 18:03

Now Hamleys is cool.

carvegio · 15 Jul 2006 at 18:08

I have been to harrods a lot of times and to be honest their prices aren't that high compaired to other stores nearby. They have top designers at designer prices. Not grossly inflated at all.

And with regards to the toilets I have heard about the charging thing also, but have been to their toilets most times I have been there without getting charged... Wasn't asked for a receipt or money either.

I doubt I was just lucky more than 10 times. I remember hearing they did this, maybe it was something they did before and not any more?

Anyone here been there and charged a pound in the last year?

ballistic · 15 Jul 2006 at 18:20

the store is only famous because it's a complete ripoff. They put the harrods logo on stuff like food and charge 500% more than in Tesco for exactly the same thing.

Wren · 15 Jul 2006 at 18:55

divosuk said:
Harrods is crap..... sorry but its just another hyped up tourist trap of london that has the same stuff you can get on ebay somewhere at double the price. Only difference is, its displayed well - and wrapped differently.

Some of the staff are quite rude too.

Hate the place..... it should have closed down along with the demise of the yuppies and 'Loadsamoney' culture in the late 80's.

And as for charging for the toilet - whats all that about. If I want to bring back a customer ( and make his shopping experience as enjoyable as possible so he buys something ) - the last thing I should do is make him pay for using the toilet.

As well as that - its STILL the only shop in the UK that sells Fur. That says it all for me.

Wow....sounds like some stores here. I can't figure out how the rude staff still manage to keep their jobs, quite honestly. I think part of the reason is that most customers will complain to their friends and relatives instead of making a constructive, honest complaint to the employers. Even then, unless the employers do something, there isn't much else we can do. You still have to pay for using toilets in the UK? Or are you talking about just Harrod's?

Ricochet J · 15 Jul 2006 at 19:36

I kid you not. I cylce past this thing when I do my 30mile cycling, and it is:

Je Suis Huge

ironman · 15 Jul 2006 at 20:02

I didn't have to pay to pee last time, there is a luxury rest room in women's fashion, even has a drinking water tap!

Ricochet J · 15 Jul 2006 at 20:49

I hear the toilet water is Evian.

daz · 15 Jul 2006 at 21:19

Most of the bathrooms in Harrods you do not have to pay for.

I like the food halls, and it's good to see lots of different designers' clothes side by side so that you can easily compare one pair of jeans or one shirt to another, for example. Although in that respect it's no different to any other upmarket department store.

A few years ago, Krispy Kreme used to be reason enough to pay a visit to Harrods, but they're all over London now...

tang0 · 15 Jul 2006 at 21:58

Harrords is just a massive complicated maze of stairs and lifts

Nexus · 15 Jul 2006 at 22:03

Well to be honest it was a few years ago that I was last in Harrods. I showed the receipt I bought for something to the attendant on the door in order to have free access to the toilets.

fini · 15 Jul 2006 at 22:11

You must go to Fortnum & Masons, if only for the chocolate - beats Harrod's chocolate by a mile - they have a proper chocolatier who actually knows what she's talking about - only place I know of that ever has proper quantities of Amedei Chuao.

Harrod's definetly worth a visit though.

fini

Greenlizard0 · 16 Jul 2006 at 00:25

BUSH said:
In my opinion its a dump.

Its a maze that is impossible to find your way round, and its rammed full of tourists buying the huge amounts of tack and tat that it purveys.

If you want an upmarket department store in london try Harvey nichols just up the road, a much more pleasureable shopping experience.

When I was little, it was the ONLY place I ever got lost in. They had to announce me on the loud speaker and everything lol.

I don't really get why tourists go there, it long ago stopped being a British institution. The only things there that are possibly British are random crap that only tourists buy because it has the Harrods logo on it. Everything else it sells e.g. clothes, lamps, toys etc are from foreign lands and probably could be bought where the tourist came from for much cheaper.

Though the carrier bags are better than the Tesco for life bags. My mom still occasionally uses one for storing curry in the freezer.

Alty · 16 Jul 2006 at 18:14

I heard an amusing annecdote from my mother about Harrods the other day, when she gets in later I will try n get it from her again.

Wren · 16 Jul 2006 at 18:52

I saw a good movie (a 3 parter) called "Woman of Substance" quite sometime ago. The sequel, "Hold the Dream", was equally as good...well, I liked them, anyway. Apparently, the department store in the movie was supposedly Harrod's....they just changed the name to "Hart's" after the star of the movie.
Not sure if this is true or not, but that is what I heard.

[DOD]Asprilla · 16 Jul 2006 at 19:01

Harrods is good, but everything you hear about it is exaggerated.

It's not that expensive and it's no more busy than it you were shopping on Oxford street.

The key thing about Harrods is that they will get just about anything you want, whether they usually stock it or not.

Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges are all similar, but excel in different areas.

(Note: I'm only refering to Selfridges on Oxford street, the ones I've been to elsewhere are as bad as Debenhams.)

Anim · 16 Jul 2006 at 19:07

went by there today, tbh its impressive to go around if you arent even buying anything. lets just say its big :E

Harrod's

Wise Guy