During my trip to London, I also got a chance to spend some time exploring the pricier stores, including Harrods. Yes, Harrods is one place you should visit, even if you don’t purchase anything (as I’ve said in an earlier post, it’s better to buy in the US or Canada for many North American brands). The store is huge, and is difficult to navigate in its entirety without spending more than six hours just wandering. Perhaps the best way to describe it to those who’ve never been to London is that it is like Macy’s on Herald Square had a love child with Bergdorf’s. There is both old and new in the store, with a few hundred departments for men, women, kids and more. It is so easy to get lost there.
This store honestly has a taste of an old fashioned department store. While many high end department stores in North America have eliminated their toy section, the one at Harrods is still in existence, and with many traditional and modern things which will keep any 2010 kid busy. For the grown-ups, there’s the electronics section, one which can viral any big box store in North America.
Video of the Egyptian escalators at Harrods (comments are in Cantonese. The guy is basically saying that the space is “crazy” (in an OMG, it’s so amazing sort of way).
One of the most interesting parts of the store are the Egyptian escalators. Gold, colourful and decorated with various Egyptian themes, this project apparently cost more than 30 million GBP to create and more resembles a museum than a department store. According to the creator, William George Michael, the point of the space was to “be a walk-in-sculpture, the viewer would be transported on the escalator, as if travelling from the Lower Nile to the Upper Nile.” Other non-shopping points of interest include the Diana and Dodi memorial (Dodi’s father, Mohammed Al-Fayed, was the owner of Harrods from 1985 until 2010).
Finally, if you don’t go anywhere else in the store, be sure to visit the Food Hall. With all sorts of items, ranging from restaurants to chocolates, sandwiches and items you can purchase to make dinner. Restaurants tend to be open concept, with counter sitting. However, like the rest of the store, this isn’t your typical American diner. Prices are more in line with trendy, downtown restaurants!
